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My guest this week is Meredith Leigh author of “The Ethical Meat Handbook.” Meredith is a food and farming specialist who has worked as a butcher, chef, teacher, and homesteader, all in search of realistic solutions for sustainable food.
A holistic food manifesto, the The Ethical Meat Handbook describes how we might endeavor to get good meat on our plates, and empower ourselves to own more of the process. Part philosophy, part technical instruction, and part memoir, this book gives eating more substance and soul. Included are discussions of economy, environment, agriculture, and social synergy, as well as complete instruction on whole animal butchery of beef, pork, lamb, and poultry. All this, plus a complete chapter on charcuterie, and over 100 delicious recipes make this a must-have for everyone’s culinary collection.
Nutrition, environmental impact, ethics, sustainability—it seems like there’s no end to the factors we must consider when we think about our food. At the center of the dietary storm is animal-based agriculture. Was your beef factory-farmed or pasture-raised? Did your chicken free range, or was it raised in a battery cage? Have you, in short, met your meat?
Most efforts to unravel the complexities of the production and consumption of animal protein tend to pit meat eaters and vegetarians against each other. The Ethical Meat Handbook seeks a middle ground, arguing that by assuming full responsibility for the food on our fork, and more importantly, the route by which it gets there, animals can be an optimal source of food, fiber, and environmental management.
Meredith Leigh
“Over the past 13 years, I’ve worked as a farmer, butcher, chef, teacher, non-profit executive director, and writer, all in pursuit of sustainable food. I’ve developed a farmer co-op, founded and catalyzed non-profit ventures, grown vegetables, flowers, and meats, owned and managed a retail butcher shop, and more. I’m a single mom, and, I’m the author of The Ethical Meat Handbook: A Complete Guide to Home Butchery, Charcuterie, and Cooking for the Conscious Omnivore. Above all, I am committed to real, good food, as a means to connect with people, animals, and plants, learn new skills, create intentionally, stay inspired, and experience deliciousness.”
Learn more about Meredith and the book here.
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2013 Chakana Estate Selection Red Blend
60% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz aged in 100% new French oak for 10 months. Deep red color with violet hints. Dark fruits and exotic spices with tobacco and mocha hints. Elegant, well balanced, harmonious, long persistence with chocolate flavors. Uplifting, vibrant notes of raspberry, cherry, blackberry and violet. Peppery, clean and fresh – so pure! Seamless structure and an electric, refreshing finish. Mouthwatering and persistent.
You can purchase this wine at Jacob Liquor Store on North Rock Road here in Wichita.
For wine information and resources the Napa Wine Project is one of the BEST! My guest this week is David Thompson.
The 2014 Napa Valley Chardonnay strikes the perfect balance between indulgence and refreshment. After a few minutes in your glass, delicate mandarin orange zest aromas open into plush pineapple and pears. On the palate, this wine is pure pleasure, decadent citrus cream poured over fresh pear crostata with a subtle hint of clove. Restrained oak provides a warm vanilla glow and softness, while the finely tuned acidity lifts and balances the richness all the way through the remarkable lengthy finish.
This dark magenta Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon carries on the legacy of our spectacular 2012 vintage, uniting rich, dark fruit and incredible softness into a focused, harmonious whole. High-toned aromas of raspberry and fresh plums swirl around a hint of smokeand warm earth on the nose. In the mouth, the wine’s plush smoothness takes over – a warm, soft caress of dark Bing cherries and wild berry bramble, layered with sweet vanilla and milk chocolate notes. Ripe, round tannins provide substance and structure without rough edges, carrying the wine into a lengthy finish of oregano and dried summer savory. The harmoniousbalance and exceptionally smooth texture make our Cabernet an ideal choice for dinner, drinks, or date night.
At 275 pounds, Audrey Johns was unhealthy and unhappy—until the day she vowed to give up the “fake food”—frozen “diet” meals, low-cal sodas, quick-to-make boxed foods—and taught herself to cook her favorites from scratch. In less than a year, Audrey mastered the kitchen and lost more than 150 pounds (more than half her body weight), going from a size 24 to a size 4—all while pinching pennies. Now Audrey shares her story, insights, and clean-eating recipes to help you slim down. Lose Weight by Eating includes more than 130 mouth-watering recipes for family favorites, including pasta, scones, nachos, meat loaf, and cookies—all bursting with flavor but with fewer than 500 calories per meal. Most recipes use simple and inexpensive Smart Swaps and are full of hidden vegetables that keep you feeling fuller longer, and all are picky-kid-friendly and spouse-approved.
After losing more than 150 pounds, Audrey Johns started LoseWeightByEating.com, which has helped thousands of people. Her story has been featured on CBS’s The Doctors and on the cover of Woman’s World magazine, and she was a chef contestant on the second season of ABC’s The Taste. She also hosts a clean-eating video series on eHow.com, and writes food, wine, and travel columns for local magazines. She lives with her family in Atascadero, California.
It’s easy to find a bottle of wine to drink. The world is full of perfectly good juice. The hard part comes when you are looking
Intense aromas of passion fruit, persimmon and Granny Smith apple leap from the glass, woven with notes of Meyer Lemon, Asian pear and wet stone minerality. A juicy mid-palate of honeydew melon, fresh guava and a touch of baking spice is balanced by firm acidity and a creamy mouthfeel that carries through the lingering finish. Enjoy this wine now for its fresh, youthful flavors or cellar through 2018 to enjoy the crème brûlée and preserved lemon characteristics that will develop with age. WW92 WE91
This wine begins with a vibrant, golden hue that rolls out notes of butterscotch, light caramel and delicate barrel vanillin. Crisp lemon drop and meringue flavors run rampant around the palate. Medium bodied and dry by nature, there is a slight perceived sweetness of fruit on the finish.
The Original Baconkit includes:
