1 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: I'm Annie Reese and I'm Lauren vogel Bum And today 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: we have an episode for you about spinach. Yes, I 4 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:23,440 Speaker 1: love spinach. Spinach. Yes. Oh. Even as a kid, I 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: loved it. We used to eat cream spinach and my dad, 6 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: he loved it so much it makes me nostalgic for him. 7 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: And in fact, um this weekend there was a winter storm. 8 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: Um and in Atlanta, in the South in general, that 9 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: means everyone's panicked buying everything at the grocery store. And 10 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 1: I was at the grocery store and I saw the 11 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: old cream spinach we used to get. I almost bought it, 12 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: but I didn't. I should have. I should have. Yeah, 13 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: And I when I was in college, my roommate and 14 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: I would make the journey, the twenty minute journey from 15 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: our university to your deca have farmers market, and I 16 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: would buy and just these bunches of fresh spinach and 17 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: I would just eat it raw. Um. However, a few 18 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,680 Speaker 1: years back, I had to do this bland diet to 19 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: test for food allergies, and according to some data I 20 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: collected during that spinach may aggravate my thyroid all right. Yeah, 21 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: it was like a temperature based there was a lot 22 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: of things going on. But the day after I tried spinach, 23 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,199 Speaker 1: my temperature dropped by like four points. I guess means 24 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: it's a thought. Yeah. Wow, I've never done one of those. 25 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: That's I wouldn't like that. I wouldn't like me presented 26 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: with data about what I already know, like, oh, you 27 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: shouldn't need anything, Laura know, cool, that's great. Rate my 28 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: body wasn't made for food, like what like the only 29 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: one I had of the many many things. Yeah, and 30 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: even that, it was still kind of like you'll be fine, 31 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: but just so you know, yeah m hm, well okay, 32 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: uh uh yeah, yeah, I I love spinach as well. Um, 33 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: some of my favorite dishes certainly involves spinach. Like I'm 34 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: not actually a fan of eating spinach raw, Like the 35 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: texture kind of itches my teeth mm hmmm, or it 36 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: makes my teeth itchy. Yeah yeah, and going on like 37 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: a sock puppet. Yeah yeah, but but no, no, some 38 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: some of my favorite dishes definitely involved spinach. Um spanakapita 39 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: ummet spinach, which is um Japanese dish was sys me 40 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: so good. Um, I'm a real big sucker. For a 41 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: good Florentine. Yeah. I do keep a bag of um 42 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: like frozen cut spinach in my freezer to add to ramen, 43 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: which I find delightful. Oh yeah, oh yeah. I feel 44 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: like a really big adult because I buy like the 45 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: fancy ramen that costs like forty nine cents maybe a 46 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: dollar twenty nine, and then I put frozen vegetables in it, 47 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: and I'm like, look at me eating food. Such a pro, 48 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: Such a pro. Sometimes I put an egg in there. 49 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: Oh wow, Yeah, that is pretty fancy and it sounds delicious. 50 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: It is. I highly recommend everyone try that, by the way. 51 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: But um, but at any rate spinach? Yes? Does this 52 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: bring us to our question? I guess, okay, spinach? What 53 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: is it? Well? Spinach is a type of green leaf 54 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: used as a vegetable. Fairly tender in texture and mild 55 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: in flavor. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and 56 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: it's a It's good at letting other delicate flavors stand out, 57 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: or can be like sort of like a good like 58 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: neutral base for strong flavors. It's sort of like, um, 59 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: it's like the like the soda water of the leafy 60 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: green world. Um Like, it's like it's interesting. It has 61 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: a texture, but it really shines as a base for 62 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: other flavors. Once again, another great description, Lauren, I love it, 63 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 1: thank you. Um. Botanical name Spinasia alicia. Spinach is an 64 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: annual plant, meaning it has to be replanted for every crop. 65 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: Temperate climates can usually do two per year, with one 66 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 1: harvest in the spring and one in the fall, because 67 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: it does grow quickly and pretty prolifically. Yes that's the 68 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: word in in cool weather cool weather crop. Yeah. You 69 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: grow up from seed or maybe like a seedling if 70 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: you're a home gardener. The plant will sprout leaves from 71 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: a from a central point that then kind of fall 72 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: outward in this loose rosette like a like a bloom 73 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 1: and onion in slow motion. Yeah. Um. And then you 74 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: can harvest the leaves um in your garden, like more 75 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: or less individually as they get to whatever size you 76 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: decide is right, um, like in small bunches, you know, 77 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: as they mature. Um. Commercially, though, the whole plant is 78 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: usually harvested at once, by hand for fresh bunches of 79 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,280 Speaker 1: spinach like Annie was buying, or by machine for spinach 80 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 1: that's going to be frozen or canned or otherwise processed. 