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This week I'm talking with Michalina Hunter of Cicada Seeds about Skirret (Sium sisarum). Skirret is a perennial root vegetable in a Apiaceae family that produces clumps of Parsnip like roots. Michalina is a full time grower of perennial vegetable seeds and describes some of her breeding work with Skirret as well as a few other perennials that she grows. You can follow Cicada Seeds on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with her work. If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio! Cover image used by permission of Cicada Seeds

In this episode Tim rejoins as co-host and we talk to Pascal Baudar about foraging wild seeds and grains. We cover some basic techniques for harvesting and processing these materials, along with how to forage in a ecologically beneficial way and a boatload of interesting ways to cook them. Pascal has been on the list of people to invite on the show for multiple year and he did not disappoint. Check out all his books, but especially Wildcrafted Seeds and Grains. You can also find him on Instagram and Facebook.   I usually stick just to audio, but Pascal showed so much cool stuff on the video, I'm releasing a video version… just this once. It's on YouTube Here.   If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

In this Shorts episode I'm talking about teaching kids about plants. It basically boils down to inviting them to the topic, following what they are interested in, encouraging autonomy while offering enough support that they are likely to succeed. I guess that could apply pretty widely. I also suggest several levels of starter projects. In the Q&A I answer Ryan's question about beginner raised beds. You can find the diagram I mention Here If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!  

In this episode of Propaganda By the Seed, I'm talking with Dr. Bob Bors about Haskaps. Bob spent many years working with this species and selected and named some of the best varieties around. This species of edible Honeysuckle grows widely across the extreme north and is gaining popularity as a crop in many northern climates. We cover their origins, cultivation needs, culinary uses and several other topics. We also take a minor detour into the topic of bush cherries, which Bob also has a lot of experience with. Lots of Bob's articles are currently missing from the USASK website, but you can find many of them archived Here In the Q&A I answer a question about keeping honeybees. If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

Today I'm reposting the very first podcast I was ever on, an episode of The Solecast from 2018. This podcast sparked my friendship with Tim which led, eventually, to collaborating on Propaganda By the Seed. I hope to get back to my regular production schedule in November, but for now, check out this blast from the past. If you enoyed this one, there are many other episodes available at soleone.org or on most podcast apps. Episode description from The Solecast: in this episode of The Solecast I talk with Aaron Parker of Edgewood Nursery.  Aaron is a self-taught Horticulturist, Food forest designer and lover of Perennial Vegetables.  We talk about food forest concepts and he breaks down some of his favorite perennial foods to grow & eat.    We also discuss his work with Mt Joy in Portland, Maine,  a free public orchard and food forest on the Eastern Promenade.  Throughout this conversation we discuss some of the challenges of perennial vegetables, the health benefits and the history of pre-Columbian Americas as some of the largest food forest/agro-forestry projects in human history. If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!    

In this shorts episode I talk about string and traps, mundane, but perhaps important topics. After that I answer Gather's question about sourcing unusual plant species. I'm starting to run a bit low on shorts topics, so if you've got a request, please get in touch! If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!  

This week I am talking with Lauren Cormier about pears! Lauren works for the Maine Heritage Orchard and is exploring, documenting and preserving the old pears of Maine. She tells me about the history of pears, their cultural needs and the issues they might run into, we also discuss the late Blaine Fortin, a hyrid pear breeder. After Lauren's interview I've cut together a bunch of clips from phone video I shot of Blaine last October while visting his orchard. If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

This week on Propaganda By the Seed Shorts I'm talking about composting. It's a big topic so even though this is a bit longer than average for a short episode, it's really just an introduction to the topic. I'll cover how different types of composting work and then focus in on my favorite, the static pile. In the Q&A we're talking berry rakes. If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

In this episode I chat with Linda Black Elk about a few of her favorite plants. Linda is a ethobotanist and plant educator who is currently the Educational Programming and Community Outreach Director at North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. You can follow her on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and Youtube In the Q & A I try to answer Oliver's question about how much biodiversity is enough. If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

