Andrew Valenti (0:00)
This is a bonus episode as I was recently a guest on the Slow Food podcast. If you're not familiar with Slow Food, they're a global movement working to preserve food biodiversity, support small-scale farmers, and connect people to their food traditions. I am a huge fan of all that they do and it is a true honor to be a guest on their podcast.

I had a great conversation with Valentina and it gave me the opportunity to share my story and why I decided to start the Gardens of Earthly Delight podcast.

We talk about the 20 years I’ve worked on farms and gardens around the world, the spiritual connection to soil, and those wow moments that can be experienced when connecting with nature.

We also get into ancient practices like holding seeds in your mouth before planting. This is something I talk about more in depth on my next episode with Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a 250th generation Hopi farmer and professor at Arizona University. Stay tuned for that episode coming out next week.

Thanks for listening and now on with the Slow Food Podcast

Andrew Valenti (01:20)
And as I'm spraying the field, all these birds just start flying out of the corn and they're being covered in this poison that I'm spraying. And it just hit me so hard. And I was just like, I will never do this again.

Valentina Gritti (01:36)
Have you ever had a wow moment while being in nature? What is the first step you can take to get connected to your local food scene? Can everyone start gardening? ⁓

Valentina Gritti (02:08)
Hello everyone and welcome to Slow Food, the podcast that takes you on a journey through the beauty and complexity of good, clean and fair food systems. I'm Valentina Gritti, I'm your host and a Slow Food Youth Network activist. On this podcast we meet changemakers around the world who are working towards a more sustainable food system and promote a slow lifestyle. Today we kick off the year with a great conversation with Andrew Valenti, regenerative gardener, artist, musician and world traveler.

We are going to talk about how Andrew managed to build a home gardener's community around him, but we will also touch upon the spiritual connection with nature and add some practical tips on how to start gardening yourself. Ready to get inspired?

Let's first get to know Andrew and how his journey in gardening started.

Andrew Valenti (02:58)
I was born on Martha's Vineyard, it's a small island in Massachusetts in the United States. And when I was very young, my parents had a garden in the backyard. So those are my very first memories. And one of my earliest memories, I think I was about four years old, I remember being in the backyard garden and there were these green fronds coming up out of the ground. And I pulled on one and a carrot came out and

my mind was just completely blown. Like I had no idea. I mean, as a four year old, it was just pure magic. So, and I remember this so vividly too and running over to the garden hose, washing it off and just eating it right there. ⁓ So I always go back to that being my very first, that was my introduction to gardening at a very young age. ⁓ And it wasn't until-

Valentina Gritti (03:50)
I imagine it now like as a little child I fully in coming out wow a car or an engine.

Andrew Valenti (03:59)
Yeah, pure magic. And then over the years, my parents stopped doing the garden. That whole space turned into more of like a playground, like playing area for the kids. had some siblings growing up. And it wasn't until I was 14 and looking for a summer job that got me back into the earth and gardening and farming. So I got a summer job working on a local farm and just picking vegetables and fruits.

And the very first morning I was out there, the sun was rising. went to, I was set to go pick peas, sugar snap peas. And sun was still coming up. The field was all dewy. There were some kids older than me, college kids who I thought were, you know, much older than me at the time. Um, telling me what to do. Told me how to harvest. And I remember kneeling down in the pea field, starting to pick some peas, eating a few of them.

And then it was this light bulb moment, everything. was just like, this is, this is so right. This is exactly what I need to be doing right now. And so that was really what set me on my, my path to just being connected with the earth, farming, growing food. And it's taken me all around the world. And so right now in this moment, I'm in Wales in the UK, but I've lived all over the United States.

I've traveled around the world doing woof. Woof is a worldwide opportunities on organic farms. It's like a, it's a volunteer organization that you can do worldwide. So I did that in New Zealand, California and Hawaii.

Valentina Gritti (05:46)
Getting back to your experience at the farm, you said that there you find out that it was really ⁓ something that you loved and that you thought this is how it should be. And then you travel around the world, but how did you...

become what you are now. So how did you manage to create like all this community around you and like teaching people about home gardening, inspiring them and so on. What happened in between?