81 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: When you let it grow, it will produce a central 82 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: stem with these we little yellow green flower clusters that 83 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: produce we little yellow green fruit that contain the seeds. 84 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: But generally if you're doing it as a vegetable and 85 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: not as a seed crop, then you want to catch 86 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:48,159 Speaker 1: it before then. The leaves are deep green, usually not glossy, 87 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: and usually oval in shape. Some varieties do have pointier 88 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: pronged leaves. Some have red purple stems and veins. But 89 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 1: you know, you're so different different varieties. Yeah, The leaf 90 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: surface can be crinkly or smooth, and they can grow 91 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 1: up to about um twelve by six inches the leaves 92 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: that's thirty cimes or so, but are commonly like half 93 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: to a quarter of that size. I feel like I 94 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: usually see them pretty small when eaten fresh. The texture 95 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: is is soft and planty, um like like tenderly structural, 96 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: like the like the freshest most delicate slice of styrofoam. Yeah. 97 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: I think he's like buying into it and you can 98 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: see yeah, yellow, yeah, weird little plant structure. Um. And 99 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,799 Speaker 1: the flavor is a little green vegetable and savory, bitter 100 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: and mineral sort of um and when cooked, the leaves 101 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: go slippy soft in texture and a little bit of 102 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: sweetness comes out. And yes, they are used fresh in 103 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: salads and cooked either on their own as a side 104 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: with whatever kind of flavoring um, or incorporated into all 105 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 1: kinds of dishes, soups and stews and sauces as part 106 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,160 Speaker 1: of a filling for dumplings and baked pastas and casseroles 107 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: and egg dishes and savory pastries. Just really versatile because um, 108 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: it adds this this soft chew, this sort of right 109 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: like structural component that can balance and stretch and cut 110 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: strong flavors and more expensive ingredients like your heavy cream 111 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: or salty cheese or ground pork or or sesame and 112 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,239 Speaker 1: at a and ad a hit of color because spinach 113 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: does tend to stay pretty bright green when it's cooked. 114 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: Oh so many different cravings were happening for me right now. Yeah, yes, okay, 115 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: Well what about the nutrition. Uh, spinach has a good 116 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: punch of fiber and a spread of vitamins and minerals 117 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: and other micro nutrients, so it'll help fill you up. Um, 118 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: and it's got you know, good stuff that your body needs. 119 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: It's got a little bit of protein but not much 120 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: fat to speak of, so to keep you going, Um, 121 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: it's best to pair it with a little bit of 122 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: both of those too to to help you help you 123 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: out there. And ironically, sorry, not sorry. Um, the iron 124 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: in spinach is not easily absorbed by our bodies, so 125 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: pair it with some citrus to help you out with that. Um, 126 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: good squeeze lemon juice pretty much always improves everything according 127 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: to me, so mm hmmm, I agree. And random fact 128 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: related to that, wild spinaches in Iran that are closer 129 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: to what spinach was like before it was cultivated. Do 130 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: you have three point five to four times as much 131 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: iron in them? Oh? That is interesting. Um, And we're 132 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: going to be returning to this whole iron saying, yeah, 133 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,959 Speaker 1: I got attached to spinach, which I is fascinating here. Yeah, 134 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: it's basically just weird, misplaced propaganda, and I think y'all 135 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: can probably guess from whence it came. Um, but right, 136 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:05,839 Speaker 1: we will get into that in the history section in 137 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: the meanwhile, we do have some numbers for you, Yes 138 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: we do. China is the world's largest producer of spinach, 139 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: accounting for about eighty five followed by the US and 140 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: Turkey and Japan. But it is grown all over the world, 141 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,439 Speaker 1: and we humans grow a lot of it. Um. China 142 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 1: grows billions of metric tons per year. Um. The three 143 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: followers up, I'll do like three thousand metric tons a year. 144 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: It's a bunch. How I didn't even mean that one. 145 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: I've been hanging out with. Oh never enough, That's what 146 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: I say. In the spinach industry was valued at around 147 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: eighteen billion dollars. Uh okay uh. Up to about eight 148 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: percent of what's grown in developed countries is processed into 149 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: canned or frozen foods, or was in the late twentieth century. Anyway, 150 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 1: That's the latest number I could find for it. Yeah, 151 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 1: and I found this statistic, which I found interesting, that 152 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: average American eats about three pounds of spinach annually or 153 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: about one point poor kilos. Because spinach is so light, 154 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: I'm having trouble grasping whether I think that's more than 155 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: I thought or less that I thought. I guess just 156 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 1: because it's in so many different things, like, yeah, it 157 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: makes sense to me, but right it is one of 158 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: those things that when when I'm at a salad bar 159 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: and and your food is going to be priced by weight, 160 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 1: I'm always like Oh, I'm going to get the spinach. 161 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: Look at me being bougie, right, you've outsmarted the system. Goodness. Um. 162 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:51,080 Speaker 1: There is though a spinach eating contest in Massachusetts, or 163 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: there was in the twenty odds. The record for this 164 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: contest in two thousand nine, flying in the face of 165 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: the three pound of spinach annually consumed by the average 166 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: American was seven and a half pounds in five minutes. Oh. 167 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 1: I don't think that ended well, is all? Um. Photographs 168 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:22,960 Speaker 1: from the event are gnarly Uh that they are at 169 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,200 Speaker 1: any rate. Uh, it is cooked spinach, not raw spinach, 170 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: if that makes a difference to anyone. I think it 171 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:33,559 Speaker 1: had garlic in it as well, But okay, at any rate. Um. 172 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 1: I did find two annual spinach festivals in the United States, 173 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: one in Crystal City, Texas, and one in Lenexa, Kansas. 174 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: Both have cooking contests. Lenexa's features a dessert category. The 175 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:54,079 Speaker 1: winner was this spinach and strawberry pie that had spinach 176 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: in the crumb crust and also um, some spinach in 177 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: the There was like a like a custard layer with 178 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 1: cream cheese and and then a strawberry layer on top 179 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: that also had some spinach in it. Fascinating anyway. Yeah, 180 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:11,840 Speaker 1: I was going to bring that up because, as you said, 181 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: the citrus helps with the iron. I just I find 182 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 1: it interesting when certain ingredients get I don't know, put 183 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,439 Speaker 1: together a lot and spinach and strawberry. For me, I've 184 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: seen quite a bit. Yeah, in salads, it's quite common. Sure. 185 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:31,720 Speaker 1: The Lenexa Festival also has the in heavy scare quotes 186 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 1: world's largest spinach salad. I could not find any further 187 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 1: data about this person. Please right in UM, Crystal City 188 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: has a pageant and also a spinach eating contest. Only 189 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,720 Speaker 1: the first fifteen entrants are are are allowed in though. 190 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: That's it the cap at fifth. Yeah, you've gotta have standards, 191 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 1: you do, UM. And actually, Crystal City plays apart in 192 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: the history of spinach. It does, and we are going 193 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:05,199 Speaker 1: to get into that history as soon as we get 194 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: back from a quick break for a word from our sponsors, 195 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: and we're back. Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you. So 196 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: most historians believe that spinach originated in Persia or modern 197 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: day Iran, or maybe southwestern Asia, maybe multiple places that 198 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: that generalized area. Yeah, yeah, but this is particularly interesting 199 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 1: because spinach doesn't typically do well in hot weather UM. However, 200 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: records suggest that by the eighth century, Arab agriculturalists had 201 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: figured out sophisticated irrigation methods in order to grow this crop. 202 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 1: The first known written references to spinach came out of 203 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:56,679 Speaker 1: Persia from somewhere in between two d and twenty six 204 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: to sixty Arab traders harry spinach along their trade routes 205 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: to India and China. Record show spinach was present in 206 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: China in sixty seven CE by way of Nepal, where 207 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:15,679 Speaker 1: it was and still is called the Persian green listeners. 208 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: Let us know yes. The first written evidence of spinach 209 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: in the Mediterranean came from three works out of the 210 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: tenth century ce UM two agricultural treatises and a medical book. 211 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 1: By eleven hundred CE, spinch is being grown in Spain, 212 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: most likely also introduced by Air traders in various conquests UM. 213 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,600 Speaker 1: One well known Arab agriculturalist wrote that Spain was the 214 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: quote capital of leafy greens, or perhaps that spinach was 215 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: the prince or chieftain of leafy greens. A lot of 216 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:56,160 Speaker 1: translations there, mm hmm. Spinach spread throughout Europe from there, 217 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: and it was adopted as a fairly popular springtime crop, 218 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: and appeared in one of the first known English cookbooks, 219 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: compiled in thirteen nine. The other sources suggest it first 220 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: appeared in an anonymous cookbook published in Nuremberg in fight five. Mmmmmm. 