Edible Activist Podcast

We welcome our very first international guest to the show, Benjamin aka The Roots Farmer, based in London. In this episode, Ben unfolds his journey, taking us from his long-life career in music to starting an off-the-grid farm right outside of London. Agrarian life had been whispering to Ben for some time, and when the pandemic hit, he found refuge and peace on the 2.5 acres that he currently farms with the help of his two sons. Learn how Ben was able to attain the acres through a unique opportunity made available to residents in the UK, his vision for collective land ownership, and the plans he has to offer his community organic, farm-fresh food. Tap in!Sponsored by Hello Fresh.

What do you do when dad purchases a plot of land and says this is your legacy? You transform it into a little green space for growing food! After taking a sabbatical from her teaching job in New York City, Marilyn Griffin returned to Detroit where she would end up diving all the way into her genealogy. In 2020, Marilyn started Griffin Gardens and coincidentally made the decision to remain in the 'D' when the pandemic hit. This episode reveals some fascinating findings about her family lineage, Marilyn talks educating youth about knowing where they come from, and of course we dig into her garden and what she has learned during the process. Tap in! Sponsored by Hello Fresh.

The Edible Activist Podcast kicks off its new season and 100th episode with gardener extraordinaire, Brandy Strickland of Easy Living Gardens! At the helm of two grandmothers, Brandy pulled invaluable knowledge from her divine matriarchs who farmed the land. In this episode, she takes us back to her childhood farm experiences in North Carolina, talks growing in Green Cove Springs, Florida where she resides and has managed to build a beautiful garden mix of vegetables and flowers, and dishes about her garden inspiration and raising two kings. Tap in!Sponsored by Hello Fresh.

We wrap this edible season and year up with reflection and joy. This episode highlights some of our favorite conversations that nourished minds and souls during an emotionally-filled year. Peace and blessings. New season will launch in February 2021!

We celebrate ten divine black women in food and agriculture who have been charting territories unapologetically. These women are farmers, business owners, and artists building from the ground up, getting their hands dirty, serving their communities, and preserving black food history, all while representing the beauty of our culture. Listen in as Melissa L. Jones highlights the women she admires in this space!

Three Part Harmony is going solar at that their 2-acre, off-the-grid farm in Washington, DC! In this episode we chat with Gail Taylor, owner and operator, about 3PH's vision and how they have been sustaining the farm with the support of their staff, volunteers and community. We also discuss farming operations and the lift and economical support that is needed, especially for BIPOC farmers/growers, to run a farming business. Let's support this black-woman-owned farm and help 3PH go solar! Tune in to learn more!

This episode unveils a critical set of food system recommendations for the Chesapeake Region, a report and blueprint produced by the Chesapeake Foodshed Network's Community Ownership Empowerment and Prosperity (COEP) action team. Asha Carter and Dr. Sade Anderson-Brown, COEP members, breakdown the groundwork strategies in this report as they speak truth around our monopolized food system. This blueprint will challenge institutions and those with power to help transform systemic change in the Chesapeake Region. Tune in!

Tag along with Melissa, her two aunts and Big Ma as they visit Mt. Olive, MS, a small town outside of Jackson, to explore the land where her greats called home and farmed on. In this brief episode you'll hear conversations from the car as Melissa's family treks through town, making a couple of stops along the way, while she questions family land ownership. Listen in on the start of this explorative journey to uncovering her agricultural roots in The Sip!

Surrounded by herbs, tea blends, and healing energy, Melissa chats with co-founder and attorney, Yasmin Collins, of Herbal Blessings about the vision behind her family's medicinal business. In this episode, we explore Yasmin's journey to decolonizing her diet, black history in the Farish Street Neighborhood Historic District (Jackson, MS), and we get to hear from the CEO: Eric T. Collins, Jr. aka EJ, their plant-based baby boy who loves sea moss! Tune in!

Melissa returns to the show after taking an unexpected hiatus in September and October! Tune in as she catches listeners up about her travels to Mississippi and what brought her down south this time around!

In this candid conversation, at the cozy home of Mama Jacky and Chae Butter in Clinton, MD, the mother-daughter duo talks about their decision to garden this year. In an effort to keep their minds off the world's sorrow, they took to the garden and grew squash, watermelon, flowers, and herbs. A colorful abundance that brightended their spirits. In this episode, Mama Jacky takes us down memory lane, recounting great grandma's massive garden, peeling back stories of apple drying and okra stews. We also learn that Chae lived on the land with her grandparents that they owned in South Boston, VA, waking up early mornings to do groundwork, in hopes that grandpa would give her a horse. Chae never got her horse (haaa). Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Meet Senteria: cyber security professional by day, full-time mom to a teenage boy 365, and the sibling of Melissa L. Jones. In this episode, Melissa chats with her (very animated) sister about her balcony gardening experience this year, the first time she's ever attempted to grow anything. She now has hot peppers springing forth, tomatoes trying to make their way, and some new plant-friends. Senteria claims she has "green hands, not thumbs" (haaaa), telling the story of how she flung (literally) cucumber seeds in the front yard of the parentals' house, without any intention, and BAM; they grew like wildfire. Now she's feeling herself...ahem, empowered. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