Andrew Valenti (06:20)
I've come to learn that I'm semi-nomadic, that it's hard for me to really stay in one place for a long time, which is interesting for somebody who loves to garden. So I've built many gardens and lived in very many different places. And so when it comes to community, all the different places that I've lived, the very first thing that I do when I go somewhere, even when I'm traveling, is I find who's producing my food. And that's the local farmers.

You know, whether it's the meat that I'm going to be eating, the vegetables, the dairy, I try to find all of that locally. ⁓ so it's the very first thing, cause wherever you are, you got it, you got to eat. So, and that has helped shape what my community is wherever I am. So that's kind of where it starts. And those are the people that I first connect with and having conversations with those farmers. They connect me to other people within the community.

So during the COVID lockdowns, I was able to move to a family home on Cape Cod. And right after I found all my local farmers, the second thing that I did was start to build vegetable gardens in the backyard. And this was on a pretty, not very busy, it was on a neighborhood street. So there were houses all up and down the neighborhood. And I had a whole truckload of compost and topsoil.

delivered into the driveway. So anybody driving by could see that. And so I'm there, shoveling into the wheelbarrow day after day, bringing it into the backyard. And a lot of the neighbors start driving by. So they see me, they start asking what I'm doing. I get to know them through this. And through all the conversations, I was able to inspire them to start growing their own gardens. So they built gardens. And then all summer long, they were coming to me for advice on how to

you know, how to do something if their pepper plants weren't growing very well or something like that. So it all comes back to food and the essential need to eat. And that's, I think that's where community really is.

Valentina Gritti (08:36)
And would you say that all the different cultures that you have experienced also influence the way you are gardening and your approach also to food?

Andrew Valenti (08:49)
Yeah. ⁓ so one of the, one of my traveling experiences, I lived on Hawaii for a very short time and that was on a Hare Krishna community. So, you know, Hindu religion, a lot of chanting, lot of, ⁓ a lot of singing and energy and food was a huge part of it. So, so every morning we would wake up and we would make a plate of food to

to give to Krishna. So there would be an offering to Krishna. And then we chant, do all this chanting, and then we get to have our meal. And that's a, it was a vegetarian diet, but they also really embraced dairy because they view the cow as being a sacred animal and anything that the cow would produce besides its meat, all the dairy that it produces viewed as very sacred. So dairy was involved, but it was all vegetarian. ⁓ But there was just such a joy.

around the meals and around the food and the beauty of it and everything being decorated in flowers. So that, that was an experience that I had that helped bring a joy and respect for the food that I was eating. And other experiences. So one of the farms that I grew up working on, they had organic fields and they also had conventional fields. So conventional being they would

spray pesticides and use synthetic fertilizers. And I worked on that farm for 10 years. So I really worked my way up and had a lot of responsibilities and got to know how to drive the tractors and operate all of that machinery. I wasn't in charge of spraying pesticides or anything like that, but there was one day where all the owners were on vacation. And so I did have to do that. And

I won't say that's one of the worst days of my life, but I'll always remember it because I felt awful. So I had to go spray a field of corn with whatever the pesticide was to prevent the corn from being eaten by worms. I go out early morning. It's a beautiful morning, sun's rising, very similar to my first experience. It's just like everything's covered in dew, but I'm in the tractor. I have to put on pretty much a hazmat suit.

you know, fully covered myself, wear goggles, a gas mask, fill a big container with the poisons and then the water, take the tractor to the field, release the boom arm. And as I'm spraying the field, all these birds just start flying out of the corn and they're being covered in this poison that I'm spraying. And it just hit me so hard. And I was just like, I will never do this again.

So sometimes you have a bad experience to help inspire being good. ⁓ And so that was like, for me, was like, okay, I'll never spray poisons, spray pesticides again. Organic is the only way for me. And then getting more into biodynamics and now regenerative farming is such a hot word, but it's really just a natural way of doing things.

