The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Embarking on extreme tasks to bring attention to important issues.In This Podcast:Rob Greenfield lived a fairly normal American life until 2011 when he began reading and watching documentaries that helped him realize he was contributing to the destruction of our planet. That was enough to set him on a course of performing extreme actions in order to motivate others to change as well. Having already taken three separate bicycle rides across America doing good deeds and showing ways to make less of an impact on the planet, he’s embarking on his biggest adventure yet—going an entire year eating only what he produces or forages himself.Rob Greenfield is an adventurer, environmental activist, humanitarian, and dude making a difference. He is dedicated to leading the way to a more sustainable and just world.Rob has visited 6 continents and 40 countries, lived off-grid in a tiny house, wore a trash-suit for a month, dove in more than two thousand dumpsters, cycled across the U.S. twice on a bamboo bicycle, traveled over 7000 miles from Brazil to Panama relying on the goodness of humanity, participated in a cross-country good deeds bike trek, and shared all this to inspire change in others.His next project is going an entire year without eating food from grocery stores, restaurants, or even eating or drinking at a party.  He will be growing and foraging 100% of his food for an entire year.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/29/411-rob-greenfield/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.Rob Greenfield on Food Freedom Project.

Building up a better buzz on bees.In This Podcast:Walking by Lloyds of London with his wife Ashley, Lloyd Hardrick was intrigued by the beehives in the windows of the famous bank that shared his name. Curiosity led to research and research led to the career path that Lloyd and Ashley ventured on—raising bees. Making an impact on their community is the primary goal for Lloyd as he works to educate people on bees and their importance in our lives. As Lloyd says, “We all depend on bees. It’s everybody’s business to want to save the bees.”  Lloyd served in the U.S. Army for 10 years. After the army, he became a certified beekeeper and in 2015 he and his wife Ashley founded their beekeeping company. Honey Bee Goode Apiaries, is not just about bees and honey, they specialize in developing relationships with urban farmers and teaching in the local communities about the relationship between bees, flowers, and food.Honey Bee Goode Apiaries was one of the Farmer Veteran Coalition’s 2018 Fellowship Fund Grant recipients. Honey Bee Good plants their hives on urban farms throughout their community.Lloyd was the recipient of a $1000 Tractor Supply donation, through the Veteran Coalition’s program that offers assistance to veterans in the early stages of their farming operations.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/25/410-lloyd-hardrick/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.Lloyd Hardrick on Keeping Urban Bees

Creating healthy, nutritious snacks.In This Podcast:Tanya Batche loved to bake but didn’t necessarily think of it as a career. Looking at the frightening trend of obesity and diabetes, she knew there must be a way to still enjoy, and allow others to enjoy her delicious endeavors. Tanya turned her love of baking into her life’s work, teaching us how to enjoy our treats but making them much healthier.  Now you can enjoy her Hunger Bomb cookies too. As well as making these healthy treats Tanya also helps private clients learn to become healthier too. Tanya is a Dietitian, certified in Adult Weight Management with over 25 years of experience helping patients and clients stay healthy.  She has traveled most of the country as a Corporate Dietitian overseeing senior living and wellness programs in healthcare.  She started baking as a little girl in Ohio, where she used to surprise her dad with treats (she hid) after he came from work.She decided to follow her passion by combining her love of baking and her knowledge of healthy nutritious foods and started her own company! She created Hunger-Bomb Cookies, healthy treats that are delicious and filling while satisfying your sweet tooth, without spiking your blood sugar!  In addition to baking and selling her treats at farmers’ markets and online, Tanya also provides nutrition consultation to clients who want to live delicious and healthy lives.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/22/409-tanya-batche/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.Tanya Batche on Delicious Low Sugar Treats

Preferring the taste of fresh pressed over store bought.In This Podcast:Curiosity on what to do with the fruit from the three large olive trees in his new yard led Ron Mantini on a quest to make his own olive oil. Over the course of several years, with trial and error and the power of the internet, Ron has discovered how to make an delicious olive oil. He has learned how to turn the olives on his and neighboring trees into a bright green, fresh and addictive pressed oil, a nice pairing for his homemade bread and pasta.Ron was born and raised in Lorain Ohio, 30 miles west of Cleveland on the shores of Lake Erie.  He moved to Chandler, Arizona in 2000 after graduating from the Ohio State University to work for Intel Corporation, which he still does until this day.  He is married with 4 children between the ages of 8-13.  With several olive trees at his home, Ron taught himself how to make olive oil from scratch.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/18/408-ron-mantini/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.Ron Mantini on Homemade Olive Oil

Becoming a steward of the soil.In This Podcast: As a contour farmer facing the problem of so much soil washing away in the rain, Steve Szudera found his solution when he borrowed a no-till drill in 1981. He never looked back as he learned how completing warm and cool crop cycles and protecting the soil from damage were keys to healthy, productive crops. Steve shares with us ways to rejuvenate our soil, and even shares how he reuses old potting soil, making it healthier than before. Steve is a third-generation farmer from western North Dakota with over 35 years of no-till farming experience building and maintaining soil health. After realizing that the standard farming practices done before he took over were the cause of the wind and water erosion, and that the soil was depleted of moisture and nutrients, he converted to no-till farming.  He learned very quickly that just one simple practice of not disturbing the soil would allow it to rebuild and recover.He now teaches others how to rebuild and protect the natural commodity of their own soil so that they too can become stewards.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/15/407-steve-szudera/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.407: Steve Szudera on Nutrient Rich Soil