After an inspiring edible visit with The Black Suburban Homesteaders, we sit down with Francois and Shanna to have an honest conversation on how they are coping during the global crisis. In this episode, Shanna unpacks the concept of rage planting which they found themselves indulged in, making space for every seed-bearing plant (talk about tomatoes out the wazoo), as a way to channel their frustration in the midst of racial tension. Francois also transparently shares the realities of being tethered to their home, while building businesses, maintaining their homestead (+ two other sites), and raising a family. Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

In this brief finale episode, hear thoughts from host, Melissa L. about black folks rising from the silos into non-black digital spaces, supporting black lives, and she shares some exciting announcements. This episode does conclude the season, but we'll be back after we recalibrate. In the meantime, check out our 80+ episodes on deck! Thanks for your support as always and remember: in the words of Baba Oduno, "there is no culture without agriculture." Period! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

At the start of spring, The Green Scheme family would have been outdoors and in the gardens with the D.C. youth, but plans have shifted as the world takes precautions and practices social distancing. Co-founder, Ronnie Webb, and his amazing team run The Green Scheme, a dynamic organization that is "changing the scene" with a mission to bridge communities and empower youth to live healthy and sustainable lives. In this episode, Ronnie talks about making lemonade out of lemons and how they are utilizing the virtual space to keep the youth growing. "They will be teaching their parents," says Ronnie! Tune in to hear more about the creative changes they are implementing to keep the health marathon moving and much more! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

While most non-essential workers have the luxury of working-from-home, first responders, along with other emergency personnel do not as they weather the pandemic. Food on the Stove's founder, Jonathan Tate, joins us for another episode to expound upon the mission work that has taken place in the midst of COVID-19, ensuring that firefighters across the city are nourished on a job that is ever-so demanding. Tune in to learn about the outpouring support from the D.C. community to support FOTS, Tate also talks about mental health awareness, and we discuss their latest meal delivery pilot: Local Food for Local Heroes. Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

From growing up on a farm in Virginia to operating The Fresh Food Factory in Southeast, D.C., Amanda Stephenson's connection to food, farming and health has led her on a journey to educate and offer options that support the wellbeing of her community. Surry, Virginia is where Amanda's farming adventures began, growing up in this small town with siblings as they worked the land while game, ducks, and other farm animals roamed the grounds. And as a creative who navigated to New York City, and eventually D.C. she gives credit to her hard-working dad, who surpassed a life expectancy by 18 years, for the values and entrepreneurial spirit she carries til this day. In this episode, we learn about Amanda's business that started as a food incubator in Ward 8, she addresses black entrepreneurship and the wealth disparities that exist, and how the business has been adapting during COVID-19. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

"Whoever controls your food source controls you" are words that Maryland-based gardener, Kevin Alsop, penetrated into our earbuds in episode #001, one that encouraged us to prepare and go back to food basics. Kevin graced our show again with his honest feelings on having to reignite his love for growing, because the business and politics of food has a way of stripping your passion. Additionally in this episode, we catch up on Kevin's latest growing project at a senior citizen center in Capitol Heights, he shares his thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic, and he leaves us with an "Alsop Starter Growing Kit" for beginning growers. Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

The scent of tobacco, along with memories of grandma and granddaddy Arthur tend to the land isn't distant at all for Tonya Peele. As a child, the North Carolina native, gardener, and avid photographer watched her beloved grandparents plant tobacco, corn and other crops from the back of their pickup truck on the Carolina fields. So her love for the land is a natural expression of reverence for the legacy of farmers and sharecroppers down her lineage. In this episode, we zoom in on Tonya's family story, and her platforms: Plant & Shoot and The Zen Camera Club, which she founded as a self-care practice to meditate by photographing nature. Tonya believes that meditation isn't for everyone, however, she notes that our still focus can serve as a channel for zen. *This episode was pre-recorded.* Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant. 

"If we don't have health, we can't get wealth," says Tambra Raye, the founder of both Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA) and Nativsol. We caught up with the former Edible Activist guest to discuss what's continuing to unfold in communities of color hit disproportionately hard by the coronavirus pandemic, her upcoming Cooking with Soul Series at The U.S. Botanic Gardens to kickoff #Juneteenth, and she gives us a taste of her upcoming WANDA Academy. Tune in! *This episode was pre-recorded.* Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.