Learning from nature, looking at nature, seeing what's there and how it's producing for us and taking that as guidance.

The way that the system is set up, the farmers don't really have a choice because they're doing their job. They're just trying to feed their families, put food on the table. And it's not the farmer's fault. It's the way that the system is set up for the farmer to succeed. If the system was more in line with nature and embracing regenerative practices, if there was more insurance around that, more incentives around that for the farmer to protect the farmer,

then that's better. I don't think the farmer really cares at the end of the day. It's just, at least these big conventional farmers. So it's nothing against them. We have to support them as much as we can. It's the people above them that's the problem.

Valentina Gritti (13:15)
Yeah, exactly. And also supported transition from conventional farm to organic farm. Andrew has a special connection to nature, which sometimes turns into a spiritual dimension, something he defines as a wow moment. But how does he get to that feeling?

Andrew Valenti (13:34)
I don't know if there's any roadmap to get to that feeling other than just getting outside and opening yourself up. So I've had several times in my life where I've been in a field, you know, I think, I think the first time it happened to me was I was in a field of tomatoes, picking tomatoes. And I was just overtaken by this feeling of, of wow.

⁓ and it literally brought me to my knees and I just looked up at the sky, tears in my eyes, just being overwhelmed by the beauty of everything around me. I was just suddenly aware of all of the plants growing, the trees in the distance, the birds flying overhead, the clouds, absolutely everything felt connected and.

I was overcome by just beauty. And that's only ever happened to me when I've been outside in nature, just with a clear mind. Often with farming, you're doing repetitive tasks. So if I'm out there picking tomatoes for four hours straight, I'm just in this state of, you know, your body is just doing what it's doing and your mind can just really

open itself clear. And so I think that's when these moments can happen. When I'm just touching plants, feet on the ground, outside, and you're one with nature at that point. Even if it is a man-made planted crop in these straight rows, I've had those experiences there. I've had them in the woods in nature. Just.

being outside, it's really just giving yourself the opportunity to go outside, touch a tree, touch the soil, smell the soil, and think about the amount of life that is in a single handful of soil and how you're all connected. So that's how I've been having those wow moments in my life.

And they continue to happen. I just, I'm so excited. The sun's out today. I can't wait to just get outside.

yeah.

Yes. Of course, of course. That's an essential part of wherever I go. And I'm lucky now because where I am there are two miniature donkeys that I'm helping take care of ⁓ and they're just babies. They arrived just the week before I got here. we're kind of all getting to know. they're so sweet. We're getting to know the property together. ⁓

Valentina Gritti (16:38)
Just as a background information, last time we spoke, Andrew was in Italy, so it is really true that you are very nomadic, one time here, one time there. So nice. And so you have described this sort of, I don't know, we can call it a nirvana state of mind while being in India, like this wow moment.

Andrew Valenti (17:00)
I would imagine...

Yeah?

Valentina Gritti (17:04)
But do you think there can be actually also more of a physical, chemical connection with the soil in addition to this mindful state?

Andrew Valenti (17:18)
So I was thinking about this and I think a good way to relate it is to thinking about ⁓ native plants in a specific area. So native plants are adapted to really thrive where they are, where they're from. You know, a cactus is not going to grow very well out here in the fields of Wales.

the way that it will in the deserts of the Sonora. And, you know, that's one example of millions. And so I think that we, we adapt to our environment as well. I think as humans, we're a bit more adaptable and we can quickly adapt to a new place if we're traveling. ⁓ I heard a story from somebody who

did a lot of traveling in India. And while he was there, he lived there for several months. He had, in the beginning, he had a really rough time adjusting to the food and was sick a lot, ⁓ completely changed his stomach. And you hear about this often when somebody travels to a foreign place, they really have to get used to the food. ⁓ And that's a chemical thing that's happening within your body. I mean, you're...

