Anastasia started her career as a seasonal agricultural worker at the age of 17 when a series of fateful events led her to the blueberry barrens of Downeast Maine. She raked berries every year for the next 8 years, and also did some apple picking, morel mushroom hunting, and tree-planting which eventually became her primary occupation. This lifestyle kept her on the road for the better part of 13 years and enabled her to become intimate with many parts of the country. She has been based out of Tucson, AZ (the city of her birth) for the past 10 years where her home has evolved into an urban, desert farm. Anastasia has just earned a degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from the University of Arizona. She is looking forward to integrating her experiences and skills in ways that will help to produce food and other products from the land while sustaining and enhancing natural and cultural resources. This program was sponsored by White Oak Pastures.

"I think what I really loved about it [seasonal agriculture] was the bizarre social scene that grew around it... I also got really into the physical aspects of it... grueling, repetitive work out in the hot sun... But I don't wanna paint a rosy picture of seasonal agricultural work because it's not that way for many people."

"The fact that we can make food from animal products without altering the land is really important to our food security." -- Anastasia Rabin on Greenhorn Radio

Carmen Devito and Alice Marcus Krieg are talking about the Columbian Exchange on this week's episode of We Dig Plants. But don't misconstrue this discussion as a celebration! On the phone is culinary horticulturist and historian Scott D. Appell to talk about the history of some our favorite New World plants. Learn about the origins of corn, and how it developed as a human-bred crop. How did European settlers influence Native American cooking techniques? Learn about the history of other fruits, roots, and vegetables such as pineapple, mango, cassava, and taro. Did you know that at one time, pineapples were more valued than jewels? Also, hear about the hundreds of varieties of potatoes that developed in South America, and how potatoes became popular in France! This episode has been brought to Hearst Ranch.

"Guatemalans and Mexicans had this down for thousands of years. If you balance beans with corn, you'll have balanced proteins and amino acids." [11:40]

"It was the slave trade that was the great impetus to bring food plants to the New World from the tropics. After all, how do you feed millions of people over the centuries... so that they could work and harvest sugarcane?" [21:40]

-- Scott D. Appell on We Dig Plants

This week on U Look Hungry meet Iris Avelar and Maria Garcia-Vasquez, the women behind "Mex and the City", a cultural website and blog created to promote the free thinking, enterprising, and artistic efforts of young creatives in New York City. Find out how the duo launched the site and learn about their vision to highlight Mexican culture in all of its forms. Learn about "racial profiling" a portrait series the launched highlighting prominent, influential Mexicans in New York City. If you're looking for travel tips, local Mexican spots or just want to learn about traditions - be sure to tune in! This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"A lot of places in small [Mexican] communities just pop open their doors and serve food from their driveway." [18:00] --Iris Avelar on U Look Hungry