I grew up in Washington state. My dad would drive us to see my grandparents and there were always wheat fields on the way (then we would stop to take wheat kernels and eat them).
With COVID, we’ve seen a rise in home farming. I remember being the first one on my block to have a little garden patch in March 2014.
When it went up, my next door neighbor came to me and said, “Move it.”
And I said no. “This is food. I can take my lawn and turn it into food if I want and it’s okay.”
Now I’ve seen multiple garden patches in my neighborhood.
It reminded me of when I used to drive up to Northern California and just seeing miles and miles of farmland, I thought to myself, “This is how we get fed.”
When we talk about having regional cuisine I think about, “What is American food?”
And when I think about American food, hotdogs, hamburgers and apple pie come to mind.
Even that’s what the world thinks American food is (like our version of pizza and all the stuff that isn’t real food).
We know that eating better affects our health (healthy food creates health). And the biggest question that I have is, “How can I help people understand regional cuisines and get them off medicine?”
A lot of its benefits are about pleasure and community.
And I talk more about this with president of a local not for profit farm called Glynwood and leading educator in the small farm movement here in New York, Kathleen Finlay.
Kathleen has been instrumental in organizing women who want to work for environmental progress. Since arriving at Glynwood in 2012 she has refined the organization’s mission and became a national figure in the world of progressive agricultural non profits.
During the podcast, we talk about her experience with menopause, how she came to New York AND:
● What is regional cuisine
● The importance of community in developing regional cuisine
● The role a CSA plays in regional cuisine (where you are, where I am)
● GMO crops versus hybridized crops
● Regional cuisine in the Hudson Valley specifically
● Our health and how it benefits from whole, real regional food
● Asking for help to complete any project especially as a woman and what that means.
Tune in to this episode today if you ever wondered what a CSA is or how to get more local produce into your diet!
Resources:
• Check my latest podcast or listen to the previous ones https://www.menopausemovement.com/blog
• Connect with me on Instagram @drmichellegordon
• Follow me on Facebook
• Join The Menopause Movement private group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/menopausemovement
• Sign up for our Virtual Live Retreat: https://www.menopausemovement.com/retreat
• Sign up for the 28-Day MENO-Belly Challenge here https://www.menopausemovement.com/challenge
• Glynwood in the Hudson Valley https://glynwood.org/
What’s Discussed in This Episode:
[0:00] Introduction
[6:04] Kathleen’s shares her experience with menopause
[8:28] Glynwood and where Kathleen was prior to that
[12:03] What is regional cuisine and why is it important?
[15:06] How to create identity when it comes to food
[18:35] Rethinking food in many ways
[19:28] Where to find regional cuisines
[20:52] Impressive results from adapting to a regional cuisine
[22:42] Dr. G shares the pushback she got when she started her front yard garden patch
[25:43] There’s no comparison in terms of eating fresh
[26:14] Kathleen’s take on GMO
[27:45] Three areas of concerns with GMO
[30:42] Kathleen’s vision for the Hudson Valley
[34:25] Addressing the obstacle of not knowing how to cook the produce
[37:02] How healthcare providers can help patients understand regional cuisine
[41:55] Eating real food vs packaged branded stuff
[45:07] What role women play in shaping a food system
About the Guest:
Kathleen Finlay has been a leader in the regenerative agriculture movement for most of her career. She has also been instrumental in organizing women who work for environmental progress.
Since arriving at Glynwood in 2012, she has refined the organization’s mission and become a national figure in the world of progressive agricultural nonprofits. Under her leadership, Glynwood has become a premier learning hub for food and farming professionals.