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.

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.  ...

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...

In this episode of propaganda by the seed we sit down with Nick from Goen Foods.  Goen Foods is primarly 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...

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...

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...

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: ...

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, thisplant 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...

    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 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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

In todays 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...

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 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...

In this episode we start our short tangent into the world of Fungi. We start off by talking with Kate Roelke, a lab mycologist 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...

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. Aaron is about to release his 2022 Seed Catalogue, pick up seeds at edgewood-nursery.com

In this episode Aaron goes into all the basics of seed saving.  We cover the different kinds of plants, 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.  This episode has three video companions we will be uploading to instagram Peep em @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. 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