Fat of The Land, Secondi S1:3
May 21, 2026
The third course in our series, Secondi, brings us to the tensions of resistance and surrender.
“Before I came here, I dreamt about this land.”
In this episode of Fat of The Land, Ayana speaks with Jessie Jowers of Slow Life Family Farm and Deborah Zapparrata of Cooking Sicily. Here, the episode asks us to consider what social and domestic roles do to us. Focusing on women’s stories, histories, and layers of expectations around femininity, the body, and even the earth, that come from this, the conversation considers the complexities of lived and inherited wisdom; how they might be at odds, and where they may be reconciled. When women are told what we should desire, what we should have, what our expectations of life and family ought to be, are our experiences flattened?
Asking questions of the land, the trading of spices and recipes, of the myths about women (from making ricotta from their breastmilk to liberate their cities to goddesses worshipped on the Sicilian coastline), Ayana, Jessie, and Deborah contemplate how these histories may have been inherited (or, at times, rejected) by contemporary women. This episode grounds us in matrilineal connections that span generations.
Fat of The Land is a series that asks us what we mean when we look for connection between people and the land. Following a desire for real relation, for deliciousness, and for slowness, each episode traces what happens when we follow this desire.
Biographies
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At Slow Life Family Farm, we carry on the legacy of a 2nd generation family of guides, deeply embedded in the history and nature of Sicily. Founded by Carlo, a renowned historical and nature guide, and Jessie, an expert in natural plant uses, our farm is a living testament to a life intertwined with the land. Our mission is to cultivate not just organic produce but to foster a community around the authentic Sicilian way of life, integrating age-old traditions with sustainable living. Born in Siracusa, Carlo is an esteemed English-speaking guide in Eastern Sicily, known for his work with BBC nature documentaries and Netflix’s Chef’s Table series. With a passion for the traditional uses of plants, Jessie brings a wealth of knowledge about local crafts, foods, and medicines to our farm’s daily life.
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Deborah Zapparrata, nearly a decade ago, founded Cooking Sicily. It is a project born from a profound love for my island and its ancient roots. Alongside her family, her mother, three children, and her son-in-law, she has worked to preserve and share the true soul of our land. Cooking Sicily explores Sicilian identity through its authentic flavors, rooted in a millennia-old history. Their cuisine is a unique Mediterranean tapestry, weaving together Greek, Arabic, Spanish, and French influences. Through local ingredients and ancestral heritage, Deborah invites the world to taste the living history of Sicily.
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Evelyn Frances is an experimental, avante garde musician and songwriter from Upstate New York, currently based in Seattle. Her work weaves in her foundation as a classical flutist and jazz musician, while moving forward into electronic exploration of sound. Lyrically, she touches on themes of climate change and human’s relationship to nature, political rage, and her own struggles with mental illness.
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Ayana and her daughter spend their days exploring the wilderness of Coastal Alaska (US) while strategizing ways to halt large-scale industrial projects within wild salmon habitat. She is the co-founder and host of For The Wild, an independent slow media project and podcast devoted to land-based protection, co-liberation, and the tender work of remembering our place within the living world. Through over a decade of intimate dialogue with visionaries, knowledge keepers, and artists, Ayana brings forth stories that awaken reverence, ignite resistance, and dream toward a future shaped by reciprocity and collective care. Her work is rooted in devotion; to the Earth, to truth telling, and to the quiet transformation that comes from listening deeply.
Credits
For The Wild is created by Ayana Young, Victoria Pham, Erica Ekrem, Julia Jackson, and Aurie Bittle. This episode is brought to you by generous sponsorships from Ritū, Heyday Books, and Terra Elaÿa.
Ritū is a nourishing daily drink made from ancient plants cultivated long before coffee existed — roasted chicory, barley, shade-grown cacao, amaranth, maíz morado, and mesquite blended into a morning cup that honors the land it comes from, delivered in a compostable bag that returns to the earth.
Ritū built a custom landing page for us and would like to offer For The Wild listeners 25% off with code FORTHEWILD25. To order yourself some Ritū, head over to drinkritu.com/forthewild.
Their new release, Compassion in Crisis, is a vibrant community textbook filled with practical tools, disaster preparedness checklists, somatic practices, and heartfelt guidance. This book is an invitation into the lifelong work of mutual-aid, resilience, and staying connected through difficult times.
Terra Elaÿa is a sanctuary where ancient ways meet the needs of our time. We emerge at this time of crossroads, standing as a space for the transformation, renewal, and re-enchantment of the human spirit. Located in the heart of southern Italy, we provide a place to come into a deeper relationship with life: to slow down, listen, and restore embodied wisdom.
Head to terraelaya.com to learn more about upcoming Terra Elaÿa experiences or to host an event.
Reading
Recommendation
Compassion in Crisis: Building Disaster-Resilient Communities
by Kate Rose Weiner and Kailea Rose Loften
A vibrant and holistic grassroots guide to disaster preparedness that builds community resilience.
How do we live in the age of disaster? In this updated and expanded guide to collective crisis preparedness, Kailea and Kate, organizers and coeditors for the book and magazine publisher Loam, share community-shaped strategies on how to practically navigate the challenges posed by overlapping catastrophes--be they environmental, economic, political, or otherwise. Help is here for our bodies, hearts, minds, and shared homes. By amplifying resources for resilience, the authors underscore preparedness as a constant, communal practice. They offer inspiration from frontline organizers who help their communities prepare for emergencies, demonstrate how to envision probable futures after upheaval, and showcase people-powered projects that nurture collective regeneration. With engaging prompts, concise checklists, and heartfelt advice, Compassion in Crisis helps its readers build and sustain the durable mutual aid networks necessary for rapid response in the face of disaster. This is your invitation into the lifelong work of caring for our Earth and one another as we all find our way through the polycrisis.
Behind-the-Scenes Extras
In this bonus mini episode, Ayana speaks with Guido Rasponi, an economist and agriculturist based in Florence, about legacy, land, and seasons.
By joining us on Patreon, you get early access to episodes, reflection prompts, five Fat of The Land Digestivos (mini audio episodes on craft, tradition, conscious tourism, regenerative farming, truffle hunting). Patreon membership also gives you access to our zines, archives of extended episodes, and more.
Digital Zine
Launching in June
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