What are ways that the pandemic is nudging us to work with delicious microbes?”

During a time when antibacterial soaps and wipes are flying off shelves, why are people cultivating microbes at home? Melissa Metrick (NYU Urban Farm Lab/Nutrition and Food Studies Department) and Wythe Marschall talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing more and more people into growing food at home—not only via backyard or window-sill gardening, but also via growing their own sourdough starters for bread and preserving food through pickling and canning. Melissa (a long-time sourdough starter enthusiast who has moonlighted in urban homesteading and food preservation) and Wythe (a novice baker) discuss the tension between “good” and “bad” microbes. We explore these different invisible living microbes that are all around us. Some “good microbes” we cultivate to make food delicious or preserve food. Other “bad microbes” can make us sick; whole organizations work to protect our bodies against them. Check us out and subscribe! Future episodes will feature expert guests—and of course more hot microbe-talk! If you have questions or feedback for us, please get in touch.

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