221 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: Spinach was present in Asia Minor by the thirteenth century, 222 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 1: often served with meat and dust in a garlic yogurt sauce. 223 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: It's pretty good, yeah to. The Italians were big promoters 224 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 1: with spinach by this time as well, and it was 225 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: a favored crop by thet century in that area. In 226 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: Venice particularly, they incorporated Muslim flavoring styles and techniques in 227 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: the cooking of spinach um, and it was also widely 228 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: celebrated for its perceived medicinal benefits. In a one popularly 229 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 1: told story, when Catherine de Medici married King Henry the 230 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: Second of France and thirty three, she told him of 231 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: her love of spinach and decreed any dish made with 232 00:15:55,440 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: it be called a lah Florentine, in reference to where 233 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: she was from. That's true, that's so good. What a 234 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:09,920 Speaker 1: probably untrue but great legend. I know, I love it. 235 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 1: I would love to have the guts to tell somebody 236 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: you're gonna have to call it this. Yeah, yeah, I 237 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: like this stuff so much that you have to mention 238 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: where I'm from every time you talk about it. Yes. Um. 239 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: By some accounts, spinach was first planted in England and 240 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: and it was a popular vegetable choice for the wealthy. However, 241 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 1: others postulate the English really didn't think much of it, um, 242 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: pointing to its absence from the first English cookbook. Um. 243 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 1: That is a whole cookbook on salad everybody, and I 244 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 1: loved it, um. But anyway, it was published in the 245 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: seventeenth century, and though the author thought spinach might be 246 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: fine for the sick if boiled and served with lemon, 247 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: juice and butter, it really didn't appear outside of that. Okay, 248 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: yeah yeah. By the fifteenth century, spinach was a popular 249 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,359 Speaker 1: vegetable in Provence, France, and was mentioned frequently as a 250 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: garden vegetable crop. English philosopher John Locke described a spinach 251 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 1: and herb soup he had while in southern France in 252 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 1: the seventeenth century. That also sounds great, yeah, m hmmm. 253 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 1: Spanish colonists brought spinach with them to the America's English 254 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:30,120 Speaker 1: settler and governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony John Winthrop Jr. 255 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 1: Purchase spinach seeds in sixty one, and it was a 256 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: staple in colonial gardens within that century. Um Thomas Jefferson 257 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: planet spinach at his home in Monticello by seventeen seventy four, 258 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: and George Washington's gardeners were growing it at Mount Vernon 259 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 1: in seventeen. After a debut in seed catalogs in eighteen 260 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 1: o six, it was a popular crop in much of 261 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:59,120 Speaker 1: the United States. Plant geneticist started really experimenting with spinach 262 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 1: and spinach high brids in the twentieth century, looking to 263 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: improve disease resistance and increase the time before these plants flowered. However, 264 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:14,360 Speaker 1: the reputation wasn't great in early twentieth century America when 265 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:19,439 Speaker 1: it came to spach. Okay okay. A famous New Yorker 266 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: cartoon published demonstrated the mood around spinach. Um It depicted 267 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,479 Speaker 1: a woman and a young girl at a table, with 268 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 1: a woman saying it's broccoli deer, and the young girl responding, 269 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:40,639 Speaker 1: I say it's spinach, and I say to hell with it. 270 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:47,679 Speaker 1: Wo okay. But spinaches history was forever altered in the 271 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 1: US when it went commercial in the nineteen thirties, the 272 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: most famous example, of course, being the Popeye the Sailorman 273 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 1: cartoon that premiered in three based on the comic strip 274 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 1: created by E See seeger In. Popeye's catchphrase was I'm 275 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: strong to the finish because I eat spinach part of 276 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: the song. Yeah, mm hmmm. It's funny because I didn't 277 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: really watch Popeye, but I just have these like very 278 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: strong visuals and sounds associated with it, and it is 279 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: a testament to how popular it was. Yeah, it's very 280 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 1: culturally ingrained. There was, of course, later the live action 281 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:37,440 Speaker 1: film with Robin Williams in the titular role. But what me, 282 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: I have never heard of that. No, Okay, well it 283 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: I'm nearly positive that it happened and that that's not 284 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 1: some sort of fever dream of mine. Nearly positive that 285 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: occurred in the early eighties. But yeah, yeah, I did 286 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:55,400 Speaker 1: watch the cartoon a lot when I was a kid, 287 00:19:55,520 