Maine's Untold Vegetarian History w/ Avery Yale Kamilla

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In this episode we sit down with Avery Yale Kamilla, Tilly Laskey and John Babbit to discuss Maine's Untold Vegetarian History.  This is an exhibit at the Maine Historical Society / Longfellow House that was spearheaded by Avery's deep research into historical documents pertaining to veganism spanning hundreds of years back.  In this episode we talk about Christianity's influence on early vegetarians in Maine, the contraversial work of John Graham, the Neerings/ Good Life movement, Wabanaki use of nuts and seeds, the back to the land movement and so much more.  Avery is a writer for the Portland Press Herald who covers vegan food and she has unearthed so many fascinating and illuminating nuggets of Maine vegetarian history.  For more information on Avery you can follow her on Instagram or check out her bi-weekly column in the Portland Press Herald.  For more info on this exhibit you can grab tickets or view elements of it here. 

Photo Credit:  Carol Bousquet / Maine Public

Psilocybe Mushrooms with Inti Garcia Flores and Alan Rockefeller

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In this episode of Propaganda By The Spore, we’re talking Psilocybe Mushrooms! This episode has been in the works since early 2021, we hit lots hiccups and logistical snags along the way, but we’re happy to finally get this episode out into the world. We start off with a short interview with Mazatec historian and archivist Inti Garcia Flores about the role of Psilocybe mushrooms in Mazatec culture. Follow him on Instagram and check out his project The History and Memory of the Mazatecas (also on IG)

Next we’re onto a longer interview with freelance scientist Alan Rockefeller that covers Psilocybe taxonomy, biology, genetic fingerprinting and many other topics. You can follow Allan’s work a many different platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Inaturalist and others.

Polyploid Breeding with The Savanna Institute

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In this episode we chat with 3 time PBTS guest Eliza Greenman and her co-worker Kathleen Rhodes at The Savannah Institute about polyploid plant breeding. Polyploidy is a genetic condition where an organism has extra copies of it's genome in it's cells. Inducing polyploidy or breeding with existing polyploids can be a useful tool to gain traits such as larger fruit, larger leaves, seed sterility along with many other possibilities.

The Savannah Institute is a non-profit focusing on researching and implementing improvements in agroforestry in the midwest.

You can follow Eliza on Instagram or read her blog at elizapples.com

Experimental Farm Network with Dusty and Nate

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In this episode we talk with Dusty and Nate about their project, The Experimental Farm Network. The project is both a platform to support open-source, collective plant breeding and other on farm experiments as well as a seed store, which focuses on unusual varieties and genepools suitable for further selection. We cover how they started the project, how it's going and some the many plants they are excited about. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook or check out their web page or seed store.

Seaside Foraging with Rachel Alexandrou

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In this episode of propaganda by the seed we sit down with Rachel Alexandrou.  Rachel is a forager, educator and artist based out of the Midcoast Maine region.  The focus oof this conversation is seaside foraging, plants such as saltwort, sea brassicas, sea plantain, common seaweeds and more.   Rachel also talks about some of her favorite wild plants to work with, how she uses them and the thinking that informs her practices.  This is highly informative & inspiring and lots of laughs.    Check out Rachel’s work at rachelalexandrou.com or@giantdaughter on instagram

We also name drop SoyMilkMaid a few times in this episode you can check her work out here.  

Siberian Peashrub with Melissa Hoffman

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In this episode we talk with Melissa Hoffman of Sho Farm and Living Future about Siberian Peashrub (Caragana arborescens). Siberian Peashrub is a large, multi-stemmed shrub from northern Asia. They are somewhat familiar in landscaping and as a nitrogen fixer, but the seeds remain underutilized by most people growing them around here. Melissa shares her experiences growing, harvesting and above all cooking with this plant. We also chat about several fermentation techniques including water kefir. Be sure to check out Melissa’s blog post on this topic for some beautiful photos and additional info. Some other resources that are mentioned are the book The Ecological Farm by Helen Atthowe and the website Full of Plants

Update: after publishing this episode I got a email from Jack Kertesz with some extra info to share. Rather than tarps, he now uses a wide piece of row cover material, slit to the middle and gathered around the trunk. This helps avoid excess moisture from collecting on the sheet. Before laying out the collecting sheet he mows the area. The sheet should be weighted down around the edges, or it may blow away. He also noted occasional chance seedlings from Pea shrubs if adjacent areas have freshly tilled, open soil, although it hasn’t presented a problem.

