Breaking Beans Podcast

By: Stove Leg Media
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  • Summary

  • Breaking Beans: The Appalachian Farm and Food Story Project is an initiative of Community Farm Alliance to tell the story of how local food and farming in Eastern Kentucky can contribute to a bright future in the mountains. Eastern Kentucky is at the point where it can foster a food system that is equitable and accessible to all, provides fresh nutritious food, and serves as an economic generator that builds community wealth. With a rich history of food and farming, stories of how Eastern Kentucky is already growing in that direction – and the challenges along the way – are important for informing people and policy alike.
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Episodes
  • Archives: Woven Roots #5 Flax (12/13/17)

    Archives: Woven Roots #5 Flax (12/13/17)
    Dec 16 2020
    In this special final episode of Woven Roots, Appalachian Transition Fellow, Sam Hamlin, joins Candace Mullins and Micah Wiles for their first Fiber Day on Cedar Creek Farm in Somerset Kentucky. Nestled in the hills of Pulaski County, Cedar Creek Farm is operated by Micah Wiles and his family. It is home to a multitude of agricultural endeavors, including: raising heritage breed Dexter cattle for grass-fed beef, operating a vineyard and winery, and caring for vegetable gardens and fruit and nut trees, and tanning a variety of hides using sustainable practices. In addition, Candace Mullins grows a small plot of flax on the farm each year and is experimenting with small-scale linen production. For more information on the Wiles family’s diversified farm, see Sister Kathy Curtis’ Breaking Bean Piece, Cedar Creek Farm: A Model for Sustainability. In late October, Candace and Micah hosted their first Fiber Day at the farm, with the goal of bringing together farmers, artisans, and all those interested in working with natural fiber to build relationships and to learn from one another. After eating a delicious, home-made lunch, participants took the opportunity to explore different modes of fiber production including natural dyeing, spinning, and hide tanning. Participants also had the opportunity to hand-process flax fiber, using a break and hackles, a method of processing bast fibers that has been used for centuries. To begin this episode of Woven Roots, Sam Hamlin talks with Candace Mullins to learn more about her work growing, processing, and spinning flax for linen. Candace shares about her experience discovering the power of weaving and Appalachian fiber arts at Berea College, her vision for collaborative fiber production in Kentucky, and finally, on the power of fiber to tell stories. Next, Sam Hamlin talks with Micah Wiles about hide tanning on the farm. Micah is committed to ethical and sustainable tanning practices. Unlike many contemporary large-scale tanneries that use toxic heavy metals, Micah uses natural tanning methods that are friendly to the environment to create quality, durable hides. In addition, he sources from local materials. He shares about the tanning process, as well as his visions for creating high quality, natural fiber products. To close the episode, Sam sits down with Phillip Willet, master spinner and weaver in Berea, Kentucky. In addition to creating beautiful yarns, hand-dyed with natural dyes such as indigo and marigold, Phil is looked up to by many aspiring weavers as a teacher and mentor. Phil talks about his journey into the world of fiber arts and about the pleasure of working with natural fibers. For information on Cedar Creek Farm, including their tannery, visit their website at: http://www.cedarcreekfarmky.com/ Check out Sam Hamlin’s Woven in Kentucky: An Assessment of the Natural Fiber Textile Sector in Appalachian Kentucky to learn more about Community Farm Alliance’s work with natural fiber. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Archives: Woven Roots #4 Carlisle (11/30/17)

