Foodie Pharmacology Podcast

Plants, people, & Jaguar in the Amazon with Dr. Glenn Shepard

Did you know that in some cultures, humans are believed to transform into forest animals as a part of the hunting tradition? Or that the elderly may transform into the fierce jaguar in the last phases of life? This week, I speak with Dr. Glenn Shepherd about topics ranging from medicinal plants and poetry, to the life cycle and different cosmologies that shape the ways that humans perceive the processes of aging and death. We also explore how certain psychoactive plants and fungal endophytes (including ergot alkaloids cultivated in sedges!) are used by Indigenous groups in medicine. Learn more about Glenn’s work in the Amazon on his blog Notes from the Ethnoground, and follow him on Twitter @TweetTropiques or on Facebook and Instagram @ethnoground_photography

#ethnobotany #Amazonas #psychoactive

HEALing our Food Systems with Navina Khanna

Food is our most intimate and powerful connection to each other, to our cultures, and to the earth. This week, I speak with Navina Khanna, co-founder and the Executive Director of the HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, and Labor) Food Alliance, a national alliance of organizations building collective power for transformed food systems across race, sector, and geography. We explore how community action can transform food systems to support access to healthy food that is fair to the people who grow, distribute, prepare, and serve it. Learn more about how to get involved at the HEAL website (https://healfoodalliance.org/), or follow them on Twitter @HEAL_Food or on Facebook and Instagram @HEALFoodAlliance.

#FoodJustice #Advocacy #ClimateAction

How to be a Conscious Eater with Sophie Egan

When it comes to food, there are many labels, many choices, and even more confusion for the everyday consumer! But there is a way to cut through the chaos and find the best choices for you and your family. This week, I speak with guest Sophie Egan, author of “How to be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good for You, Others, and the Planet.” Tune in to learn about some simple tips for how to use your purchasing power in support of your health and that of the planet.

#nutrition #food #ClimateAction

Cheese, Wine & Bread with Katie Quinn

Fermentation is fabulous! Yes, absolutely fabulous! It is what transforms otherwise standard staples like milk, grains, or grapes into a dizzying array of flavorful value-added products that serve as ambassadors to the food culture and intricate environments from which the ingredients originate! This week on Foodie Pharmacology, I speak with Katie Quinn about her new book “Cheese, Wine and Bread” which takes us on a journey through England, Italy and France in the search of how fermentation transforms our foods. Learn more about the book on her author website and check out her YouTube channel and the Keep it Quirky podcast! You can also follow Katie on Instagram at @qkatie. 

The Business of Botanicals with Dr. Ann Armbrecht

If you use botanical teas and dietary supplements, this episode is for you! I speak with Dr. Ann Armbrecht, director of the Sustainable Herbs Program and author of her latest book, The Business of Botanicals. We dive in to the business of herbal medicines, dietary supplements, and all of the different ways that medicinal plants enter the marketplace. We discuss how plants move from global sources to the grocery store aisle. Follow her on twitter at @AnnArmbrecht for news on upcoming webinars!

#supplement #botanical #herbal

The Wardian Case with Luke Keogh

How did the diversity of plants that we enjoy today on our dinner plates come to be cultivated across the world? Initially, valuable crops were transported by ship, but many of these specimens died in transit. Invention of the Wardian case—a glass topped plant box—was a game changer in keeping plants alive on long sea voyages. I speak with Luke Keogh, historian and author of The Wardian Case: How a simple Box Moved Plants and Changed the World to learn more about the fascinating history of this innovation. 

#plants #crops #botany

Ecosystem Restoration & Sustainable Agriculture with Pavlos Georgiadis

How do people connect with the land? What role do initiatives in sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration play in climate action? I explore these questions and more with Greek ethnobotanist Pavlos Georgiadis. In addition to his research in the field of ethnobotany, Pavlos is an international consultant in the areas of Resilient Development, Agriculture and Climate Policy and Biodiversity Conservation with experience across the public, private and civil society sectors in 20 countries in Europe, Asia and America. He shares some great insights into the roles that agrobiodiversity, crop varieties, and innovations in sustainable agriculture can foster resilience in foods systems.

#ethnobotany #biodiversity #agriculture

Under the Olive Tree with Anna Maggio

Who loves Italian food? I do! This week, I meet with Anna Maggio to discuss foods of the Puglia province in southern Italy! From local olive oil to wild green vegetables and homemade pasta – Anna explains the importance fresh, seasonal cuisine to the eating experience and our health! You can find recipes discussed on the show in her new book Under the Olive Tree: Memories and Flavors of Puglia.

#Italy #MediterraneanDiet #Cookbook

Sour Beers & Wild Yeast with Dr. John Sheppard

How does beer brewing work… and just how important are the different ingredients in determining the final flavor of the brew? We address these questions and others with Dr. John Sheppard, a professor of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University. We also discuss brewing tasty sour beers with a wild yeast found in the guts of some wasps and bumblebees! Unlike typical brewers yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), the Lachanacea yeast has the unique ability to not produce ethanol, but also lactic acid, which gives it a distinctive sour flavor. 

#Beer #Yeast #Brewing

Ethnobotany of Wild Foods in British Columbia with Dr. Nancy Turner

Sustainable agriculture starts with the relationships people have with their environment. This week, I speak with Dr. Nancy Turner; she’s an ethnobotanist who has spent her career working in collaboration with indigenous peoples of British Columbia. We discuss how wild plant tubers are harvested and replanted in sustainable food systems and how traditional fire pits are used to cook these energy-rich vegetables. Want to learn more? Check out some of her recent books, including “Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge: Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America” and “Plants, People, and Places: the Roles of Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology in Indigenous Peoples’ Land Rights in Canada and Beyond”.

 

#ethnobotany #sustainability #WildFood