Today's guest on Gateway to the Smokies Podcast is William Ritter- he is a musician, farmer, western North Carolina native, and lover of southern Appalachia. He holds an MA in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University, and he’s been saving seeds for a long time. They will be talking about heirloom seeds and growing traditional foods and agriculture relationship to traditional music.

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Tune in for this fun conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.

Show NotesSegment 1Before introducing today’s guest, Joseph discusses heirloom seeds and plants in his family. Joseph reads a poem about memories tied to seeds. Joseph introduces William Ritter, today’s guest, and William talks a little about his background. William discusses how the mountains feel like home to him. William describes seed saving and how it started.

Segment 2Joseph talks about his interest in music and asks William about where his interest stemmed from. William discusses how he built and learned to play the fiddle, comparing the traditions of old time music to seed saving. Joseph and William talk about farmers markets in the Smokies where heirloom vegetables can be found.

Segment 3William discusses types and properties of heirloom vegetables, from candy roasters to beans to tomatoes, etc. As someone who doesn't cook much, William knows many restaurants that serve dishes with heirloom vegetables. William goes on to describe how to make leather britches out of beans. Joseph and William discuss the wide variety of places where one can find heirloom seeds.

Segment 4William describes a project he is working on, Song to Seeds. The project is about more than songs and seeds though, working to bring communities together and share traditions.