Darina Allen is an Irish chef, food writer, TV personality, and founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Schanagarry, County Cork, Ireland. In this week's episode of A Taste of the Past, Darina explains the current state of Irish food and culture in our society today, bringing us back to the history of Irish culture from the beginning. Darina also talks about founding the Ballymaloe Cookery School, the only cookery school in the world located in the middle of its own 100-acre organic farm. As a result, the school is completely self-sufficient, and people can come for a simple afternoon cooking class, or a full course designed to take the amateur cook further in his or her studies. Hear about Darina's book, Irish Traditional Cooking (published by Kyle Books), and how she hopes to reconnect us with the cooking skills that have been forgotten for generations. This program has been sponsored by Bonnie Plants.

"Its not just about economics, it's about the whole quality life - an appreciation for the quality of life." [16:50]

"We need to be able to cook, to sit down around the table again." [23:10]

-- Darina Allen on A Taste of the Past

Mal Blum has been writing songs since the age of fourteen, and she's here on After the Jump to share her music. Grace Bonney invites Mal into the studio to shift the show's focus away from visual arts and design. Tune into this episode to hear Mal and Grace talk about their inspirations, and what it is like to be a woman in a male-dominated music industry. Find out why Mal has no problem bearing her soul, but why she struggles to stay organized as an artist. Find out about Mal's affinity for Kickstarter, and how the music industry has changed in the past several years. What does it mean to be a DIY musician? Tune into this episode to hear a live rendition of Mal's song "With Samson in Washington State". This program has been brought to you by BluePrint Cleanse.

"The other aspects of DIY like time management, discipline, and being entrepreneurial - that has always been really hard for me." [6:45]

"You can't do everything yourself, or you won't do any of it well." [8:35]

-- Mal Blum on After the Jump

Welcome to the first episode of Nothing Urgent, hosted by Impose Magazine's Derek Evers and Gothamist's Chris Robbins. Derek and Chris call up urban entomologist Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann of Cornell University to talk about the 17-year periodical cicada. Learn more about the insect's life-cycle. Would Jody recommend eating a cicada? Find out what bugs are not prime eating, and learn how magicicadas communicate. Later, Amanda Contrada, Showcase Coordinator for the Northside Festival, comes by to talk about the history of the event, and how it has grown over the past five years. Hear what showcases Amanda booked, and which ones she is looking forward to attending. This program has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

"Cicadas have this thing on the side of their bodies called a tymbal... when they flex this membrane it clicks, and that's how they communicate." [14:05]

-- Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann on Nothing Urgent