A Lot About Okra and a Whole Lot More: a conversation with Chris Smith (Season 1: Episode 2)

In this episode, join me in a conversation with Chris Smith, author of (James Beard Foundation Award-winning book) The Whole Okra: a Seed to Stem Celebration. Whether you're a fan of okra or think it's disgusting, you'll find this conversation to be engaging and informative. And maybe, just maybe, you'll reconsider how you feel about this humble fruit we call a vegetable!  We have three short spots from our sponsors throughout this podcast, they are each 45 seconds or less and they make it possible for me to have and share these conversations that help build our local food communities. Please take a moment to get to know them better!  True Earth Co, WayGreen Inc, and SD Gunner Fund! Chris is also doing some great work with other plants (but mostly okra) with his nonprofit, The Utopian Seed Project. This organization is devoted to improving seed diversity and regionally adapted crops to help safeguard resiliency of local food systems. We have a lot of fun talking about Chris' book and the work he is doing, but make no mistake that his work and the work of others like him is a very serious matter! As weather patterns change and shift and as corporations maneuver to control food production, seed sovereignty and seed preservation is inextricably tied to food security. And that is something we should all be paying attention to!