By: Carine Hines
Originally published July 7, 2026 in the Napa Valley Register
Unlike most working mothers these days, I never got on board with the idea of meal planning. Yes, I will skim recipe articles for inspiration, buy a few unique ingredients to keep my pantry stocked, and may have a rough idea of at least one meal I might cook in the upcoming week. But really, cooking in my house is flying by the seat of my pants, never following a recipe, and eating whatever I find in the field. And let me tell you, we eat so well.
Like so many people, my most poignant memories involve food. Perhaps it is the act of sitting with loved ones, or experiencing all our senses, but somehow food creates indelible memories of the past. As such, it’s no surprise that my idea of heaven is sitting with my grandparents for lunch, eating a farm fresh meal cooked by my grandmother. Once my grandmother stopped cooking, I think I subconsciously searched for a way to relive, if not exactly, her meals and all the memories they evoke. The only logical way to do this, was to follow in her footsteps and become a farmer.
Most of the food we eat is grown on our farm, or from neighboring farms and ranches. When it’s time to think about dinner, I either make a mental scan of what’s in the cooler or I take a basket out the field to pick whatever inspires a meal. Just last night we eat a Greek Salad with veggies and herbs from our farm, beans I’d cooked the day before, local cheese, and bread from the farmers market. All this drizzled with olive oil grown down the road. At its core it was the simplest of meals, but it was remarkably delicious because of the process behind making the meal.
First there was all the planting, irrigating, weeding, and tending that brought the crops to fruition. Then there was the process of walking through the field with my baby strapped to my back, grabbing the first ripe tomatoes, fuzzy new cucumbers, shallots still growing in the field, and oregano I found in the herb garden. Seeing all these beautiful colors in a basket on my counter inspired the meal. Finally, there was the act of chopping, salting, mixing, and creating a meal.
The point is, food is not just about the act of eating, it’s about the process to making a meal. As a farmer, I can experience that journey from seed to fork. When we eat our food we know the bit of soil that grew the food, or the pasture where the animal lived its life. This knowledge can be overwhelming, because we know all the hard work and resources that go into every bite. But this knowledge also keeps us grounded in the privilege of eating good food. Access to eating good, healthy food is a human right, and simultaneously, we can never take for granted the value of food and the process to make a meal.
To value food and the meal on your plate, you do not all need to become farmers. Instead you can be intentional in seeking out local food, meeting farmers, and cooking from scratch rather than a package. When you meal prep your week, instead of cooking to a recipe, you might try cooking to a season. Don’t cook a tomato recipe in December and rethink the chicken breasts in bulk packaging. And always remember, making a meal is a process, and in this process of making or eating, you will create memories with you and your loved ones that you will never forget.