Listen to “A Conversation with the Compost King”
Mark Sturges has mastered an agricultural art as old as agriculture itself: cultivating live compost.
Listen to “How Does Greece Keep Producing the World’s Best Honey?”
Is it their traditional beekeeping practices, the unique geography and climate, or something else? We asked Dr. Paschalis Harizanis, agricultural geneticist and longtime beekeeper, for the scoop.
Listen to “The Curious Origins of Horsehair Hitching”
Versions of this time-intensive craft have appeared in various cultures and eras, going back as far as the Roman Empire. But the place where it’s most frequently practiced today may surprise you.
Listen to “Find Your Fascination” with Master Artisan Shoni Maulding
Today on “The Secrets of Mastery,” Shoni Maulding, who has been practicing the intricate, centuries-old craft of horsehair hitching for more than 30 years, talks about what keeps her going—and going.
The Kayak’s Cultural Journey
For millennia, Indigenous peoples across the world have built and used wooden skin boats to fish and hunt, for sport and travel, even for warfare. Skin kayaks are the unique product of Arctic peoples, but non-Indigenous admirers of the craft are making them, too. Does that matter?
Written by SIMON MORRIS
Tomorrow’s Lobsterman
New England’s fabled (and much valued) lobstering industry is struggling with all kinds of challenges: an aging workforce, lobster catches that swing from record highs to depressing lows, new regulations, and warming waters caused by climate disruption. So why would a bright young man in Eastport, Maine, commit to a life fishing the seas?
By BEN SPEGGEN
The Healing Power of “Bello”
On the Northeastern coast of Italy, not far from such meccas of refinement as Bologna and Florence, an unusual drug treatment community named San Patrignano has grown and thrived for more than 40 years. The program’s methodology? Teach people who are struggling with addiction high-level artisanal skills, and slowly but surely, confidence and pride fill what was once a desperate void.
By LAURA FRASER
Listen to “The Hidden Powers of a Sheep”
Not only is wool unusually cozy and durable, but its creators (the sheep) can help regenerate the soil, along with the world’s drying, fire-prone landscapes. The good news: a wool revival seems to be underway.
The Hidden Powers of a Sheep
While the fashion industry continues to produce more and more clothing made from synthetics, with all their harmful effects, we’ve ignored the wonders of wool. The material is natural, durable, and endlessly renewable; more important, its creators (the sheep) can help regenerate the soil, along with the world’s drying, fire-prone landscapes. Fortunately, a wool revival seems to be underway.
By JUDITH D. SCHWARTZ
