Podcast Episodes

The Guano Wars: When Poop Became Power

Episode 117

What if the most valuable substance on Earth wasn’t gold, or oil, or diamonds… but bird droppings?

In the mid-19th century, guano—yes, seabird excrement—fueled an agricultural and geopolitical revolut…

Published on 2 hours ago

Produce in Space: The Story of Intergalactic Agriculture

Episode 116

What happens when humanity takes its most basic need - food - beyond Earth’s atmosphere? From John Glenn’s applesauce tubes to the first lettuce grown aboard the International Space Station, the stor…

Published on 1 week ago

Tanaka Farms: A Japanese-American Farming Legacy

Episode 115

What is the legacy of Japanese American farmers in shaping California’s agricultural landscape? How did a community once barred from owning land become pioneers in strawberry and vegetable farming? A…

Published on 2 weeks ago

Cornellian Chats: Van Gogh, Organics, Tomatoes on Trial, and Freeze!

Episode 114

Join John and Patrick for a special bonus episode recorded live from Anaheim, California, at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show!

Surrounded by the sights, soun…

Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago

Produce Poisons and Curses

Episode 113

What do garlic, blackberries, cucumbers, eggplants, mushrooms, and pumpkins have in common? More than you might think. Across history and folklore, fruits and vegetables have not only nourished human…

Published on 3 weeks ago

The History of Apples: Modern Fragility (Part 5)

Episode 112

From myth and legend to cider-fuelled revolutions, from Johnny Appleseed’s frontier orchards to the Victorians’ quest for the perfect pippin, the story of the apple has been anything but ordinary. In…

Published on 4 weeks ago

The History of Apples: The Colorful Victorian (Part 4)

Episode 111

From the barefoot wanderings of Johnny Appleseed to the fiery kick of applejack on Civil War battlefields, the apple’s story in America takes a dramatic turn in this fourth episode of our series.

Joh…

Published on 1 month ago

The History of Apples: America's Dependence (Part 3)

Episode 110

John and Patrick journey into the seventeenth century, when cider wasn’t just a drink - it was a matter of national survival. From John Evelyn’s bold call for apple orchards to secure England’s navy …

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

The Tales Behind Apple Names (Livestream)

Episode 109

Apples are one of those rare fruits that you can actually recognize by name. Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji… the list seems endless.

But have you ever wondered where these names came from?

Is there an actual '…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

The History of Apples: Medieval Times (Part 2)

Episode 108

From the kitchens of medieval Europe to the orchards of Anglo-Saxon England, the apple became far more than just a fruit. It was medicine, it was myth, it was ritual.

In part two of our apple series,…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago