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. 9: Anan Jardali Zahr’s Palestinian Kitchen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:13
In this episode, Palestinian chef Anan Jardali Zahr describes her beloved foodways and ingredients, including Molokhia, Kusa, and Zaatar. Anan was born in Akka, Palestine and came to California at age 11, after the Six-D…
Ep. 8: Lettuce Amongst the Stars: Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:13
Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seed in Philomath, Oregon visited our Truelove Seeds farm during a cross-country road trip in July, 2019. Frank began in the early 1980s as a salad grower providing greens for grocery stores t…
Ep. 7: Karen Farmers from Burma [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:30
This episode features four interviews with Karen farmers from the mountains of the Karen state of Burma (Myanmar) who spent roughly a decade in Thai refugee camps before resettling in South Philadelphia. They now grow th…
Ep. 6: Fish Pepper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:53
This episode is all about the Fish Pepper, an extremely flavorful, productive, and decorative variety that makes an excellent hot sauce. The white unripe fruit were used to flavor seafood dishes in the Black catering com…
Ep 5: Rau Đay, Lalo, Saluyot, Ewedu, Molokhia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:40
This episode is all about one plant with countless names: Molokhia (Corchorus olitorius). You may know it as Jute, Jew's Mallow, Egyptian Spinach, any of the names in the title of this episode, or as something else altog…
Ep. 3: Ira Wallace and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:40
In this third episode, Ira Wallace from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange talks about her faves: collards and roselle. She also describes her life growing up, her work with southern and African Diasporic seeds and stories,…
Ep. 2: Kristyn Leach and Namu Farm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:49
Welcome back to Seeds And Their People! In this second episode, Owen interviews his seed friend Kristyn about her Korean seed stories, her food, farming, and activist community, and our mutual love for Jewel in the Palac…
Ep. 1: Seeds And Their People - Meet Chris and Owen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:58
Welcome to Seeds And Their People! In our first episode, we share some seed stories that are important to us, our ancestors, and our story as partners in life and love. You'll hear about the Irish Lumper potato, the fiel…