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: so yeah. I mean my dad certainly loved it it, uh, 288 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,959 Speaker 1: and he was kind of a child of near about 289 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 1: this time. Um, and I know it was always kind 290 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:12,719 Speaker 1: of strange to me as a kid when I finally 291 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,399 Speaker 1: got to go to Universal Studios. There's the whole section 292 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: of the park. Thats like based on Pope Yeah. Well, 293 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: the point being had a huge impact um and Popaye 294 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,199 Speaker 1: was often depicted gulping down a can of spinach to 295 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 1: get a burst of strength, stamina, and bulging arm muscle. Yes. Yes. 296 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,160 Speaker 1: At the time, the nutrition of children was a major concern, 297 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:44,919 Speaker 1: including anemia and iron deficiency, which was pretty common, and 298 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: spinach was believed to have a lot of iron. However, 299 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:51,920 Speaker 1: it turns out that this belief was based on an 300 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:56,160 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy transcription error when a German scientist named Evon 301 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 1: Wolfe was translating a study on spinach and accidentally is 302 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: placed a comma. Yeah, commas being used in the decimal 303 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: system in Europe instead of periods. Yeah. Right, So this 304 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:14,680 Speaker 1: mistake multiplied spinaches iron content by ten times. Yes. By 305 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,880 Speaker 1: the time the mistake was discovered in nine seven, it 306 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: was too late. The belief had set in and been 307 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:26,960 Speaker 1: accepted as fact. By some estimates, Popeye increased American spinach 308 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:33,320 Speaker 1: consumption by over thirty percent. This cartoon got people eat 309 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:39,920 Speaker 1: their vegetables. Did I really did? There? You go? Mm hmmm. 310 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: Also around this time, in the nineteen thirties, Clarence Bird's 311 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: Eye and yes, that one cr frozen food episode. For more, 312 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: Uh debuted his first frozen food offerings and spinach was 313 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:59,200 Speaker 1: in the lineup. And then in nineteen thirty six, Crystal City, Texas, 314 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: declared itself the Spinach Capital of the World and launched 315 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: their annual Spinach Festival with the blessing of the Popeye 316 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 1: comic strip creator Eccar. The town erected a statue of 317 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: the character, and a few years after that, del Monte 318 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: set up a processing plant there. But okay, the intrigue 319 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:27,719 Speaker 1: is not over. Yes, because Alma, Arkansas declared that they 320 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: were in fact the spinach capital of the world in 321 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 1: nine six. Alma was the home of Allen's Vegetables, a 322 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: company that was behind over half of spinach processing in 323 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,919 Speaker 1: the US at the time. They too have an annual 324 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: festival and a Popeye statue and a water tower that 325 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 1: spinach on it. If I'm remembering correctly, Goodness, I did not. 326 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: I did not run across there that. Maybe it wasn't 327 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 1: coming up in Google search due to the pandemic Shenanigans 328 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: or something like that. Maybe I didn't dig deep enough. 329 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Alma, Arkansas, I didn't mean to 330 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: slight you. No, never, we don't want to get in 331 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 1: on this spinach beef. However, listeners, if you've been we 332 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 1: kind of know about it. Yes, oh we literally always 333 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:16,520 Speaker 1: want to hear about food festivals, food related yes. Um okay, 334 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: But so all all of that spinach beef aside, I've 335 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: I've got I've got one for you from because last year, 336 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,679 Speaker 1: researchers at M I T announced that they had taught 337 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:38,240 Speaker 1: spinach to send emails when it finds bombs. Excuse me, 338 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 1: what all right, let me let me unpack that for you. So. 339 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: So um, as as as plants like spinach go through 340 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: their daily process of planting of just you know, being planting, yeah, 341 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:02,640 Speaker 1: they oake up water and stuff in the water um 342 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: through their roots and deliver it up through their stems 343 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,679 Speaker 1: into their leaves and and distribute it to all of 344 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,359 Speaker 1: their cells there. Yeah. Uh. Plants use the water and 345 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: the stuff like nitrogen and iron to live and to 346 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:17,639 Speaker 1: grow and even sometimes to make decisions about how to 347 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: live and grow. Like on a DNA level, when a 348 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:25,200 Speaker 1: plant receives data from the water that it's sampling from 349 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:28,159 Speaker 1: the ground, if it, say, receives a certain compound or 350 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,680 Speaker 1: doesn't receive a certain compound or gets more or less 351 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 1: water that it's expecting. Um, it might I don't know, 352 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: grow fewer leaves or start to flower or something like that. 353 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:42,640 Speaker 1: Plants are learning from their environment in this way all 354 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: the time. So, starting a few years back, the researchers 355 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: at m I T, We're looking at this system and thought, 356 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:55,359 Speaker 1: what if we could code plants to notice other things 357 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: about their environment and then tell us about it. So 358 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,160 Speaker 1: they embedded these carbon nanotubes that are wrapped with these 359 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: special polymers on them UM into the leaves in the plants. 