Managing an urban farm for families in poverty or homeless.In This Podcast: Being a single mother trying to provide nutritious options for her children in a food desert gave St. Vincent de Paul’s Urban Farm manager Nika Forte a great understanding and compassion for the people she serves. She shares with her belief that food should nourish the body, mind and spirit with her clientele as she encourages them to reconnect with where their food comes from as they are being helped by the many services of St. Vincent de Paul. Nika is the Urban Farm Manager for St. Vincent de Paul where she creates programming and community engagement events. Her job also includes managing community members who volunteer time at the Urban Farm, growing, processing and distributing freshly grown vegetables to the homeless community and needy families that they provide service for. Her role in the program is to improve food access and food security in under served communities.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/11/406-nika-forte/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.406: Nika Forte on Farming for the Under-Served

Organically recycling through vermicomposting.In This Podcast: Rhonda Sherman, an extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University, shares how throwing away our food waste is a major problem in landfills, releasing methane gas which is a contributor to climate change and causing heavy metals to be released into water sources. She spends 90 percent of her work time educating people in what to do with their food waste instead, namely by composting or vermicomposting. Rhonda shares access to many of the publications she’s written which can be found on her website.Rhonda is an extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University, providing leadership for university outreach programs on solid waste management issues through the Cooperative Extension Service. She holds degrees in Environmental Studies and Urban/Regional Planning, and Environmental Resources Analysis with an emphasis in solid waste management.Rhonda’s areas of expertise are vermicomposting, composting, recycling, and waste reduction. She gives about 40 presentations annually and has authored over 65 publications on these topics. Her new book is The Worm Farmer’s Handbook: Mid- to Large-Scale Vermicomposting for Farms, Businesses, Municipalities, Schools, and Institutions published by our friends at Chelsea Green.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/08/405-rhonda-sherman/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.405: Rhonda Sherman on Worm Farming

Bringing farm products to the local market.In This Podcast: Lyndsay Ludden and her husband Eric wanted to grow real food. They talked about it all the time.  This led them to take the bold step to sell their home in Phoenix and find their perfect property in Cornville, Arizona. On just over two acres of land Lyndsay and Eric built their farm from scratch, beginning with chickens and goats. Having more eggs than they could use led them to the farmer’s market. They’ve been working and adding new animals and gardens to the Hoppy Goat Farm for two years now and feel they’ve made the right choice.Lyndsay and her husband Eric started a farm several years ago to raise and grow their own food.  Originally their intent was health related however, as “super foodies” they began realizing how much better everything tastes when they grow and harvest it themselves.  They now have two large gardens, as well as goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs, and bees.  They offer many different items from their farm including fresh eggs, cheeses, mud scrubs, soap and a special seasoning blend.  Plus you can find her at the Sedona Farmers Market on Sundays.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/04/404-lyndsay-ludden/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.404: Lyndsay Ludden as a Farmer at the Market

Training future farmers to shape the future of our food system.In This Podcast: Wondering where the bananas came from while eating them in his native United Kingdom was just the first step for Tobias Peggs, as he sought to figure out how to grow the food in his own city that previously would have spent weeks being shipped in from different climates. He was sure he could mimic the plants’ normal environments. Peggs has not only built a working modular farm in Brooklyn, New York, but runs a Next-Gen Farmer training program to help ensure that others are working toward his mission of bringing real food to all the cities of the world.Tobias is cofounder and CEO of Square Roots – an urban farming company headquartered in Brooklyn, NYC. He has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Cardiff University in his native United Kingdom. He is a Techstars mentor, competitive triathlete, snowboarder, and ramen hunter.Square Roots grows and sells tasty, nutritious food year-round from their Brooklyn campus of indoor, controlled-climate, modular farms. Their mission is to bring local, real food to people in cities, by empowering next-gen leaders in urban farming—because “the more of us working to shape the future of food, the better”.Founded in 2016 by Tobias and Kimbal Musk, Square Roots is also host to a “Next-Gen Farmer Training Program”—a year-long, hands-on training program that puts participants at the forefront of the indoor urban farming industry.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/12/01/403-tobias-peggs/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.403: Tobias Peggs on Empowering Next-Gen Leaders

Bonus Episode 22: Seed Saving Class October 2018.A chat with an expert on Seeds.In This Bonus Podcast: There is always a bounty of information available in conversations with Bill McDorman. This is the October 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - learn about Glass Gem Corn, how to be a seed steward, and why corn diversity is so important.Join the class! Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Seed Saving Class with Live Q&A Bill McDorman is Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/27/bonus-22/ for show notes and links on this bonus podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Creating a line of homemade nutritious and delicious snacks.In This Podcast: As a young mother of two, and having just left corporate America, Ciara Bennett wanted something that was going to be helpful and healthful for her young children.  An inspiration to start making high-quality snacking granola also moved her build a business around this product while allowing her to keep her own identity.  Now she makes Vintage Oats, a line of premium granola with unique & tasty flavors her kids love and so do her customers.Ciara is the founder of VintageOats, a Phoenix based, premium granola company.  Originally from Joliet Illinois she has been a resident of Arizona for over 20 years. As a proud mother of a 2 and 7-year-old she was looking for better choices to feed them and her journey was the inspiration to launch her company.She is the creative mind behind all her premium flavors of granola, which focus on healthy, non-GMO ingredients and no artificial flavors, preservatives or colors.  Primarily selling at farmers markets and other local events, she is expanding to offer her homemade premium granola products online.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/24/402-ciara-bennett/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.402: Ciara Bennett on Premium Homemade Granola

