It’s a perfect time to have today’s three guests on. Liz Carlisle, who is an associate professor in the environmental studies program at UC Santa Barbara, joined me on the podcast back in 2022, along with farmers Mai Nguyen and Latrice Tatsey. Today, we’re bringing Liz back. Her new book is Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods, which she edited with Aubrey Streit Krug, the director of the Perennial Cultures Lab at The Land Institute. Joining the two of them is Leah Penniman, who is an acclaimed activist and farmer; she co-founded Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, New York, is the author of Farming While Black, and contributed an essay in Living Roots.
Tap the link in my bio to listen to our conversation, or search “Food with Mark Bittman” wherever you podcast. Plus, read an excerpt from Living Roots at bittmanproject.com.
Consider the Broccolini—And the Farmworkers Who Harvest It
Few of us understand the human effort it takes to get broccolini onto our dinner tables—and farmworkers know this. So appreciating the taste of broccolini, somewhat sweeter than regular broccoli, should mean giving credit to them.
Read on at bittmanproject.com—find the link in bio.
Photos by David Bacon
Protein. Keto. Intermittent fasting. Gut health. Food as medicine. Kate and I both tend to shrink away from buzzwords and trends. Of course, though, many of these terms and ideas come from real research and truths. It’s when they spin out of control and everyone hops on the bandwagon that we eyeroll.
Food as medicine is one of those terms that’s been taken out of context and used for just about everything possible. But since we Bittmans are such proponents of home cooking and the nourishment that good food can provide, we do believe in the roots of food as a healing power. When you see a big plate of homemade food, how can you not?
This week’s guests are Sven Gierlinger and Terrence Meck. Neither uses the term “food as medicine” verbatim, but both of them are doing important work to nourish people—the people who need it most. Sven is Northwell Health’s chief experience officer, and in 2017, under his leadership, Northwell—which has 28 hospitals—embarked on an impactful culinary journey, reimagining the way food is sourced, prepared, and served to both patients and staff. The initiative prioritizes fresh, locally sourced, ingredients, and has, as you may imagine, been very well-received.
And Terrence Meck is in his second year as the CEO of God’s Love We Deliver, a nonprofit that provides medically tailored meals at no cost to 15,000 New Yorkers each year. God’s Love is very special to Kate and me and we try to support them whenever we can. Before his tenure as CEO, Terrence served on the God’s Love Board of Directors for 14 years, and as Board Chair for four of those years.
Terrence and Sven hadn’t met before this interview, but their teams have worked together, as you’ll hear about, and it was wonderful, and inspiring, to get to know them both.
Tap the link in my bio to listen, or search “Food with Mark Bittman” wherever you podcast.
Around this time of year, while some might get swept up in an endless search for ramps, these recipes are less fleeting.
If your peas are still frozen, your herbs are still dried, or your artichokes are still peacetully nestled in a can in your pantry, you can still put together these dishes that match the mood of the new season of growth.
Tap the link in bio for @erikahoule ’s recipes at bittmanproject.com.
Photos: Sam Muller
Dylan Alverson is the owner of the diner Modern Times—recently renamed Post Modern Times—in Minneapolis. In January, the diner made an announcement: Food would be free moving forward—unless you’re a federal agent—and the restaurant would run on donations.
Jason Finder is the Executive Director of Good Food Works and Salad Days, which offers free grab & go salads to public spaces and high-need constituencies throughout New York City.
I’ve become acquainted with both Dylan and Jason in the last couple of months, and the three of us, with Kate, had a chat about interesting approaches to equitable food access. Many of you know of my involvement with—or I guess I could even say ‘creation of’—Community Kitchen, our nonprofit restaurant that recently finished its three-month pilot in NYC—and Dylan and Jason are taking different tacks on getting good food where it’s most needed.
Tap the link in my bio to listen, or search “Food with Mark Bittman” wherever you podcast.
Instead of labor-intensive deviled eggs, leave your eggs as they are, season them with salt, and add a dollop of something creamy like kewpie, crème fraîche, or homemade mayonnaise. From there, design a decadent bite with whatever ingredients you have on hand, from anchovies to cheese and crushed potato chips.
Find @erikahoule ’s recipes for “Angeled” Eggs at bittmanproject.com—there’s a link in my bio.
Helen Veit recently published ‘Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History’, and, as she wisely writes in it, “Saying that mass childhood pickiness isn’t inevitable can sound offensive—like you’re undermining people’s personal experiences or questioning their parenting.”
Even if you don’t have kids, Helen’s book is a really interesting look at the history of how kids ate, and eat; and how fussy eating came to define “children’s food”—this is what Helen calls the foods that picky eaters tend to gravitate towards—and reshape American diets at large. We’re glad to introduce you to her today.
Tap the link in my bio to listen, or search “Food with Mark Bittman” wherever you podcast.
