Roots of Food: Exploring Ancestry Through Eating

Intro & food photos by Aryn Henning Nichols • Illustrations by Lauren Bonney
Originally published in the Summer 2016 Inspire(d)

Family recipes have roots – and stories. Inspire(d) gathered some of those recipes and their tales for an epic collection for summer fun. Join in as we cook our way through some great family history.

apple pie One bite of a dish your grandma used to make shoots you through time, through a rolodex of memories…it practically plants roots from your toes into the very spot your ancestors first broke soil.

I spent the morning peeling potatoes, chopping onions and celery, and thinking of my own grandma. She passed away in 2008, but the memories of the small apartment where she lived when I knew her came flooding back.

Food is funny that way. It’s a connector. It brings so many of our senses to life…feeling the produce, chopping the vegetables, smelling the crust baking, and, finally, tasting. It’s a wonderful thing.

We love featuring food and recipes each summer. This year, we asked folks to share some of their family food memories. I start it off with my grandma’s potato salad. Spoiler alert: It was just as good as I remembered!

There’s so much great local produce available every summer from farmers right here in the Driftless Region – at Farmers Markets and through CSAs and co-ops and roadside stands…so take advantage of these wonderful resources. Cook on, and visit us at iloveinspired.com for more fun recipes and meals! You gotta eat, right? May as well eat right.

XOXO – Aryn

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