The Jiffy: Stories From Upstate New York
James Cave
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About This Podcast
A documentary audio zine about upstate New York, exploring cozy histories, odd mysteries, and personal dispatches from the land of bucolic barns and Kinderhook blobs.
Each episode is an upstate odyssey. From high-stakes bake-offs and haunted antiques to roadside cows and quaking trees, host James Cave brings you stories from New York’s non-Manhattan regions told with curiosity, humor, and the occasional text message from a stranger.
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Recent Episodes
A Postcard From Pinkster Fest (Re-Jiffy)
Send a textThe podcast is still on a bit of a hiatus while I produce "Little Pod" (a limited series with Olivia Muenter).I'll be back with new episodes here soon, but in the meantime, I'm re-sharing…
Shaker Mother Ann Lee: A 'True Legend'
Send a textMother Ann Lee is one of the most consequential (and least understood) figures in early American religious history.In just ten years in the colonies, during the chaos of the American…
To The Clock Tower!!
Send a textIn the first episode of the New Year, we get as close to the concept of time as possible: by climbing into Chatham’s 1872 clock tower with village timekeeper Stephen Piazza.Here are some…
Friend of The Jiffy: "Music Person" Presents A Postcard From The Hudson Valley
Send a textDylan Tupper Rupert joins the show today in my first-ever feed drop to take us on a ride-along with her podcast "Music Person!"It's the first part in a three-part series for her show,…
A Break For Local Holiday News And Gossip
Send a textWhile on a holiday break in December, I'm sharing this special episode featuring local news and gossip from the Rhinebeck Gazette of the 1800s, available through the Hudson River Valley…
Don't Mess With Taylor
Send a textWhat is the job of a County Clerk? In Ulster County, it can mean managing DMV processes, preserving 300-year-old land records, and keeping the legal paper trail of everyday life in order.…
A Sleep Hike To The Empty Space
Send a textSometimes things get too stressful here at The Jiffy, a podcast about upstate New York that really takes you places.And when this happens, I lace up my hiking boots and guide you on a…
The Old Ball Game
Send a textIt’s a brisk October afternoon in Kingston, New York, for the final game of the Vintage Base Ball 2025 season between the Kingston Guards and the Ulster Nine.We're at Herzog Field, beside…
Leaf Peeping With The Best Of Them
Send a textIt’s peak leaf peeping season, and I'm bringing this episode to you from The Leaf Watch Desk deep in the Woods of the James Cave Instagram Feed. This year’s official Leaf Watch Leaf, as…
A Guide To The Many Chathams
Send a textWhat does it mean to belong to a place? Standing in the famous gazebo at the intersection of multiple boundaries – the village of Chatham, the town of Chatham, and perhaps even the town of…
A Break For Some Local News
Send a textWhile on a holiday break at the Columbia County Fair, I'm sharing this special episode featuring local news stories from the Chatham Courier newspapers of the 1800s, available through the…
The World's Most Ultimate Hudson Valley Picnic Of All Time
Send a textI finally received my first Listener Question!!! (You can use the link in the show notes above to send in yours.)So when listener Murphy asked how to create "the ultimate Hudson Valley…
A Postcard From Pinkster Fest
Send a textIt’s a Jiffy Audio Postcard today from Rothermel Park in Kinderhook, where the Pinkster Festival – a powerful Black cultural celebration with Dutch colonial roots – was revived for the…
The Hungry Eye Looks At Ruth Reichl And The Screaming Focaccia
Send a textI locked James out of the studio for this one.Because Ruth Reichl – my hero, my origin story, my reason for existing – came to Chatham, New York, to judge the Great Chatham Bake-Off. And…
Summer Reads & Lives Of Trees
Send a textIn this episode, I’m continuing our tour through The Jiffy-Mart – my online bodega and members’ lounge – and this time, we’re stepping through the forest refrigerator straight into the…
The Bodega Cat Room and Beyond
Send a textIn this episode, we tour the Jiffy-Mart, the official digital bodega of the James Cave Instagram Feed.Then we dive into a thoughtful exploration of land acknowledgments with Indigenous…
A Sleep Hike Through Mud Creek
Send a textIt's Mud Season here, not just at The James Cave Instagram Feed, but across all of the northeast.And for this relaxing Sleep Hike, I thought it would be peaceful to take a restful walk…
The Jiffy Gets Stuck In The Mud
Send a textIt’s spring in upstate New York, also known as Mud Season. In this episode, I go searching for the answers to its riddles: why Mud Season exists, what’s really happening down there in the…
The Jiffy Rediscovers Reading With Tom Grattan & Maureen Rodgers
Send a textThis week brought the first official day of spring – but as a confusing and misplaced winter storm batters my windows, I’m bringing you one last cozy episode before we fold up the Cozy Map…
It's Time For A Very Historic Podcast Episode
Send a textOn today's episode, I’m making a house call to one of the oldest – and most mysterious – homes in the Hudson Valley. The Van Housen-Marriott House on Route 66 has stood for centuries,…
Frequently Asked Questions
The Jiffy: Stories From Upstate New York has published 31 episodes since February 2024, covering topics in Documentary, History.
The Jiffy: Stories From Upstate New York is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 18m.
