Earlier this spring, I interviewed journalist and author Nancy Matsumoto for an article in Pomona College Magazine, our mutual alma mater.
Nancy had just published Reaping What She Sows: How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System, a fascinating book about the women farmers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders creating alternatives to industrial agriculture.
I had decided to record our interview so that I didn’t have to take notes. Although we hadn’t talked about it in advance, I started treating the conversation like a podcast interview, just in case. Turns out, I made the right call.
Nancy’s answers to my questions about regenerative agriculture, food waste, and women farmers, were some of the best I’ve heard in quite a while. In fact, she was so succinct and on point that I barely edited the 40 minute conversation even though she never knew it might become an Enlightened Omnivore Podcast. I did ask her permission to share our chat before I posted it.
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None of this should surprise you. Nancy has had an impressive career in food. She’s an award-winning author, journalist, and editor. In addition to Reaping, she co-wrote a James Beard Award-winning book on sake, and her articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, The Los Angeles Times, Civil Eats, Saveur, NPR, and numerous other publications. She has a fantastic Substack called Reaping, by Nancy Matsumoto, and regularly posts Substack Live interviews with women in agriculture.
The more conversations I have with people like Nancy, the more convinced that a better food system is on the horizon, but only if we all lend a hand. In addition to committed farmers and ranchers, it will take the butchers, millers, distributors, writers, cooks, and consumers to make change. Nancy shares a lot of suggestions on how you can get involved at your local level, and I’ve included links at the bottom of this article,
If you do one thing on that list, think of the potential impact we might have on changing how food is raised in this country. Plus, Nancy promises it can be fun, and delicious!
Ok, go listen to the episode, and check out the links below. And if you think a friend might want to take a listen, please share Enlightened Omnivore using the button below. And if you’re listening to the podcast somewhere else, please make sure to follow, and rate this content. It helps a lot.
Lastly, if you have any questions or comments about today’s episode, please visit me on Instagram at @enlightened_omnivore. I post about each episode and read all your comments. I might even respond on a future podcast episode.
More from Nancy and Me
* Reaping What She Sows — Nancy Matsumoto’s book
* Reaping, by Nancy Matsumoto — her Substack. Nancy writes about the people building shorter, more transparent and equitable food supply chains.
* Rethinking the Food System — Pomona College Magazine. My original interview with Nancy about her book.
* The Missing Middle — Enlightened Omnivore. My follow-up essay about why regenerative farmers need more than good agricultural practices to succeed.
Organizations Mentioned in Our Conversation
Building alternative food systems
* Lotus Foods — A rice company working with smallholder farmers to promote more sustainable growing practices, while bringing its products to mainstream retailers.
* Full Belly Farm — A diversified organic farm in California’s Capay Valley, co-founded by Judith Redmond, that Nancy discusses as an example of interconnected farming systems.
* Maine Grains — A stone-grain mill in Skowhegan, Maine, helping rebuild a regional grain economy and supporting other local food businesses.
* Veritable Vegetable — A women-owned organic produce distributor demonstrating how the often-invisible work of distribution can support a more sustainable food system.
Community food organizations
* Karma Co-op — The member-owned grocery cooperative in Toronto where Nancy participates in the food issues committee, investigating how products are grown and sourced.
* Slow Food USA — A network connecting people through food traditions, biodiversity, education, and local food advocacy.
Want to Get Involved in Your Own Community?
One of Nancy’s most practical suggestions is to think beyond what we buy at the grocery store. Buying directly from farmers is wonderful, but we can have a much greater impact by helping schools, hospitals, and other institutions source food from local and regional producers.
Find your local food policy council
The Food Policy Networks directory is an excellent place to start. It includes an interactive dashboard of food policy councils across the United States. These organizations bring together farmers, consumers, public health professionals, community advocates, and policymakers to improve local and regional food systems.
If your community doesn’t have a council, you might consider joining an existing food organization or helping organize one.
Find your local Slow Food chapter
Slow Food USA’s chapter directory connects people with groups working on everything from school gardens and farmers markets to preserving regional food traditions.
Consider joining a food cooperative
A member-owned food co-op can be a way to support responsible sourcing, local producers, and greater transparency in the food supply chain. Nancy’s experience at Karma Co-op shows how grocery shopping can become a form of community participation.
And of course, don’t overlook your local farmers market. Get to know the people growing your food, ask questions, and learn how you can support their work beyond making a purchase.
CookStack Collective October: Nicki Sizemore
Each month, you can attend a LIVE cooking class with the CookStack Collective. Paid subscribers get access to some of the most talented people on Substack! CookStack brings together 12 amazing food writers (myself included) to teach you a dish or two LIVE. It’s like having your own personal chef teaching you how to cook some amazing dishes. Together, we’ve created a year-long series of live cooking classes that are all about cooking with and learning from one another.
The October class is hosted by my good friend Nicki Sizemore! She’s sharing how to make two fall staples — a whipped ricotta dip and a grain-free pumpkin apple cake.
Nicki’s class is Friday, October 16, 2026, 10am PT / 1pm ET. All events are recorded.
This class is free for you as a paid subscriber! Be sure to register at the link below:
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Substack Live! October 24th: Catching Up
I’m hosting an Ask Me Anything Substack Live on Saturday, October 24th at 9am PT/12pm ET. I’ll be sharing some behind the scenes Podcast conversations, talking a little more about what I’m writing this fall, what I’ve been reading, and answering your questions, so come ready to pry.
Stay Connected
* Follow along on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok for video content, reels, and behind-the-scenes thoughts. I’m also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
* Say hi on Substack Notes—I’m posting almost every day about my random reflections on life.
* Join me in Chat. It’s a space just for subscribers, kind of like a group text but less embarrassing. Download the app, tap the Chat icon (it looks like two speech bubbles at the bottom), and find the latest “Enlightened Omnivore” thread.
Most importantly, if someone came to mind while you were reading or listening today, send them this episode.
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