Meredith Leigh is a mother. A farmer. A butcher. A chef. She’s worked as a teacher and a non-profit director. She’s also the author of “The Ethical Meat Handbook,” and “Pure Charcuterie: The Craft and Poetry of Curing Meats at Home.” Her mission? Discover and share pragmatic solutions related to sustainable, ethical, real food.
On this week’s podcast, we talk face-to-face with Leigh about some of the tough questions facing our food system including elitism in the food movement, food justice, women in butchery and the role of empathy in farming and raising livestock. We also discuss multiple topics tackled in her books, including the rationale behind -- and the skill needed -- to make delicious charcuterie at home. Along the way, Leigh shares stories about her food journey, from humble beginnings in urban America to years spent living a vegetarian lifestyle and her subsequent decision to take on farming, butchery and food advocacy.