Propaganda
by the Seed is a podcast collaboration between Aaron Parker of
Edgewood Nursery and Tim Holland aka Sole of The Solecast podcast.
Most episodes are a deep dive on a specific plant or group of plants,
occasionally we will branch out into other gardening, homesteading or
permaculture related topics. You can support us on
Patreon or get in touch by Email Please Subscribe/Rate/Review on your favorite platform: Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Podbean, Pocket Casts, Libsyn
In today’s episode of Propaganda By The Seed we talk with Nicole from Solidarity Apothecary who is currently in Poland supporting refugees from Ukraine with Herbal Medicines. From the website: The main focus of the Solidarity Apothecary is making and distributing plant medicines to people experiencing state violence and repression. This includes people being arrested, on trial, imprisoned, detained or recovering from these experiences, as well as prisoner families, frontline organisers and more. In this conversation we talk about the origins of this project, her experiences as a political prisoner, the experience of supporting refugees(both in Calais and Poland), and some of her favorite plant medicines to make. We also discuss Nicole’s good friend and former partner Anna Campbell who died in Rojava fighting with the YPG. In this interview we talk about her books “Overcoming Burnout,” “The Medicinal Herb Coloring Book,” The Prisoner’s Herbal Book and a course she offers on making herbal medicines with glycerin.
To support Solidarity Apothecary's current work supporting Ukranian Refugees and all the other ongoing work, donate here. and follow on the gram
Cover: A Botannical Drawing of Valerian, an herbal sleep aid that has become nearly impossible to find in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion.
Propaganda by the Spore is back! In this episode we cover mycorrhizal fungi and their fascinating interactions with plants, along with some details about how to support that connection and manage fruit trees for maximum health. We are sad to report that our guest for this episode Michael Phillips suffered a fatal heart attack just a few days after recording this interview. He was a warm and humble person who really advanced the art and science of orcharding in a substantial way. We are joined in the introduction by Eliza “The Apple Queen” Greenman to reflect on Michael’s life and legacy for a few minutes before getting into depths of the mycorrhizal world.
You can purchase Michael’s books from his website, which we highly recommend, especially The Holistic Orchard.
To hear Michael talk on a broader range of orcharding topics we recommend this video, there is also a huge amount of info available at his Holistic Orchard Network.
In this episode we chat with forager, chef, writer and grower Mallory O'Donnell. Mallory has a working class yet gourmet approach to working with wild & unusual ingredients to create unique dishes , ferments, and spice mixes with an emphasis on Georgian Cuisine. Mallory goes in depth their origins as a forager/cook, provides some perspective on how to interact/engage with wild plants and throws out dozens of inspiring ideas both for cooks and growers.
Some of the plants discussed in this episode: -Spikenard (Aralia racemosa) and other Aralia family members -Turkish Rocket (Bunias orientalis) -Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) -Juniper berries (Juniperus spp.) -Black Nightshade fruit (Solanum nigrum) -Bee Balm (Monarda spp.) -Spice bush (Lindera benzoin) -Paw paw (Asimina triloba) -Viburnium (Viburnum spp.) -Acorns (Quercus spp.) -Trifoliate Orange (Poncirus trifoliata) -Cow Parsnip aka Pushki (Heracleum maximum )
In this episode we start our short tangent into the world of Fungi. We start off by talking with Kate Roelke, a lab mycologist (formerly) at North Spore. She will tell us all about the life cycle of mushrooms along with lots information about various cultivation techniques and some specifics about a few different species. If you want to get in touch with Kate you can find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kateroelke/ In the episode Kate recommends the book Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation by Trad Cotter. If you want to use hydrated agricultural lime for cold pasteurizing mushroom substrates, try using just over 1/3 cup of lime per 5 gallons water. If you want to participate in North Spore’s Research Partners program, click here.
In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed, we take a look back on the 2021 growing season on our homesteads. We talk about new plants & crops we grew this year, surprises, and what we learned growing in this year of collapsing empire, global pandemics and climate weirdness.