Koji w/ Nicholas Repenning of Goen Foods

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In this episode of propaganda by the seed we sit down with Nick from Goen Foods. Goen Foods is primarily known as a Miso producer in Maine, but also produces a wide range of koji based products. Nick also is an all around promoter of fermented foods/practices and helps to organize Maine’s Fermentation Fair. This conversation is an incredible glimpse into the world of Koji, some pointers and ideas for how to use it, how to grow it, some information about its history, traditional uses and a wide ranging conversation about fermentation, wild foods and (where applicable) where they cross over with Koji. For many people Koji can seem like a daunting medium to work with and hopefully this conversation helps demystify it.

Learn more about Goen Fermented Foods by visiting their website

https://www.goenfermentedfoods.com

or the gram

https://www.instagram.com/goenfermentedfoods

Gardening for Habitat

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This month we talk about gardening for habitat, especially in the North-East. This episode is adapted from a workshop that Aaron presents sometimes, so it comes with a PDF handout and a slideshow, the podcast stands up well without them, but those extras are there if you want them. We cover what habitat gardening is, why it’s important, ecological context, some steps for creating a habitat garden and/or improving the quality of habitat in your garden. Like most topics, we cover a good amount of material… but only scratch the surface of the possibilities.

Repodcast: Around the World in 80 Plants with Stephen Barstow

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We didn't get around to making a new episode this month, but here is a good one you might not have heard! This is a episode of Tim's old podcast the Solecast where he invited Aaron on a guest co-host, it's basically Propaganda by the Seed before it was called that.

In this episode of the Solecast we sit down with Stephen Barstow, aka The Extreme Salad Man to talk about his work documenting and popularizing rare edible plants. We are also joined by Aaron Parker from Edgewood Nursery who introduced me to Stephen's work and also grows and sells a lot of these plants.

In this conversation we talk about his book "Around the World In 80 Plants," his website Edimentals.com and his lifelong quest to research, catalogue, grow and experiment with thousands of rare edible plants from around the world. We get into his origin story as a vegetarian in meat-centric Norway uncovering the growing potentials in his region through foraging. He talks about his travels around the world learning about how these plants are grown, used and then bringing those plants home to cultivate. For anyone who is bored with growing the same old shit, or interested in permaculture/forest farming his work is inspiring, informative and coverers a much wider range of vegetables then are commonly discussed in permaculture and market farming.

Pick up his book "Around The World In 80 Plants" direct from Stephen and check out his website Edimentals.com

Northern Nuts and the genus Carya with Buzz Ferver

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In this episode we talk with Buzz Ferver of Perfect Circle Farm. Buzz has been doing a ton of great work preserving fruit and nut genetics at his farm in VT, as well as pushing the boundaries of what tree crops can be grown in zone 4 in the north-east. He shares a ton of practical knowledge about the genus Carya (Hickories, Pecans and their hybrids) as well as some fascinating history of nut cultivation in the last hundred years.

Buzz recommends these organizations and their archives:

Northern Nut Growers Association (FB)

North American Fruit Explorers (FB)

Indiana Nut and Fruit Growers Association (FB)

As well as these books:

Nut Growing, Ontario Style by John H. Gordon

Nut Growing by R. T. Morris

Nut Culture in North America edited by Richard Jaynes

Sochan with Nico Albert Williams

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In today's episode we talk about Sochan with Nico Albert Willaims of Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness. Sochan is a member of the Asteraceae family (Daisy family) and is an important plant in Cherokee cuisine. In addition to being a great perennial vegetable for humans to eat, this

plant offers leaves for the caterpillars of several moths and butterflies, flowers for many pollinators and seeds for migrating and overwintering birds. They are also tough enough to be planted in spots where invasive plants have recently been removed. You can purchase Sochan plants from Aaron’s nursery Here, with a portion of sales going to support Burning Cedar.

