Shane Mitchell is the author of the book The Crop Cycle: Stories with Deep Roots, which is a history of food in the American South, often reflecting on her family’s three centuries of history on Edisto Island, South Carolina connects with it. While told through stories that center around 11 different crops, the book isn’t directly about food, but how we center it as a way to understand cycles of life. All of the stories in the book, except for one, were originally published in The Bitter Southerner, a brilliant magazine and website about the South. It has some of the most beautiful writing anywhere in it and despite having little to do with the south I read it regularly.
Shane lives in upstate New York and is the Editor at Large for Saveur, which is now back in print and absolutely deserves your support. She also writes for The New York Times and is the author Far Afield: Rare Food Encounters from Around the World, a book about her travels around the world while profiling the stewards of the world's traditional foodways and it also features beautiful photos and recipes. She is a many times James Beard award winner and one of my favorite writers anywhere, so I was really excited to have this extended conversation with her
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Purchase The Crop Cycle: Stories With Deep Roots through this link.
You can also listen to the New Worlder podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and most other podcast sites.
Episode #98: Shane Mitchell