The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners

Episode 75 – Artichokes – Prickly, Peculiar and DeliciousEver wondered what it would be like to grow your own artichokes? These unusual vegetables might look a little intimidating, but there's a lot more to them than meets the eye!This week on The Beanstalk, we're exploring the fascinating world of artichokes, from their surprising botanical origins to the challenges and rewards of growing them in your own garden. We'll also talk about what makes these plants a little different from your everyday vegetables and whether gardeners in colder climates can get in on the fun.And of course, we've got a delicious garlic-butter roasted artichoke recipe to try!Pull up a chair, fellow Beans, and let's get growing! 🌱From our patch to yours… keep on climbing!

Episode 74 – Currants – Colorful, Cold-Hardy and Curiously Controversial! 🌱Small berries, big flavor, and a surprisingly interesting history!This week on The Beanstalk, we're exploring the wonderful world of currants! These colorful little berries have been enjoyed for centuries, but their history in American gardens hasn't always been smooth sailing.What makes these cold-hardy shrubs worth growing? And why were they once considered such a problem that restrictions were placed on growing them?We'll explore these questions and more, along with a few tips for growing your own and a delicious homemade currant jelly recipe!So pull up a chair, fellow Beans, and let's get growing! 🌱From our patch to yours… keep on climbing!

Episode 73 – Pineapples – Tropical, Tough and Totally Bizarre 🍍Pineapples probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind when you picture a backyard garden—especially if your backyard happens to spend part of the year buried in snow.But that doesn't mean we can't grow one.This week on The Beanstalk, we're heading into the tropics to explore one of the strangest fruits we've covered yet. We'll find out how a pineapple actually grows, why the fruit itself isn't quite what it appears to be, and how something you'd normally toss into the compost might just become your next houseplant.These plants are tough, weird, surprisingly patient, and they have a few tricks up their spiky sleeves that make them unlike almost anything else we've grown.And once we finally get our hands on a pineapple, we're firing up the grill and putting it to good use with a simple dessert worthy of a Chill, Chat & Cook evening.So grab a pineapple, fellow Beans—and whatever you do, don't throw away the top.We're growing pineapples! 🍍🌱From our patch to yours… keep on climbing.

Episode 72 – Cabbage – Crunchy, Classic and Surprisingly ComplicatedCabbage might seem like one of the simpler vegetables in the garden, but there’s a whole lot hiding underneath those tightly packed leaves.This week on The Beanstalk, we’re digging into one of the great cool-season classics and discovering just how strange its family tree really is.We'll talk about growing beautiful heads of cabbage, dealing with the little critters that seem determined to eat them before we do, and some of the quirks that can make this seemingly simple vegetable a little more complicated than expected.And once harvest time arrives, we're putting some of that cabbage to work in the kitchen with a homemade classic that lets some microscopic helpers do part of the cooking for us.So make a little room in the cool-season garden, fellow Beans.We're growing cabbage! 🥬🌱From our patch to yours… keep on climbing.

Episode 71 – Kiwis – Fuzzy, Feisty and Surprisingly Hardy 🥝When you think of kiwis, chances are you picture those fuzzy little brown fruits sitting in the grocery store.But there's a whole lot more growing beneath that fuzzy exterior.This week on The Beanstalk, we're digging into the surprisingly strange world of kiwis—and finding out that this seemingly tropical fruit has a few relatives that might be tougher than you'd ever expect.From massive vines and unusual fruits to some downright fascinating plant biology, kiwi has plenty of surprises waiting for us. And, of course, we'll eventually find our way into the kitchen and make something delicious with them too.So grab your gardening gloves and find something sturdy to climb, fellow Beans.We're growing kiwis! 🥝🌱From our patch to yours… keep on climbing.

Episode 70 – Fungi in the Garden – Hidden, Hungry and Incredible🍄 This week on The Beanstalk, we're diving headfirst into the incredible world of garden fungi—and we're going deep. We'll explore edible mushrooms you can deliberately cultivate, including wine caps in wood-chip beds, oyster mushrooms, shiitakes on hardwood logs, portobellos, lion's mane and more, before wandering into the world of famous wild mushrooms like chicken of the woods, hen of the woods, morels and chanterelles. Then we're heading underground to discover mycelium, decomposition, mycorrhizal fungi, and the ancient partnerships that help plants access nutrients and water through microscopic fungal networks. We'll separate some of the science from the hype surrounding mycorrhizal products, talk about beneficial fungi versus fungal diseases, and explore ways to encourage a healthier fungal ecosystem in the garden. And because an episode this mushroom-heavy deserves an equally ridiculous recipe, we're making an absolutely loaded multi-mushroom bourguignon where the fungi are unquestionably the stars of the show. If you've ever wondered what's really happening beneath the mulch after those mysterious mushrooms appear, this is the episode for you, fellow Beans. 🌱🍄

Episode 68 – Edible Natives – Wild, Useful and OverlookedThis week on The Beanstalk, we're looking beyond the garden rows and exploring some of the edible plants hiding in plain sight. 🌿 From dandelions and purslane to dock, lamb's quarters, and other familiar wild plants, we're digging into what they are, how they've been used, and why some of the plants we call weeds are surprisingly useful. We'll talk about growing and harvesting them, safe identification, seed saving, and even turn a few properly identified wild greens into dinner. Most importantly, we'll cover why knowing exactly what you've found—and where it has been growing—matters before you ever take a bite. You may never look at the weeds in your garden quite the same way again! 🌱

Episode 67 – Melons – Sweet, Sprawling and RefreshingMelons are taking over The Beanstalk this week! 🍈 We're digging into cantaloupes, honeydews, muskmelons, and some of the specialty varieties that make growing your own so much fun. We'll talk about getting those vines through the summer, pollination, pests, figuring out when a melon is truly ripe, saving seeds, and why a vine-ripened melon can taste so different from one at the grocery store. We'll also put the harvest to work with a fresh Summer Melon and Cucumber Salad and dig into some surprisingly nerdy melon biology along the way. If you've ever wanted to grow sweeter, better melons right out of your own garden, come hang out with your fellow Beans! 🌱