These papers take us on journeys through some of the world's most famous gardens, as well as lesser-known ones. All were originally designed to serve the needs and desires of…

Fertility, sin, sexualization, domesticity. . . these are just a few of the tropes associated with women and fruit. These papers approach these tropes, and more, by probing literary depictions…

The use of flowers as significant ingredients, used both for flavor and health, is especially pronounced in non-European cuisines. This panel considers the values ascribed to flowers (amongst other plants)…

Premodern literature in China is resplendent with lyrical descriptions of stone fruits that can serve as metaphors for politics and society. So, too, in India, where the literature garden becomes…

Folk tradition versus modern science. Working within the home versus employment outside. Thrift versus luxury. Technological innovation and the ascendency of 'expertise,' if occasionally misguided. Even the threat of sabotage…

These papers provide insights into Indigenous agricultural practices that defy Western and colonial ideas of what 'agriculture' or a 'garden' should be. Whether finding gods in the forest or celebrating…

What if Linnaeus's ideas on taxonomy were dethroned? What if we eschewed the traditional silver metal for Western dining implements and turned to renewable wood, for both environmental and aesthetic…

Wild edible plants, which have recently acquired cultural caché by chefs and others foraging for local foods, contribute not only delicious flavors but are important sources of nutrition and traditional…

Why are certain fruits suddenly in vogue? What is the role of the media (social or traditional) in promoting one fruit over another? Governments? And how do rare varieties survive…

These papers present two contrasting perspectives on British commercial gardens, one examining supplying London from the 16th through early 19th centuries, and the other analyzing the spread of British apples…

What happens when a food plant spreads from its original home? Do cultural meanings associated with the plant travel, evolve, or fall away? Do culinary uses of the plant shift?…

These papers urge us to reconsider the speciesist model of human domination over the floral and faunal environments and to recognize 'geopoetics,' that is, the essential and active role played…