360 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 1: They just sort of like painted a solution containing the 361 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:16,680 Speaker 1: nanotubes onto the bottom of the plant leaves. And these 362 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: nanotubes emit a constant fluorescence under laser light. This is 363 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: important later the polymers on the nanotubes, meanwhile, emit a 364 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: fluorescence only when they have encountered certain compounds, and in 365 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:33,359 Speaker 1: this case, certain compounds that are used in land mines. 366 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: So these researchers set up set up the spinach plant 367 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,280 Speaker 1: UM and a laser to point at the plant and 368 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: a camera to watch the plant, and they connect the 369 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: camera to this tiny computer, and when the computer detects 370 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 1: a difference in the usual fluorescence that the nanotubes are 371 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:58,360 Speaker 1: sending out, meaning that the polymers are fluorescing. So when 372 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:01,439 Speaker 1: it detects this difference, it sends an email to the 373 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: team letting them know that this landmine compound has been 374 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: detected by the spinach. Word a world spinach sending emails 375 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: sentient spinach? Is that something I'm to be concerned about? Uh? 376 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: But yeah, so this is great. Uh. And they say 377 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: that they used spinach because like it's pretty common, but 378 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: it's also relatively finicky compared with like common lab plants. Yeah, 379 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,679 Speaker 1: and they wanted to show how versatile the technology really is, 380 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,879 Speaker 1: that it can be used in something as common as spinach. Um. 381 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: And they're hoping that these I mean, you know, like 382 00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:00,399 Speaker 1: detecting landmines is pretty cool, right, but but they are 383 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,879 Speaker 1: also hoping that similar sensors could eventually help botanists and 384 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:08,280 Speaker 1: farmers and other researchers monitor the health of plants in 385 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,240 Speaker 1: the field, you know, like literally um and and that 386 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 1: sort of min max growth and crop yield in different plants. 387 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:25,239 Speaker 1: So wow, Wow, you really never cant gonna go You 388 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: really can't. Yeah, I wasn't expecting to read so much 389 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:36,959 Speaker 1: about carbon nanotubes. Probably ever again, certainly not for certainly 390 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:39,960 Speaker 1: not for the food show. Like I thought, surely after 391 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: we stopped doing the Forward Thinking podcast, I wouldn't have 392 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: this much reading about oh you know, Oh my gosh, 393 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 1: Now I want the movie that is like the spinach 394 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: sending you emails. At first, it's only about like, you know, 395 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: I'm detecting something weird, and then it's like, hey, you 396 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,879 Speaker 1: up you're doing and you build a relationship with the spinach, 397 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,920 Speaker 1: and then they start traveling together and the spinach helps 398 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: keep you safe by telling you any fluctuations you should 399 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:20,920 Speaker 1: be concerned about. But there's a real friendship. Yeah yeah, yeah. 400 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:23,760 Speaker 1: Is this like a is this like a buddy comedy 401 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: about or is or is this like a drama? I'm 402 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:33,040 Speaker 1: envisioning like zombie apocalypse, so of course you are, yeah, 403 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:37,639 Speaker 1: where the spinach is like, hey, I'm a little worried 404 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: about these readings. Yeah, and then the scientist is like, ah, 405 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:49,960 Speaker 1: you're just spinach. But then they they have to come 406 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 1: and meet each other at each other's levels. But then 407 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: a zombie tries to eat the spinach, and the zombie 408 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: consend emails now too, oh no, oh no, hey, this 409 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,160 Speaker 1: is poor spinach, my friend, the spinach just got eaten 410 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: and be oh now the zombie can send emails. Yes, 411 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 1: and it just says rare, I think there's something here. Yeah, 412 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: there's definitely. I were just giving these away for free, man. 413 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: I know, well, the scientist on this experiment, please righte 414 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,320 Speaker 1: in let us if there was a bond that was 415 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: formed with the spinach. Yeah, oh my, oh my, heck. 416 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 1: If if anyone who is working in any of these 417 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:48,560 Speaker 1: experiments is listening to the show right now, please let 418 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 1: us know your work is so cool. It is. It's 419 00:29:55,000 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: given us a much joy and yes, happiness, really cool. 420 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 1: Oh heck, um, I will I will say something I 421 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:07,000 Speaker 1: could not. I really tried to and I could not 422 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:15,960 Speaker 1: track down the like genesis of spinach dip Oh. I 423 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: was trying, and I think I've tried before because I 424 