Homesteading in the Suburbs.In This Podcast: They planted their first fruit tree on a 1/10th-acre urban home. Prompted to look for something healthier, Duane Hebert moved to property just outside of Phoenix, or as he calls it – The Edge of Nowhere. On a semi-urban farm, they focused on growing healthy food and sharing with family, friends and a few customers. With a holistic mindset focused on healthy growing in all areas of the farm, even the chickens get the healthiest diet.  And he shares what he has learned.Born and raised in Gardena, CA in the heart of South-Central Los Angeles, Duane grew up a typical urban kid. However, at 19 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease and underwent 6 months of chemotherapy to save his life. Now a 25-year cancer survivor, he strives to live a life grounded in the reality that what we eat and what we keep OUT of our body is critical to healthy living.In 2004 he and his wife Lori planted their first lemon tree on their typical 1/10th of an acre suburban lot in Northern Phoenix, and 5 years later they had more fruit than they could use or even give away. Then in 2010, a gift of locally-grown apples sparked an interest in seeing just what could be grown in this harsh desert environment. Fast forward 8 more years and the Heberts now run Edge of Nowhere Farm which is home to over 100 fruit trees, as well as laying hens, broiler chickens and pigs.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/20/401-duane-hebert/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.401: Duane Hebert on Growing a Healthy Diet

Being a resource for organic growers for over three decades.In This Podcast: In 1988, Eliot Coleman literally wrote the book on being an organic grower and has been an invaluable resource for organic gardeners and farmers for three decades. He only started growing food because it sounded like an adventure; and he learned how through books and making friends with farmers around the world. We learn who inspired and taught him, how he uses livestock on his farm, how he virtually moved his farm 500 miles to the south for the winter, and more.Eliot has over fifty years’ experience in all aspects of organic farming, including field vegetables, greenhouse vegetables, rotational grazing of cattle and sheep, and range poultry. He is the author of The New Organic Grower, Four-Season Harvest,The Winter Harvest Handbook and an instructional workshop DVD called Year-Round Vegetable Production with Eliot Coleman - all published through our friends at Chelsea Green.Eliot and his wife, Barbara Damrosch, operate a commercial year-round market garden, and run horticultural research projects, at their farm called Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/17/400-eliot-coleman/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.400: Eliot Coleman on 30th Anniversary of 'The New Organic Grower'

Changing the role of chemicals in our homes.In This Podcast: It was not your typical birthday gift but a small collection of home cleaning products, and they changed Diann Peart’s direction in life.  She found a path that filled her passion and allowed her to truly make a difference. When she realized the products were chemical free, her passion for the environment and her desire to help others took over and she knew these products needed to be brought to market.  She has a special offer for listeners today.Diann has a PhD in Botany-Ecology from Arizona State University.  She lives with her husband, 4 dogs and 8 chickens at their urban farm is nestled in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tempe, AZ, 4 blocks west of ASU. She is also Principal and Visionary at Truce LLC, a Tempe-based company that manufactures and distributes non-toxic household cleaning, pet, and personal products.Truce’s entire product line uses only 14 simple, safe and effective ingredients.  Truce products offer the ability to clean homes, bodies, and pets while avoiding nasty chemicals.In her spare time, Diann co-founded the community garden across the street from her home where most of the produce harvested is donated to local food banks.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/13/399-diann-peart/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.399: Diann Peart on Living in a Chemically Saturated World

Cooking with 8 ingredients or less.In This Podcast: After several years of contradictory and confusing medical advice, Brandi Doming was worn out trying to help her husband escape the pain of gout. As a new mom and a concerned wife, she sought out the next possible answer and found information on a plant-based vegan diet. This was the first one to give her husband some relief.  She started blogging recipes and recently authored a cookbook designed to make vegan meals easy and delicious! Brandi is the creator of the popular blog The Vegan 8. She is also a mom, wife, and designer. Her blog was voted a Top 21 Vegan Blog of 2016 by the hugely popular vegan magazine, VegNews. She’s appeared regularly in Forks Over Knives magazine and was featured in the documentary Eating You Alive. She lives with her husband and daughter in Houston, Texas. Her new cookbook is The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/10/398-brandi-doming/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.This contest period has expired.398: Brandi Doming on Delicious Vegan Meals

Being bit by the urban farming bug and loving it.In This Podcast: He was starting off on a vacant property with lots of Johnson Grass, almost no money, and no way to cut it down and remove it, yet this was not going to stop Michael Bell from building his urban farm. He got creative and found a resource to not only help remove the grass but turn it into an asset and deep rich soil in one season. Relying on his creativity, he now has a half-acre farm and more customers than produce. All this and he only farms part-time!  Michael is a Physical Education teacher and father of four who in April of 2016, bought a half-acre of nonresidential zoned land a mere 6 miles from downtown Dallas.  He started clearing small 1000-foot sections using a weed eater and billboard signs.  That Fall he planted his first 30-inch bed with Sala nova and a few cherry tomatoes and became hooked.He now has 67 twenty-five-foot beds focusing on greens, carrots, beets and a couple of other veggies.  He hopes to transition from full time teacher to full time farmer in a couple of years.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/06/397-michael-bell/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.397: Michael Bell on Part Time Urban Farming

Incorporating wild ingredients into every day and special occasion fare.In This Podcast:  Her curiosity, her love of gardening, and her creativity in the kitchen, come together beautifully and for our benefit when Marie Viljoen compiled recipes for her new cookbook.  She shares how she moved from gardening in 66 square feet to foraging all over New York City.  If you are ever in her city, you will want to take a foraging walk with her!Marie is a celebrated New York City forager, gardener, cook and author who has loved edible plants since her childhood in South Africa.  She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and leads acclaimed seasonal wild plant walks through NYC.In Marie’s new book Forage, Harvest, Feast, there is a groundbreaking collection of nearly 500 wild food recipes and features hundreds of color photographs as well as cultivation tips for plants easily grown at home. This cookbook is destined to become a standard reference for any cook wanting to transform wildcrafted and homegrown ingredients into exceptional dishes, spices, and drinks.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/11/03/396-marie-viljoen/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.396: Marie Viljoen on Wild Inspired Cuisine