your whole body is like, what is this? I've never experienced this. Like, we got to figure this out. But eventually you do adapt to it. And this guy in particular, he said his skin even started turning darker, his hair got darker. He was having these physiological changes happening in a really short amount of time, just being completely immersed. He was working on a farm and just being there. And so.

bringing this to our own backyards, our own microbiome, we are adapting to the soil, to the trees, to the bird song, to everything that's around us. Those things are being continually imprinted in ourselves. And so our bodies are learning from that on the level that our mind isn't really understanding completely, but our bodies are taking in all this information.

the light that's coming in depending upon where you live. So right now I'm in Wales and the daylight hours are very short. So my body is getting used to the sun coming up at close to eight o'clock in the morning and going down at four PM at night. ⁓ So that's my body is taking that in, taking that light information in.

It's taking in the soil information, the smells from the donkeys. Like that's a new thing that, that I'm, my body's getting used to. So on a physiological level, everything inside of me is responding and working to make this all work for me. If that makes sense.

Valentina Gritti (20:24)
Yeah, no, totally makes sense. And also I assume it works also the other way around so that we can influence the soil that we are working with because we touch it, because there is an exchange on a bacterial level, you know, like you put your hands in the soil and so on.

Andrew Valenti (20:46)
you

Valentina Gritti (20:47)
It's interesting to mention that some communities, for example in the Peruvian Andes, follow the practice of holding a seed in their mouth before planting it.

Andrew Valenti (20:56)
Well, this is something of an ancient practice, and I think this has been practiced around the world for thousands of years. It's one of those things that, you without communicating, people have just been doing because it just feels like a natural thing. So that's the act of before you're planting seeds in the ground, you hold the seeds in your mouth. And this does a number of things. ⁓ One of the things that has not been proven and I think is only written in the book and I've been trying to

find this. So I'm going to start with the myth and then go more into some reality. The myth that I like to believe too, I think it's kind of cool. The myth is that when you hold the seeds in your mouth, the seeds are actually reading your DNA and getting to know who you are in that brief moment that they're just interacting with your saliva. And so the seeds are then

Valentina Gritti (21:33)
Go for it!

Andrew Valenti (21:55)
reorientating themselves to produce what your body needs specifically. So because they've interacted with you and gotten to know your DNA, when the seed is planted and that plant is growing, it knows what nutrients to focus on and produce more of to help provide more nutrients for you. This has not been proven, ⁓ but it's a lovely idea.

And maybe that will be proven someday. This is just something that some people in my community have shared with me over the years. ⁓ But on a more realistic thing of what's actually happening. So one thing that's happening is by holding the seeds in your mouth, that's almost like a pre-germination. So often seeds need, depending upon the seed, they might need to be pre-germinated.

in order for them to have a better go at actually sprouting underground. So that's just coating the seed in saliva, in a liquid, so that the seed membrane is softer so that the seed can germinate and come through its shell. So that's one thing that's happening when you're holding your seeds in your mouth. And another thing is it's just connecting you so you can look at it the other way around.

connecting with the DNA of the seed rather than the seed reading your DNA. You're connecting with the seed. You're having this intimate moment when you're out in the field before you planted in the ground. You're carrying this almost like a mother carries a child in her belly. You're carrying these children in your mouth and putting them in the ground, letting them know.

Okay. You are going to be a zucchini. This is what you are. I've held you in my mouth. I know the seed of a zucchini. You have all of the divine information in you. know exactly how to grow. You're going to be a zucchini ⁓ or whatever other seed you're growing. And so that's more of a spiritual level. That's something that's, that's just a personal thing that you can really.

connect with your plants even more. So once that plant grows and you harvest your zucchini, you can go back to that moment where you held that little seed in your mouth.

Valentina Gritti (24:34)
So cute, so nice. ⁓ Yeah, I want to try it someday. ⁓ Let's see how.

Andrew Valenti (24:36)
It is cute.

