“Rooted”: the Balado for better residing
Better listen to the life that surrounds us, this is the mission of the Rooted podcast presented by the Renard theater, a Montreal company dedicated to the creation artistic.
In a gentle, friendly and benevolent tone, the narrator and author Antonia Leney-Granger takes us with her through mundane situations that punctuate our daily lives, such as a visit to a restaurant, a gardening session or a bike ride, by putting the emphasis on the life around us, to learn more about nature (which we too often take for granted). about twenty minutes, are accompanied by sound effects, to immerse us more in the different places visited by the narrator. Everything is vulgarized to allow everyone to understand.
Roots – Connected nature
In this first adventure, the narrator goes for a bike ride and observes the grandiose aspect of the trees. This is followed by a reflection on the roots that we do not see, but which are part of the soil.
Fun fact from the episode: Plants have an underground network that allows them to communicate.
“This underground network between plants is called the mycorrhizal network. Myco, like fungus. And rhize, which means root. A mycorrhiza is an alliance between the root of a plant and the underground part of a fungus, called the mycelium. The mushroom and the plant both need water and sugar, but also minerals and chemical elements. Everyone therefore specializes in what is easiest for them. The plant produces sugar easily and in large quantities, thanks to sunlight, and can offer its surpluses to the fungus. In exchange, the fungus sends it minerals that it cannot fetch on its own, for example those found in stone”, Antonia Leney-Granger.
Tomato and dandelion – The nature we eat
In this second podcast, Antonia discusses the origin and history of the tomato and the dandelion. We emphasize the importance of not tearing up everything around us, because these elements of the soil are used to maintain a healthy nature.
Fun fact from the episode: Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable? The answer: it depends.
“In 1893 (the tomato) went… all the way to the Supreme Court! To answer the famous question: is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable? The answer: it depends. Botanically, the tomato we eat is the fruit of the plant, because it is the part that contains the seeds. But it is most often cooked in savory dishes, so we put it in the vegetable category. Like several other fruit vegetables: cucumbers, squash, peppers… Except that in the Supreme Court, in 1893, it was necessary to decide. And it was the money that made the difference. At the time, in the United States, fruits that arrived from elsewhere were not taxed, but vegetables were. So the court made its decision. She officially decreed that the tomato, which arrived in phenomenal quantities on American soil, was… a vegetable!” – Antonia Leney-Granger.
A place at the table – Nature with 6 legs
In this third episode, the storyteller is in a restaurant. Sitting at the table, during the services, she makes connections with the origin of food, the insects that circle around her and the flower boxes that surround her, to talk about the importance of insects in our ecosystem.
Fun fact from the episode: mosquitoes, as nasty as they may be, are essential for the health of aquatic ecosystems.
“Mosquitoes, as nasty as they may be, are essential for the health of aquatic ecosystems: the female is the only one that bites and our blood allows her eggs to finish their development before she does them. lays in water. Most eggs will never hatch; they will serve as food for fish and frogs. Larger animals therefore manage to survive thanks to the eggs laid by aquatic insects, which allows life in the water” – Antonia Leney-Granger.
Since June 21, the first three episodes of the podcast, resulting from a partnership with Côte-des-Neiges and Saint-Laurent, have been available for listening (here and on Spotify). New episodes will be released every three months, depending on seasonality.
