Fit To Eat S2E25 Eura Curtis Marcel McLean Cal Nicholas by Ivan Emke

Today on "Fit to Eat," you’d best buckle up, ‘cuz we’re heading up the Great Northern Peninsula. (Or maybe I should say “down the Great Northern Peninsula.” It depends on what generation you come from, or where your starting point may be.) Just turn off at Deer Lake and take Route 430. And expect adventure. We’re heading for the land of roadside gardens, of self-provisioning, the land of “rough food.” That was a term a resident of Conche, Meg, used with anthropologist and author John Omohundro. It refers to "your staples, your Winter's diet. The things you got in the Fall to see you through 'til Spring." John was so impressed with that term, that he called his book about food on the Northern Peninsula, “Rough food.” Which shouldn’t be confused with “food that has roughage.”

So we head past the south-east hills, Kildevil and Gros Morne Mountains, postcard communities, the salt marshes of St. Paul’s, and then come to Cow Head. On the way to the Head, you'll see a dandy garden on your right, braced against the winds off the ocean. This is the garden of Eura Curtis and Marcel McLean, a couple of producers of some pretty wonderful "rough food."

For our second interview, we head further up the Peninsula, almost to St. Anthony, where we drop in on farmer and retired teacher Cal Nicholas. It’s mid-October and he is finishing his turnip harvesting. The thing is, this interview was recorded in 2015, for an earlier community radio program. But the pace of change is slow. I likely could have done a similar interview this fall.

Join us for a dandy trip on the Great Northern Peninsula, along with some very resourceful guides.