Weathering the challenges of growing food in South Florida.In This Podcast: Growing up and becoming a ward of the state, then becoming emancipated at 17 left a lifelong mark on Karin Fields, so when she started learning how to grow food in one of the most challenging and unique areas of the country, she wanted to help other young girls like her gain those skills too. For twenty years she has been the Edible Gardening Gal and a valuable resource for education about growing food in South Florida.Karin has over 20 years of vegetable gardening experience in South Florida where she installs backyard edible gardens, gives informative talks on vegetable gardening, and educates people on how to grow their own food. Locally known as the Edible Gardening Gal, she loves giving her gardening talks at libraries all over South Florida.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/30/395-karin-fields/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.395: Karin Fields on Growing Food in the Tropics

Harvesting native foods in the Sonoran Desert.In This Podcast: The desert is full of amazing native plants that provide a rich, delicious bounty of food, IF you know what to look for and how to harvest it, and Brad Lancaster wants you know these secrets.  He is excited about a new cookbook that shares delicious and tested recipes for native trees and plants. And these plants are suited to thrive in the hot and dry climates, so they tolerate drought conditions better, while giving other great benefits to all desert residents.Brad runs a successful permaculture consulting, design, and education business. He is focused on integrated and sustainable approaches to landscape design, planning, and living. Growing up in a dryland environment, water harvesting has long been one of his specialties and a true passion.He is the author of a permaculture bible for water harvesting:  Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond Volumes I & II and is a contributor to Desert Harvesters’ Eat Mesquite and More cookbook.  This new release centers on the abundant harvest of mesquite and other Sonoran Desert food plants we can plant, steward, and enjoy where we live, work, and play.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/23/393-brad-lancaster/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.393: Brad Lancaster on Wild Food Forestry

Knowing the secret to building healthy soil.In This Podcast:Joining farming through his wife’s family, Gabe Brown learned the standard, commercialized, industrialized way of farming. Then when disaster struck four times in a row, he reached out to the past for some inspiration. He learned the value of a healthy soil ecosystem, how it affects many of the issues we are facing today, and the best ways to rebuild the soil. Now he shares what he learned in 5 principles that work anywhere in the world.Gabe is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement which focuses on the regeneration of our resources.  Along with his wife Shelly, and son Paul, he owns and operates a diversified 5,000-acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, ND.  Their ranch focuses on farming and ranching in nature’s image.The Browns holistically integrate their grazing and no-till cropping systems, which include a wide variety of cash crops, multi-species cover crops along with all-natural grass finished beef and lamb.  They also raise pastured laying hens, broilers and swine.  This diversity and integration have regenerated the natural resources on the ranch without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides.  Gabe is the author of Dirt to Soil published by our friends at Chelsea Green.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/20/392-gabe-brown/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.392: Gabe Brown on Beneficial Soil Ecosystems

Propelling organic produce from fringe to mainstream.In This Podcast: The story of how organic produce and food became mainstream in our grocery stores is shared by Tonya Antle who was actively driving this change before most of us even knew we needed it.  She found her passion in the early stages of the organic movement and helped propel it across the nation.  Now there is a new focus with the Organic Grower Summit happening in December, and she shares some very useful tips as a highlight of what will be available then.Tonya grew up on her family’s table grape and citrus farm in Delano, California. From being a vice president of organic sales to consulting about organic ag investments, she has been a driving force in organic farming for more than 30 years, and has received several awards recognizing her work in the ag industry.Currently, she is an adjunct professor of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Marketing at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, a guest lecturer at both Hartnell Junior College and California State University Monterey Bay, and she is the Co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Organic Produce Network (OPN), which launched in January 2017. Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/27/394-tonya-antle/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Bonus Episode #21: Seed Saving Class September 2018.A chat with an expert on Seeds. In This Bonus Podcast: We are harvesting even more seed information in this chat with Bill McDorman. This is the September 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - seed names, medicinal plants, plant knowledge, landrace, and so much more.Join the class! Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABill McDorman is Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/16/bonus21/ for more information and links on this bonus podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Building urban food resiliency with more that just vegetables.In This Podcast:A fascination with jungles and forests began at an early age for Catherine Bukowski, and she has studied these ecosystems throughout her education.  Then narrowing her focus just on the food forest aspect, she found similar regenerative patterns that work. She brought this to her new book and shares some of what she discovered with us.Catherine is a researcher, author, educator and consultant. She’s worked internationally and domestically in sustainable land use and natural resource management, agroforestry, permaculture, and project planning to strengthen communities. She pursued her passion for tropical ecosystems by earning a Master of Science in Natural Resource Management. Then she returned to school and earned a PhD in the Human Dimensions of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech.At Tech she was introduced to the topic of community food forests, which ultimately became her dissertation research and focus of her new book The Community Food Forest Handbook: How to Plan, Organize and Nurture Edible Gathering Places published by our friends at Chelsea Green. Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/13/391-catherine-bukowski/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.391: Catherine Bukowski on Community Food Forests

Bringing together nature and theology.In This Podcast:Her background is in studying the connections of religion to many aspects of daily life and Professor Lena Roos is now focused on how religion and gardening are interwoven in our past and what that looks like in our present. She discusses several key religions of the world, the garden connections, and even how some myths built upon gardening and creation themes.  She is asking for input on her current research and wants to know of active faith-based community gardens.Lena is a Full Professor, teaching History of Religions in Stockholm Sweden. She is also an avid allotment grower of vegetables who last year harvested (literally) a ton of vegetables from her 120 square meters in two allotments in urban Uppsala.Originally a medievalist, she specializes in inter-religious relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims during the Middle Ages. Her other research includes topics like religion and volunteering, religion and sexuality, religion and food, and more recently religion and gardening.Lena is about to embark upon a new research project on faith-based community gardens and would like to get in touch with people currently involved in such.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/09/390-lena-roos/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.390: Lena Roos on Religion and Gardening

