What does a farm look like?  Do you have some kind of greeting card image in mind, with a soft focus, just a bit of mist, a few happy livestock in the field, a string of workclothes on the washline, chickens of course, maybe a few strategically placed haystacks?  OK.  How about a seemingly-deserted non-descript industrial warehouse in the alien urban margins, on a foggy December night?  That is also a farm.  Maybe best called an urban indoor farm, but why split hairs.  Both provide food to the public.  One happens to have arrived after about 8 thousand years of human experience (and is on its way out).  The other is of a rather more recent vintage.

Today on "Fit to Eat" we visit one of the futures of agriculture that is already well in place – Green Farm in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland.  And we’ll meet one of the founders and operators – no, I mean, one of the farmers, Scott Neary.  Usually when I visit farms, we head outside to the crops.  This time, we head inside to the crops.

Scott Neary acknowledges that he didn’t grow up with agriculture as a goal.  But increasingly, he became concerned about food security, and his passion for the sciences (all of them) meant that he has been experimenting with indoor food production technologies for close to a decade now.  Currently, it is all coming together at Green Farm.  We’re heading out on a tour of the facility.  Take off your coat and roll up your sleeves.  You may just be able to get one of those coveted Indoor Farmer tans…!

Season 3 of "Fit to Eat" is supported by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

Fit To Eat S3E13 Scott Neary

A heady mix of hot tracks to match the hot weather! Listen in to hear A Tribe Called Red feat. Odario, Haviah Mighty and the Chippewa Travellers, Jesse Landen's latest project Balmy Beach, Sages, formerly of Meaford, now of Hamilton, a classic from Spoons, a soon to be classic from Sandro Perri, Charlie and Josh at their danciest with Platinum Sweat circa 2010, the pride of Eugenia, Alois Halliday laying down some verses about chopped Aerostars and more, Tween and Before the Dark Side alumni Chris covering Air's 'Kelly Watch the Starts', Dave Marshak's County Works Dept. laying it down in the mid 00's, Heathcote's own Debi Harbottle under her stage name Roni Sommers in 1981 and some more Beverley Glenn Copeland (just in case you need saving).

Tom Thwaits's Album

Georgian Bay Roots #397 May 26, 2024 (with Tom)

Who was it who said "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet?"  Likely that Billy Shakespeare fellow.  Seems like he copyrighted lots of those nifty sayings in this language we're using at the moment.  But it fits for much of this episode of Routes & Branches & Beyond - where we're featuring songs and tunes that have flowers in their title.  And the music is just as good, whether they are referring to "flower" or "flor" or "fleur" or "flora" or "flores"!  No surprise there, right?!  Some of the most dramatic flowers I've ever seen had a non-English name.  (Here is where Botanists start writing their chiding tirades to me about how it is the Latin names of all flowers that are the most important.  Bring them on, in Latin...).  

So we'll hear about groovy sunflowers, tulipa negras, fleurs de Lavande or de Quebec or de Niee or du bois, lindos flores, gypsy daisies, heavenly tulips, and crazy daisies.  Music from New Mexico, Quebec, Ireland, the Boston States, France, Cape Verde, Andalusia, Louisiana, and Beyond.  From musicians like Don Ross, Antonio Apodaca & Jeanie McLerie & Ken Keppeler & Karl Stainaker, Les Poules à Colin, Solas, Nicolas Pellerin et les grands Hurleurs, Crooked Still, Amina Alaoui, 5 on the floor, Norma Waterson, O.J. Abbott, Loretto Reid & Brian Taheny, Fapy Lafertin Quintet & Tim Kliphouse, Tulipa Negra, and Slavek Hanzlik.  Take off that silly gardening hat and join me.

Routes & Branches & Beyond show #328 2024 05 30

What's that? You said you wanted some new music? Well...buckle yourself up because this week's episode of Georgian Bay Roots Radio has got all kinds of new tracks hot off the press PLUS music from your friends and neighbours, Youth Discoveries 2024 winners, Summerfolk 49 performers and more. It's all here!

Featuring tracks by Lennie Gallant, Terra Lightfoot, The Great Lake Swimmers, Joel Plaskett, Marshall Veroni, Drew McIvor, Meteor Heist, James Keelaghan, Cheryl Wheeler, Garnet Rogers, Bahamas, Siobhan Bodrug and Bran Sanders!

