This week, we are proud to share episodes of California Foodways, the insanely ambitious series from KALW’s very own Lisa Morehouse. More than a decade ago, she began her quest to tell the story of California’s food and agriculture, and the people that make both possible. Her plan: to report from each of the state’s 58 counties. She just completed her epic series. And to honor the achievement, we are airing a week of stories that look back at some of the people she’s met and places she’s been.
In this installment, Lisa shares two stories about how small miracles can be borne from the ashes of tragedy.
- "Lake County: 'Chasing the burn' for black morel mushrooms" — The 2015 Valley Fire that hit Lake County was one of the most destructive in state history. The hills here, once thick with trees, now look like a moonscape. But this environment draws mushroom hunters who ‘chase the burns’,” in search of the black morel mushrooms that grow in the springtime after a forest fire. It was originally released in 2016.
- "Home on the Grange: In Anderson Valley, a story of how hippies, old-timers connected" — Lisa takes us to Anderson Valley to hear how a fire helped heal a rift in an agricultural community.