Gravy

In “Southern caviar is wild, nutty, and...sustainable?” Gravy producer Irina Zhorov takes us to the Tombigbee River, where valuable paddlefish swim, and makes a case for caviar as an ingredient with a Southern pedigree. Every mature female fish makes roe—that’s the term for their clusters of unfertilized eggs. But caviar, for purists, comes from an ancient fish called sturgeon. There are more than two dozen species of sturgeon, but the best-known caviars come from a handful of species native to Russia and Central Asia: Beluga, Sevruga, Kaluga and Osetra. These fish are diadromous, which means they can live in both rivers and seas. And historically they were caught in the wild, their roe processed into caviar, and eventually sent around the world. Though fish roe started out as poor people’s food in Russia, it evolved to be synonymous with luxury, royalty. However, sturgeon were so overfished that it is now illegal in most places to import their wild-harvested caviar. In the U.S., too, several species of sturgeon were once dense along the eastern coast, in the Great Lakes, in California, and elsewhere. Indigenous tribes and white settlers alike consumed Atlantic sturgeon before a caviar rush in the 1800s diminished their numbers. It’s illegal to fish for most domestic sturgeon. Today, more than 99 percent of caviar globally comes from farms, mostly in China. There are a few exceptions to this rule in the U.S. Small shovelnose sturgeon can still be harvested in some areas for caviar.  And paddlefish—which is not a sturgeon, but its close cousin—is fair game in some states, too. The fish live in the Mississippi River and its tributaries. While the U.S. has an available supply of wild-caught, high-quality caviar, it lacks a clear cultural context for how to enjoy this decadent treat. In this episode, Zhorov speaks to Mike Kelley of Kelley’s Katch, a Tennessee caviar producer, and biologist Steve Rider, who studies paddlefish populations in Alabama, to learn about a food that’s from the South but, paradoxically, not at all associated with Southern cuisine. Some people and companies are trying to educate American consumers about caviar and to modernize the way domestic consumers eat the food. That can include parties with caviar tutorials and introducing new, American ways to indulge, like with a dollop of caviar on Doritos. Christine Lemieux, one-half of the company Caviar Dream, explains how this delicacy can be for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In “Boars Gone Wild: Texans Hunt, Trap, and Cook a Piggy Pest,” Gravy producer Georgia Sparling takes a deep dive into the conundrum around Texas’ pig problem. They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that is certainly true of the wild hog population. Millions of feral pigs roam the rural (and not so rural) areas of the Lone Star State — destroying farmland, pushing out native animals, obstructing roadways, and leaving behind billions of dollars in damage each year. And their numbers are growing at an astounding rate. Hunters and landowners in Texas have a green light to kill any and all wild pigs, be it on foot, from a helicopter, or even from a hot air balloon. But then these intelligent yet invasive animals are often left to rot in the fields because everyone knows they’re tough and gamey, right? Well, not according to chef, butcher, hunter, and “hog apologist” Jesse Griffiths. The author of the James Beard Award-winning The Hog Book and co-owner of Austin’s Dai Due restaurant, Griffiths is on a mission to revamp the reputation of feral pigs. In this episode of Gravy, Sparling explores the wild hog origin story and how the population has grown, not only in Texas but across more than thirty states. Armed with a mic, she travels from field to table. She joins Griffiths on a hunt for hogs, and then takes listeners into the kitchen to understand just how varied, versatile, and sustainable their meat is. She will also explore their slowly growing popularity as wild boar meat becomes more available. Along the way, she speaks with Mitch Hagney of the San Antonio Food Bank. As federal funding cuts erode SNAP benefits and food pantry budgets, Hagney and his colleagues are devising creative solutions to address the hunger problem. They’re hoping that by teaming up with hunters and trappers, wild pigs can be a creative solution to feeding thousands of low-income families in Texas and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In “Texas Pecans, A Thirsty Nut to Crack,” Gravy producer Avery Thompson explores how a changing climate is impacting pecans in Texas, and introduces listeners to the innovative Texans using both age-old techniques and twenty-first-century adaptations to ensure Texas pecans make it to the grocery shelves—and into a Thanksgiving pie near you. For about as long as there have been humans in what we now know as Texas, they have likely found sustenance in the land’s native pecans. For many years, Texas supplied the world with the bulk of its pecans—but in recent years, the state has seen unprecedented heat waves and droughts, which have stressed not only its residents, but one of its most vital and revered crops. Exacerbating the climate problem is an explosion in population across the state, particularly in central Texas, where urban sprawl from the growing cities of Austin and San Antonio not only puts pressure on the water table, but also offers a tempting cash-out for struggling pecan farmers. Between drought-affected trees and the sale of farms, Texas is seeing a statewide decline in annual pecan yields. And climate scientists predict that these rough recent years are likely not an exception, but a new normal. Still, Texans are finding creative ways to adapt and preserve their trees and a way of life. For this episode, Thompson talks to pecan growers, including Troy Swift of Swift River Pecans, who has turned to regenerative agriculture and biodiversity. She also speaks to Mark Walls of 38 Pecans, who has invented creative new pecan products to boost his business. Jennifer Wammack of Berdolls, a commercial bakery, tells how her family ships pies all over the world and distributes them through vending machines. And Thompson also visits the Lamar Senior Center in Austin, one of the last remaining nut-cracking facilities open to the public, where people come after gathering pecans on their own property each autumn. Hopefully, for many holidays to come, we can all enjoy a big slice of Texas’s state dessert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the sixth and final episode of her six-part Tending series, host Shirlette Ammons seeks insight on the future of Black farming and asks if there is a world in which farmers are not dependent on the USDA. About Tending Hosted by award-winning musician and documentary producer Shirlette Ammons, Tending is a six-part narrative series that explores the ongoing struggles of Black farmers through the lens of Pigford v. Glickman—once the largest civil rights class-action lawsuit in U.S. history. Ammons—an eastern North Carolina native with deep farming roots—travels across seven Southern states to meet Pigford claimants and their descendants. Their stories paint a vivid picture of injustice and an ongoing fight for restitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this fifth installment of Gravy's Tending series, producer Shirlette Ammons examines the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, comparing it to the Pigford settlement and assessing whether this new federal program represents a genuine step toward justice for Black farmers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices