EP. 15: Seeds of the African Diaspora with Amirah Mitchell & Sistah Seeds

EP. 15: Seeds of the African Diaspora with Amirah Mitchell & Sistah Seeds

Author: Seeds And Their People October 5, 2022 Duration: 1:20:05
In this fifteenth episode, Amirah Mitchell of Sistah Seeds gives us a tour of the African Diasporic seed crops on her farm in Emmaus, PA. She also describes her work to preserve seeds and stories of African-American, West African, and Afro-Caribbean foodways, how she got to this point, and where she is headed. Amirah worked for four years as an apprentice and coworker at Truelove Seeds, and we are so grateful for our continued collaboration as she embarks on the next phase of her work as a farm owner, seed keeper, educator, and inspiration to so many. AMIRAH MITCHELL, SISTAH SEEDS: Web: sistahseeds.com Instagram: @sistahseeds Amirah in the press: Inquirer, 12/21 Grid Philly, 1/22 Edible Philadelphia, 3/22 Amirah Mitchell at Temple University Amirah's Seed Keeping Fellowship at Greensgrow SEED STORIES TOLD IN THIS EPISODE: Moses Smith Yellow Cabbage Collards Sea Island Brown Cotton Blue Shackamaxon Bean (Lenape) Ezelle Family Fish Eye Pea Fish Pepper Benne (Sesame) Green Striped Cushaw Squash Sea Island Red Okra White African Sorghum Celosia Sokoyokoto Lagos Spinach (Leaf Celosia from EFN) Efo Shoko (Lagos Spinach/Leaf Celosia from Truelove)  Feathery Plume Celosia (Ornamental)  Egusi Melon "Odell's" Large White Watermelon Chocolate Scotch Bonnet Pepper Aunt Lou's Underground Railroad Tomato MORE INFO FROM THIS EPISODE: Heirloom Collard Project Heirloom Collard Project on NPR (featuring Amirah and Mama Ira Wallace!) Truelove Seeds Indigenous Seeds Rematriation (scroll to bottom) Kris Hubbard, Appalachian Seed Keeper Fish Pepper episode, Seeds and Their People Cushaw Squash in Michael Twitty's Afroculinaria blog The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration, by Chris Smith Herbal Affirmations, 'San' Kofi Sankofa, GoFundMe Lost Crops of Africa, Egusi Watermelon Men of Philadelphia, Inquirer article on the Carter family Ben Burkett, Federation of Southern Cooperatives ABOUT: Seeds And Their People is a radio show where we feature seed stories told by the people who truly love them. Hosted by Owen Taylor of Truelove Seeds and Chris Bolden-Newsome of Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden. trueloveseeds.com/blogs/satpradio   FIND OWEN HERE: Truelove Seeds Tumblr  |  Instagram  |  Twitter   FIND CHRIS HERE: Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden   THANKS TO: Amirah Mitchell Cecilia Sweet-Coll

There’s a whole world of history, culture, and personal connection tucked inside every seed packet, and that’s the world Seeds And Their People explores. This isn’t just a gardening show; it’s a series of conversations that dig into the rich soil of human experience. Hosts Owen Taylor of Truelove Seeds and Chris Bolden-Newsome of Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden sit down with growers, seed savers, and community elders to hear the stories that these living heirlooms carry with them. Each episode feels like a quiet chat on a back porch or in a garden row, where the talk inevitably turns to the seeds that have been passed down through families and communities. You’ll hear about the journey of a particular bean variety, the memories tied to a specific tomato, and the profound cultural resilience that keeping these seeds alive represents. The podcast moves beyond simple horticulture to touch on food sovereignty, ancestral knowledge, and the simple, powerful act of planting something with a story. It’s for anyone curious about where their food really comes from, not just geographically but historically and emotionally. Listening, you begin to understand that a seed is never just a seed-it’s a keeper of traditions, a spark of identity, and a quiet promise for the future, all held in the palm of your hand.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 40

Seeds And Their People
Podcast Episodes
EP. 25: Black Farming Vibes in the Delta: Three Wise Men [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:27
While visiting Greenville, Mississippi, we asked farmer and food justice elder Mama D (our mother, Ms. Demalda Newsome) to co-produce an episode about the farmers of the Delta. This is the first of multiple episodes abou…
EP. 24: Mary Menniti and the Italian Garden Project [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:40
Mary Menniti grew up with her Italian immigrant grandfather growing vegetables, figs, and tending sheep in her family's backyard. She created The Italian Garden Project to celebrate the joy and wisdom inherent in the tra…
EP. 23: Dr. William Woys Weaver and the Roughwood Seed Collection [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:56
Dr. William Woys Weaver is an internationally known food historian and author of 22 books including: Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener’s Guide to Planting Seed Saving, and Cultural History; 100 Vegetables a…
EP. 22: Gujarati Seeds and Flavors with Nital Vadalia-Kakadia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:18
This episode features Nital Vadalia-Kakadia. Originally from the state of Gujarat in Western India, Nital has been fascinated by farming and food since she was a child on her family’s farm in India. These days, she tends…
EP. 21: Haiqal’s Garden - Indonesian vegetables in South Philly [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:31
In the first week of June 2023, I finally visited Haiqal's Garden in South Philadelphia to speak with Hani White and Syarif Syaifulloh about their beloved Indonesian food plants, food culture, and life stories. We met fi…