The Poor Prole’s Almanac

John Hershey and in particular the Downingtown Food Forest are pointed to as examples of what the tree crop and permanent agriculture movement can create, given the opportunity. That said, very little about John Hershey the man has been written or compiled, despite ample writing and close relationship with folks like J. Russell Smith. In this episode, we dive into John Hershey's story and contextualize his lasting legacy: the Downingtown Forest and the tree crops that are tied to this landscape.   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/john-w-hershey  To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

J. Russell Smith might be the most well-known figure in history in regards to tree crops in North America— largely because of his book “Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture”, which has been a foundational text for many people in permaculture and agroecological spaces. While this book is worthwhile for any novice and experienced horticulturalist to read, his work expands much further than this one book. In fact, his successes and imprint on industries for generations were so expansive, often working on international or groundbreaking projects in different fields concurrently, instead of organizing this piece on a linear timeline, it will be much easier to understand by clustering in the fields of academic, geography & industry, youth public education, food systems, conservation, and food production.   In this episode, we dive into the second half of the life of ecologist and tree crops specialist J. Russell Smith.   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/j-russell-smith  To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

J. Russell Smith might be the most well-known figure in history in regards to tree crops in North America— largely because of his book “Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture”, which has been a foundational text for many people in permaculture and agroecological spaces. While this book is worthwhile for any novice and experienced horticulturalist to read, his work expands much further than this one book. In fact, his successes and imprint on industries for generations were so expansive, often working on international or groundbreaking projects in different fields concurrently, instead of organizing this piece on a linear timeline, it will be much easier to understand by clustering in the fields of academic, geography & industry, youth public education, food systems, conservation, and food production.   In this episode, we dive into the second half of the life of a botanist that should be known by everyone listening to this podcast-- Liberty Hyde Bailey. Liberty Hyde Bailey is likely a name many folks are familiar with, but the depth of knowledge of his significance remains fairly thin. A cursory search online highlights various facets of his career— his work in pomology, his defense of rural living and communities, and his importance in the re-discovery of Mendel’s work on recessive traits. While all of these are important, they simply scratch the surface of what Bailey has contributed to numerous fields of science and philosophy and miss the larger vision that motivated Bailey.   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/j-russell-smith  To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

In this episode, we dive into the second half of the life of a botanist that should be known by everyone listening to this podcast-- Liberty Hyde Bailey. Liberty Hyde Bailey is likely a name many folks are familiar with, but the depth of knowledge of his significance remains fairly thin. A cursory search online highlights various facets of his career— his work in pomology, his defense of rural living and communities, and his importance in the re-discovery of Mendel’s work on recessive traits. While all of these are important, they simply scratch the surface of what Bailey has contributed to numerous fields of science and philosophy and miss the larger vision that motivated Bailey.   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/liberty-hyde-bailey To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

In this episode, we dive into the history of a botanist that should be known by everyone listening to this podcast-- Liberty Hyde Bailey. Liberty Hyde Bailey is likely a name many folks are familiar with, but the depth of knowledge of his significance remains fairly thin. A cursory search online highlights various facets of his career— his work in pomology, his defense of rural living and communities, and his importance in the re-discovery of Mendel’s work on recessive traits. While all of these are important, they simply scratch the surface of what Bailey has contributed to numerous fields of science and philosophy and miss the larger vision that motivated Bailey.   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/liberty-hyde-bailey To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

When we talk about the major figures in agricultural development, our focus tends to be on researchers in the 20th and 21st centuries. Before that, soil science to that point had existed as it needed to; fundamentals of crop rotation manure, compost, and the basic tools known in agriculture for thousands of years stood as a framework for how farmers related to the soil beneath them. One of the earliest contributors to the development of soil science as a science beyond these basics outlined prior was Franklin Hiram King. His book, “Farmers of Forty Centuries, or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea, and Japan”, published in 1913 was the antidote to the development of extractive farming practices which had become more common towards the late 19th and early 20th century and was a foundational text for folks like Russell Lord and many of the major players in the permanent agriculture movement of the early 20th century. King’s work flew in the face of science at the time, costing him a career he had spent a lifetime building, but which was imperative in order for him to continue to follow the thread of his research.   In this episode, we dive into the beginning of our new series exploring the origins and evolution of permanent agriculture and where the popular movements of today sprang from (permaculture, agrecology, organics, biodynamics). To understand these narratives, we go back to the beginning of American soil science and the father of the movement, Franklin Hiram King. King's life has largely been lost to history, but we take some time to unpack what we do know in order to contextualize how our understanding of ecology and soil health was born.     Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/franklin-hiram-king  To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

Renowned forager and chef Hank Shaw joins us to discuss foodways, invasives, the impacts of culture on our cuisine, and how we can change the narrative around local foods. We spend some time talking about how pollution and abundance can influence how we perceive different food choices and what we can do to build better, locally-driven food systems. Hank Shaw is an American chef, author, and outdoorsman who runs the wild foods website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. He is the author of five books Hunt Gather Cook, Duck Duck Goose, Buck Buck Moose, Pheasant Quail Cottontail and Hook Line and Supper, all wild game cookbooks. Hank has appeared on numerous television shows, including Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods.., Mike Rowe’s Somebody’s Gotta Do It, Steven Rinella’s Meateater, and Randy Newberg’s Fresh Tracks. Check out Hank's work at huntgathercook.com & find him on Instagram @Huntgathercook To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

The butternut walnut is arguably the least known nut tree across eastern North America. Often called the white walnut or the oil nut, it grows throughout the northeastern United States. Once a prized tree for furniture-making, carving, and boats, as well as the delicious nuts, it’s mostly been lost to history today. Unfortunately, its story is similar to the American Chestnut. Butternut Canker Disease (caused by the fungus Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum), was first discovered in the 1960’s (although it may have been in American forests earlier) and has slowly decimated butternut populations across the country, with few regions to the north still showing little signs of butternut canker. In this episode, we review this history of the butternut, the problems with hybridizing it, and the future of the butternut in North America!   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/the-forgotten-butternut   To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

In this episode, we're joined by author and historian Katy Morlas Shannon to discuss her book "Antoine of Oak Alley". The story of Antoine is emblematic of countless enslaved people whose lives and contributions have been overlooked. Antoine, the enslaved gardener of Oak Alley Plantation, was one of the first people to successfully propagate the pecan tree, yet he exists only as a footnote in the bigger story of Oak Alley Plantation. His pioneering work enabled large groves of trees to be planted creating a lucrative commercial crops and though his horticultural achievement has long been legend, virtually nothing is known about his life. In this episode, we chat about how we reconstruct these types of histories and how we engage with these complicated stories from a vastly different time. Check out Katy's work and other books at: https://www.katymshannon.com/   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/pecans   To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

Nearly every person reading this has tasted the pecan, a marked difference from every other tree crop subject we have covered so far in this series. Pecans are without a doubt the most successful native commercial nut crop in North America, but what most folks don’t know is that this status is a relatively new phenomenon. In fact, unlike the other tree crops we’ve covered so far, the pecan has debatably had the least amount of human interference of any nut crop in North America. In many ways, the pecan was for generations the definition of what a sustainable, passive native agroforestry system could look like to feed communities healthy food with minimal inputs. In this episode, we jump into the complex history of the pecan, from its indigenous use to its first grafting by an enslaved man named Antoine to the role the government played in making it a staple across grocery shelves throughout the world.   Check out the corresponding substack article for resources, citations, and more information! https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/pecans   To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac  For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/