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[♪♪♪♪♪]

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Daphne: So here we are

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at R&R Herbs with farmer 
and owner Jose Ramirez.

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Jose, tell me, how many kinds 
of plants are you growing here?

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Jose: It's blackberries, 
strawberries,

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raspberries

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and olallieberries 
and rosemary.

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Daphne: That sounds like 
a lot of perennial plants.

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Why do you like those plants?

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Because you don't 
have to plant it every year.

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Daphne: 
So you plant your Blackberries,

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and then

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how many years does it take 
before they really are producing

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at scale for you?

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Jose: Blackberries produce 
the same year.

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olallieberries take two years.

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Daphne: And how about rosemary?

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Jose: Rosemary. It takes 
probably a couple of years

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or more before you have a good, 
you know, full production.

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And we have plant

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has been in the ground 
for 50 years.

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Daphne: Wow.  
Jose: Yes.

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And its still producing.

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Daphne: 
And that whole time, it's

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got its roots in the soil 
and it's protecting the soil.

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Jose: Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

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Daphne: It turns out that 
growing perennial crops is great

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for the soil.

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These roots also help

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the plant access, water 
and minerals deep in the soil.

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So that that plant requires 
less fertilizer and less water.

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Because these plants are not 
uprooted, there is less tilling

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a farm practice 
which can harm soil microbes.

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Perennial crops block out weeds, 
so there's less of a need

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for herbicides.

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Perennial crops 
are also great homes

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for birds, butterflies 
and other pollinators,

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which help 
all the plants on the farm

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do better and lower 
the need for herbicides.

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The fruit 
that grows on perennial plants.

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Because these plants 
tend to be hardier.

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The fruit is so good for you.

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So strawberries, olallieberries, 
raspberries,

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blackberries are incredibly rich 
in phytonutrients.

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Those chemical compounds 
that help our bodies

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fight cancer

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and even decrease our risk 
of diabetes and heart disease.

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While the roots are promoting 
healthy bugs in the soil,

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the berries are doing

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the same in our gut by promoting 
a healthy microbiome.

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One cup of berries offers 
about one third of our daily

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fiber needs.

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I like to have mine on a salad 
or with a scoop of plain

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Greek yogurt and some chopped 
almonds or walnuts as garnish.

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Rosemary is great with roast 
chicken and squash and potatoes

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and rosemary.

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Essential oil rubbed on painful 
joints will help alleviate

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pain and inflammation.

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Having a little bit of rosemary

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extract 
can help with your digestion.

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It can also calm you or soothe 
your nerves

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just to smell rosemary.

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So it's also used 
as an aroma therapy.

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So it has a lot of more 
medicinal purposes as well.

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Given all the ways

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that perennial crops impact 
soil health and our health.

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We want to see more of them.

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Perennials cover 
most of the earth,

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but make up only 13% 
of our cropland.

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Fruit and nut trees and berry

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bushes are among the most common 
types of perennial crops.

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But what about perennial 
vegetables?

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Some in this region include 
asparagus and artichokes.

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And in the Midwest, farmers 
are beginning to experiment

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with perennial wheat 
called Kernza, which is a cross

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between a wild wheat grass 
and your typical annual wheat.

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It has twice as much protein 
and fiber as your standard wheat

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and a lot more disease 
fighting phytonutrients.

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Perennial plants that have 
permanent roots in the ground

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are a win-win 
win for the farmer and the soil

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and eaters like us.