Food for My Daughters

I started growing food for my daughters on September 12, 2001, as I stood there in aisle eight at a metro-Atlanta supermarket, buying staples like cereal and peanut butter in case terrorists “hit” our national food supply, and knowing I needed to take one little step to somehow feel some semblance of control in providing for those I love at a time of complete and utter chaos. On this show, I read excerpts from this book, including the lessons of the food I’ve provided them since then, and other food for thought we’ve learned along the way. Things they most likely have forgotten. Things they may need to know one day and I won’t be here to tell them. Things they may want to share with their own children. Things you may want to learn and share as well, maybe because you’re like most people today and this kind of knowledge was never passed down to you, or because you see how important it is to be able to provide such a basic human need to those you love. And no, I didn’t know anyone personally who died September 11. But, as an American and a native New Yorker, that moment in history changed the course of my life, and I hope I am honoring the memory of those who perished that day. I buried a friend who died of lung cancer five years later, unrelated to 9/11, and that experience further transformed the way I look at the world, and my temporary place in it. My book includes practical tips, philosophical advice, and even twelve simple, seasonal recipes (if you could call them that). Well, thirteen, actually. A Baker’s dozen, ever so appropriately. It is arranged by month, and I will be reading excerpts during the time of year in which they occurred so you to enjoy it that way--slowly, seasonally, as the light and fragrances and tastes of the year change, just as I changed, and my children grew into young women, and the world once again looked hopeful to me.