You can follow Nico's work at BurningCedar.org or on Facebook / Instagram. You can support her work by donating to Burning Cedar!

In the interview we mention the study Testing the Nutrient Composition of Perennial
Vegetables in Denmark, Sweden, and the United States (PDF)

Nico mentions the Eastern Cherokee returning to harvesting Sochan in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, which you can read about Here

March 7th 2023: Alan Bergo aka Forager Chef

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This episode of Propaganda by the Seed we speak with Alan Bergo aka Forager Chef(www.foragerchef.com).  Alan is a chef out of the midwest who is known for using wild ingredients to create unique gourmet dishes.  He has been executive chef and run several kitchens,  is the creator for the Apple TV show “Field, Forest, Feast,” and has published a new book, “Flora” which is discussed in this episode.  We were struck by Alan’s humility and how much fun we had talking to him about his work.

 In this episode we talk about cooking with and storing wild greens, his origin story, cooking with plants that have been labeled “toxic,” and his ethics and thoughts on foraging.  For more information on Alan’s work visit foragerchef.com and check out his new book “Flora” 

January 23rd 2023: Oca with Eve Emshwiller

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In today’s episode we talk with Eve Emshwiller about Oca (Oxalis tuberosa), a fascinating root crop from the Andes. Eve has spent many years studying Oca and was able to share tons of really interesting stuff with us about how and why Oca is grown in the Andes and why this plant doesn’t necessarily grow well in other regions. You can find Eve on instagram at @eveemshwiller, on google scholar or visit her page at The University of Wisconsen at Madison. If you want to try growing Oca, Cultivariable is a good source.

December 14th 2022: Year End Wrap Up with: Zach Elfers, Davis Wang, Andy Prole and Mallory O'Donnell

This episode on: Spotify, Stitcher, Apple, Libsyn

In this episode Aaron and Tim talk a bit about what we learned this year, what are excited about for next year and some of our favorite tools. Rather then rambling on indefinitely we decided to check back with some previous guests about their year and well as checking in some other people who we think are doing interesting stuff.

- Zach Elfers ( @susq_woodlum on IG) was our 2nd ever guest on PBTS, you can buy plants from him at Future Forest Plants or seeds at http://www.nomadseed.com/. He mentions a tool from Rebel Garden Tools.

-Davis Wang ( @humbleabodenursery on IG). Davis is a nurseryman from Ashfield, MA. His IG has some great content on plants, propagation and the occasional goofy video. Check out his video series on making a mist bed. You can buy plants from Davis at humbleabodenursery.com

- Andy from Poor Prole’s Almanac ( @poorprolesalmanac on IG). Aaron was a guest on Poor Prole’s Almanac awhile back. Check out Andy’s other podcast Tomorrow, Today and his new-ish project @PPAsites . For more info on Earthnut Pea breeding check out this facebook group.

- Mallory O'Donnell ( @mallorylodonnell on IG). Mallory was a guest on PBTS in spring of 2022. This section gets into some more political and philosophical topics.

Outro music is part of Dead Flag Blues by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

November 16th 2022: Chestnuts w/ Dr. Sandy Anognostakis

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In todays episode of Propaganda By The Seed we speak with “Dr Sandy” aka Sandra Anagnostakis.  Dr. Sandy is a past-president of the Northern Nut Growers Alliance.  She has been working on breeding blight resistant chestnuts since 1968 at the Connecticut Agricultural Station and has selected and named many of the cultivars currently in use. Her areas of expertise include Fungal genetics and physiology, Plant genetics and breeding, and Host-parasite interactions.  We have a long ranging conversation speaking about growing, harvesting, and breeding chestnuts.  Sandy talks about her experience working with chestnuts for over 40 years, all the challenges and benefits of this incredible plant and tons of fascinating historic anecdotes from her work over the years.

