Welcome to season two of the podcast!! I’m so excited to be back—the podcast has become the most enriching part of my work, and I’m deeply grateful for all of you who’ve been tuning in. There are significant costs to producing a podcast without advertisements or sponsorships, and I want to thank the paid subscribers from the bottom of my heart for their contributions. Right now I fund most of the podcast out of my own pocket, but with your help we can build something sustainable and inspiring, helping to shift how we think about food and what it means to be a cook, gaining more freedom in the kitchen. You can become a paid member, make a donation through PayPal, and/or simply share the podcast with your family and friends. Thank you for your support!
Today we’re kicking off the new season with an incredibly expansive and important conversation. I speak with Liz Carlisle, an Associate Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara. She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: Lentil Underground (2015), Grain by Grain (2019, with co-author Bob Quinn), and most recently, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022).
Liz describes how she became passionate about regenerative farming, which she defines as “a way of growing food that gives back to land and community rather than just extracting from land and community.” She discusses how soil is such an important part of that exchange, and how soil directly relates to climate change. She also explains how our current agricultural industry has been built on structures of colonialism and racism, and how these structures not only persist today but also contribute to the current climate crisis.
Liz and I also talk about the joy and pleasure that goes into feeding ourselves, and how this joy can manifest into something bigger for the betterment of not only our own lives, but also for the earth and our communities. Liz shares real ways that we can begin to shift the current paradigm of food production, and how it can start at our own tables.
You can listen to the podcast right here, or, better yet, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. If you feel inspired, share it with your people or rate it in your podcast app—it goes a long way in supporting this work.
As always, remember to nourish yourself with intention and love.
xo, Nicki
@nickisizemore | more recipes | cookbooks | classes
Links and Resources Mentioned in the Podcast
Liz’s website: https://www.lizcarlisle.com/
Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming, by Liz Carlisle (Island Press, 2022):
Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources, by M. Kat Anderson (University of California Press, 2013)
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions, 2015):
Transformative Farm Bill Campaign: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/food-and-farm-bill and https://healfoodalliance.org/heal-food-alliance-shows-up-big-dc-for-a-transformative-farm-bill/
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC): https://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/2023-farm-bill-platform/
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Regenerative Farming, Climate Change, Racism, Food & Pleasure with Liz Carlisle