As a new columnist on all subjects meaty, and writing for a publication focused on organic, sustainable living, I feel a little sheepish considering fast food in my first article. But with the new school year upon us, and the grilling season waning on the horizon, I’m thinking of my 6-year-old son, Jonah, and his brief obsession with a certain set of golden arches.

According to Michael Pollan’s 2006 book on American food systems, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, one in three children in the United State eat fast food every single day. Jonah, much to his dismay, is not among that one-third. Initially, his knowledge of fast food eateries was based on little more than fleeting glimpses of neon lights from the backseat of the car or, when walking down city streets, smelling the mysterious, wafting sent of something deep fried and salted. But on Jonah’s entrée into kindergarten, what was once a vague notion morphed into a pressing curiosity. Interestingly, we’d had a similar situation when Jonah’s older sister Maia started school. At that time I didn’t eat meat at all, and had little trouble convincing Maia that steering clear of big fast food burger joints was better for the environment, our bodies, and the animals so many of us tend to eat.

But Jonah has a more persistent taste for the sweeter, saltier things in life, and an apparent predilection for popular culture. As his kindergarten year wore on, the subject of Mack-Donol’s (as he and his sister innocently pronounce that American institution) surfaced with increasing frequency. It was evident he’d heard stories from his peers and felt he must be missing out on something good. Driving toward Pullman one afternoon, he pointed out the window and mused, “I think at that place they give you a toy with your dinner.”

So I launched into my long-winded explanation as to why we’d have to forego that particular treat. To me, fast food chains are more than just unhealthy. I see them as reflecting larger social and environmental predicaments like car-culture (almost 20 percent of American meals are eaten in the car), industrial agriculture (by its encouragement of corn and soy monoculture for livestock feed), globalization, (according to their website, McDonald’s is located in 118 countries—as they say, “it’s never been easier to find a McDonald’s near you”), and our cultural distancing from food—that knowing where our food comes from, how to prepare it, and having the time to sit enjoy it with family and friends, has become a smaller and smaller part of our cultural knowledge and practice.

Jonah’s fast food fascination (and my way of dealing with it, which was, in effect, to ban it) came to a head last spring. We’d been focusing on table manners in our household and, as a reward for a weeks’ worth of thoroughly pleasant dinner table behavior, Jonah got to plan a special dinner menu. “Whatever you choose, we’ll make,” I gushed, envisioning requests for a homemade pizza, or macaroni and cheese. “I know,” he responded with a twinkling eye, “let’s have Mack-Donol’s!”  “Oh,” I stammered (or maybe it was “ugh”), wondering how I was going to avoid reneging on my end of the dinner deal (a special dinner of his choice) without succumbing to hypocrisy. “Ah!” I exclaimed, realizing the keyword in the whole situation: make. The deal had been that we would make the dinner of his choice. And that is what we did.

We kneaded the dough for hamburger buns, sliced the potatoes for oven-baked French fries, and mixed and shaped our own burger patties. The Co-op carries more than one brand of grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free ground beef. The meat section stocks Alderspring grass-fed beef. And if you plan your burger night in advance, be sure to check the freezer section for Flying DW Ranch Texas Longhorn ground beef. Don’t let the “Texas” fool you: Dusty and Melissa Weitz’s Longhorn herd is grass-fed in the very-nearby Viola, Idaho. The beef comes in packages of about 6, 1/3 pound patties and runs $3.69/lb.

Jonah was so excited for his “healthy Mack-Donol’s night,” (as he called it then and continues to term any night we have burgers on the menu); he invited two of his closest friends to join us in the occasion.

The wonderful thing is that the golden arches have since lost their luster for Jonah. Although he hasn’t had the opportunity for an actual taste test, he firmly averred that the meal we prepared together, at home, containing primarily local, organic ingredients, far surpassed what comes out of a drive-thru window. It’s a perspective that makes our occasional burger nights very happy meals indeed.

The recipe:

My typical burger recipe is a takeoff on the “Meal in a Burger” recipe found in The New Basics Cookbook (by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, 1989). Despite the convenience of preformed patties, I like to combine each 1 1/4 pound of meat with one egg, 1tablespoon grated onion (white or yellow), 1clove of garlic crushed, and salt and pepper to taste. Resist the temptation to go with extra lean meat—a little fat will produce a juicier burger. 1 1/4 pounds of ground beef should make 4 modestly portioned burgers. Whether you choose to grill your burgers outdoors or broil in the oven, cook 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side for a rare burger, and longer according to taste.

Honestly, I don’t usually make my own hamburger buns and quite enjoy the Co-op’s buttermilk bran buns. And this time of year you can even top the whole thing off with thick slices of a juicy, red, homegrown tomato and a Walla Walla sweet onion. Enjoy!

Jamaica has made the most of her Moscow summer by playing in her garden and cooking and eating outside as much as possible.