Here's a few more ideas to add to Dominique's recent post about food crafts simple enough to do as a hobby.
Obviously, this is a big one which I can't believe they didn't mention!
Pretty much everyone who cooks at home should have at least a small herb garden, even just some window pots. Herbs are expensive to buy, spoil very quickly once chopped, and can be quite wasteful if you only need a little at a time. Rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, oregano, and much else besides are all worth growing.
Tomatoes are probably the next worth doing, even if all you have is a balcony. Home grown tomatoes actually taste of something. Even farmers' markets don't compare, and grocery store tomatoes are just so very bland. If you've never eaten a home grown tomato then you've never eat a tomato; not one worth having anyway.
Now, there's plenty more fruits and vegetables that can be easily grown at home. Once I have the space I want to give all sorts a go.
Sprouting is like growing, but were you devour all of the little seedlings before they have a change at life! The only sprouts most people eat are bean sprouts, but you can sprout all sorts of stuff. The best guide for that I know is by 100r, right here on Gemini.
Fermenting is great fun to do at home too. Lots of traditional foods made around the world are ferments because it was so key before the invention of refrigeration. There's yeast-based fermentation, in terms of bread and beer. There's lacto ferments like kimchi and sauerkraut (just straight daikon/mooli is my favourite). And then there's dairy based fermentation like yoghurt, kifir, and cultured butter. All worth doing as they're all the kind of the thing you set, forget about for a few days (except for burping them), and then coming back to tasty food.
This is perhaps the most advanced level, just because of the potential for pathogens associated with raw meat, but you can cure meats like bacon and sausages at home. A great guide is on YouTube by Pro Home Cooks
How to Cure Meat in the refrigerator :: YouTube
Last Updated: 2023-05-02