January 2024 Food Literacy Podcast Artwork

Roots Watering Hole Podcast Series

The Roots Watering Hole podcast series is provided through generous support from the Kalliopeia Foundation. Thanks to their support we have begun the journey to share space in elevated wisdom from numerous voices of people who do good in the world in various forms while providing information to our target communities. Roots Watering Hole produces oral narratives for a multitude of purposes. One track is a monthly gardening education and food literacy series co-hosted by Orrin Williams, the Food Systems Coordinator at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Soil Enthusiast Dr. Akilah Martin. The second track is devoted to independent content created by Orrin Williams and Dr. Akilah Martin as co-hosts and individual producers. The independent track focuses on topics related to our ecosystem as a whole, health and wellness, lifestyle, the arts and culture, and humanities. Both tracks will include guests from multiple walks of life, expertise, wisdom, and disciplines. While our focus is centered on BIPOC communities, we believe that all open-minded people interested in our general well-being as a nation and planet Earth will find the content, we produce useful.

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Roots Watering Hole Podcast Series

January 2024 Food Literacy Podcast

January 08, 2024 • Orrin Williams • Season 4 • Episode 1

It is the beginning of 2024 and we embark upon a new trip around the sun. This is the first episode of the 2024 food literacy podcast and we will be providing a brief overview of what the upcoming season will include. Thank you for listening and may we provide you with a wealth of information for building healthy individuals and communities.

In this episode, we give our decidedly grassroots definition of food literacy. Well, there is no set definition of the term and if you want to dig into the weeds do a keyword search, but here is a good starting point for defining food literacy.

The food literacy podcast will kick off in full swing with the February 2024 episode. However, we know many of our gardening people are ready to get going but slow down just a bit and whet your appetite with these video offerings from MIgardener. We like their information and find it useful because they share the same USDA Hardiness Zone with Chicago.

MIgardener discusses the new hardiness zones and their implications for your gardening adventure in 2024. Then check out their episode on seeds you may want to consider starting in January.

If you are going to start your seeds indoors and use grow lights here is some information you may find useful, The world of grow lights is extensive so be sure to search the keyword "indoor grow lights" and do your research.

That's all we have for now, HAPPY NEW YEAR and HAPPY GARDENING, COOKING, and EATING!

If you would like to recommend topics, guests, etc, here is the contact information you need orrinw@uic.edu.

For information about the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at UIC program mentioned in this episode go to the website. Consider reaching out about potential partnerships with one of their interventions.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the OCEAN-HP, or the CPHP. The material and information presented here are for general information purposes only. While the podcast is designed to promote the development of healthy communities through food literacy, we offer no health advice and encourage our listeners to seek guidance from their healthcare providers.

People on this episode

Dr. Akilah Martin

Host

Orrin Williams

Host