It's pretty easy. It's the easiest thing. mean, and you can do this. You don't even have to have a garden. You can do this with ⁓ a windowsill planter. You can do it with like an herb plant, know, something that you start in your window or even ⁓ microgreens. Put some microgreens in your mouth before you sprout them. But one thing I will say though is only make sure you know where your seeds come from and make sure that they're organic.

because conventional seeds oftentimes are coated in pesticides, they're coated in growth ⁓ inoculates. So they're coated in things that you do not wanna put in your mouth.

Valentina Gritti (25:26)
Just as background information, the seed industry coates seeds with pesticides to protect young plants from pests and diseases during their vulnerable early growth stage, which increases their survival rate. But still, if you put them in your mouth, you will be the one ingesting the pesticides.

Andrew Valenti (25:45)
So just get organic seeds, yeah.

Valentina Gritti (25:47)
And Andrew, do you have any practical tips for people that have never garden before, but that would like to start?

Andrew Valenti (25:56)
Well, the first thing, don't be afraid. know, humans have been doing this for so long and it can be an intimidating thing to get, to, know, to try to, to try to grow your own food, ⁓ but just have fun with it. So that's, that's tip number one. Don't be afraid and have fun. If you're growing outside, if you're growing a garden, the first thing that I like to say is before you think about growing food and vegetables, think about growing your soil.

So really focus on your soil, cause that's where all the life is. That's, that's where it's all going to happen. ⁓ and by growing soil, mean, bringing in compost, growing compost, making your own compost. ⁓ looking at all the, the materials around you, if you, if you're surrounded by trees, deciduous trees that drop their leaves every year, those leaves are going to be great for your garden. If you live near the sea and there's.

seaweed that gets washed up on the shore. That's going to be great for your garden. If you have a neighbor or somebody in your town that has horses or cows, all that manure is going to be great. So look at what's around you and another great way to connect with your community, connect with your microbiome. So it's really all about observing and for somebody just getting started, try with just.

a few plants, you know, go, it's easiest to go buy some starts rather than starting your own seeds. When I was starting out, had such a hard time growing plants from seed for whatever reason. It took me a while to really get the swing of it and figure out how to do that. It's a, it's something that you just need to, to learn over time.

Valentina Gritti (27:44)
You weren't putting them in your mouth yet.

Andrew Valenti (27:47)
I didn't know that yet. Once I started doing that, I was just, I was off. ⁓ But go to visit your local nursery or anywhere that maybe has plants that are already growing. So that'll be easier for you to grow. And just try there, start there, or get a potted basil plant from the grocery store if they have that and put it in your window and learn about how to.

to prune it correctly, because there are ways to prune a basil plant so that it'll just keep producing for you. And go through that experience. Go through the experience of one plant that is producing something for you to eat, and then start going from there. Then get two plants, and then get 12 plants, and then buy a farm.

Valentina Gritti (28:37)
Little by little scaling up. And what are your next plans, Andrew? Where are you going after Wales or how long are you staying there? But also what are other plans that you have in mind?

Andrew Valenti (28:53)
Where I'm going after whales is a good question, and I'd love to know myself. I'm not sure where I'll physically be, but something that I'm working on that I'm very excited about is I'm starting my own podcast, and it's called Gardens of Earthly Delight. And it's essentially having conversations like we've had, where I'll be interviewing people who come from the food world, the agriculture world, the social media influencer world, the celebrity world.

And talking with people who have their own unique connection to the earth, whether they have backyard gardens themselves, or have supreme connections with gardeners and farmers who help profit, bring food to their business. ⁓ we're talking about the connections that they have to earth and helping to inspire other people to go outside and create their own connections, find their own connections, just exploring that way to.

to get outside and have those wow moments that I've had. And that so many people have had. What I strive to inspire people is to look around them, see where you are, and connect with your local community. ⁓ Another really brief story I'll share is, I didn't know, so the entire time growing up as an American, I didn't know the entire time I was actually also an Italian citizen. Well, I had to prove that.