Healing forgotten children through gardening opportunities.In This Podcast: The forgotten children who grow up in the foster care system often become young adults on the street with no help, no resources, and forced to make desperate choices to survive. Dawn Folsom was caught stealing food when she was hungry; now she is a major force behind several urban farming projects that teach, empower, and build up the community of aged-out foster kids that have gotten dumped into the world.  She is offering models of village farms and supportive housing projects to help communities do better with their forgotten children.Dawn is a former foster kid who chose to be a catalyst of change for young people aging out of the foster care system. She became an advocate and mentor 13 years ago and has a passion to help people heal through village farming. having studied horticulture for 19 years she has become an advocate for local food access.She is cofounder of Heartvines Educational Farm - an extension of the non-profit The Village, Easing Childhood Poverty. They are a group of people dedicated to creating positive change for young people through village farming. Heartvines promotes that the garden is the best place to talk about life, through intensive agriculture techniques, collaborative partnerships, and adding inspiration to our spaces. They are creating an opportunity for young people to learn about food access, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and life skills.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/06/389-dawn-folsom/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.389: Dawn Folsom on Village Farming

Reinforcing local food and ag in the heartland of America. IN THIS PODCAST: There can be no doubt that Jess Mazour is dedicated to building a better food system – and she is doing it for those that grow food, those that eat it, and to protect the communities and environment that surround farms.  Her passion is strong and is a resource for families and farmers in Iowa as she helps educate and empower the “little guys” to work together to benefit the whole community.  388: Jess Mazour on Building a Resilient Food SystemJess is a Farm & Environment Organizer for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, a 5,000-member non-profit. She organizes with local communities to develops statewide strategies to stop corporate factory farms from building.  In 2013-2015 Jess worked with a 10-state coalition of farm and ranch groups to develop a new narrative around Food and Ag Justice. Jess also built a citizen lobby team at the Iowa Statehouse to lobby for policies that build a food and ag system that works for farmers, eaters, workers, and the environment.At home Jess is a beginning urban farmer in Des Moines selling heirloom plants, local produce, and other homemade/homegrown goods at a local farmers market.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/10/02/388-jess-mazour/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Empowering the community by growing food together.In This Podcast: It was his father’s inspiration and legacy that prompted Daniel Oladokun-Dybowski to start a community garden from scratch in a suburb of Phoenix.  The work on the soil has already started after several huge donated loads of wood chips. And with the help of others in the community, he’s going to build a food forest that truly will benefit all that participate.  It is not a simple task, but he’s up to the task of building a solution. Daniel is an urban gardener with big hopes of solving major world problems by focusing on his local community. He is an anthropologist and social worker aiming to lift marginalized people up and establish a source of free, healthy food alternatives through the community garden being built in Casa Grande, Arizona.Daniel seeks to effectively empower disenfranchised and marginalized people in the community, by teaching those who come to the garden to grow their own food and use the resources around them. He wants to help a target population of children from broken homes, homeless, those suffering from serious mental illness, post-traumatic stress, and the public.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/09/29/387-daniel-oladokun-dybowski/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests. 387: Daniel Oladokun-Dybowski on A Community Garden in Casa Grande

Appreciating the histories of flowers.In This Podcast: A delightful interview with a Chris McLaughlin as she helps us understand more about flowers and what they offer to us as gardeners and more.  She even shares some tips on some of her favorites to grow.Chris is a Northern California writer and author who has had her hands in the soil for nearly 40 years. She's the author of seven books including, Growing Heirloom Flowers from our friends at Cool Springs Press,  A Garden to Dye For and Vertical Vegetable Gardening.Chris' work can also be found in several magazines including Urban Farm Magazine, and The Heirloom Gardener Magazine. Online, she's written for a variety of gardening sites including Vegetable Gardener.com, Fine Gardening.com, and About.com. Chris and her family live on a flower and fiber farm in the Northern California foothills, where they grow flowers, fruit, vegetables and Angora goats.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/09/22/385-chris-mclaughlin/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Bonus Episode 20: Seed Saving Class August 2018. A chat with a seed expert about Sourcing SeedsIn This Bonus Podcast: Finding good sources for seeds can be challenging especially if you are particular about their story or their genetics. This is the August 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - Bill McDorman discusses the process of sourcing seeds and selecting seeds that can help you feel confident in your selections, and so much more.Join the class! Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABill McDorman is Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/09/18/bonus20/ for show notes and links on this bonus podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Assisting our food-growing veterans who feed their communities.In This Podcast:Rachel Petitt is part of a group that has the mission to help veterans who want to be farmers. This has translated into several grant and resource projects that are empowering veterans to build their farms. She tells about how she started and what the organization is offering veterans all across the country. Rachel worked on small-scale farms for six years after earning a degree from UC Santa Cruz in community studies with a focus on food systems. During her time in the field, she learned the intricacies of harvesting okra without getting itchy, collecting 600 eggs without cracking any, and bunching kale with one hand. Rachel currently manages the Fellowship Program at the Farmer Veteran Coalition.The Fellowship Program enables veterans to invest in the infrastructure and tools they need to feed their community. Here, Rachel administers grants that support veteran farmers in their new careers.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/09/15/384-rachel-petitt/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Reducing food waste and feeding plants at the same time.In This Podcast: He grew up on a farm, and as a teenager he thought he needed to do something more than just take care of the cows. Josh Krenz went to college, found his way into marketing, and was learning the business end of farming and multi-national distribution. Eventually he decided to refocus his priorities a little closer to home that also made a difference. He tells us about creating an organic fertilizer using grocery store waste and optimized with a specialized metrics system.Josh is the CEO and founder of Vivid Life Sciences, a plant physiology company offering LIFEFORCE as one of their brand products.  He knows the business of farming from both sides — from large-scale sophistication and multi-national distribution with companies like Land O’ Lakes, to boot-strapping startups.Farmer Josh follows his heart when tending to his Highland cattle, organizing trips to the farm for local schools and charity events, or helping with his wife’s veterinary clinic. At the same time, he calculates his path forward with a head for business and a vision to bring more sustainability and performance to plant nutrition. He has worked in the fertilizer business a long time and is focusing on trying to reduce food waste by re-purposing it into fertilizer.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/09/11/383-josh-krenz/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Building history with six generations on the same homestead.In This Podcast:She and her husband bought his parents’ home and she thought it was just going to be temporary until she could get a place out in the country. Now Lynn McMahon is able to share her gratitude to her grandchildren and with us for the special connection to family and history on this homestead. Even the plants and trees help connect multiple generations together in this EPIC story of multiple generations on the same homestead.Lynn lives with her husband Mike and their Walker Coonhound on their family's 128-year-old urban farm homestead bought by her husband’s great grandfather in 1890 on the outskirts of town. They are the 4th generation living in the house and growing food on a small city lot. They’ve raised 4 children there and now with 8 grandchildren visiting, the 6th generation is connected to the very same land.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/09/08/382-lynn-mcmahon/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Witnessing the power of growing food for a community.In This Podcast:It was both a desire to share the gardening experience his grandfather gave him, and the lack of space in his home for anything that could produce enough food for his family that prompted Elias Martinez to start dreaming of a way to provide fresh greens to those who did not have easy access to garden space. His natural inclination to innovate solutions has helped him create a plan for an EPIC style of community garden – indoors! He shares that and more with us.Elias grew up around urban farming & gardening in a rough part Miami called Opa-Lock-a. He is the son of immigrant parents who left Cuba & the Dominican Republic for political and opportunity reasons. As a child and teenager, he was introduced to urban farming and gardening by his grandfather, who fled Cuba during the Castro regime.Elias witnessed the power that growing food for the community can have after his mother presented neighbors with fresh fruits and vegetables grown in their garden. He started Kubed Root to create an ecosystem in which people can grow their own food and make money from it with little to no barriers to entry.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/09/04/381-elias-martinez/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Stirring up a custom batch of planting mix.In This Podcast: When asked what makes a healthy planting soil for trees and gardens in Arizona, Emily Rockey gets excited because this is truly a passion of hers.  As her nickname implies, she loves getting her hands in the dirt and making a medium that others can rely on. She explains how she and Farmer Greg developed their soil mix, why building a healthy planting mix is different for the southwest desert, and why local mixes make a difference. Emily is currently the Director of Sales and Marketing for Tank’s Green Stuff in Tucson, which specializes in “green” landscape debris recycling, construction debris recycling, and more.  She brings her passion for both plants and recycling to the company’s composting operation where they convert landscape debris into organic compost which is then made available for gardens and green spaces. Tank’s offers an entire line of organic garden and landscape materials which are “Good for People, Plants, and Planet”; and are available under the name ‘Tank’s Green Stuff’.  Tank’s has also just begun offering a new planting mix called Farmer Greg’s Planting Mix, specially designed for planting in the southwest desert.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/08/28/379-emily-rockey/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Following rabbit holes to new adventures and new veggies.In This Podcast: Sometimes it takes a person to reach a really low point in their life before they make the choice to change the way they think. Lee Rhodey had that realization and decided it was time to be look at life differently in order to find her life’s purpose. On that journey she found Market on the Move and discovered that it brings adventure to her life with every new box. Her goal to be an example and share the mindset changing journey is documented in her I'm So Her project.Lee is not our typical guest, but her story is something that I can relate to.  Lee reached a place in her life where things were at a turning point.  She was unhappy and the grass looked greener in everyone else’s story. She realized she needed to change her outlook and she started the I’m so Her project to help her appreciate what she had.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/08/25/378-lee-rhodey/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Bonus Episode 19: Seed Saving Class June 2018. A chat with a seed expert about where our seeds come fromIn This Bonus Podcast: Seeds are grown all over the world and we don't always know where our seeds come from when we buy. This is the June 2018 episode of a Seed Saving Class - Bill McDorman discusses seed origination, land race seeds, finding unique seed varieties, and so much more.Join the class! Register anytime for the next event.Register Here for the Seed Saving Class with Live Q&ABill McDorman is Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/08/21/bonus19/ for show notes and links on this bonus podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Bringing gardening knowledge to your fingertips.In This Podcast:It was a need to become more mindful and eat the healthier foods he needed that led Dale Spoonemore to the garden.  It did not take long for him to get hooked on the flavors of homegrown vegetables.  But a conversation in line waiting to vote alerted him for a need to make it easier to garden. This inspired him to teach himself coding to write an app that is going to bring success to many more new gardeners.  His passion and drive continue to build this mobile tool, and his family are big parts of the whole project. Dale and his family converted their urban Oklahoma backyard into a food farm to feed their family and built the “From Seed to Spoon” mobile app that makes it easy for others to do the same. The app will guide you through planting, growing, harvesting, and cooking over 70 different foods with information customized for your location. Dale and his family live in OKC with their four children.  You can learn more about them on their From Seed to Spoon social media pages and on their website at seedtospoon.netGo to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/08/18/377-dale-spoonemore/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Preparing school meals with gut health in mind.In This Podcast:After growing up believing the only healthy way to eat was “fat-free”, Hilary Boynton was not prepared for the fertility and health issues that plagued her family. Seeking the best for her children, she educated herself on “real-food”, the GAPS diet, and eventually wrote a cookbook with gut health in mind. This path led her to becoming a school lunch lady cooking and educating for gut health to the students.Hilary is a certified holistic health counselor, with a BA in psychology from the University of Virginia and trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Inspired by her experience of "food as medicine," she dedicated herself to helping others on their path to wellness as a cook, coach, and professional educator.Seeing our chronic global health problems opened her eyes. The lessons she learned along the way helped to fuel her project LIVE YUM YUM and inspired her to co-author the bestselling The Heal your Gut Cookbook, released in September 2014.Hilary’s passion and determination to empower people to take control of their own health and prevent disease is tireless.  Plus, along the way she has earned the title of The Lunch LadyGo to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/08/14/376-hilary-boynton/ for more information and links on this podcast, her blog articles, and to find our other great guests.

