Podcast appearances and mentions of william woys weaver

A look at the President's kitchen and some of the first cooks to feed the Founding Fathers—Hercules and James Hemings—the enslaved chefs of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Hercules, described as a “dandy,” had eight assistants—stewards, butlers, undercooks, waiters. He cooked in a huge fireplace—hearth cooking. He walked through the streets of Philadelphia in a velvet waistcoat, with a gold-handled cane. When Washington was getting ready to leave Philadelphia to return to Mt. Vernon, Hercules escaped. Washington sent out search parties and offered rewards. Hercules was never found. In 1784, Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister to France. He took with him his body servant, 19-year-old James Hemings (the brother of Sally Hemings), to master the French style of cooking. Hemings apprenticed with well-known French caterers and pastry chefs and assumed the role of chef de cuisine in Jefferson's kitchen on the Champs-Elysees, earning $48 a year. In 1793, Hemings petitioned Jefferson for his freedom. Jefferson consented upon one condition—he must train someone to take his place. After teaching his brother, Peter Hemings, the cooking techniques he had learned in France and at home, James Hemings became a free man. These stories begin a long connection of presidents and their African American cooks, including the story of Zephyr Wright, President Lyndon Johnson's cook who worked for the family for 27 years. Johnson spoke to Zephyr Wright about the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington. She attended the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Johnson gave her a pen he used to sign the document. Featuring interviews with: Jessica Harris, Culinary Historian and author of The Welcome Table: African American Heritage Cooking; Historian Willliam Seale, author of The President's House; Chef Joe Randall, founder of African American Chef's Hall of Fame; William Woys Weaver, food historian and author; Sharron Conrad, African American food historian. Special thanks to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and Michael L. Gillette for use of Zephyr Wright's oral history. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) and Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Part of Radiotopia from PRX, a curated network of podcasts created and owned by independent producers.

Dr. William Woys Weaver is an internationally known food historian and author of 22 books including: Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting Seed Saving, and Cultural History;  100 Vegetables and Where They Came From, and As American As Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine Dr. Weaver lives in the 1805 Lamb Tavern in Devon, Pennsylvania where he maintains a jardin potager in the style of the 1830s featuring over 5,000 varieties of heirloom vegetables, flowers, and herbs. He is an organic gardener, a life member of Seed Savers Exchange, and for many years served as a Contributing Editor to Gourmet, Mother Earth News, and The Heirloom Gardener.  From 2002 to 2010, he lectured on Food Studies at Drexel University and is presently lecturing on regional American cuisine in connection with a non-profit academic research institute organized under the name The Roughwood Center for Heritage Seedways. Dr. Weaver received his doctorate in food ethnography at University College Dublin, Ireland, the first doctorate awarded by the University in that field of study. In the winter of 2013, Owen had just moved to Philadelphia. A friend introduced him to Dr. Weaver and he hired him to care for his gardens and the Roughwood Seed Collection. During his four years working with him, Owen was fascinated by slow walks through the garden where he could reveal 10,000 years of human history in each plant story. It was here that Owen first learned how to carefully select and midwife the seeds of these countless storied species. We started a seed catalog and grew for a couple other companies. Dr. Weaver's work with seeds often connects and reconnects gardeners and farmers with seeds that help tell their own stories. One of the best examples is making the Horace Pippin peppers available to African American growers in the Mid-Atlantic, as well as Pennsylvania Dutch and Lenni Lenape heirlooms from Southeastern Pennsylvania.   SEED STORIES TOLD IN THIS EPISODE: Hannah Freeman Bean Pippin's Fish Pepper Bowling Pin Paste Tomato Green Striped Maycock Weaver Pole Bean Shipova Mt. Ash Hybrid MORE INFO FROM THIS EPISODE: The Roughwood Center for Heritage Seedways Roughwood Facebook A Century of Don Yoder: Father of American Folklife James Weaver and Meadowview Farms, Bowers, PA ABOUT: Seeds And Their People is a radio show where we feature seed stories told by the people who truly love them. Hosted by Owen Taylor of Truelove Seeds and Chris Bolden-Newsome of Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram's Garden. trueloveseeds.com/blogs/satpradio   FIND OWEN HERE: Truelove Seeds Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter   FIND CHRIS HERE: Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram's Garden   THANKS TO: Dr. William Woys Weaver Ruth Kaaserer Cecilia Sweet-Coll

