Food Stories

Andrea Stroeve-Sawa, Magic Cattle, Taking Care of the Land, and Wasting Nothing

In our last episode of the season, Barb sits down at the kitchen table with Alberta rancher and manager of Shipwheel Cattle Feeders about regenerative Agriculture and holistic management of the land and the animals. A fascinating episode filled with stories, history, and lessons about regen ag that you may not have considered before.

Dr. Kris Nichols, Regenerative Agriculture, and What Soil Tells Us About Our Food Stories

Barb welcomes Dr. Kris Nichols to her kitchen table this week, and they talk all things regenerative agriculture and soil science. Dr. Kris Nichols is the Lead Soil Scientist with Food Water Wellness Foundation, [https://www.foodwaterwellness.org/] the Regenerative Alberta Living Lab [https://www.regenlivinglab.org/], and Research Director at MyLand Company Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona. She founded KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration and Innovation in Soils) Systems and was a Senior Science Advisor with Canadian Organic Growers, the Chief Scientist at Rodale Institute, and a Research (Soil) Microbiologist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. Kris was an advisor for the Real Organic Project; Savory Institute’s Ecological Outcome Verification program, McCain’s Farms of the Future; and Health First. She has Bachelor of Science degrees in Plant Biology and Genetics and Cell Biology, a Master’s degree in Environmental Microbiology, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science. Kris has given over 300 invited presentations throughout the world, authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, been cited or interviewed for more than 100 magazine or newspaper articles and multiple books, numerous videos on-line, and two documentaries. [https://kissthegroundmovie.com/]

Miriam Bankey and Food Dignity, Inflation, Privilege, and The Joy of Watching Babies Eat

Barb and Miriam are long-time friends who are used to talking about food together. In this frank conversation about food justice, Food Security expert Miram Bankey highlights the inequity of our food system and some incredible initiatives she is working on to bring dignity and food access to our community. Miriam's CBC article [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/poverty-groceries-income-miriam-bankey-1.6278078] Miriam's Interview on the Current [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-dec-23-2021-1.6296233/monday-december-27-2021-full-transcript-1.6297398] Some food security resources for you: Community Food Centres Canada [https://cfccanada.ca/en/Home] Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids [https://bb4ck.org/] The State of World Food and Nutrition 2022 [https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/the-state-of-food-security-and-nutrition-in-the-world-2022]

Lareina Abbott and a Return to Metis Culture, Bannock, Pie, and Fiddles, and (once again) the Comfort of Soup.

In this fabulous episode, Barb shares the Food Stories kitchen table with Metis speculative fiction writer, Lareina Abbott. Lareina pens Métis themed spec fiction, essays and memoir. A year ago, she received a Calgary Arts Development Grant to write a memoir about reconnecting with her Métis family and the story of her aunt who is a Métis elder. She received the 2023 Howard O’Hagan Short Story award for her short story “Ma Soeur Marie” published in the Prairie Witch Anthology, and was a member of the 2023 Audible Indigenous Writers Circle. She originates from a cattle ranch in northern British Columbia but currently lives and writes in Calgary on Métis Local 87 and Treaty 7 territory. You can find Lariena and her incredible work at @boneblackstories Lareina has pointed us toward this valuable resource for Metis recipes. To give proper credit, we have the link here and want to acknowledge the wisdom of generations of cooks who have created these recipes over time. https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/14522.Traditional%20Metis%20Foods%20revised%20May%202018.pdf [https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/14522.Traditional%20Metis%20Foods%20revised%20May%202018.pdf]

Anda Fabrig and Family Food Cultures, Making Food Inclusive, and Joyful Chocolate Rice.

In Episode 3 of Season 2, the beautiful and brilliant Anda Fabrig (She/Her/Siya) joins us at the Food Stories kitchen table for a fascinating chat. Anda is queer Filipina educator and a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, AB). She holds a BA in Communications and a BEd in inclusive education. Anda works as an anti-oppressive and anti-racist consultant and educator, working alongside adults to create equitable spaces.  Anda and I discuss her diverse food background growing up in Filipino/Italian household, the incredible food that surrounded her from both sides of her family, growing up with serious food allergies, and creating empathetic conversations through collective care, food, joy, and activism.  Combining her lived intersectional experience with her formal education, she engages in trauma-informed practices to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for learning.  Good does more good! Content warning: This episode contains discussion around internal racism. The Conversation, by Robert Livingston Do Better, by Rachel Rickets The works of Kai Cheng Thom Walls Down Collective [https://www.wallsdowncollective.ca/] Shades of Humanity [https://www.shadesofhumanity.ca/] Queer Education Foundation [https://www.qefoundation.com/] Anda's Mom's Chocolate Rice 4 3/4 to 5 cups water 1 cup sweet rice 2 tbsp cocoa 4 tbsp sugar to taste Method Boil water and add rice. Keep stirring while cooking. Add cocoa and sugar and cook on low heat til it thickens. Evaporated milk on top to serve.