Essential Ingredients Podcast 032: Eat Adventurously: Embrace the Unexpected Flavors of Overlooked Local Ingredients with Becky Selengut
“The individual decision is the difference maker.” —Becky Selengut
Our local markets and farms are brimming with a diverse array of ingredients. Yet, many of us pass them by because of their peculiar appearance or because we may be unsure of how to incorporate them into our cooking. But, by moving past our assumptions of how food should look like and embracing the unique qualities of these “ugly” and “misunderstood” vegetables, we can unlock a world of delicious, nutritious possibilities and transform our palates and perspectives while forging a deeper connection to the land.
Becky Selengut is an author, chef, and educator who has dedicated her career to inspiring home cooks to embrace overlooked, locally-sourced ingredients. Through her books, cooking classes, and advocacy work, Becky encourages people to look beyond the familiar and explore the diverse array of produce available in their own communities.
Join the conversation as Justine and Chef Becky highlight specific examples of overlooked local ingredients, the reasons these ingredients are often misunderstood, the importance of curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to try new things when it comes to expanding our culinary repertoire, the impact of individual food choices, the divide between eating organically versus domestically, and how eating locally contribute to sustainability and improved local food systems.
Meet Becky:
Becky Selengut is an author, instructor, podcaster, and chef based in Seattle. Her books include: Misunderstood Vegetables, How to Taste, Shroom, Good Fish, and Not One Shrine. Selengut is the co-host of the local foods podcast Field to Fork. When Selengut is not the chef aboard the M/V Thea Foss, she forages, makes a mean Manhattan, and shares her life with her wife April Pogue, their lovably loony pointer mix Izzy and their semi-feral gray floof Jinx.
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Episode Highlights:
00:34 Misunderstood Vegetables
07:29 “Ugly Vegetables” for Global Problems
13:14 Eating Locally and Sustainably
19:38 Organic vs Local
23:00 Individual vs Systemic Change
28:55 Reduce Plastic