Podcast Episodes

The History of Apples: Nomads, Gods and Emperors (Part 1)

Episode 107

Where did the apple come from, and how did it go from a sour, berry-sized wild fruit to the sweet, plump star of our fruit bowls today? Was it really bears (and their sweet tooth) that shaped its des…

Published on 9 hours ago

The History of Carrots

Episode 106

What do Afghan purple roots, Roman aphrodisiacs, Dutch horticulturalists, and wartime propaganda have in common?

The answer: the carrot.

From its wild ancestor Daucus carota scattered across Europe 1…

Published on 1 week ago

Beneath Our Feet: The Hidden History of Soil

Episode 105

Where does soil come from? How has it shaped the rise (and fall) of human civilizations? And why is it now at the center of some of the most urgent debates about food, farming, and the environment?

Jo…

Published on 2 weeks ago

History Daily: Lewis & Clark and the Invention of Pasteurization

Episode 104

In this special collaboration with History Daily, we present a double feature exploring two pivotal moments in history.

First, you’ll hear the story of Lewis and Clark’s return after successfully comp…

Published on 2 weeks, 3 days ago

Foreign Hands in American Agriculture (Livestream)

Episode 103

On July 8th, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the administration is determined to reclaim farmland owned by what it calls "foreign adversaries" and to establish a "100% Americ…

Published on 3 weeks ago

The Lewellings: Legacies Secured (Part 6)

Episode 102

What became of the Lewellings - the visionary brothers who transformed the American West one orchard at a time?

In the final episode of our six-part series, John and Patrick return to the verdant hill…

Published on 4 weeks ago

The Lewellings: Icon of Napa Valley (Part 5)

Episode 101

What happens when your orchards begin to rot, your industry collapses, and California starts beating you at your own game? If you're Seth Lewelling, you plant harder - and you get political with your…

Published on 1 month ago

The Lewellings: California Calling and Free Love (Part 4)

Episode 100

California, 1853. Henderson Lewelling sets off to sell apples and ends up sparking a revolution.

In this fourth episode of our multi-part series, John and Patrick trace the astonishing rise of the Lew…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

The Lewellings: Planting Pacific Roots (Part 3)

Episode 99

It’s 1848, and amid the towering firs and scorched stumps of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, a revolution in American agriculture quietly takes root. In this third installment of our epic Lewelling saga,…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

The Lewellings: On The Oregon Trail (Part 2)

Episode 98

What kind of person looks at the treacherous Oregon Trail and says, “You know what would make this even harder? Let’s drag 700 fruit trees with us”?

In this episode, John and Patrick continue the epic…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago