On this rare trip to the African continent, we look at a keystone savanna species: the Marula. These trees reflect the movement of the great Bantu Migration, play a key role in certain fertility traditions, and allegedly get elephants drunk. The Marula will also teach us that apparently everything is a nut tree.
Tons of bonus content is available on my Patreon! (patreon.com/MyFavoriteTrees) 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
The Pawpaw tree is a mysterious one, somehow being both my most requested topic and one many are likely to not have heard of. This tree species produces the largest native tree fruit in North America, but despite growing among temperate Oaks and Hickories, it has qualities seen only in otherwise tropical plants. Explore the Pawpaw with me, from its earliest impacts on human history to how it could find its way back into the spotlight today. 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
Your eyes (and ears!) do not deceive you: Though we talked about the Sycamore last episode, we’re now going to be looking at the Sycomore. What’s the difference? Aside from being spelled just a single letter off, the Sycomore is unrelated to the Sycamore — and is also known as the Sycomore Fig! Learn all about how important this Tree of Life is to different African cultures as well as how the Sycomore Fig affects its surrounding ecosystem for the better. 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
For the third and final entry in my second Fruit Tree Miniseries, I talk about the Peach Tree. While this popular fruit is often associated with the American South, the Peach Tree is also highly valued across East Asia. Learn just how deep the Peach is embedded in Chinese history, how Europe took a completely opposite view of the fruit from the Far East, and how the state of Georgia stole it for their own identity.
Subscribe to my Patreon for my bonus video series, production updates, and more! (patreon.com/MyFavoriteTrees) Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com) Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram Social Media and Script Editing is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com) Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.
In the beginning of February, the Jewish world will be celebrating Tu B’Shevat, a New Years holiday for trees! I celebrate alongside them every year by covering the biology and history of the Seven Species of Israel, the plants Moses’ spies brought back to him proving that they had found the fertile Promised Land. This year, I’ll be talking about the Common Fig Tree–exploring the depth of its connection in Abrahamic faith, comparing and contrasting it to other Figs I’ve covered, and diving deep into the wasps that give us these sweet, weird fruits. And as always, I’ll be having my own seder with some Fig spread and give my review of the flavor that so many have integrated into their religion.
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Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Script editing and Social Media managed by top-notch writer Laurie Hilburn. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.
In the third and final installment of my fruit series, I talk about the Apple Tree. The apple is perhaps the oldest cultivated and most well-known fruit in the world. What symbolism has a tree so long in our culture earned and how did apple pie become so intertwined with American culture? Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees.
In this part of my fruit tree series, I discuss the origin of citrus fruits. The citron is one such tree that has influenced multiple religions and has sired many of the modern citruses we know today. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees.
Delicious fruit, lovely spring flowers, and gorgeous wood. Cherry trees serve many purposes to humans around the world, but where do they come from and what do we mean when we say “cherry?” Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees.
George Washington and Stone Lantern images courtesy of NPS
