May 1, 2023
In today's episode we talk about Sochan with Nico Albert Willaims of Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness. Sochan is a member of the Asteraceae family (Daisy family) and is an important plant in Cherokee cuisine. In addition to being a great perennial vegetable for humans to eat, thisplant offers leaves for the caterpillars of several moths and butterflies, flowers for many pollinators and seeds for migrating and overwintering birds. They are also tough enough to be planted in spots where invasive plants have recently been removed. You can purchase Sochan plants from Aaron’s nursery Here, with a portion of sales going to support Burning Cedar.
You can follow Nico's work at BurningCedar.org or on Facebook / Instagram. You can support her work by donating to Burning Cedar!
In the interview
we mention the study Testing
the Nutrient Composition of Perennial
Vegetables in Denmark, Sweden, and the United States (PDF)
Nico mentions the Eastern Cherokee returning to harvesting Sochan in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, which you can read about Here