Sally Barnes is the last wild Irish fish smoker in Ireland, a dedicated artisan who refuses to compromise her craft by working with any farmed fish–especially farmed salmon, whose existence in open net pens threaten the well-being of the already endangered, iconic fish. Unbeknownst to many of us, all around the world there are individuals and small communities working to protect foods on the brink of extinction. In his new book, “Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods & Why We Need To Save Them,” BBC journalist Dan Saladino creates a compelling narrative to explain how the diversity of our food culture is inextricably linked to the biodiversity of our environment, and champions the stories of people from Kazakhstan to Okinawa who are working overtime to protect local species and food cultures. Dan and Sally believe the future of our food IS the future of our planet, and we agree.

This week on Dyed Green we travel around the world with Dan and Sally, and discus what we’ve lost in the quest to globalize and industrialize our food system; the ways in which the loss of biodiversity affects what appears on our grocery shelves; the impact of farmed salmon on wild salmon populations; and what we can do as individuals to make an impact beyond the farmers’ market or grocery store.

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Dyed Green is a project of Bog & Thunder, whose mission is to highlight the best of Irish food and culture, through food tours, events, and media. Find out more at www.bogandthunder.com

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