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee    Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community   Historical Events 1492 Birth of Pietro Aretino (“Pee-et-tro Air-ah-TEE-no”), Italian writer, poet,  and blackmailer. He was critical of the powerful and sympathetic to religious reformers. He once wrote, Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.    1646 Birth of Charles Plumier, French priest and botanist. He was born in Marseille and was regarded as one of the most important botanical explorers of his time. Charles served as a botanist to King Louis XIV of France. He traveled to the New World many times, documenting plant and animal species. During his third expedition to the Greater Antilles, Charles discovered the Fuchsia triphylla on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Charles named the fuchsia plant after the 16th-century German botanist Leonhart Fuchs. And because he named the Fuschia, Charles is sometimes referred to as the Father of the Fuchsia. The Fuchsia has colorful upside-down blossoms that hang from the stems, and this is how Fuchsias get the common name Lady's Eardrops. The drooping habit is also reflected in the Irish word for Fuchsia - Deora Dé - which translates to “God's Tears.” And it's worth noting that the fruit of all the species of Fuchsia is edible. However, many Fuschia fruits are bland and have a terrible aftertaste. But the Fuschia variety Splendens has flavorful fruit and can be used to make jam. In addition to the Fuchsia, Charles discovered and named both the Begonia and the Magnolia. Charles named the Begonia after Michel Begon, who was the governor of the French Antilles for three years, from 1682 to 1685. It was Begon who recommended Charles for the position of plant collector in the Caribbean to King Louis XIV. So this naming of the Begonia was a little payback by Charles to Michel Begon. On the other hand, the naming of the Magnolia was in recognition of the great botanist Pierre Magnol - who introduced the concept of plant families. Carl Linnaeus and his wife were huge Plumier fans. They used Charles's artwork to make wallpaper for their home. Today, Charles is remembered by the genus Plumeria. A tropical, the Plumeria grows in shrubs and trees. Plumeria is sometimes called the common name Frangipani. An Italian Marquis named Frangipani used Plumeria blossoms to create a perfume used to scent gloves during the 16th century.   1826 Birth of Peter Barr, Scottish nurseryman, plant hunter, and merchant. Peter is credited as the man who popularized the daffodil. In America, Peter's promotion of daffodils inspired a daffodil craze after the Civil War ended. Over his lifetime, Peter bred over two million daffodils in his Surrey nursery, which earned him the moniker "The Daffodil King." Each spring, people would travel from all around to see thousands of daffodils representing over a hundred unique daffodil varieties blooming at Peter's nursery. At one point, the Peter Barr daffodil - a white trumpet variety - commanded $250 per bulb.  During his seventies, Peter gave the nursery to his sons, and he went out and traveled the world in search of daffodils in Asia and South America. After seven years of searching, Peter finally retired. He went home to his native Scotland, and once there, he pivoted away from daffodils and began cultivating primroses. Two years before his death in 1909, Peter famously mused, I wonder who will plant my grave with primroses? Today, the Royal Horticultural Society awards the Peter Barr Memorial Cup for excellence in daffodils. And in 2019, there was a Grand Blue Plaque Unveiling at Peter's English nursery along Garratt Lane.   1849 On this day, Henri-Frédéric Amiel, Swiss philosopher, and poet, was in Geneva and wrote in his journal: It is six years today since I last left Geneva. How many journeys, how many impressions, observations, thoughts, how many forms of men and things, have since then passed before me... Three snowstorms this afternoon.  Poor blossoming plum trees and peach trees!  What a difference from six years ago, when the cherry trees, adorned in their green spring dress and laden with their bridal flowers, smiled at my departure along the Vaudois fields, and the lilacs of Burgundy threw great gusts of perfume into my face!    Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Flavors from the Garden by William Woys Weaver This book came out in 2021, and the subtitle is Heirloom Vegetable Recipes from Roughwood. Of course, Roughwood is a reference to the Roughwood Seed Collection of heirloom food plants that William maintains at the historic Lamb Tavern in Devon, Pennsylvania. William is an expert not only on gardening but also on food history. And he is a four-time winner of the prestigious Julia Child Cookbook Award. Now, what I first noticed about this book is the gorgeous cover, which features a simple yellow plate with a beautiful tomato salad on it, and then that is set on an old table painted and patinaed with a very light teal. It's a gorgeous cover. William creates recipes that are all about plants, and so in this book, you will find 80 seasonal recipes- everything from fresh salads and stir-fries to soups and fantastic baked goods, where the bounty of the garden harvest is the star of the show. Now William has arranged this book to follow the seasons, which means you can dip in and out as appropriate and then head to the garden to pick the in-season produce needed to make these beautiful dishes that include items like Saffron Corn Soup. There's a Ramp Pesto, and wild harvest ramps are one of the hottest new trends in pesto over the past decade.  Now two things I always think of when I see a book by William Woys Weaver are heirloom gardening and herbs - and you'll find both of those featured in this cookbook. This book is 208 pages of eighty recipes that take vegetables from the garden to the kitchen and the table. You can get a copy of Flavors from the Garden by William Woys Weaver and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $24.   Botanic Spark 1739  Birth of William Bartram, American botanist, artist, and naturalist known as The Flower Hunter. The son of the Quaker botanist John Bartram, William - or Billy (as he was known to his family) - was the first American to pursue a life devoted to the study of nature. Together, William and his father were the leading American plant collectors and horticulturists of their time. The two men explored colonial Pennsylvania and New York. Now in his heart, William was an artist, and his nature art was eventually widely-acclaimed. But before William's artistic success, his father, John, worried that Billy would end up a starving artist. And so, John attempted many times to no avail, to steer William toward other more lucrative endeavors. Ultimately, John came around, and he and William went on their final adventure together in Florida. During the trip, John collected specimens while William wrote and sketched. In a happy moment of discovery, John and William came upon a unique specimen, a tree that John named the Franklin tree after his dear friend Benjamin Franklin. The botanical name for the tree is Franklinia alatamaha ("frank-LIN-ee-ah ah-lah-tah-MAH-hah."), And if you're working with student gardeners, this is a fun name to teach them -  just break it down for them into smaller parts: "allah-toe-ma- ha." Then put that together,  Franklinia alatamaha. Now, the discovery of the Franlinia Tree became a bit of a legacy for William Bartram. In a twist of fate, William revisited the tree later in life to collect seeds for propagation. Unbeknownst to William, his seed collection of the Franklinia would prove to be his most botanically significant endeavor.  By the turn of the century in 1803, the Franklin tree was extinct in the wild. And so, all of the Franklin trees that are cultivated and prized in gardens and herbariums today are descended from those seeds that William Bartram collected and cultivated over 200 years ago. And here's a little botanical fun fact: William Bartram was also the first person to describe a name, the Oakleaf Hydrangea  - the hydrangea quercifolia. (Hydrangea quercifolia “kwer-sih-FOE-lee-ah”). After his trip with his father, William returned to Florida to farm. This was another career move that worried his dad. But In 1791, William's book Travels was published. In the book, William shared his 2,400-mile exploration of the American south. Travels became an immediate sensation in Europe, where people were over-the-moon curious about flora and fauna of the new world. Finally, in BJ Healey'sbook, The Plant Hunters, there is a charming summation of William's lifestory:   Through his [book] Travels — one of the earliest and certainly the finest record of the American experience, landscape, and people in the eighteenth century; a book that achieved worldwide recognition and profoundly influenced Wordsworth, Coleridge, and many later writers — [William] more than proved himself a worthy son of the Old Quaker pioneer. John Bartram need not have been troubled in his later years, he would have been proud of Billy in the end.   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Carol and Dee discuss flowers with umbel shapes, the big fertilizer question, plus Japanese beetles.Helpful Links:National Pollinator Week, June 21-27, 2021Wildflower Meadows for Queen BeesSwallowtail Garden SeedsAngelica archangelica from Select SeedsAngelica atropurpurea from Prairie MoonAngelica gigas from Annie's AnnualsAngelica stricta purpurea discussed by C.L. Fornari, The Garden LadyOn the bookshelf: 100 Vegetables and Where They Came From by William Woys Weaver.Japanese beetles on  Oklahoma Gardening episodeParasites on Japanese beetles via the Bug GuideJaponica striped corn from Hudson Valley Seed Co.Email us at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com  For more info on Carol and her books, visit her website.  Visit her blog May Dreams Gardens.For more info on Dee and her book, visit her website.  Visit her blog Red Dirt Ramblings.Affiliate links to purchase any of our books:The 20-30 Something Garden Guide: A No-Fuss, Down and Dirty, Gardening 101 for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Stuff, by Dee NashPotted and Pruned: Living a Gardening Life, by Carol J. MichelHomegrown and Handpicked: A Year in a Gardening Life, by Carol J. MichelSeeded and Sodded: Thoughts from a Gardening Life, by Carol J. MichelCreatures and Critters: Who's in Your Garden, by Carol J. MichelThe Christmas Cottontail: A Story for Gardeners of All Ages, by Carol J. Michel

Topics Discussed:What is food ethnographyWhy food traditions and culture matter in understanding our pastSome food tractions around PennsylvaniaDon Yoder and his impact on genealogy and historyWilliam’s future place  to learn about food traditionAnd a future genealogy archive coming to PAIf you want to see a video of this episode, check out the PA Ancestors YouTube Channel (link below). Be sure to check out the links before the resources mentioned in the episode. Get a free research guide here: PAancestors.comInstagram https://www.instagram.com/paancestorsFacebook https://www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaAncestorsYouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu0RT3pKeOZDfp94JRaaqxg/featuredMusic: My Days Have Been So Wondrous and Free, composed by Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791) for George Washington. The song is considered to be one of the first secular songs written in America. MP3 recording by www.amclassical.com and licensed through Creative Commons, some rights reserved. Links:William Woys Weaver’s book can be found on Amazon and his website roughwoodtable.orgroughwoodtable.org - heirloom seeds , plants, apothecary, and books to learn PA food historyHeritage Center Library Collections at Kutztown University - includes Don Yoder’s genealogy collections This episode is audio only on YouTube.

This episode is all about the Fish Pepper, an extremely flavorful, productive, and decorative variety that makes an excellent hot sauce. The white unripe fruit were used to flavor seafood dishes in the Black catering community of Baltimore in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Horace Pippin, the now-famed painter, shared this variety (and many others) with H. Ralph Weaver in the early 1940s in exchange for bee-sting therapy. Weaver's grandson (William Woys Weaver, who you will hear from in the second half of this episode) found the seeds in a baby food jar in his grandmother's deep freezer a couple decades later, many years after his grandfather's death, and was able to reintroduce them via Seed Savers Exchange.In this episode, you will hear from Xavier Brown from Soilful City in Washington DC who makes Pippin Sauce from fish peppers grown by black farmers and urban gardeners in the DC and Maryland areas (including Denzel Mitchell, who you will also hear from). Soilful City offers their seeds through Truelove Seeds. You will also hear from Michael Twitty, author of the Cooking Gene. See links to the work of each of the speakers below. SEED STORIES TOLD IN THIS EPISODE:Fish PepperBuena Mulata Pepper MORE INFO FROM THIS EPISODE:Xavier Brown, January 2020Soilful City on Instagram: @soilfulSoilful City: soilfulcitydc.wordpress.comSoilful City at Truelove Seeds Denzel Mitchell, January 2020Instagram: @fatherof5fivefifthsDenzell Mitchell at Farm Alliance Baltimorefutureharvestcasa.org/denzel-mitchell"Introducing Denzel Mitchell of Five Seeds Farm in Baltimore”- Afroculinaria Blog by Michael Twitty, 2012 Dr. William Woys Weaver, August 2019Instagram: @roughwoodseeds, @williamwoysweaverRoughwood Seed Collection: www.roughwoodtable.orgSigned copies of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening Michael Twitty, April 2019Instagram: @thecookinggeneBuy The Cooking Gene Book: Amazon.com, Barnes & NobleMichael W. Twitty Facebook PageThe Cooking Gene Facebook PageMichael W. Twitty on Twitter: @koshersoulwww.Afroculinaria.comArticle Owen wrote from this original interview [PDF] ABOUT:Seeds And Their People is a radio show where we feature seed stories told by the people who truly love them. Hosted by Owen Taylor of Truelove Seeds and Chris Bolden-Newsome of Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden.trueloveseeds.com/blogs/satpradio FIND OWEN HERE:Truelove SeedsTumblr  |  Instagram  |  Twitter FIND CHRIS HERE:Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden THANKS TO:Xavier BrownDenzel MitchellWilliam Woys WeaverMichael TwittyHorace PippinSara Taylor