Finding nature is an ally for waste disposal.In This Podcast: He is always on the lookout to find ways to have a better relationship with nature, so when Eddy Garcia noticed that some beetle larvae were eating the polystyrene cup he put them in, he jumped into experiments to learn more.  Using a surfboard in a science experiment, his achieved some exciting and astonishing results. All of this tied into his work to educate others about regenerative systems, and even aspiring surfers in Iowa are learning about earth systems through his projectsEddy, has an E.B.N. or as he likes to call it Educated By Nature degree. With over 30 years of living off-grid on a remote Hawaiian island he has developed a deep connection to Nature. It has taught him fundamental truths that are woven into Living Earth Systems: Observation, Consistency & Patience. Eddy is the lead designer for Living Earth Systems which designs and builds holistic agriculture systems for the future. He is also one of the founders of  R.E.C. (Regenerative Education Centers) which demonstrates alternative technologies and approaches to solve some of our planet’s current problems. Eddy educates and inspires to promote regenerative lifestyles.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/08/11/375-eddy-garcia/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Seeking out answers about food labeling.In This Podcast: Returning from a trip to Europe it became clear to Aube Giroux, that food labeling in North America was controlled by a very different set of rules and she sought to learn why. Documenting the process on video, she and her mother set out to learn about the labeling of genetically modified food ingredients, a journey that took a turn when her mother developed cancer. Instead of closing the project, she persisted and the resulting film garnered many indie awards.Aube (pronounced ōb) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, organic gardener, and food blogger. She is the creator of “Kitchen Vignettes”, an online farm-to-table cooking show on PBS which received the 2012 Saveur Magazine Best Food Blog Award and is a two-time James Beard Award nominee. Aube holds an MFA in Film Production from York University. Modified is her first feature-length documentary, which she wrote, directed and produced.In Modified, the filmmaker and her mother embark on a personal and poignant investigative journey to find out why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in the United States and Canada, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/08/04/373-aube-giroux/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests. #modifiedthefilm