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 1: had a bunch of I had a bunch of like 425 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,680 Speaker 1: you've definitely already been to this website. That is still 426 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,400 Speaker 1: not very helpful. Um. I think what had happened is 427 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:33,160 Speaker 1: that possibly possibly either a seasoning brand or a Mayo brand, 428 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,719 Speaker 1: or a sour cream brand, or a frozen spinach brand 429 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 1: or all of the above, like got together possibly and 430 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,160 Speaker 1: like cross marketed their products by providing a recipe on 431 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: the labels, and it just went from there, like into 432 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,360 Speaker 1: the zeitgeist of the fifties and sixties and became a 433 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:58,400 Speaker 1: whole thing. So yeah, yeah, I would second that. Guess 434 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: I think that's probably exactly what happened. Um, which is 435 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 1: amazing how many things that we kind of take for 436 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 1: granted now that we're essentially just a company coming from 437 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: another company to sell something. Yeah, just lots of marketing employees. 438 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 1: Mm hmm, but cool. Sure. I mean I got to 439 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:29,320 Speaker 1: talk about cartoons, emails and this one alone. So but 440 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 1: I guess that's what we have to say about Spinach 441 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 1: for now. It is. However, speaking of emails, we do 442 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:38,239 Speaker 1: have some listener mail for you, and we are going 443 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 1: to get into that as soon as we get back 444 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:41,920 Speaker 1: from one more quick break for a word from our sponsors. 445 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,240 Speaker 1: Then we're back. Thank you sponsoring, Yes, thank you, and 446 00:31:54,280 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 1: we're back with probably has got like a weird pirate accent. 447 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:09,680 Speaker 1: It's got a sailor thing. Yeah, I cannot do it 448 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: an impersonation of that. I was just going like can 449 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: I and then I was like, certainly not, let's not nope, nope, 450 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:24,719 Speaker 1: so it was a vague approximation. Yes, um So Rose 451 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: sent us a bunch of kit cats, thank you very much, 452 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,560 Speaker 1: and wrote my favorite. One of the bunch I sent 453 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,280 Speaker 1: is the mom Bloc. It is a Kitcat flavor based 454 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 1: on a dessert by the same name. It is a 455 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: simple chestnut or sponge cake base, piled high like a 456 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 1: mountain with whipped cream, and then drizzled with thin ropes 457 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:47,720 Speaker 1: that look like Vermicelli noodles of creamed chestnut paste. The 458 00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 1: whole thing is topped off with a glazed chestnut. I 459 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,959 Speaker 1: love this dessert as it is popular throughout Europe as 460 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 1: well as Japan and South Korea. Not sure about other 461 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: Asian countries. In Japan, I have seen the chestnut replaced 462 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: with matcha red bean or sweet potato, even purple sweet potato. 463 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: Of course, I have tasted them all and they are yummy. 464 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:11,000 Speaker 1: This past Thanksgiving and lieu of the traditional Thanksgiving desserts 465 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,200 Speaker 1: I know, I know, I always use it as an 466 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:15,600 Speaker 1: opportunity to introduce my in laws and friends to the 467 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: desserts I love or grew up with. One year, I 468 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 1: made what amounts to a Dutch creme brulet pie and yep, 469 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 1: this past year was mont Blanc. I've never heard of that. 470 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:31,240 Speaker 1: I don't think I have either, but that does sound delicious. 471 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 1: I love a pile of whet cream Oh me too. Um. 472 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:39,440 Speaker 1: And also the packaging on these kit cats is just 473 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:46,560 Speaker 1: spectacular always, yes, and I really do love looking at them, 474 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 1: especially there's no English involved and trying to guess what 475 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:53,360 Speaker 1: the heck what flavor is. And I think the mont 476 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: block on showed like a patisserie window and it looks lovely, 477 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:02,360 Speaker 1: but I was just staring at it, like what does 478 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:09,879 Speaker 1: this mean? Yeah? Yes, oh heck, thank you so much. Yeah, 479 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 1: it's it's again like like y'all like like you you 480 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 1: do not need to buy our love with kid cats, 481 00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:20,560 Speaker 1: but it certainly doesn't hurt. We are big lovers of 482 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 1: kit cats, but say her, um, and we're gonna do 483 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:27,400 Speaker 1: kind of hopefully, uh, We're going to be able to 484 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:31,399 Speaker 1: do kind of a socially distance get together thing soon 485 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:35,920 Speaker 1: and I will share the kid cats, I promise I 486 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:41,440 Speaker 1: believe distributed evenly. All right, Well, I've got my eye 487 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:46,640 Speaker 1: on you, Reese. Yeah Annie, Um. Annie got over to 488 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:49,080 Speaker 1: the office recently and I hadn't been by there in 489 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:52,440 Speaker 1: a while. So she she picked up that and a 490 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,920 Speaker 1: couple other listeners I think sent things and so, yeah, 491 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,440 Speaker 1: we're gonna do A'm gonna do a safe meet up 492 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:02,520 Speaker 1: sometime soon here. Yeah. The Meanwhile, Valerie wrote, Hi, I 493 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,880 Speaker 1: was listening to an episode of a podcast called Past 494 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,719 Speaker 1: Present that talked about the ethnic food aisle at the 495 00:35:07,719 --> 00:35:09,840 Speaker 1: grocery store. I was going to suggest this as a 496 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 1: savor topic, but actually the Past Present did such a 497 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 1: nice job of it, I wondered if you could contact 498 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:16,840 Speaker 1: them and get permission to just simply play the episode. 