This week on Propaganda By the Seed Shorts I'm talking about the problems with permaculture and attempting to answer Emma's questions about the implications of hybridization on native plant populations. For more on the A topic you might try The Poor Prole's Almanac episode What's Wrong with Permaculture, Anyway?   If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

In this episode I'm talking with Tatiana and Arthur of the Rich Earth Institute about peecycling (the use of human urine as a fertilizer). We cover all the ins and outs of collecting, storing and utilizing urine in a home garden as well as how this could work on community and larger scales. The Rich Earth website has lots of great info including a home use guide, a farm use guide, a community guide and plenty of research.   If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!   The outro song is Urine Speaks Louder Than Words by  Wingnut Dishwasher's Union, check out Pat's new band Friends in Real Life.

In this week's episode of Propaganda By the Seed Shorts, I'm talking about garden hoses and how to keep them from being a pain in the butt. Basically you need to keep them in good repair with hose menders / rubber washers, and keep them where they should be with hose guides. I really like the combo of a brass ball valve and a Dramm 400PL Water Breaker for nearly all watering jobs. In the Q&A section Alex is asking about tips for new nursery producers. If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

This week on Propaganda By the Seed I'm talking to Neftalí Duran about Corn / Maize. Our conversation covers Corn culture past and present as well as some of the excellent projects Neftalí has been working on. You can follow his instagram at @neftaliduran_, as well as Proyecto Rosenda at @proyectorosenda and I-Collective at @i_collective_  If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!

In this shorts episode I offer some of my favorite informational resources, from vague concepts to specific books to the exceptionally obvious. Many are linked in the show notes. At the end I try out a new style of Q&A, will it work? Only time will tell.   State level organic associations:  MOFGA in Maine or NOFA in other northeast states Clubs: NAFEX, NNGA, and their facebook groups. Podcasts: Perennial AF from the Savanna Institute, Poor Prole's Almanac, In Defence of Plants, Live Like the World is Dying, Cultivariable   Books: Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Dirr and Heuser, The Holistic Orchard by Michael Phillips, Cornucopia II : a source book of edible plants by Stephen Facciola , Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke and Eric Toesmeier, Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy, Tree Fruit Field Guide to Insect, Mite, and Disease Pests and Natural Enemies of Eastern North America by Plant and Life Science Publishing. The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery , Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties by Carrol Deppe, Secrets of Plant Propagation by Lewis Hill. Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. Online resources: BONAP, Plants For A Future, The Woody Plant Seed Manual | US Forest Service Research

This week we have another awesome cross pollination with Live Like the World is Dying, our comrades in the Channel Zero podcast network. This time we're talking tree crops. Many of the trees we talk about in this episode have had their own episode on Propaganda By the Seed, so if you want more info look back in this feed or check out these links. Be sure to follow Live Like the World is Dying on your favorite podcast app or whatever social media you use for more informative content for what feels like the end times. Cornelian Cherry (PBTS episode), Figs (PBTS episode), Paw Paws (PBTS episode), Hazelnuts (PBTS episode), Eating Acorns (PBTS episode), The way I collect and process Acorns (blog page), Mulberries (PBTS episode), Siberian Peashrub (PBTS episode), Pigeon Peas on Seeds and Their People, Northern Nuts and the genus Carya (PBTS episode), Chestnuts (PBTS episode), Mt. Joy Orchard - A free to pick public orchard in Portland, Maine - IG  // website, Rethinking Black Walnut Allelopathy on In Defence of Plants, Trees with Edible Leaves - free book , Trees with Edible Leaves PBTS episode, Grafting (PBTS episode) If you want to support this podcast, you can tell a friend to check it out, subscribe/rate/review on your favorite podcast platforms and/or join the Patreon. You can also submit questions or listener audio!