Dee and Carol tempt you to grow toad lilies and ground cherries, and read about old vegetable varieties, then pick up some good gardening magazines!Helpful Links:Dee's Bee UpdateCarol's Mulch UpdateArticle on Toadlilies by Beth Botts  Ground Cherry seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds100 Vegetables and Where They Come From, by William Woys Weaver.  Roughwood Seed Collection 'Habanada' Sweet Peppers at Botanical Interests SeedsA few gardening magazines:Fine GardeningThe American Gardener. (To subscribe, you join American Horticultural Society.)Royal Horticulture SocietyGarden GateGardens Illustrated (UK)The English Garden (UK)Pacific Horticulture Magazine (no longer published but back issues are available)Wildflower Magazine published by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.Victoria Magazine For more info:Email us at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com  For more info on Carol and her books, visit her website.For more info on Dee and her book, visit her website.(Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link, we may receive a tiny commission. It does not affect the price you pay!)

Chef Graham Elliot has a knack for creating delicious, wacky, highly Instagrammable dishes that are as effervescent as his big, bubbly personality. His lobster corn dogs are adored by Eminem, Rihanna and Dave Grohl and YLM host Rachel Belle is a big fan of his foie gras lollipops rolled in Pop Rocks. But for his last meal? Graham craves a humble, breakfast table staple that he grew up eating in his grandparent's home state of Maryland: scrapple! Rachel Belle welcomes William Woys Weaver, author of Country Scrapple: An American Tradition to the show to answer the age old question: what exactly is scrapple? And Mike Rassmussen, owner of Painted Stave Distillery in Smyrna, Delaware, tells us how and why he created his uber popular scrapple vodka. Make sure and subscribe to Your Last Meal, leave a review and follow along on Instagram!

In this solo episode I explore Rosemary, one of my all-time favorite kitchen herbs. Rosemary has been used throughout history in cooking and has had many other cultural uses. I especially love the distinct flavor it adds to food. So if you ever wanted to learn about this herb, then this episode is for you!Some topics discussed:Rosemary history, folklore and cultural usesHow to prepare it in the kitchen and ideas for simple usesWhat is better dried or fresh rosemary?Thank you for subscribing and sharing the show with your family and friends.Subscribe with this link:linktr.ee/yearofplentyOr subscribe directly using your podcast app. The show is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many other platforms!Please rate and review the show in your podcast app. This always helps the show get ranked so that more curious foodies can explore real food and drink with us.Support the podcast on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/poldiwielandI want to hear from you! Take the LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZW53RTDo you follow the podcast on social media yet?IG: https://www.instagram.com/poldiwieland/Twitter: https://twitter.com/theyearofplentyFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theyearofplenty/Rosemary Pesto Recipe:https://www.missinthekitchen.com/rosemary-pesto/Sources:https://nutritionalgeography.faculty.ucdavis.edu/rosemary/ http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/r/rosema17.html http://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/herbs/herball/ https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-rosemary-3050513 https://www.romanobritain.org/13_roman_medical/roman_herbs_and_medicines.php http://www.ourherbgarden.com/herb-history/rosemary.html http://www.complete-herbal.com/culpepper/rosemary.htm https://www.medievalists.net/2016/01/23-medieval-uses-for-rosemary/ https://www.spiceography.com/too-much-rosemary/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/grow-to-eat/rosemary-really-is-herb-of-remembrance-as-scent-boosts-memory-by/ https://www.healingharvesthomestead.com/home/2019/2/22/benefits-uses-amp-recipes-for-rosemary-plus-rosemary-folktales-through-the-centuries https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2011.0005The Illustrated Book of Edible Plants by Jack StaubThe Folk-lore of Plants by Thomas Firminger and Thiselton DyerOld English HerbariumThe Encyclopedia of Food and Culture by Solomon H. Katz and William Woys Weaver

