“I really feel I was called here, and I really feel this land itself is calling for human touch.” – Jessie, Slow Life Family Farm

Embracing hunger, desire, and a calling for connection, we’re delighted to share the first episode of Fat of The Land with you.

Fat of The Land is a series that asks us what we mean when we look for connection between people and the land. Following a desire for real relation, for deliciousness, and for slowness, each episode traces what happens when we follow this desire. This opening episode, Aperitivo, grounds us in Sicily with Carlo and Jessie at Slow Life Family Farm. Together with Ayana, they dive deep into the history of Noto, Sicily, and how it has sustained human life across centuries. What does it mean to be independent as growers and gardeners while also recognizing our interconnectedness with both the land and each other across time?

Let this episode pique your appetite for more to come.

This episode is brought to you by generous sponsorships from Ritū and Terra Elaÿa.

Biographies

At Slow Life Family Farm, we carry on the legacy of a 2nd generation family of guides, deeply embedded in the history and nature of Sicily. Founded by Carlo, a renowned historical and nature guide, and Jessie, an expert in natural plant uses, our farm is a living testament to a life intertwined with the land. Our mission is to cultivate not just organic produce but to foster a community around the authentic Sicilian way of life, integrating age-old traditions with sustainable living.

Carlo: Born in Siracusa, Carlo is an esteemed English-speaking guide in Eastern Sicily, known for his work with BBC nature documentaries and Netflix’s Chef’s Table series.

Jessie: With a passion for the traditional uses of plants, Jessie brings a wealth of knowledge about local crafts, foods, and medicines to our farm’s daily life.

Thank you to our partners and sponsors for this series:

Ritū

Fat of The Land is a series about what it means to be in relationship with land, food, and the people who tend both across generations. Ritū was made with the same kind of care; six ancient plants, ground and blended into a morning cup that honors the land it comes from, delivered in a compostable bag that returns to the earth.

Ritu built a custom landing page for us and would like to offer For The Wild listeners 25% their first month with a discount code FORTHEWILD25.

To order yourself some Ritu, head to: drinkritu.com/forthewild

Terra Elaÿa
Thanks also to Terra Elaÿa for the support of this series. Terra Elaÿa is a sanctuary where ancient ways meet the needs of our time. We emerge at this time of crossroads, standing as a space for the transformation, renewal, and re-enchantment of the human spirit. Located in the heart of southern Italy, we provide a place to come into a deeper relationship with life: to slow down, listen, and restore embodied wisdom.

Head to terraelaya.com to learn more upcoming Terra Elaÿa experiences or to host an event.

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We are so excited to share Fat of The Land, a new five-part series unfolding over the next five weeks.

This series began with a kind of romantic impulse. I traveled to Italy with a longing to be among people whose relationships to land and food have been tended over generations, particularly within the traditions of Slow Food.

As a settler of North America, I carry big questions around land and lineage and memory and loss... I imagine meeting grandmothers making ravioli, sitting with elders, absorbing something simple and intact about belonging, but what I encountered was far more complex and far more meaningful. The experience didn't feed me in the ways I expected. Instead, it unsettled me and expanded my understanding of tradition, of connection and of what it means to belong to a place I'm deeply grateful for that disorientation and for all that it revealed across this series. We'll move through conversations shaped by land, food, inheritance and the tensions and contradictions that live within them.

Fat of The Land is made possible with the generous support of our sponsors.

We're especially grateful to Ritū, whose delicious grounding ceremonial drink feels deeply aligned with the spirit of this series, nourishment that invites presence, connection and reflection.

We're also thankful to Elaÿa, a retreat center in Italy that holds space for deep rest, learning and relationship with place.

Thank you for listening and for being a part of this unfolding. Here we go, spring is here.

- Ayana

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"The more I learn, the less I know. Sometimes learning more means accepting that we don’t really know." – Rachel Meade

In the third episode of In The Company of Humpbacks, Rachel Meade joins Ayana to rethink what we mean by study, communication, and the goals of biology and conservation. What might change if we were more honest about our uncertainties and willing to admit what we don’t know? Could that openness lead to stronger relationships and better science?

Rachel guides us into the vast, largely unseen world of whale sound, beyond what we usually define as “song,” and into forms of communication that may lie outside human understanding. How do we show respect for something that resists being fully known?

About this series: With delightful insight from Dr. Fred Sharpe, Rachel Meade, and Joseph Olson, In the Company of Humpbacks contains a wealth of knowledge and beauty. We’re so excited to bring you along with us on this magical journey through the more than human world.

Sounds and images collected under NOAA/NMFS Research Permit 26663.

Learn more and support this work at thrums.org. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our partners: Five Fingers Lighthouse, and the American Cetacean Society.

Behind-the-Scenes Extras
By joining us on Patreon, you can get early access to episodes, reflection prompts, a bonus episode, and behind the scenes content. Patreon membership also gives you access to our zines, archives of extended episodes, and more. Join us at patreon.com/forthewild.

Biographies

Rachel Meade has long held a passion for marine mammal research. She has extensive hands-on experience in rehabilitation, response, and field-based research. She has worked across a range of species, including harbor and ice seals, sea otters, bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, and humpback whales. Since joining Dr. Fred Sharpe’s research team in 2023, Rachel has developed a specific interest in cetacean bioacoustics, completing multiple remote field seasons in Southeast Alaska and presenting her work at the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s 2024 conference in Perth, Australia. Her background includes marine vessel operations, scientific diving, veterinary assistance, and acoustic and data analysis using Python, R, and Raven Pro. Rachel holds a BS in Marine and Coastal Science from Western Washington University and is seeking opportunities to continue her research and academic studies through a master’s program in marine mammal science.

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