For more information on Dr Sandy and her work, check out her bio page on the Connecticut Agricultural Station or look her up on Google Scholar

(Note: this podcast was recorded around March/April 2022)

September 1st, 2022: Eastern Agricultural Complex with Natalie G. Mueller

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In this episode we talk with Natalie G. Mueller about the Eastern Agricultural Complex. The EAC was a group of plants independently domesticated by Indigenous people of Eastern Turtle Island (aka North America) starting 7,000-8,000 years ago. Some of these plants, like the Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) we still know and love, but others are no longer commonly cultivated and are generally unfamiliar, like Sumpweed (Iva annua). Natalie mentions some of these resources in the interview: Lost Crops Grower’s Guides , Her paper on the differences between domestication/breeding/GMO work and Gayle’s paper on evidence of Sumpweed cultivation in the 1500s

August 1st, 2022: Cornelian Cherry with Little John

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In this episode we chat with Little John about his favorite plant obsession, Cornelian Cherries (Cornus mas). We cover propagation, maintenance, harvest and a few of the hundreds of uses for the fruit (and other parts of the plant!). After a few heavy topics, it’s nice to take a little break and just shoot the shit about a fascinating plant.

Little John is a prolific maker of memes, which you can find at https://tinyurl.com/cornusmemes

He is also the founder of North American Scion Exchange Facebook Group and a admin of the Cornelian Cherry Growers group.

If you are looking to purchase Cornelian Cherry trees you might try: One Green World, Fedco Trees, Cricket Hill Garden, Whitman Farms or Hidden Spring Nursery

Propagating by cuttings: Jay Grace has had very good rates of success rooting dormant cuttings in the fall with mist and bottom heat. He says rooting hormone is not needed

July 22nd, 2022: Herbal Abortion & Fertility Control Pt 2 W/ Mischa Schuler

This episode on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify

In part two of our Herbal Abortion and Fertility Control series, we chat with Mischa Schuler.  Mischa is the director of Wild Carrot Herbs.  In this episode Mischa discusses various herbal, homoeopathic and over-the-counter methods for fertility control, some of their uses and limitations.  

If you missed it, check out the first part of this series with August Sender. 

Show Notes:
Excellent free book put out by Sage-Femme Collective covering aspects of what we discussed.

Wild Carrot and Conscious Contraception interview with Mischa Schuler hosted by Kay'aleya Hunnybee on the Herbal Womb Wisdom podcast 

Wild Carrot interview with Robin Rose Bennet (Mischa's Wild Carrot teacher) hosted by Robin La Cross of Holistic Sex Ed Radio

Music: His Hero Is Gone "Like Weeds"

June 14th, 2022: Herbal Abortion and Fertility Control with August Sender

This episode on: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify

This month we will be bringing you a two part episode on herbal abortion and fertility control. It’s a complicated and heavy topic, but our guests bring a lot of knowledge to the table and offer a nuanced but down to earth look at the information. In part one August focuses on the history and political context of herbal abortion and fertility control. Content warning: this discussion touches on a bunch of heavy subjects including racism, patriarchy, rape, slavery and others. August references or recommends these sources for further research:

Gossypium spp. (Cotton Root Bark): A Symbol of Herbal Resistance by Karen L. Culpepper

Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici and/or the podcast Book on Fire

The Red Door Collective

Holistic Abortions on Instagram

Molly Dutton-Kenny’s Blog and/or Instagram, especially these resources and this article about Queen Anne’s Lace

May 30th, 2022: Indoor Mushroom Cultivation and DIY Mycology Labs

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In this episode of Propaganda by the Spore, Aaron gets into the nitty gritty of indoor mushroom cultivation and DIY mycology labs. The first part of the show describes how to grow mushrooms using spawn purchased from a supplier, which is a quite easy and a great place to start. In the second part we talk about how to produce your own spawn from spores, cultures or even fresh mushrooms. This process is a bit complex, but if it’s something you are excited about there are simple and cheap ways to go about doing it. This PDF contains tons of useful links and additional info that wouldn’t fit in the show notes.