Give Peas a Chance

Ben Branson of Seedlip

Credit: Reggie Morris

On this week's show, we meet farmers, distillers, and plant breeders who are pioneers in their fields – and celebrate peas on earth. We begin with Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip – a distillery that produces non-alcoholic spirits using peas grown on his 300-year-old family farm in Northern England.

Then, we learn about plant breeder Dr. Calvin Lamborn, known as the Father of the Sugar Snap Pea. We speak with his son, Rod Lamborn, who is working hard to preserve his late father’s legacy.

We also meet distiller Jeff Quint, whose family tree can be traced back nine generations to the Mosel River Valley in Germany. He now uses his vast stores of corn to produce award-winning bourbons in Swisher, Iowa.

Finally, we hear about a very happy marriage between dairy farming and distilling. Paul Archie explains how he and his farmer friend Jason Barber were inspired to experiment with cow's milk to make a totally unexpected beverage – a whey-based vodka. They call it Black Cow Pure Milk Vodka.