"Our self-run 'volunteer kitchen' is now prepared"

"Our self-run 'volunteer kitchen' is now prepared"

In the heart of Vladivostok since March 2023, "Cooking for Ours" (18+) has thrived, boasting a whopping 335 members. Led by the spirited Ekaterina Kornaukhova, the group has expanded its reach far beyond Primorsky Krai.

Night after night, women, some being relatives of special operation participants, gather to prepare hefty meals in large quantities. They tirelessly boil, grind, and dry food, cooking up a storm for entire units. This homemade fare, a welcome change from instant noodles, brings a touch of home to the war zone.

Ekaterina Kornaukhova casually entered the fray, drawn in not by a desire to volunteer, but the allure of engaging in a new, exciting activity. Initially, she purchased a dehydrator for her mother but fate had other plans.

At first, she joined the "Sewing for Ours" group, soon realizing it wasn't her cup of tea. When someone posted about dried borscht, she inquired about the recipe, sparking a collaboration with Olga that wouldn't be easily snuffed out. Together, they formed the group and kicked things off with just two like-minded individuals, gradually amassing more members.

"Our repertoire," says Ekaterina Kornaukhova, "consists of soups, milk porridges, and an array of other treats." They buy the essentials – milk, cereals, nuts, berries, and seeds – before washing, roasting, drying, and packaging them. The result is a plethora of fruit leathers, candied fruits, granola bars, fruit snacks, and minced pollock snacks, all in sizeable portions. Soldiers need only add boiling water to enjoy.

Vegetables are the stars of the show, cooked and grated before being placed in the dehydrator. It's crucial not to pulverize the products into a powder, retaining the dishes' home-like appeal, with visible pieces.

"If it's borscht, then it's borscht, as it should be," laughs Ekaterina Kornaukova, "with meat and beans, I might add chicken breast for good measure." The pork, she notes, tends to be extra fatty, while beef puts a strain on the budget. Toevard humanitarian aid, they opt for leaner options that are less likely to spoil during the long journey to the front lines.

By 2024, the group had dispatched around 24,000 portions of food, including borscht, rassolnik, taiga soup with ferns, mushroom and pea soups, fish soup, mashed potatoes, and milk porridges, to name a few. While excluding teas, coffees, lemons, bananas, pastilles, and other sweets, they also prepare fruit snacks, mint, granola bars, gingerbread, and cookies. Teas made from taiga herbs, berries, and garden plants like mint, viburnum, cranberries, strawberries, and others, are also on the menu.

"Some folks may question our dried grub at first," says Kornaukova, "but before you know it, they're scavenging for leftovers."

Approximately 50 active members keep the group running, with women handling the lion's share of the work. Men pitch in occasionally, albeit infrequently, as Ekaterina laments.

"We supply our fare to anyone who requests it," says Ekaterina Kornaukova, "not just soldiers from the Primorsky region." The group has catered to individuals hailing from Smolensk, Murmansk, Chelyabinsk, Kursk, and Kamchatka. They've been showered with gratitude for their distant deliveries.

"We're here to help everyone, they're all Ours," Ekaterina emphasizes.

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1. Ekaterina Kornaukhova, initially drawn to the group "Cooking for Ours" not by a desire to volunteer, but the allure of engaging in a new activity, and the founder of the group, was surprised by the success it achieved in Vladivostok since March 2023.
2. The group "Cooking for Ours," boasting a membership of 335, is a part of the health-and-wellness, cooking, lifestyle, food-and-drink, and home-and-garden realm, preparing and dehydrating food for soldiers in the war zone.
3. In the group, women, sometimes relatives of special operation participants, tirelessly cook and dehydrate food, sending their creations to the front lines, providing a home-like meal that serves as a welcome change from instant noodles.
4. The group's repertoire includes soups, milk porridges, and an array of treats, such as fruit leathers, candied fruits, granola bars, fruit snacks, minced pollock snacks, vegetables, and dried herbs, all prepared for easy rehydration.
5. The group "Cooking for Ours" has expanded its reach beyond Primorsky Krai, sending supplies to soldiers from regions like Smolensk, Murmansk, Chelyabinsk, Kursk, and Kamchatka, catering to anyone who requests their healthful dried grub.
6. Led by the spirited Ekaterina Kornaukhova, the group "Cooking for Ours" is a science-backed effort aimed at improving the health and wellness of soldiers, with a particular focus on women's health, while promoting a connected and supportive cooking lifestyle.

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