Today is National Pumpkin Seed Day. Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are native to the Americas. They were discovered by archaeologists in Mexico in caves that date back to 7,000 B.C. Today, China produces more pumpkins and pumpkin seeds than any other country.  Pumpkin seeds are loaded with protein; a single cup provides 8-10 grams of protein. They are packed with nutrients and they are overall very good for your health.  Next time you are whipping up a batch of protein bites; don't forget pumpkin seeds. Just mix up dates, whole nuts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, almonds, pumpkin seeds, 1tsp cacao bio powder, 1tsp peanut butter, a handful of raisins and dried cranberries. Then press the mixture into a pan and slice into bars. Couldn't be simpler.     Brevities #OTD  Today is the birthday of the German botanist known as the Father of Plant Physiology, Julius von Sachs, who was born on this day in 1832.   In the 1860's, Sachs tested adding a variety of nutrients to plants growing in water. He was trying to determine what plants need to live. It was early, early efforts on modern day hydroponics. In 1864, Sachs determined that blue light is the most important color for inducing phototropism in plants. Plants are generally blind to other colors; which is why you don't see plants bending toward the lamps inside your house; unless you are using grow-lights!   In 1868, Sachs became Head of the botanical institute at Würzburg University.  Sachs was a good friend of Frank Darwin. When Darwin needed a lab to conduct his experiments plants of growing toward light, he naturally used the world-class lab of his friend, Julius von Sachs, at Würzburg U.   Sachs himself was studying how plants process light. He correctly identified that starch was a product of the sunlight process known as photosynthesis. He proved that chlorophyll in chloroplast is involved in photosynthesis. Sachs is responsible for identifying structures like the organelle and chloroplasts.    Sachs used some ingenuity helped him come up with things like planter boxes with one glass side so that he could better understand the formation of roots. Using a magnifying glass, he could discern the development of root hairs and cellular protrusions.          #OTD  On this day in 1836, the HMS Beagle returned to England after a five year voyage around the world.  It was a revelatory trip for ship’s naturalist, Charles Darwin, who found the building blocks to his evolutionary theory in the many fossils and diverse species he discovered on his excursions. It would be another 23 years before he published the Origin of Species. Often, Darwin is depicted on the Beagle as an old man; but he was just 22 when he sailed away and still a young 27 when he returned with boxes full of specimens and a brain swirling with new ideas.       #OTD  Today is the 165th birthday of the Father of Town Planning and a botanist, Patrick Geddes, who was born on this day in 1854. Geddes accomplished much during his lifetime, despite being notoriously disorganized and easily distracted. In addition to his work in planning, Geddes was an ardent botanist and an environmentalist. People often forget that Geddes was trained most in the subjects of biology and botany; it was through that living scientific lens that he was first inclined to view the world. Geddes always conceded an undeniable truth in his work; nature is ever-changing and humans need to be in nature. Geddes had a profound appreciation and reverence for life. Like any gardener; he saw value in beauty. Geddes wrote: "No one who studies animate nature can get past the fact of beauty. It is as real in its own way as the force of gravity." When it came to planning towns, Geddes dismissed modernist plans for creating what he called "soulless suburbs and concrete slums". Instead, the ever-practical Geddes bought land in Edinburgh and created communities interwoven into the landscape. Bare spots on plans were turned into spaces for gardens. In 1918, Geddes delivered a farewell lecture to his students at Dundee. Here's is a little excerpt from this powerful speech: "How many people think twice about a leaf? Yet the leaf is the chief product and phenomenon of life. This is a green world.... and all dependent upon the leaves... The world is mainly a vast leaf-colony, growing on and forming a leafy soil, ... and we live not by the jingling of our coins, but by the fullness of our harvests.   ...Growth seems slow... and people are all out for immediate results...  A garden takes years and years to grow – ideas also take time to grow, and while a sower knows when his corn will ripen, the sowing of ideas is, as yet, a far less certain affair.   Star-wonder, stone and spark wonder, life-wonder, folk-wonder, .... To appreciate sunset and sunrise, moon and stars, the wonders of the winds, clouds and rain, the beauty of woods and fields – here are the beginnings of natural sciences.   ...[And] we must cease to think merely in terms of separated departments and faculties... So - with art inspiring industry, .... the Tree of Life thus comes into view.       #OTD   Today is the birthday of Martha Brookes Hutcheson who was born on this day in 1871. When she was born, Landscape Architecture was a babe as well; being a newly established professional field.   Two decades later, in 1902, when Martha Brooks Hutcheson joined the ranks of the profession after graduating from MIT, she became one of America’s first professional female landscape architects.   Hutcheson wrote a book called "The Spirit of the Garden" (a complete copy is available online for free here). In the book, Hutcheson poured all of her cultivated expertise; it became an instant garden classic. Hutcheson wanted Landscape Architecture concepts to be available to everyone; not just the wealthy. And, she wanted plants and trees to grace every living space; in rural areas, cities, and especially the areas surrounding schools.    For half a century - until 1959, Hutcheson and her husband, William, lived at Merchiston farm. There are many native plants and water is a vital landscape element.    It was Martha Brookes Hutcheson, who said:   “An insight into ecology enables us to recognize plants as living things - with laws governing their needs in their associations. Without this, we recognize plants only as a florist might who fills his windows with lavish displays.”   Hutcheson's personal interest in ecological systems, led her to dam a small stream on her farm in order to create a cow pond which later became a round swimming pond in the center of her garden. She and her visitors swam in the pond and shared it with wildlife.   Despite her struggles to break down barriers for her profession and for women, Hutcheson found comfort, "tranquility and intense personal calm" in her gardens. She wrote:   "So, let us all have gardens, for we shall be but following in the footsteps of those past ages, and expressing the love of gardens that has been in our hearts for generations."         Unearthed Words Today is the birthday of the American poet, Wallace Stevens, who was born on this day on this day in 1879.  Stevens grew up to be an insurance agent in Hartford, Connecticut and he lived across the street from Elizabeth Park which contains one of the three largest rose gardens in the country on 102 acres of incredible beauty. You can tell from much of his poetry that Stevens was a lover of nature and gardens. Thus, an insurance man by day and a poet by night, Wallace Stevens wrote all of the following: “Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.” “Death is the mother of beauty. Only the perishable can be beautiful, which is why we are unmoved by artificial flowers.” "Moisture and heat have swollen the garden into a slum of bloom." “I certainly do not exist from nine to six, when I am at the office.”         Today's book recommendation: Heirloom Vegetable Gardening by William Woys Weaver This is an updated edition of the classic has been improved throughout with growing zones, advice, and new plant entries. Now, instead of line art, there is lush, full-color photography.  At the heart of this book are the heirlooms; the living history of gardens and kitchens of our past. For many people, heirlooms are stories. They are gifts; something special to pass down through the generations. For instance, one of the heirlooms I have fallen head over heels for, is the Nanticoke Winter Pumpkin. Imagine a pumpkin almost the color of a robin's egg with crêpey looking blisters over the skin and you have something extra special from your garden for Autumn. And, that's only a taste of the marvelous plants and produce featured in this wonder new edition. It's an heirloom encyclopedia and it's a keeper.         Today's Garden Chore Check your rhubarb to see if you want to make a quick last-minute division. I just did this after another visit to the cabin. I decided it would be lovely to walk out back by the lake in the early morning and cut some stalks for strawberry rhubarb muffins for a weekend brunch or for some rhubarb bars to enjoy with a cup of coffee. The point is, rhubarb can handle a division even though it's early October. Welcome to lake life rhubarb!       Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart I ran across two old gems for you today. The first one is a saying that was published on this day in 1940 in The Phoenix Star   at the beginning of a little bedtime story called "What the Old Naturalist Told". I thought it was so lovely and I couldn't find it anywhere on line - so here it is (short and sweet):  A story's writ on every stone, In every stick and leaf and bone. ~ Old Mother Nature  The second one is from the Chicago Tribune on this day in 1875. It was a little article, fittingly called "Sparks of Science." "Plants are tender as little children, and suffer quickly from any irregularity of diet and habit. Above all, they must not be kept awake late at night by bright gaslights burning around them. They, like human beings, need rest and sleep, and, when Nature puts out her great light with the dotting of the sun, it is time for them close their eyes and fold their leaves; or, if they do not all actually do this, they must, at least, enjoy the opportunity darkness affords ... How often the question is asked of the lady who has flourishing plants in her window: "How do you manage to make them look so well ?" "I don't know.’’ is the reply; "I only do what others do,” and yet she is inwardly conscious that it is the love animating her care of them that inspires their thrifty growth."       Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

William Woys Weaver joined the Practical Preservation podcast to discuss his research into food history and how it lead him back to his grandparents garden and forgotten heirloom seeds.  This episode combines my love of food and history.  The intersection of the two tells our collective stories and reflects the values of the time period...Read More

Our final interview from the 2018 Heirloom Expo is with Dr. William Woys Weaver, steward of the Roughwood Seed Collection. Dr. Will is author of 16 books, and a fascinating food historian and epicure. We chat about how he discovered … Continue reading → The post Podcast: Heritage Seeds with William Woys Weaver appeared first on Gardenerd.

When visitors travel to Pennsylvania Dutch Country, they are encouraged to consume the local culture by way of "regional specialties" such as cream-filled whoopie pies and deep-fried fritters of every variety. Yet many of the dishes and confections visitors have come to expect from the region did not emerge from Pennsylvania Dutch culture but from expectations fabricated by local-color novels or the tourist industry. At the same time, other less celebrated (and rather more delicious) dishes, such as sauerkraut and stuffed pork stomach, have been enjoyed in Pennsylvania Dutch homes across various localities and economic strata for decades. Celebrated food historian and cookbook writer William Woys Weaver delves deeply into the history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine to sort fact from fiction in the foodlore of this culture. Through interviews with contemporary Pennsylvania Dutch cooks and extensive research into cookbooks and archives, As American as Shoofly Pie offers a comprehensive and counterintuitive cultural history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, its roots and regional characteristics, its communities and class divisions, and, above all, its evolution into a uniquely American style of cookery. William Woys Weaver is an independent food historian and author of numerous books, including Culinary Ephemera: An Illustrated History and Sauerkraut Yankees: Pennsylvania Dutch Food & Foodways. He also directs the Keystone Center for the Study of Regional Foods and Food Tourism and maintains the Roughwood Seed Collection for heirloom food plants.

A conversation with Dr. William Woys Weaver, an international food historian, author, teacher, gardener, and epicure. Dr. Weaver is the founder of the Roughwood Seed Collection, which houses over 4000 heirloom food plants. Dr. Weaver is also the director of the Keystone Center for the Study of Regional Foods and Food Tourism™, located in the historic Lamb Tavern in Devon, Pennsylvania. The Keystone Center is an independent research institute unaffiliated with state or private industry organizations. Its primary purpose is the survey, documentation, and promotion of Pennsylvania’s five regional food identities, their related culinary cultures in Europe, and their diasporas within the United States.

With the harvest season in bloom, A Taste of the Past host Linda Pelaccio welcomes food historian, author, and epicure William Woys Weaver for a thorough discussion on the significance of vegetables in the colonial and revolutionary period of early America from the gardens to the table.  William shares the plethora of vegetables grown during these eras and describes the process of maintaining the seeds of the heirloom plants, of which he has amassed over 4000 varieties.  Tune in for a fascinating show and learn why maintaining the seeds of history is essential! “The heirloom breeds of animals and vegetables are really where it’s happening at the moment.” [12:40] “During the Victorian period, the breeders created round, smooth, red tomatoes which sort of became the ideal tomato.  The old ones didn’t look like that.  Over time the physical appearance of the plant or fruit changed because we imposed new criteria on them.” [14:30] –William Woys Weaver on A Taste of the Past