“How did we get to a place where our culinary legacy is hotdogs and chicken tenders?” – Jenny McGruther
Though it’s one of the richest nations in the world, the United States has become synonymous with unhealthy eating and obesity. In this talk from Wanderlust’s Speakeasy, Jenny McGruther, real food advocate and author of Nourished Kitchen, explores our country’s difficult relationship with food and how we got to now. Generations ago, new immigrants brought with them traditions of seasonal eating, fermentation, and farm-fresh produce. As time went on, industrialization and war necessitated the use of prepackaged foods for soldiers and trade purposes. Yet after the war ended, these prepackaged foods continued to be celebrated for their convenience and modernity. From-scratch cooking unfortunately fell out of fashion.
Now in the present day, we are confronted with the fact that fresh, live, and local will always be the healthiest choice. Jennifer McGruther has made it her mission to bring real food to the masses. After realizing her town lacked a farmers market, she and her husband united local families and the surrounding communities to create one.
Through this work she has not only connected farmers directly to their consumers, but has also educated the public and stimulated the local economy. She holds the unshakeable belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality, nutrient-dense foods, and through this belief she has also spearheaded programs that provide free food to low-income residents of their community and reliably supply their community’s food bank with wholesome, sustainably grown local food.
“It’s not only about nourishing your body, and the bodies of your family and supporting your farmers, it’s really about building a community around traditional foods—around real foods.” – Jenny McGruther
For more information check out her website.
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Produced by Wanderlust Festival
Filmed and Edited by: Circus Picnic
Filmed at Wanderlust Squaw Valley 2015