The new year is upon us and I’ve chosen this year to officially begin a renewed effort to make healthy choices. Yes, I live on an organic farm and grow organic fruit, veggies, herbs and macadamias, so like most of our farm customers, that’s not the weak link.

The area that has troubled me for quite some time, and why a new workbook called "D.I.Y Cookbook" has captured my attention, is this: everything else that goes into my farm kitchen isn’t as thoroughly vetted. Check out the ingredient labels on your chips, crackers, candies, muffins, breads, and more. I know there’s a load of diets and health recommendations out there that suggest wiping those items off the menu entirely, but here on planet earth I’m running a household with two teenagers and a busy schedule, so ridding my larder of those items isn’t going to happen anytime soon. I want an alternative we can live with.

Born of a farming necessity, I’ve always been a do-it-yourself advocate, and "D.I.Y. Cookbook" is a compilation of do-it-yourself kitchen craft information that is presented in an easy Advertisement

[ Pala Mesa Resort ] to follow format.

What’s important is that the writers offer numerous quick tips without which the home craftsperson wouldn’t achieve quality results. Consider homemade marshmallows, corn chips, toffee, sausage, orange jelly slices, pickles, cheese and more. Who’d want to make their own marshmallows, anyway? Well, have you checked out the ingredient list on a bag of supermarket marshmallows lately? Tetrasodium, Pyrophosphate, and Blue #1 anyone?

And here’s a real world fact: making your own snacks takes time and effort; so we’ll be eating less of them. Embrace quality over quantity. We’ll save money and be healthier.

The authors have divided their work into eight sections: Staples Made Fresh, Preserving, Pickling, Cheeses, Curing, Snacks From Scratch, Desserts and finally Beverages. Loaded with beautifully photographed step-by-step images and easy to read instructions, the authors have done an excellent job of transforming what for many might be outlandishly unthinkable tasks (homemade tofu? goat cheese? sauerkraut?) into assessable tasks for just about anyone.

Donna Buono is a farmer at Morning Song Farm in Rainbow. She can be reached at www.morningsongfarm.com or by calling (888) 816-3335.