Crackerman is a German baker with an expansive soul and a soft spot for sausage. I am a nervous American vegan. This is not the stuff of bad sitcom but a true, strange and beautiful friendship. We get together and talk about literature, family, travel, ghosts, but mostly about food and the way we wish everyone could eat — real food, food without processing, preservatives or genetic modification, food that sustains and is sustainable, food that’s seasonal, local and cause for joy.

These talks sustain me, but Crackerman decided to take things further. He came up with what we’re calling the Real Food Project, a nonprofit call to arms, a grassroots demand greater care and awareness in what we eat. We hammered out the language and with the mighty Khim, launched a website and forum. Crackerman thinks if we band together and speak out in favor of real food, we can make it happen. We can change the world. I hope he’s right and I hope you’ll be part of it. It’s free and all you gotta do to join is sign up.

What happens from here on out is up to you.

You might say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.

The Real Food Project

What : An appeal for real food — food without additives, preservatives, antibiotics, mystery chemicals or genetic modification.
Who: You and everyone else who wants real food.
Where: Everywhere around the globe.
When: Now.
How: Become a fan. Choose food made without additives. Read labels. Join us and speak out in favor of real food.
Why: Because everyone deserves access to real food.

Our food is contaminated. It’s processed with chemical preservatives and additives, genetically modified products and laced with salt, fat, and sugar. Our seas are overfished and polluted, killing off 90% of our oceans’ fisheries.Our national productivity, creativity, economy and health are crippled by obesity-related illness.

At Real Food Project, we’re into:

Families who cook together.
Families who eat together.
Teaching basic cooking, sourcing, and nutrition in all schools.
Serving real food in our school lunchrooms.
Meat produced ethically.
Fish caught sustainably.
Eating less meat.
Farm and garden initiatives that reintroduce heirloom varietals.
Bringing local foods directly to consumers.
School gardens that bring real food to communities, starting with our children.
Home and community gardens.
Preventative health
Companies that feed employees real food.
Fresh sustainable and organic foods.

We’re anti:

Multinational food conglomerates
Industrialized food distribution systems
Factory farming
Genetically modified food
Artificial preservative
Chemicals and additives
Misleading food labels
Obese, unhappy children
Obese, unhappy adults
We deserve a change and so does our planet.
We ask our readers to pay attention to what’s in our food and to who makes it.
We encourage vendors to provide fresh, local, unprocessed food.
We ask the USDA to step up oversight of corporate food production.
We want companies to reward employees who make real food a priority.
We demand food made without additives.
We want a choice in what we eat. We choose real food.

Join our Project.

Working together, we can make companies, institutions, and government listen. We can make the move, make the change to real food. Become a fan now. Post links, comments, photos, and videos. Introduce your project, coop, company, community and even post jobs here. Network with others and profit from an ever-growing web of real food supporters. Live better, eat better. Welcome to the Real Food Project.

Yum

Sweet Potato Salad With Tahini and Ginger

Yield: Serves 4.

Sweet potatoes, in season now are real, rich in vitamin A and roasted like this, reveal their own sweetness without (guuh) pineapple or marshmallow. This is a significant salad, but to make it more of main course, add 1-1/2 cups cooked whole grain, like quinoa or millet.

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into bite-sized cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cups fresh spinach, watercress, arugula or a combination of all three
• juice and zest of 1 orange (about 1/3 cup juice)
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tahini

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Spread sweet potato bites on a rimmed baking sheet. Add olive oil, sea salt and pepper flakes. Toss to coat sweet potatoes and roast for 25 minutes, stirring once to make sure sweet potatoes roast evenly and don’t stick to the pan.
3. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Using a blender or food processor, blitz together ginger, orange juice and tahini for 1 minute or until smooth. Makes about 1/2 cup dressing, enough for the salad plus leftovers. Dressing keeps covered and refrigerated for up to a week.
4. Keeping the oven at 400, toast chopped nuts in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant.
5. To assemble salad: Place greens in a large bowl or arrange on a platter. Scatter with chopped celery, chopped sweet potatoes and chopped nuts. Drizzle dressing on top or serve separately.

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