In this episode Aaron goes into all the basics of seed saving. We cover the different kinds of plants and how they make seeds, how to collect, when to collect, and how to deal with dry and wet seeds. We also give an overview of different methods for processing seeds once collected, how to store them, and why its important to do such things in an alienated and collapsing world.
This episode has three video companions which you can find below or peep ‘em on our instagram... @propagandabytheseed
Produced by Chris Bergman from Listening House Media.
In this episode we talk with Jesse Stevens of Sy's Trees about all things hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta and A. kolomikta). We cover the ins and outs of propagating, cultivating and enjoying these vigorous and hardy vines. We also touch on a few other unusual crops Jesse is cultivating in his diverse orchard in Sweden, Maine.
If you would like to get in touch with Jesse to purchase plants or propagation materials you can email him at systrees*at*gmail.com
Jesse checking on containers of cuttings rooting on top of a thermophilic compost pile, the heat provided by the pile helps the dormant cuttings grow roots before the leaf buds open.
Jesse in the middle of a zone 4 in ground fig planting ready for spring. The pieces of granite counter top help to create a hot microclimate for figs to ripen in.
In this episode we talk to Miekal and of Beyond Vineyard talking about figs, and provide a basic tutorial on how to grow them and propagate them. We also talk about his work breeding Siberian C Peach. This conversation also gets into his back story as an anarchist visual artist, performer, writer, publisher, and now permaculturist and winemaker. For more information on Miekal’s work or to buy some plants from him visit Beyond vineyard.
This episode is a collaboration with our friends at the Partisan Gardens Podcast. It's a little different style, with more voices and more production, we think you will like it! Our conversation is all about the Paw Paw (Asimina triloba), the largest native fruit on this continent! These amazing members of the Annonaceae family taste like a cross between a Mango and a Banana, but with a flavor all their own. As usual we talk about the botany, history, culture and cuisine of the plant. If you enjoy this episode be sure to check out more episodes of Partisan Gardens.
In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed we speak with hazelnut & native plant breeder, Andrew Fiori of Campo Di Fiori. Andrew goes in depth on how to propagate, breed, care for and co-exist with Hazelnuts. Andrew talks about his ideas about human/plant relationships, his work designing native landscapes and developing food systems.
In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed we talk with Alivia Moore and Kessi Kimbal about their work with the Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective. The collective works across several tribal communities to support food / medicine sovereignty and to facilitate land access and the return of #landback to Indigenous people. We are really impressed with the work these folks are doing and hope to continue the conversation in future episodes.
You can support the work of Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective at https://whyhunger.org/ewrematriation/ If you have access to land to share, or return, please contact Alivia at Livmoore16@gmail.com
Episode image copied from https://native-land.ca, check out their interactive map of Indigenous territories, languages and treaties.
If you appreciate our work, support this podcast on patreon and rate it in the I-tunes store.
In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed we talk with Ben Falk, author of The Resilient Homestead on Chelsea Green. This discussion is mostly about seaberries(Hippophae rhamnoides) a nitrogen fixing plant that has 10 times more vitamin c than oranges and a range of other somewhat unique nutritional benefits. We also discuss how to grow them, breed them, and some uses for them. Ben also talks about different greenhouse practices he employs, beekeeping, rice and black walnuts.
Now that this podcast has it’s own feed it’s especially helpful if you subscribe, rate and review where ever you listen to podcasts, this helps bump the podcast up in the algorithm so other people can see it.
In the season finale of Propaganda By The Seed, we look back on our first year of doing the podcast and what we’ve learned from it. We spend the bulk of the podcast detailing late fall activities that can be done to grow trees and perennial vegetables from seed. Aaron lays out multiple methods for growing nut trees, stone fruit trees (peach, cherry, etc.), and perennial vegetables from seed. Starting a backyard forest garden or large scale planting can be very expensive and learning the methods of growing from seed is a fun and cheap way to save thousands of dollars. We talk about where to get these plants, how to store and stratify then, and how to fertilize them, take care of them and transplant them.