And the only reason I figured that out is because I developed a conversation, a relationship with one of my local farmers. You know, time after time going to visit her, we get talking more and more. I discovered that she had her dual citizenship in Ireland. And so I was like, that's cool. I think I have some Italian ancestors. I wonder if I could be Italian. And that was that. So it completely changed my life. So I went on this whole journey to get my Italian citizenship.

through my ancestry only because I got talking with my local farmer because of the importance of getting local food. talk with my farmer and now I have two passports. So you never know, you never know what's going to change your life when you talk to the people producing your food and more than just, ⁓ buying food from them and supporting them in that way, support them.

Emotionally because they are working so hard every day. Another reason why it's important to grow your own food is to realize how hard it is, especially at scale. So when I'm growing food in my backyard garden is really not to feed myself. It's to have the experience of growing and to help understand the importance of supporting my local growers because they're growing on scale. They're the people who are actually feeding us.

and it's so important to support them.

Valentina Gritti (31:53)
I would like to mention that one of the main programs of Slow Food is called the Slow Food Farms, which are set to become the largest global network of farms dedicated to producing good, clean and fair food, in a way that it's rooted in agroecological principles. So I invite you to check if there is a Slow Food Farm close to you and connect to the farmers. Or if you know a local sustainable farm, please invite them to connect to our network.

Andrew Valenti (32:18)
I think that's such a great thing, so important to have, because that's one of the hardest things is finding your farmers. And to have these resources is essential. And another thing is, is every little place in the world has a special kind of food that they produce or that they make from food that is grown there. You know, I was just introduced to Welsh cakes yesterday, which are these little sweet. They're so good.

Valentina Gritti (32:43)
Nice, I love it.

Andrew Valenti (32:47)
⁓ and so yeah, I had my first Welsh cake yesterday and, and, you know, but everywhere you go, there's something special that's unique to that place. You know, if it's like a cup of New England clam chowder or, you know, or even just on the East coast of the United States, there are so many different kinds of chowders you can have. or in Italy, the, the, all the different kinds of pastas that are unique to that.

one small region or even a certain town, the shape of the pasta is, that town made that shape of pasta. And it's just so important. So the more that we connect with our communities, the more that the biodiversity of food in the world will continue to thrive and exist. Because some of these things are that fear of being lost forever, some of these foods.

Valentina Gritti (33:38)
Yeah, exactly. what you eat shapes your soul. How you mentioned before, you gave the example of your friend that went to India and then started to change also physically because of what he hates and also because of what he was doing. So it's really like that, like what you eat becomes you. know that a lot of people are already saying that, but it is true. There is this chemical transformation in your body and...

It makes you different person. So the microbiome in your intestine is shaped by the food you eat.

Andrew Valenti (34:15)
You are what you eat. And if you're eating happy food produced by happy people that you know, then happy world.

Valentina Gritti (34:21)
Everyone is happy.

Great. Well, thank you so much, Andrew, for this super nice conversation and good luck with the donkeys, with the new experience in Wales and also good luck with the podcast. I'm really, really curious to listen to that.

Andrew Valenti (34:41)
Thank you so much.

Valentina Gritti (34:43)
you have listened to Andrew Valenti. Now let's sum up what we have learned today.

Open yourself to nature, try hands-on experiences to get more connected to the environment surrounding you. You might be surprised by the feelings you could feel.

If you are a first time gardener, don't be afraid, everyone can garden. Start with one plant, something easy that gives you some food, and increase little by little. We actually have an episode on gardening to get you started. It's called Green Tums, from school gardens to your own balcony with the Frenchie Gardener. You'll find it in season 4, episode 1 of our show. Get in touch with your local farmers and connect them to the Slow Food Farms program if they aren't part of it already.

Remember that you are what you eat, so if you eat happy food you will be a happy person.

Thanks Andrew Valenti for this inspiring conversation. If you liked today's episode, please share it with your friends and give us a good rating on your favorite podcasting platform. This will help us a lot to increase our visibility. Finally, in the podcast description, you will find the link to Andrew's new podcast, Gardens of Earthy Delight. This is Valentina Gritti and you have been listening to Slow Food, the podcast. Ciao!