    Archives: Woven Roots #4 Carlisle (11/30/17)
    Nov 18 2020
    Nestled in the rolling hills of Kentucky’s Bluegrass region, the town of Carlisle is home to around 7,000 people. Carlisle used to be home of two manufacturing plants for Jockey International, a textile manufacturer and distributor of underwear and sleepwear for men, women, and children. In 2000, Jockey closed up its sewing plant in Carlisle, laying off 326 people. Four years later Jockey moved its operations to Mexico and closed its Carlisle knitting plant, as well as the nearby Maysville and Mount Sterling facilities, affecting 440 total jobs in the region. Jockey’s closing had devastating impacts on the once bustling town of Carlisle, as young people began to leave in search for work elsewhere and high-wage jobs nearly disappeared. However, the economy of Carlisle is currently growing with a movement towards regional economic development and textile revitalization. In early autumn, App Fellow, Sam Hamlin sat down with Tracy-Pratt Savage, Development Director in Carlisle-Nicholas County, and also member of Carlisle-Nicholas County’s Chamber of Commerce, to talk about what folks are doing to revitalize textiles in the area through innovative production that taps into high-end and niche markets. For example, high-end baby bedding company, Liz and Roo, moved its operations to Carlisle in 2016. Custom sewing for Liz and Roo is done at the former Jockey International plant, now owned by Carlisle-owned and operated, 3 Star Industries, which sews premium covers for utility vehicles and manufactures windshields. One of the challenges that many emerging rural textile companies face is a shortage of skilled workers to take newly-created positions. Tracy talks about how folks in Carlisle are attempting to address this problem though an exciting partnership with the Maysville Technical and Community College to develop a textile and sewing certificate program to assist young people in developing the skills needed to work in textile manufacturing. The episode concludes with a discussion about an approach to economic development that Tracy calls rural regionalism. Rather than going it alone in efforts to revitalize their economy, folks in Nicholas County are working with other small towns in surrounding counties to build up region-wide textile manufacturing, tourism, and community collaboration. For more information on Carlisle’s history and current endeavors, visit the Nicholas County Economic Development Authority at nicholascounty.ky.gov. This December, keep a look out for our special final episode on hide tanning, flax, and weaving arts at Cedar Creek Farm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Archives: Woven Roots #3 Hemp (11/21/2017)

    Archives: Woven Roots #3 Hemp (11/21/2017)
    Oct 21 2020
    Over the last few years there has been a huge buzz about the potential for the revival of industrial hemp, which is one of Kentucky’s oldest crops. According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, industrial hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa and is of the same plant species as marijuana. However, hemp is genetically different from marijuana and distinguished by its use and chemical makeup. Industrial hemp refers to cannabis varieties that are primarily grown as an agricultural crop for fiber, food, seed, and medicine. Hemp plants are low in THC, which is marijuana's primary psychoactive chemical. Hemp growth in Kentucky dates back to the late 1700s. According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky was the leading hemp-producing state in the mid-19th century, producing up to 40,000 tons in 1850. Hemp, along with flax and wool, were all used as the primary sources for textile production. With the criminalization of marijuana in the 1930s; hemp production was also made illegal. It was not until the 2014 farm bill that hemp could be legally produced with a license under a research pilot program in Kentucky. However, farmers and processors face unique hurdles in hemp production due to the strict regulations of the crop. Industrial hemp plants, including stalks, flowers, and seeds remain a controlled substance under state and federal law. This means that no person can grow, handle, or process industrial hemp in the state without a license from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. For more on laws and regulations around industrial hemp growth, see the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s website. Despite the regulations, the 2014 farm bill paved the way for farmers to produce hemp for fiber and textiles, medication in the form of Cannabidoil (CBD), grain, and food products such as hemp hearts, and much more. In this episode of the Woven Roots Fiber Podcast, we hear about two innovative Kentucky hemp projects. First, App Fellow Sam Hamlin interviews Preston Jones, Assistant Director of Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County. Preston shares about the first year of hemp production at the Settlement School and on how hemp can help farmers of Eastern Kentucky diversify their production to create high-quality value-added products for niche markets. Next Sam Hamlin travels to Lexington to talk with Kristofer Nonn, Director of Design and Construction at the North Limestone Community Development Corporation. The North Limestone CDC initiated a project to build Kentucky’s first-ever hemp house, with walls made of Kentucky-grown hempcrete. Kristofer shares information about how the project came about, what hemp has to do with affordable housing construction, and his dreams and possibilities for the Kentucky hemp sector, overall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    53 mins

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