There is another option, you could trade for food. In most games I have played, there have been crafts I have not enjoyed, and then I will buy the thing I need from someone who does/NPC. I am not sure why in this game there is such resistance in the community to trade for things. I will be cooking and farming a lot, and you are very welcome to buy your food from me, I can do a special price for returning customers and even deliver it to you for a small fee. :P I could set up a meals on wheels service and go round the lake regularly!
This is a really good suggestion, but not urgent IMO. If it would push back release of the patch I'd rather wait til future update.