Thanks for listening to Season One of Propaganda By The Seed. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast we’d love to hear from you, pop us an email at edgewoodlandscapes (at) yahoo or sole (at) soleone.org .
If you want to support us financially you can pick up some plants from Edgewood Nursery or subscribe to our Patreon
In this episode we met up at Edgewood Nursery with Lisa Willey to conduct an in person podcast on foraging and eating acorns. Lisa is an environmental scientist, educator and makes incredible foods using foraged ingredients. We’ll go over everything you need to know to harvest, collect, process and cook with acorns. Lisa discusses her technique for making (vegan) acorn cheeses, as well as (sourdough) breads, crackers, pancakes, muffins, etc. We also talk a bit about the history of humans eating acorns, some random foraging anecdotes, and an all around wholesome & informative talk on one of North America’s most plentiful and ignored food sources.
In this episode of Solecast we chat with Ousman Ndure. Ousman is a farmer from Gambia who immigrated to Westbrook, ME. We talk about his life in Gambia, and how he managed an independent market farm. He goes in depth about growing cashews, peanuts, rice, millet, mangos, cassava, and other interesting greens like sour sour(Roselle Hibiscus) and the techniques he used to dig wells in the dry season. Ousman is currently farming a plot at the Hurricane Valley Land Trust. This is a wide ranging conversation that covers a ton of ground.
In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed we talk with rooftop gardener & permaculturist Mike Spade of the Plant The Seed Project. We talk about Mike’s work in NY and Denver designing green roofs. Mike talk about the differences between growing with rooftop gardens in various climates and the crops that work well. We also get into some of the logistics to consider when building a rooftop garden and the challenges that one might encounter when growing food on rooftops, from hail to heat to rain and the soil’s ability to hold water.
In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed we talk with Eliza Greenman & Taylor Malone of the North American Fruit Explorers. We talk about Mulberries, their history , how to propagate them and the work they’ve done to uncover rare cultivars such as the Hicks Everbearing Mulberry. Mulberry leaves are surprisingly high in protein and an 8 year old tree can produce up to a quart of berries a day, making them one of the most prolific fruit bearers around. This episode covers a lot of ground, from the usage of mulberries in silvopasture (in conjunction with pigs or goats) to some of the more interesting things people do with them around the world. If you like this episode, you’ll probably like Eliza and Taylor’s Podcast, keep a eye on their facebook page to see when that comes out.
Today on Propaganda by the Seed we chat with Chris Homanics. Chris is an freelance plant breeder /organizer based out of the Pacific Northwest. This conversation is mostly about Chris’ Homesteader's Kaleidoscopic Perennial Kale Grex; how he created it, some methods for adapting it and many of the other possibilities for breeding Brassica Oleracea.
We also talk about bamboo, Sea Kale some recent history of the perennial veggie movement and his work with the Agrarian Sharing Network.
In this episode of Propaganda by the Seed we talk with Sweet Potato from The Food Forest Network. The Food Forest Network is a loose network of people sharing resources and developing food autonomy programs utilizing food forestry. Sweet Potato, AKA Yam currently resides at the Indian Bayou Food Forest, which was built in the direct path of the Line 6 pipeline to halt its construction. We talk about growing in the bayou, and geeked out on the extreme differences about its climate. Yam talks about their favorite food and polycultures to grow, such as Moringa, Banana Trees, Figs, Okra, and much more. Highly informative and fun conversation.
In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed we talk with Zach Elfers, mostly about ground nut (apios americana), a north american native root crop and legume that has 3 times the protein content of potatoes. Zach talks about the long history of indigenous use of ground nut as a staple crop in so called North America. We also discuss how to cultivate them, where they are found, and its uses. Zach also goes in depth about controlled burns, their usage by indigenous peoples and some applications for them to maintain land and build soil fertility. For more information on Zach visit the nomad seed project and to learn more about the history of ground nuts check out this piece Zach wrote in 2019.
