---
title: "Start Here"
url: https://waronfood.org/start-here/
category: site
type: page
status: stable
published: 2026-10-07
last_updated: 2026-10-07
summary: "The best first guides, in a sensible order."
description: "New to War on Food? The best first guides for sourdough, real food, buying from farms, a from-scratch pantry and homesteading, in a sensible order."
attribution: "War on Food (waronfood.org)"
---

# Start Here

> New to War on Food? The best first guides for sourdough, real food, buying from farms, a from-scratch pantry and homesteading, in a sensible order.

Welcome. If you bake bread, read labels, buy eggs from a neighbour, or just want to know where your food comes from and who decides, you're in the right kitchen. **War on Food is a library of practical, from-scratch guides, written warmly and backed by real sources.**

Here's how we'd work through it. Pick the path that matches what's on your counter right now.

## If you want to bake

Sourdough is the gateway skill for a lot of us: a little flour, water, patience and a jar.

1. [Make a sourdough starter from scratch](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/starter-from-scratch/). A day-by-day plan, including what's normal when it looks dead.
2. [Feed your starter](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/feed-starter/). Ratios, schedules, and how to tell when it's ready.
3. [Sourdough for beginners](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/beginners-guide/). Your first loaf, start to finish.
4. [Sourdough discard recipes](https://waronfood.org/sourdough/discard-recipes/). Never pour it down the sink again.

## If you're cleaning up the pantry

Start with the shelf, not with fear. Small swaps you'll actually keep beat a total overhaul.

1. [The from-scratch pantry staples checklist](https://waronfood.org/pantry/staples-checklist/). Printable.
2. [Ultra-processed foods list](https://waronfood.org/real-food/ultra-processed-foods-list/). How to spot them, and why "perfect" isn't the goal.
3. [Seed oils: what they are and what the evidence says](https://waronfood.org/real-food/seed-oils/). The full list, the arguments and the research.
4. [Is Red 40 bad for you?](https://waronfood.org/real-food/red-40/) What the studies show, and where it's hiding.

## If you want to buy from farms

Knowing your farmer is the most practical thing you can do for a local food system, and often the tastiest.

1. [How to buy food direct from farms](https://waronfood.org/local-food/buy-from-farms/). Where to look and what to ask.
2. [How much is half a cow?](https://waronfood.org/local-food/half-a-cow-cost/) With a calculator that uses your farm's own prices.
3. [Pasture-raised vs. free-range eggs](https://waronfood.org/local-food/pasture-raised-vs-free-range/). What the labels really promise.

## If you want to grow and keep

1. [Homesteading for beginners](https://waronfood.org/homestead/beginners/). Start where you are, even in an apartment.
2. [How to save tomato seeds](https://waronfood.org/homestead/save-tomato-seeds/). The easiest seed-saving project there is.
3. [How to can tomatoes](https://waronfood.org/pantry/how-to-can-tomatoes/). Safely, by the tested method.

## If you want the bigger picture

Why do egg prices jump? Why does a local mill or meat processor matter? Who writes the rules?

1. [What is food sovereignty?](https://waronfood.org/articles/food-security-and-food-sovereignty/) And how it differs from food security.
2. [How food supply chains break](https://waronfood.org/articles/supply-chains-and-disruption/). And what a household can do about it.
3. [Where your food really comes from](https://waronfood.org/food-systems/inside-industrial-food/). Pictures of industrial farming: feedlots, canola oil plants, caged chickens, pig farms and french fry factories.

## How we handle the hard topics

On contested subjects like seed oils, dyes and raw milk, every guide includes a box called **The evidence, plainly**. It sets out what we know, what's still debated and what isn't supported. We take your questions seriously, and we won't scare you into anything. [Read our editorial standards](https://waronfood.org/about/#editorial-standards).

---

Cite as: [Start Here](https://waronfood.org/start-here/), War on Food (waronfood.org), last updated 2026-10-07.