499 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,400 Speaker 1: I figure it would be an episode that is nearly 500 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:21,799 Speaker 1: no work for for you and Laura annie Um, and 501 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,640 Speaker 1: it would get new listeners for the Past Present podcast, 502 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: and it would be interesting to the listeners. So went 503 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 1: all around. I have no idea whether that's something you 504 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 1: or the folks of Past Present would want to do. 505 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:34,480 Speaker 1: But also this morning I heard an episode of the 506 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:38,000 Speaker 1: Weird Science podcast where they talked about how the astronauts 507 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 1: are successfully growing peppers on their International Space Station, which 508 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:44,160 Speaker 1: is a first step toward people being able to stay 509 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:47,200 Speaker 1: longer in space. They talked about how the peppers stick 510 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:49,759 Speaker 1: straight out from the plant instead of hanging down um 511 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:52,920 Speaker 1: and pollination and how they harvest the peppers and then 512 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,279 Speaker 1: they float away and have to be caught. I thought 513 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,799 Speaker 1: that an episode about these early beginnings of agriculture and 514 00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:00,960 Speaker 1: space would be an interesting topic, and also the question 515 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 1: of what food they normally eat on the I S S. 516 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,560 Speaker 1: But again, the episode of their podcast was pretty interesting already, 517 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 1: so maybe it could be a guest episode two. WHOA wow. 518 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 1: First of all, Lauren, I think you said weird science 519 00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:21,840 Speaker 1: instead of Wired Science either. Why. Oh, I'm so sorry 520 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 1: I did. I did indeed say weird science. That my 521 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: deep apologies to the Wired Science podcast. Yes, but do 522 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:33,240 Speaker 1: you do cover a lot of weird science on Wired Science. 523 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:39,880 Speaker 1: Yes that I you know, we love space, Um, I 524 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:44,480 Speaker 1: am really interested by because there's been a lot of 525 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 1: news about that lately, of them, Yeah, and salads in 526 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: space and how the astronauts are are always to a 527 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,160 Speaker 1: person just so delighted to have a fresh vegetable, They're 528 00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:01,319 Speaker 1: like what, yeah, yeah, and I love is. I just 529 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:03,759 Speaker 1: hadn't thought about that of how the plant would grow 530 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:10,960 Speaker 1: differently hang but yeah, sure grabbing it m hmmm um. Yeah. 531 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:14,040 Speaker 1: And I I am always I mean a I always 532 00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:16,440 Speaker 1: want to be I always want to, like, I always 533 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 1: go down the ethnic food aisle and any grocery store 534 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:22,000 Speaker 1: because I'm partially just tickled by what they consider to 535 00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:26,640 Speaker 1: be ethnic and usually that's where the food that I 536 00:37:26,719 --> 00:37:31,600 Speaker 1: want to buy is anyway, So yeah, um it is. 537 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:35,520 Speaker 1: It is a super interesting topic. Um I'm I, you know, 538 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:38,080 Speaker 1: I don't know, like we can we can, um see 539 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:41,399 Speaker 1: if we can reach out and there's there's all kinds 540 00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: of We are merely part of a larger machine of podcasting. Um. 541 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:49,560 Speaker 1: But but but for sure, y'all, um go listen to 542 00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 1: past present and wired science those two things. Yes, yes, yes, 543 00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:00,080 Speaker 1: we're always happy to to support an uplift and on 544 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,839 Speaker 1: new stuff goodness. Yeah, you can do exchanges and all 545 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:08,239 Speaker 1: kinds of other things. As Lauren says, we're kind of 546 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:13,480 Speaker 1: merely the palms podcast game. No no, no, no no, 547 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:18,759 Speaker 1: but yes, thank you for bringing those those episodes, those 548 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:23,799 Speaker 1: podcasts to our attention, and thanks to both of you 549 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: for writing. If you would like to write to us listeners, 550 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,520 Speaker 1: you can our emails hello at savor pot dot com. 551 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,600 Speaker 1: We're also on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, 552 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:37,160 Speaker 1: and Instagram at saver pod. And we do hope to 553 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:39,640 Speaker 1: hear from you. Savor is a production of I heart Radio. 554 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:41,919 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, you can visit 555 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,719 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 556 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:47,319 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows. Thanks as always to our 557 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:50,440 Speaker 1: superproducers Dylan Fagan and Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, 558 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:52,000 Speaker 1: and we hope that lots more good things are coming 559 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:52,399 Speaker 1: your way.