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Published on:

3rd Aug 2022

A hardy desert boi (s1e05extra)

In this extra tidbit from episode 5 we learn why I don't have a podcast on outdoor survival skills.

Want to see pics from the garden? Instagram: @freshclippings

Show art by Alison McKenzie

Production guidance from Evan Roberts

Special thanks to Jeremy Bloom


Episode music from Blue Dot Sessions:

Our Son the Potter (Love and Weasel)

Transcript
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Hey, so in episode five, we talked about a lot of stuff, right?

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We talked about no mess, bird seed.

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We talked about moms sordid.

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Past as an operator of a garden chatline, but we were chatting about all that stuff

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while we were doing one major thing.

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And that was spritzing the weeds in mom's yard with this secret recipe for

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this non-toxic weed spray that we have.

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Um, so not everything that we were chatting about ended up in the episode.

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You know, there's a lot of conversation.

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There were a lot of weeds, but there was one moment actually that I really

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loved and it kind of didn't fit in the episode, but I wanted to share

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it with you here just as a little extra, a little, thanks for listening.

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Um, it's not a full episode and, and of itself, it's a sober reminder of the power

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of nature, and I thought you might enjoy so without further ado, let's get into it.

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Enjoy this little, uh, behind the scenes, extra little clippings tidbit.

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oh, my gosh, being out here in the front now just makes me remember the time when.

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thought I was really smart.

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yeah.

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And they are, have I told you how they do their seed dispersal?

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So this is, we're looking at a really beautiful Bush over here.

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Describe this Bush for us.

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I think it's called the Mexican bird of paradise and it blossoms,

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it just looks so tropical.

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It has these yellow blossoms.

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And then when they start to open these vibrant red.

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Um, what would you call 'em almost strings.

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Yeah.

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They almost look like saffron.

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Yes.

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You know, like those like long strings of saffron, it's really true.

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And the, the cluster of gold and saffrons probably like

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six by four inches, you know?

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Yeah.

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Pretty big, yeah.

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Size of a, a, you know, a thumb and a finger each blossom.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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So, um, yeah.

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You, you had a up close and experience once they bloom, then they, you

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know, put out little seed pods.

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Yeah.

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So, and then the seed pods.

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I had no idea.

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I could not figure out why I had so many pods, um, at a certain

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time of year in my driveway.

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And they were scattered all over the driveway and I was

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like, how does this happen?

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And I was out weeding in the front and I heard.

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And I was like, what the heck?

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And then I saw this pod come flying at me.

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Oh.

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So they pop, they explode.

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That's cool.

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Think so cool with the heat.

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Oh, so they grow and then once the summer sort of end of summer heat hits them.

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Yes, yes.

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And you just hear this well, and then clunk.

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Yeah.

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Well the, so the, the paws themselves look very appealing.

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They look like edamame mm-hmm and I was.

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I was at a, like a desert museum a long time ago.

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And they had this whole exhibit about how native and indigenous

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populations in the deserts found out that you could eat Mesquite beans.

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Right.

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And it was a good source of protein.

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And I went on a run and I came back and I was like, why not?

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I've just been to the desert.

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I'm a Hardy desert boy.

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I deserve some desert protein.

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And I mistook this Bush.

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For a Mesquite Bush, which it is not.

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Yep.

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And, uh, so I ate about four pods of these little Edam bees.

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I thought it was more than that.

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Yeah.

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Was it?

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Yeah.

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And we actually had to call poison control because the effects, the

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effects were rather dramatic.

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Yeah.

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So we say, well, I, uh, it was funny cuz it was the night of the debates

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between Biden and Trump and I had a very.

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Reaction digestive reaction and we thought it was just that.

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Yeah.

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But, uh, but come to find out, you know, oh my gosh.

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Three hours later, you were still having that reaction.

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Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

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That's you had to get poisoned light poison control said,

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uh, it can actually be fatal.

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I didn't eat that much.

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Right, right.

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Word to the wise.

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it's funny.

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Cuz I had posted, I was so proud of myself.

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after my run, I came out and I took a picture.

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And I posted the pods on Instagram and said like little known fact

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blah, blah, blah . And then I had to go back and like screencap it

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and then be like, do not do this.

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do not even think about, try, do not do this at home or add anybody else's home.

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Yeah.

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And now that I think about it, I don't know why I'm telling every.

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Why they should not listen to me at all, but , this has been

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an episode about retractions.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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This is not retractions.

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This is about constant learning and that's what garden, a lifetime of

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learning that is really what gardening is.

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And that's how we, that of course is how we have found out what

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speeds, what types of plants are okay to eat and what are not.

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yeah, you need like me, you feed 'em to neighbors that you don't care for

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and say, Hey, how are you feeling?

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yeah.

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Okay.

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Well, you've been warned.

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This has been clippings.

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Thanks so much for joining us on plant time.

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Check us out on Instagram at fresh clippings and we'll

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catch you in episode six.

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See?

Show artwork for Clippings

About the Podcast

Clippings
Non-expert Gardening
"For anyone who wants a little taste of sunshine."

Clippings is a gardening show that's more about plant enthusiasm than plant expertise. Host Topher Burns just moved from an apartment in Brooklyn to a house in Portland - finally some dirt to play with, and he has got *projects* planned. Things don't always go right. Warning: some plants might die. Fortunately his mom's green-thumb advice is just a phone call away.

For master gardeners and marigold-novices alike, each episode is a quick, delightful moment spent outside. Imagine leaning over your fence and asking your neighbor what he's doing in his yard today. You might get some helpful gardening tips, you might just enjoy the sound of the birds. Either way, you're going to be glad you took a moment to stop and smell the gardenias.

About your host

Profile picture for Topher Burns

Topher Burns

Born in Albuquerque, hardened in NYC, and rapidly softening in Portland Oregon. Former TV blogger, current tarot novice, and future bronze medal gymnast at the 2048 senior olympic games in Raleigh-Durham. Founded a branding agency for regenerative businesses. DM for pics of his cats.