Ted Audio Collective. to how to be a better human. I'm your host Chris Duffy. Growing up in a big city, I did not have

much of a connection to the idea of cultivating or finding your own food. Every once in a while, we would

buy a potted basil plant from the supermarket and then I would watch it slowly wither and die because it could not get enough sunlight on our window sale.

And now, now I live in Southern California where there are just citrus trees growing on the sidewalk.

It is wild. People are out here picking and eating lemons and oranges and pomegranates and all sorts of other fruit on their commute to work.

And while I love that, I have to admit it still feels a little unnatural to me.

I have only ever viewed city sidewalks as being fertile places for bacteria and disease to grow, not for fruit and food.

And yet, food growing outdoors, free, that's actually the most natural thing that could exist. It is literally nature. So if you're like me and you feel

pretty disconnected from the idea about where food comes from, today's guest is exactly

the person to help open our eyes.

And if you are already into foraging and gardening and growing food,

well, get ready to nerd out with someone who shares your passions.

Alexis Nicole Nelson is a forager, a cook, and a passionate environmental scientist.

She has been thinking about food since she was very, very young.

Here's a clip from her TED Talk.

At the age of five, upon realizing that the cows in the field and the cows on my dad's grill were the same cows,

I asked my parents if I could go vegetarian, to which they said,

sure, but let's wait until you're done growing first.

So sure that I would change my mind

over the next five to nine years.

Well, shortly after my 12th birthday,

I took the plunge,

...