Building simple, cost-effective solutions for conserving water resources.In This Podcast: When looking into how water was being cycled in her community, and then looking at other desert-like cities in other states and countries, Brook Sarson was intrigued. California was in a drought and she realized there was a lot of potential ideas and processes implemented elsewhere that could help her community. Brook shares what she discovered about the ‘ethics of place’ and the significance that small changes in a community can have on a whole watershed.Brook is co-owner and CEO of CatchingH2O and H2OME. She started H2OME in 2008 with the mission to be a resource to the San Diego Community for water harvesting. She was determined to create change from the ground up by showing homeowners, educators, and policy makers how simple and effective rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling can be.  Her continued mantra has been that individual contributions create tremendous impact toward a larger water conservation strategy.  Since H2OME’s inception Brook has directly installed or facilitated hundreds of thousands of gallons of water conservation between rainwater tanks, greywater systems, and landscape design changes.  Her engineering background perfectly complements the permaculture design framework she uses to approach design problems.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/31/372-brook-sarson/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Documenting the first town-wide pesticide-free ordinance in the world.In This Podcast:On a trip overseas, a professor of Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems stumbled onto a story worth telling about the first community in the world to ban pesticides. Philip Ackerman-Leist was able to document this endeavor from almost the very beginning and he shares the reasons why anyone who cares about their community needs to understand what happened and why it is so important.Philip is Professor of Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems at Green Mountain College in Vermont, where he established the college’s organic farm, sustainable agriculture curricula, and the first online graduate program in Sustainable Food Systems in the United States.He and his wife Erin live on a remote off-grid farm in Pawlet, Vermont with their three children, where they raise grass fed American Milking Devons cattle. He is the author of Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems and Up Tunket Road: The Education of a Modern Homesteader.  His newest book is A Precautionary Tale: How One Small Town Banned Pesticides, Preserved its Food Heritage, and Inspired a Movement, Published by our friends at Chelse Green Publishing.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/28/371-philip-ackerman-leist/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Guarding forests as a valuable part of the agriculture system.In This Podcast: Being a farmer in these days of changing climate can be challenging, so when a severe drought threatened the livelihood of sheep farmer Steve Gabriel, he resorted to using previously ignored wooded areas. Examining the forest near his home he realized the bounty that he had been overlooking, and sought out more information about forest farming. He now teaches others how to do this natural farming process.  There is a bonus on mushrooms too!Steve is an ecologist, forest farmer, and educator living in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. He passionately pursues work that re-connects people to the forested landscape and supports them to grow their skills in forest stewardship.He is an Agroforestry Extension Specialist for the Cornell Small Farm Program and co-owns Wellspring Forest Farm & School with his wife Elizabeth, where they produce mushrooms, maple syrup, duck eggs, pastured lamb, and elderberry extract, all from forest-based systems.The school hosts several educational programs each season with the goal of increasing people's understanding of healthy forests and how they can play a critical role in their stewardship. He is the author of two books: Farming the Woods, and Silvopasture, both published by Chelsea Green.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/24/370-steve-gabriel/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Actively teaching through growing food at school.IN THIS PODCAST: With a strong desire to share her love of planting, Lanita Perry has brought a Garden Based Education program to her elementary school. Starting with her pre-k kids and all the way up the grade ladder, the students at her school can participate in the planting, growing, harvesting and eating of truly local vegetables. She share with us tricks to making a school garden successful.Lanita is a Special Education teacher at Irving Elementary in Cleeeburne, Texas and teaches in a Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities.  She’s very excited about garden-based education and the opportunities it gives her students to learn across all academics in every grade level.  Her school garden is funded through grants so she is able to work with teachers and students to create their own garden.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/21/369-lanita-perry/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Having the perspective and impact of younger generations on growing food.In This Podcast:Early childhood impressions of environmental pollution led Matthew Kozuch to seek out solutions, and while at UC Berkley he worked on several projects with Engineers for a Sustainable World.  After graduation he continued with them and became the National Build Day Coordinator. This is the first of hopefully an annual event in more than 50 chapters across the United States.Matthew currently serves as the Build Day Coordinator for Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) which he’s been a part of since joining the UC Berkeley chapter as a project leader in 2014. He graduated in May 2017 with a B.S. in Energy Engineering and is facilitating solar photovoltaic maintenance for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.Build Day is an initiative started by ESW creating local sustainable change by bringing together technical expertise and community organizing.  During the ESW Build Day event this past April, the chapter met with about seventy other volunteers to help construct a chicken coop, plant a strawberry patch, and create sheet mulching for expanding the Hoover Hawks Victory Garden.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/17/368-matthew-kozuch/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Bringing permaculture education to city dwellers.In This Podcast: After realizing teaching was not her passion, Amy Stross was looking for something to excite her and fill her need for a purpose. She found both of these when she started growing food and writing about her journey. Embracing permaculture into her gardening and her life, she realized how the techniques could benefit others, so of course she shared! Here is her story and a bonus at the end for Urban Farm Podcast listenersAmy is a permaculture gardener, writer, educator, and author of The Suburban Micro-Farm, with a varied background in home-scale food production. As a permaculture designer, she specializes in ecologically regenerative and productive landscapes. Her own front yard landscape is a thriving example, catching water from the roof and growing a variety of edible crops.Her current adventure is transforming a 3-acre property into a micro-farm with her husband and mischievous farm cat. She reaches hundreds of thousands of people with her expertise and adventures in small-scale permaculture gardening on her popular website, TenthAcreFarm.com.Her new book The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People, is published through Twisted Creek Press and Distributed by our friends at Chelsea Green PublishingGo to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/14/367-amy-stross/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Bringing gardening experts together in one event.In This Podcast: Sharing is caring, growing, empowering, and a natural part of the food growing community and Stacey Murphy brings several amazing members of the food growing community together in one online summit about Gardening! She explains what the Garden Hack Summit is and why you need to be a part of it this year. Stacey has helped thousands of new gardeners from six continents grow vegetables and herbs in small spaces, so they can enjoy fresh, affordable vegetables and live a healthy, happy life. She walks eager growers through her holistic garden system, showing what to grow, when and where. Stacey is a garden geek, growing food since 1979, and her superpower is packing, literally, tons of food into tight spaces.Dozens of her students who trained at her backyard urban farm in Brooklyn have gone on to start their own homesteads, gardens & farms. Featured on Martha Stewart Radio and PBS’s Growing a Greener World, Stacey believes growing food organically is the best health plan for people, communities, and the earth. You can find her at GrowYourOwnVegetables.org and don't forget to sign up to receive her best gardening tips and strategies.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/10/366-stacey-murphy/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Finding bounties of flavor hidden in plain sight.In This Podcast:It was more mostly just to keep herself busy that Sar Bir went to culinary school, and afterward she still found herself trying lots of new things. So it is not a surprise to hear that she stumbled upon fruit trees in the wild and learned she had an interest in foraging. She shares some of the important things to think about when foraging, and how foraging and gleaning can help you meet some of your neighbors.Sara is a seasoned chef, gardener, forager, and author.  She graduated from The Culinary Institute of America and prefers to create recipes that draw on her professional skills set yet are realistic for home cooks.Sara’s writing has been featured in Saveur, Edible Ohio Valley, two Full Grown People anthologies, as well as on several websites. Her book The Fruit Forager's Companion is published through our friends at Chelsea Green PublishingGo to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/07/365-sara-bir/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Enjoying a good meal cooked with great food.In This Podcast:When you are passionate about getting a good meal from locally grown farms into your home, you have some technology experience, and you are community minded, it is likely that you’d create your own app to make this happen for others. After you are done, why not make short films about some of these experiences? Roza Ferdowsmakan has developed an app to create Farm-to-Table experiences for the benefit of foodies, chefs and farmers; then she created a film series allowing others to have a sample taste of what the experience is like.  We learn why this is an ethos driven app, and how this is helping the three key players in a great meal.Roza’s goal is to change the way people connect with food, with their communities, and with the earth. As a tech company founder, she created a community-driven, farm-to-table mobile app called bites which launched officially in February of 2018. She also developed two new, related film projects as well as a mural project promoting farm-to-table experiences.Foodie + chef is an indie film series, where she interviews chefs while they hang out in her kitchen and give her a farm-to-table dining experience.Farm Talk is another indie film series, featuring tours of local farms with conversations about who they are, how they do what they do, and what the farmers grow.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/07/03/364-roza-ferdowsmakan/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Finding healing through farming and growing healthy food.In This Podcast: Coming home from deployment is hard enough without adding a significant disease to the mix, yet this is what propelled Stepheni Norton and her husband to make substantial changes in what they ate.  From there, they started growing their own healthier food on a portion of their new property and then started offering it to their community.  This developed into their farming business and CSA and more. It’s almost enough to make you want to move to her town so you can participate! Stepheni is a retired Chief Petty Officer and decorated military Veteran with almost 20 years of hands-on entrepreneurial experience.  She’s the co-owner and founding farmer of National City’s Dickinson Farm & Dickinson Larder. Her journey to heirloom farming began when she purchased the Wallace Dickinson House while she was deployed with the U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Detachment.Stepheni designed the Dickinson Farm, the first licensed farm in National City since the 1900s.  She launched Farmacy, a curated CSA and anti-inflammatory meal prep service designed for caregivers and patients receiving on-going out-patient care as well as for individuals and families on specialty diets.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2018/06/30/363-stepheni-norton/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.