Monday April 30, 2012

Heirloom Meals Radio:
Beth Bader

Beth Bader, author of The Cleaner Plate Club: Raising Healthy Eaters One Meal at a Time joins me to talk about her upbringing in rural Missouri. Describing herself as "one of the first of the latchkey generation" Beth's story of transitioing after her parent's divorce and moving to a farm at age 10 was truly a transition between the burgeoning canned/convenience food life and a life where everything was raised or grown locally or on the farm where her family lived. Later, on her own journey into motherhood she became even more concerned with the source and quality of what she was feeding her children and how to handle the challenges of encouraging kids to try new foods. Listen in to hear Beth tell us her story of growing up and share tips and advice for getting kids to try new foods and expand their palates!

Wednesday April 25, 2012

Heirloom Meals Radio:
AnneMarie DeFreest Part 2

Listen in to Part 2 of Food Memory Lane with AnneMarie DeFreest as she illustrates the importance of paprika to her favorite Savory Hungarian recipes - Goulash and Chicken Paprikash and talks about the importance of knowing what kind of paprika(smoked, sweet, hot and more) and where it came from would go into different Hungarian recipes. She also tells us about her favorite Hungarian sweets – Kifli and Kalacs - whose recipes, techniques, and variations she learned as a child from her Aunt Betty.

Monday April 23, 2012

Heirloom Meals Radio:
AnneMarie DeFreest Part 1

My best friend, AnneMarie DeFreest, joins me in Stockbridge for Part 1 of her 2 part show. While AnneMarie's most vivid food memories are passed to her from her father Jack Simko and his Hungarian heritage, the pleasure and importance of gathering at the table with cloth napkins and everyone in their specific seat, has left its own important set of memories and practices for her. As she and her siblings grew up and her father took over the cooking from her mother AnneMarie was able to experience again the smells and tastes she remembers of her Grandfather's cooking of recipes like Kifli and Kalacs and expose her own children to these recipes which had been so important to her upbringing. Listen in to hear her stories of growing up and savoring her paternal Hungarian food heritage in Part 1 and to Part 2 for more about the recipes she savors.

Friday April 20, 2012

Heirloom Meals Radio:
Christine McLaughlin

Christine McLaughlin, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Small-Space Gardening, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Composting, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables grew up on the edge of suburbia and farm country with an envious eye on the life of farmers. As a young girl and aspiring entrepreneur she nurtured her love for plants going up and down her street with replanted "volunteer" seedlings selling them to her neighbors for 10 cents a piece. This appreciation for plants evolved into an appreciation for preserving the rich heritage of heirloom and open-pollinated varieties and eventually realizing her dream of becoming a writer with her contributions to The Complete Idiot's series. Listen in as Christine tells her story and talks about the many reasons why preserving heirloom seeds is important (beyond genetic diversity).