Academic Presentations about Gardening and Horticulture
PUMPKINS, PARSNIPS, POTATOES, AND… VIOLETS – TALES OF EARLY AMERICAN VEGETABLES
What grew – or didn’t grow – in early American gardens? Why or why not?
Rebecca Rupp, author of How Carrots Won the Trojan War, discusses the ups and downs of our ancestors’ garden choices – among them the under-appreciated turnip, now Vermont’s official state vegetable.
THE MANY MEANINGS OF MAPLE WITH MICHAEL LANGE
Champlain College professor Dr. Michael Lange ‘s talk focuses on the different ways that maple carries meaning in Vermont. Economic meanings, heritage meanings, ecological meanings, and many more are explored in this interactive talk.
LIVING LIKE ORIGINAL VERMONTERS OF THE WINOOSKI
For thousands of years, the first inhabitants of Vermont lived in harmony with nature, utilizing hundreds of plants and fungi unknown to most people today for food and medicine. Mike Ather of BackyardWilderness.com will explain how we can use these same native plants and mushrooms to heal ourselves, regenerate our ecosystem and clean our soil, air and water.
THE SURPRISING HISTORIES OF COMMON GARDEN VEGETABLES
“Wolf Peaches, Poisoned Peas, and Madame Pompadour’s Underwear: The Surprising Histories of Common Garden Vegetables”. Spring will come, and with it planting season! Many of us look at vegetables as side dishes and simple food items, but vegetables have a hidden history that reveals a major role in human events. Local scientist and author Rebecca Rupp shares some of the lesser known origins, historical legends and stories behind common garden vegetables.