Planting Seeds of Change, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, we talk with folks who are planting seeds of change — literally and figuratively. While many are finding joy through their gardens and food work, there are some people in Appalachia who are going through some of the most challenging times of their lives. We dig into the story of a tomato — and not just any tomato. There's a mystery behind an heirloom tomato, called the Mortgage Lifter. These tomatoes are big, pink and sweet. And they were so popular in southern West Virginia — sold at $1 a pop, no less —  that they helped their creator pay off his mortgage. A farmer named Radiator Charlie bred two tomato varieties in Logan Country, West Virginia, and sold the plants at his local famer’s market to great success. Except, that’s not the end of the story. There is another “mortgage lifter” tomato. Folkways reporter Zack Harold looked into how we ended up with different tomatoes with the same name. This is an encore episode we originally aired last November. It was the first episode Mason Adams and Caitlin Tan ever hosted together, and they began by asking each other a little about their back stories, and what they look forward to about hosting Inside Appalachia.