Georgian Bay Roots #398 June 2 2024 (with Kailey)

Have you ever heard of "nominative determinism?"  This is the idea that a name can aid in determining what a person is like.  A young chap called "Ernest" may end up being serious and conscientious.  A young lass called "Pleasance" could become a delightful hostess with nary an unkind word for anyone.  You get the point.  But maybe it works for plants as well.  Take the word "daisy" and the flower of that name.  The word is light, fun, easy to pronounce and brings a smile to the lips.  Likewise, the flower is joyous, lively, easy to behold and brings a smile to gardens everywhere.

Today on Routes & Branches & Beyond we continue with a theme on flowers in celtic and folk music, and about half of the pieces make a direct reference to daisies.  So it is a show of joy, wide-eyed delight and (I hope) easy to listen to music (though not "easy-listening" music).  I have Acadian fiddle, Quebecois trad jazz, Irish bounce, inter-generational pollination, banjophonics for the brave, movie stars who sing, heavy folk from Scotland, Cajun magnolias, hot stringband, and 22 strings from Flanders.  With musicians like Dominique Dupuis, La Bottine Souriante, Bumblebees, Ushers Island, Damien O’Kane & Ron Block,Sandrine Kiberlain, Mick McAuley & Winifred Horan, Bùrach, The Magnolia Sisters, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Snaarmaarwaar, and Nua.  Put that grin back on your face and join me.

Routes & Branches & Beyond show #329 2024 06 06

June 9th

Georgian Bay Roots #399 June 9th 2024 (with Kelly)

If you've ever been backed into a corner at a party by an avid rose grower, you'll know the passion and, yes even obsession, that comes along with roses.  Of all the purveyors of horticultural products, rose growers likely have the highest GPH index.  That stands for "Geeks Per Hundred."  I'm not complaining about this - rather, I find it fascinating that this thorny flower breeds such dedication.

Today, on "Routes & Branches & Beyond," I have the first of a series called "Rose - the noun, not the verb."  I'll have red roses, blarney roses, Virginia roses, belle roses, tattoed roses, roses in a vase, and a dozen bloody roses.  From musicians like Mark Halata & the Brosch Brothers, A Fine Crowd, Gaelic Storm, L’Orchestra Pic-Bois, Le Vent du Nord, Bryan Bowers, Jerry O’Sullivan, Midnight Skyracer, Dust Rhinos, Dentdelion, Evans & Doherty with Jimmy Sweeny, Dropkick Murphys, and Basco.  Put down that vase and join me.

Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 330 2024 06 13

This is the June 16, 2024 edition of Georgian Bay Roots Radio, hosted by Lloyd Lemon. 

In this, our 400th episode, Lloyd presents music to celebrate Fathers Day.  Artists featured include: Sandy Harron; Kailey Jane Hawkins; Larry Jensen; Amber May; Matthew Barber; Stan Rogers; Garnet Rogers; Adrian Sutherland; The Kingston Trio; Nanci Griffith; Murray McLauchlan; Johnny Cash; and Rick Fines!

Georgian Bay Roods #400 June 16 2024 (with Lloyd Lemon)

Rishi No No No

More than 30,000.  That's a big number.  Is it the number of stars we can see with the naked eye?  Nope.  The number of robo calls made by scammers every hour?  Close, but no.  The number of plays you'd have to get on spotify in order to buy a coffee?  Good try, but far too low.  Rather, it is an estimate of the number of rose varieties that exist in the world.  And by the time you read this, there will likely be a half dozen more that have been identified.  

Today on Routes & Branches & Beyond we have another episode devoted to the rose - the noun, not the verb.  Music from Quebec, Ireland, Britain, Germany, Newfoundland, Scotland, Alberta, and some anonymous contra dance somewhere.  From bands like Fásta, La Volée d’castors, Genticorum, Finest Kind, Eliza Carthy, Gudrun Walther & Jürgen Treyz, Mary Black, Danny Bakan, Le vent du nord & de temps antan, The Dipsydoodlers, Battlefield Band, John Wort Hannam, and The Rodney Miller Band.  Stop smelling those roses and join me.

Fit To Eat S3E13 Scott Neary

Ivan Emke

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