The Plant Report- Every Plant Has A Story

Episode 13: Ecological Designer and Permaculture Instructor Larry Santoyo talks about thistles. More interesting than you might think, thistles play an important role in soil restoration.

Larry tells us about the intrinsic characteristics of thistles, why the Earth calls them in, and what effect they have on the landscape.

After listening you may gain a new appreciation for this prickly, unpopular plant!

To learn more about Larry Santoyo visit his website at: The Permaculture Academy.com

To read an interview with him click here. To listen to an interview, click here.

Episode 17: Our plant for this episode is not a plant. It's yeast. Tiny in size, huge in utility, yeast is all around us. Found in the Ecuadorian Rainforests, the Arctic, and on our skin, this single-celled member of the Fungi Kingdom is part of Nature's Recycling Team and has been on the planet for millions of years. Used for brewing and baking, humans have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with yeast.

In this episode, Dr. Ian Roberts of the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) talks about yeast: its history, what it needs to survive, its role in the ecosystem, and the process of fermentation.

Dr. Roberts is the curator of more than 4,000 strains of yeast collected over 65 years at the NCYC.

To learn more about the NCYC and its heritage collection of UK brewing yeast visit their website.

Episode 32: Meet the broad and beautiful Amaranth family in this episode with farmer and seed saver Andrew McMillion. Andrew shares his experiences propagating and growing Amaranth and tells us about his favorite members in this low maintenance and resilient family including: Orach (Atriplex hortensis), Caucasian Mountain Spinach (Hablitzia tamnoides), Syrian Medieval Chard, and Strawberry Spinach (Blitum capitatum).

We touch on the fascinating history of this plant, why Andrew believes it's important to "sow your weeds", and how Amaranth provides him with food nine months of the year. If you're interested in learning how to save seeds, Andrew says Amaranth is a great family for apprentice seed savers to build a relationship with.

There's an Amaranth for every climate- just be aware that they are self seeding and some members of the family can become invasive.

Andrew McMillion works on his small farm in Norway where he stewards a large and growing collection of plants. Andrew is a Board Member and guild leader for several guilds in the Norwegian Seed Savers.

Learn more here:

Andrew(at)NorwegianSeedSavers.no

Norwegian Seed Savers

Listen to a previous interview that I did with Andrew:

Earth Care- How Connecting to Nature Can Change Your Life

Titan Arum may have one of the smelliest flowers on the planet (think old gym socks), but it's also one of the largest and most beautiful. Known as the carrion or corpse flower, Titan Arum gives off a pungent scent that's perfect for attracting flies, beetles and other decomposers. Native to Sumatra, Titan Arum rarely blooms in the wild or in captivity and is a threatened species. I was lucky enough to see, smell and spend some time with a Titan Arum named Chanel at the University of California's Biology Greenhouse. In this episode I speak with Danica Taber, Biology Greenhouse Manager about this famous plant that has its own Facebook page and thousands of fans!

Known as the Tree of Music and Nature's Medicine Chest, Elder has a long history of medicinal and musical use. Elderberries and flowers are a popular herbal remedy and elder branches can be used to make musical instruments. Steeped in folklore, Elder is revered in many cultures. To learn more about Elder we speak with environmental educator and natural dye and fiber expert Rebecca Burgess and herbalist Lanny Kaufer about this remarkably useful and healing plant.