Traditional Foods, Horse Racing Reform

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With the Kentucky Derby coming up this weekend, some animal rights activists are calling form reform of the sport. Veronica Rueckert and Rob Ferrett find out why and explore the world of farm to table cooking for “Food Friday.”

Featured in this Show

  • 'Nourished Kitchen' Author Brings Healthy Fats, Fermentation, Flavor

    For many years, Jennifer McGruther and her husband managed a farmers market in the central mountains of Colorado. There, she learned the value of sustainable agriculture — paying farmers fairly for their work — and eating balanced meals that are unprocessed, nutrient-dense and taste delicious.

    McGruther, creator of the award-winning website Nourished Kitchen, said she believes in raising, growing and preparing foods in traditional ways, like our ancestors would have in the days before industrialized agriculture.

    According to McGruther, the traditional foods philosophy emphasizes whole grains, dairy, red meat, organ meats, and fermented foods. McGruther emphasized that we’re not talking about boring, flavorless food here.

    “We should take pleasure in what we eat,” said McGruther, who directs programs that keep her local community foodbank stocked with wholesome, sustainably grown local foods.

    “I deviate from the classic health food movement that is about restriction and self-denial,” she said, “and instead focus on the wide variety of beautifully healthy, nutrient-dense foods that are available to us.”

    McGruther’s new book, “The Nourished Kitchen: Farm-to-Table Recipes for the Traditional Foods Lifestyle,” emphasizes balanced meals that incorporate fermented foods into both raw and cooked meals, along with grass-fed meats and healthy fats.

    One food that’s gone out of fashion and that McGruther revives in her book is lard.

    “It’s very rich in mono- and unsaturated fats,” she said: “the same heart-healthy fats that we find in avocados and olive oil.”

    Another food that has many people wrinkling their noses is radishes. Instead of eating them raw and bracing for their sharp zing, she makes the case for cooking them.

    “One of my favorites is blistered radishes. When they’re cooked the sharpness is subdued and they become wonderfully sweet,” she said.

    Talking about sweet begs the question: What’s for dessert? McGruther shares a mouth-watering recipe that incorporates aspects of the traditional foods philosophy: fresh, farm-to-table produce, served with healthy whole-fat butter and cream.

    “If we return to the popular traditions of 200 or 300 years ago, in terms of culinary perspective, we find beautiful foods that are also nutrient dense,” she said.


    Melted Blueberries with Ginger and Mandarin Orange

    Reprinted with permission from “The Nourished Kitchen,” written and photographed by Jennifer McGruther (Ten Speed Press, © 2014).

    Tossed into frothy butter scented with ginger, blueberries soften and seem to melt away. I usually use orange blossom honey, as it nicely balances the earthy sweetness of blueberries and the vibrant citrus flavors of mandarin orange. Once the flavors meld together in the heat of the pan, I ladle the blueberries into waiting bowls and serve them with a dollop of whipped cream that melts, ever so slowly, with the residual heat of the berries.

    Serves 4

    • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
    • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
    • 2 1/2 cups blueberries
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 mandarin orange
    • Whipped cream, to serve

    Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the ginger and sauté until it releases its spicy perfume, about 2 minutes.

    Stir in the blueberries, honey, and mandarin zest and juice.

    Sauté the berries over medium heat until the berries soften and their juices form a thin syrup, about 6 minutes.

    Spoon the warm berries into individual bowls and serve topped with a generous spoonful of whipped cream.

  • Food Friday: Reviving The Traditional Foods Lifestyle

    On Food Friday, a food educator talks about the traditional foods movement, and shares some recipes farm-to-table recipes.

  • On Eve Of Kentucky Derby, Some Call For Reform In Horse Racing

    A PETA investigation into a popular jockey threatens to overshadow tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby, and has some calling for reform in the sport of horse racing. A reporter discusses past reform efforts, and why the sport of horse racing seems so difficult to change.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Marika Suval Producer
  • Chris Malina Producer
  • Jennifer McGruther Guest
  • Pia Catton Guest

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