Chia, it’s more than just a fuzzy green pet, it’s also a superfood!
The Plants We Eat
About The Plants We Eat: From apples and artichokes to digitalis and peyote, our world is full of amazing plants that we interact with on a daily basis. This greenery can sustain us, intoxicate us, cure us of disease, and even kill us. Join us as we investigate the surprising history, biology, and culture behind The Plants We Eat.
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Lettuce
The story of lettuce is one of sex, drugs, and diarrhea.
Yew
Not much of a food in and of itself, this is the story of an ancient plant that has been used from everything from bows to cancer medication.
The Peanut
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this protein packed legume made its way to the United States, but once it did it had a huge impact on American cuisine. From peanut butter to roasting and boiling, there’s nothing quite as versatile as the peanut.
Sugarcane
Sugarcane is the most energetically efficient plant on Earth, storing the energy it gets from the sun in sugar that humans use in their coffee and cake, but sugarcane’s history has its dark side too.
Corn
Corn is the quintessential modern crop. From breeding, to stuffing it full of fertilizer and transferring new genes into its DNA, corn is the most manipulated crop in the world.
The Blueberry
The blueberry is one of the very few plants native to the United States that has made its way to our dinner plates, but this move is relatively recent, mostly because it wasn’t until recently that we learned the trick to growing this tasty treat.
The Sweet Potato
What if a plant was genetically engineered by nature instead of by man? Such is the case with the amazing sweet potato.
The Poppy
From World War I to poppy seed buns and heroin, the poppy has a remarkable history bathed in beauty, and tragedy.
The Onion
Onions would be the perfect food if it weren’t for the tears. Why do onions make us cry and what are farmers and researchers doing to help us stop the tears? Join us as we search for the perfect sweet onion.