December 2023 Food Literacy Podcast

Roots Watering Hole Podcast Series

This is the final food literacy podcast for 2023. Please listen in and check the show notes for important season-ending information.
As is stated in the trailer there is some news on the gardening front that I wanted to mention. There is a recently released USDA Hardiness Zone map. Check out Gardener Scott’s YouTube video about the new USDA Hardiness Zone map, who lives in a similar climate in Colorado and who was also part of the advisory team that put the new map together. Check out the USDA website to see the map and for more information, you may find useful for the 2024 gardening journey.
Winter is an important season for the plant world, and it should be for us according to the Horticultural Therapy Institute as related in an article that I will read a bit from that was published in their blog entitled, “Dormancy: Nature’s Answer to the Dark Days of Winter.” Here is a link to the article.
Remember there are two key ways to think of winter in the Northern Hemisphere if you are a gardener, the lunar winter season, and the meteorological winter season check the link for an explanation of the difference.
Well since I mentioned seeds and seed catalogs check out these sites with important information about seeds from Gardener Scott and Epic Gardening sites. Stay tuned for more information about starting seeds and direct sowing in the upcoming early 2024 episodes.
See the following links for winter recipes, and seasonal produce for winter.
Bonus links:
Midwestern Seasonal Produce
Best Winter Vegetables for Seasonal Eating
That is all for now as we wrap up 2023, celebrate the holiday or holidays of your choice and happy new year, food literacy and gardening for 2024. For more information contact Orrin Williams at [e-mail], especially if you want to discuss seeds and seed companies. Please note that we have no endorsement deals and receive no compensation from seed companies.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.