California – My Favorite Trees

October 17, 2023October 17, 2023

Episode 87: The Pistachio Tree

The Pistachio is considered the most successful plant introduction to the United States in the 20th century. Up until then, they were a staple part of a diet that didn’t stray far from western Asia and the Mediterranean. Though they’ve been a part of human life for thousands of years, their presence in the global market is just a few decades old. And even if you’re at all familiar with how the western world perceives Iran, you may be surprised as to how much of an impact those relationships have affected this little green nut.
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast

Sources:

https://louiseferguson.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk6001/files/inline-files/7.pdf

https://ucanr.edu/sites/fruitandnut/files/73683.pdf

https://www.britannica.com/topic/turpentine

https://www.britannica.com/topic/mastic

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-34533-6_12

https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/2/323

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440304001694

https://americanpistachios.org/growing-and-harvesting/history

https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2020/01/31/cashews-pistachios-and-mangos-oh-my/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/where-are-pistachios-from

https://www.bourseandbazaar.com/articles/2018/12/18/californian-famers-waged-war-on-iranian-pistachios-and-won

https://tellus.ars.usda.gov/stories/articles/plant-explorers-on-film

https://www.greece-is.com/history-aegina-pistachio-2-recipes-love/

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3108713/story-pistachio-nuts-origins-middle-east-and-how-italy-grows

August 22, 2023August 22, 2023

Episode 83: The Peruvian Peppertree

Admittedly, I was drawn to this tree because I assumed it served as the inspiration for the Peruvian Puff Pepper that was mentioned in Season 3, Episode 2 of Nickelodeon’s “Drake and Josh.” I’m still not sure if it is or not, but that doesn’t lessen this tree’s right to get its own episode. The Peruvian Peppertree is the source of the pink peppercorns we see on grocery store shelves. And this pink pepper has found its way into pre-Incan civilizations, early California missions, and French food fads of the 1980s.
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast

Sources

https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabicompendium.49028#sec-6

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/concocting-modern-day-cicha-de-molle/

http://ecotintes.com/en/content/molle-huinan

https://wildflowermeadows.com/2021/07/peppertrees-and-bees/

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/usa/california/sandiegocounty/22882_missionsanluisreydefrancia/

https://www.gardenbetty.com/peruvian-pink-peppercorns/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/are-pink-peppercorns-poisonous

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travelspanishmissions/spanish-missions-in-the-united-states-cultural-and-historical-significance.htm

October 4, 2022October 4, 2022

Episode 60: The Date Palm

Dates are among the earliest tree crops cultivated by humans and retain cultural significance throughout the Middle East and the surrounding Arabic world. Date Palm trees are especially important in Jewish faith and see prominence in multiple holidays, like the upcoming Sukkot. Hear about the long history of these trees, the variety of uses and symbols associated with them, as well as why America turned its back on the fruit in the last century. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees or on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://books.google.com/books?id=R0XjojWqfqcC&pg=PA13#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/many-dates-one-palm-tree-produce-101844.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-13-sci-methuselah13-story.html

https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/date-palm-history

https://allmesopotamia.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/dates-in-mesopotamia/

https://iranicaonline.org/articles/date-palm

http://www.rahamasha.net/uploads/2/3/2/8/2328777/da.pdf

https://www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v6-i2/1.pdf

https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Tamar.html

https://www.learnreligions.com/palm-branches-bible-story-summary-701202

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-date-is-so-important-to-muslim-world-180962011/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/7328?seq=13#metadata_info_tab_contents

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/06/10/320346869/forbidding-fruit-how-america-got-turned-on-to-the-date

https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/date.html

https://www.statista.com/statistics/960247/dates-production-worldwide/

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/history-of-sukkot/

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4457/jewish/How-To-Celebrate-Sukkot.htm

August 9, 2022July 15, 2022

Episode 56: The Almond

This is the first part of a new miniseries focused on nut trees! Almonds are considered the largest nut crop in the world, but are they actually even nuts? Find out how this popular food traveled from Persia to California and learn the legends that have lead the almond to be found in our snack mixes, milks, and flours. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees or on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://www.alcademics.com/2016/07/the-difference-between-bitter-almonds-sweet-almonds-and-stone-fruit-seeds.html

https://farmtogether.com/learn/blog/a-brief-history-of-almonds

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128141380000150

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dulcis

https://lifeinsaudiarabia.net/see-almonds-in-a-dream-islam/

https://sewjewish.com/2016/01/05/almond-blossoms-a-jewish-symbol-of-hope-and-renewal/

https://www.greeknewsagenda.gr/topics/culture-society/7413-almond-trees

https://www.britannica.com/plant/almond

https://www.almonds.com/why-almonds/growing-good/water-wise

https://www.paesta.psu.edu/podcast/how-much-water-does-it-really-take-grow-almonds-paesta-podcast-series-episode-43

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-bitter-truth-scientists-sequence-the-almond-genome/

https://seggiano.com/inspiration/almonds/

https://www.almonds.com/why-almonds/global-history

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-proven-benefits-of-almonds#TOC_TITLE_HDR_9

March 9, 2021May 3, 2021

Episode 16: The Giant Sequoia

This is part two of my biggest trees two-parter. This week I talk about the world’s largest living thing by volume, the Giant Sequoia. Native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas of California, this giant inspired a series of land conservation efforts. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Find me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees.

Sources:

https://calscape.org/Sequoiadendron-giganteum-(Sierra-Redwood)?srchcr=sc568b84829b162

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/giantsequoia/biggest_tree_in_the_world/

https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr151/psw_gtr151_09_franco.pdf

https://www.visitsequoia.com/explore/trip-planner/weather

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/dilsaver-tweed/contents.htm

https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/historyculture/young.htm

https://www.nationalparked.com/sequoia-kings-canyon/visitation-statistics

https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/favorite_quotations.aspx

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021

Episode 15: The Coast Redwood

A real top 3 tree for me! This is part one of my two-parter on the world’s biggest trees. Find out how the Coast Redwood can get water to the very top of the tree and what efforts it took to protect these giant forests. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees.