The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

248: Ellen Zachos on Wildcrafted Cocktails             Blending naturally wild flavors to delight the palate and stir up the conversations.In this podcast: The love of plants was a strong enough call to help Ellen Zachos leave the Broadway stage, and her love of food and flavors combined with plants led her naturally to wild foraging, and then to experiment with mixing cocktails.  Ellen has done a lot of research and testing to bring her foraging skills to the cocktail bar and here we learn a lot about mixing the right flavors to get a perfect drink.  You might just rethink your next hike to the mountain or the farmers market after this podcast. A former Broadway performer (she was once in the cast of Les Miz), Ellen is a Harvard graduate and has earned multiple certificates in horticulture and ethnobotany from the New York Botanic Garden. In her spare time Ellen is a garden writer, photographer, and lectures at flower shows & for garden clubs around the world.  She is the author of seven books including The Wildcrafted Cocktail and Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat both by Storey Publishing.Ellen was named a Great American Gardener by the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, has served two terms as a National Board Member for the Garden Writers Association and works with RemyUSA, teaching foraged mixology workshops across the US.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/15/ellen-zachos/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

247: Kim Lehman on Beekeeping for KidsHelping young beekeepers learn and grow comfortable with the hives. In this podcast: The next generation of beekeepers can be intrigued and inspired by fun activities dreamt up by Kim Lehman through her many years of honey bee education. She shares how she got started with bees and some of the interesting facts about bees and beekeeping.  There are some sweet points in the podcast!Kim has worked over 25 years as a honey bee educator, teacher, professional storyteller, musician, and author. She has presented hundreds of programs and workshops at schools, libraries, museums, nature centers, and festivals. Through her work, children have gained a greater understanding of the honey bee, nature’s tiny treasure.As part of her children’s column for Bee Culture Magazine, Kim began the Bee Buddies Club which now has members in every state. Years ago, she founded the American Beekeeping Federation Kids and Bees Program and directed this educational service about honey bees for the public at their annual conferences in 15 states. Her book Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive was published this year.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/13/kim-lehman/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

246: Johannes Paul on Modern Urban Chicken Coops Engineering a new design for housing poultry and encouraging people to raise backyard chickens.In this podcast: When Johannes Paul and his engineering design classmates were challenged to come up with an idea for a class project, little did they know that design could be received so well.  A decade later they have a line of products for outdoor pets and small animals, and their design called out as one of the best British designs in the last 100 years.Johannes met his three friends James, Simon, and Will, at the Royal College of Art in London where they were studying Industrial Design.  In their final year, they designed a revolutionary new chicken house which made it simpler to keep chickens in gardens. It looked rather like an igloo and in a moment of punning genius, they named it the Egglu. They exhibited the first prototype at the graduation show and over 500 visitors expressed an interest to keep chickens in their gardens.  At that moment, they decided to move to Oxford and start a company to develop the Eglu. They created the company Omlet as a way for people to get closer to their food and improve their quality of life through sustainable intelligent design. Over the next 8 months they made over 20 prototypes which they tested with volunteers, each time improving the design.  They launched the first Eglu in time for Easter 2004.  Since then, the Eglu has been exhibited all over the world and was included in the Victorian & Albert Museum first major exhibition celebrating post war design to coincide with the 2012 Olympics alongside the Concorde and the E-Type Jaguar.  Omlet has grown from the original four founders to over 40 committed to encouraging people to discover the joy of collecting their own fresh eggs!Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/10/johannes-paul/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find some of our other GREAT guests.

245: Willow Aldridge on Raising Quail Exploring the benefits of raising quail for meat and eggs In this podcast: After meeting this young woman at a local Urban Farm tour and finding out how, and why, she started her own quail meat and eggs business, we could not act fast enough to get Willow Aldridge’s interview scheduled.  She shares with us how she convinced her parents to let her start the business, and the challenges and the wonders of raising quail and selling the meat and eggs.Cricket is natural homesteader. Growing up in rural Idaho with a garden, a horse, and lots of home canned food, she brings those sensibilities to her suburban home in Phoenix. Add a little dose of cottage garden flavor and permaculture tendencies, and you’ll see why her blog, GardenVariety.Life is a reflection of everything she does. Cricket enjoys sharing skills that promote a meaningful and practical connection to our gardens and environment. Because so many residents of the metro Phoenix area are transplants like her, she finds that the area’s unique desert climate is often misunderstood and underestimated in terms of what is possible. That’s where the fun begins. Arizona is a burgeoning permaculture haven with homesteading written all over it, and there is nothing Cricket enjoys more than encouraging others to jump in and give it a try.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/08/willow-aldridge/ for show notes

244: Raymond Jess on Wicking BedsWatering up in the garden, and using physics to maintain proper soil hydration.In This Podcast:  We hear from Ray Jess, a man who loves to learn, and is enthusiastically helping others get excited about wicking bed gardens.  When he first saw a wicking bed at a fellow Master Gardener’s yard, he was intrigued and that started his deep research. From there he tinkered with an idea about how he could build one in his own yard, with a little improvement, of course. Now he has written an article for the Urban Farm and we hear the benefits of capillary action in his own words.After retiring from two careers, the Air Force and teaching, he pursued his love of food by graduating from the Phoenix Art Institute with a certificate in Culinary Arts. The highlight of his culinary experience was working as a chef for the 2007 Super Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Natural extensions for this self-proclaimed foodie were the completion of his Master Gardner training and his Certificate in Permaculture Design.A love of fresh foods and herbs kept him gardening for the last two decades.  During a volunteer component of his Master Gardner training, Ray discovered wicking garden beds. A man of curiosity and a seeker of ways to do things more efficiently, he embarked on a research project leading him to the Father of Wicking Beds, Collin Austin. As a result of Ray’s research, his backyard garden has evolved from rows of crops in a plot of ground and raised beds, to grow-buckets and wicking beds. He is currently keeping his eyes open for the next great idea to perfect his garden, so he can keep giving his family, friends, and neighbors fresh produce.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/05/raymond-jess/ for more information on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

243: John Rowden on Planting for BirdsDetermining which plants are best for specifically local ecosystems.In this podcast: We learn a little bit more about a national resource for nature lovers from John Rowden from the National Audubon Society as he talks about their new database for native plants. It makes a lot of sense that native plants would be appreciated by birds, and John shares how the interaction between plants and birds can be enhanced and appreciated by anyone willing to grow a plant in their area.John joined Audubon in 2009 when he was hired by the New York City chapter to direct citizen science and outreach throughout the city.   In 2013, he transitioned to the National Audubon Society, first working on the Toyota TogetherGreen program before becoming Audubon’s Director of Community Conservation in 2016.John’s work at Audubon has focused on engaging new audiences in the organization’s conservation efforts, personally and through Audubon’s extensive national network. He holds a PhD in Zoology from Duke University.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/03/john-rowden/ for more information and links on this podcast.

242: Laura Kelly on Healthy Bones through Whole Foods.Combating nutritional deficiencies and fighting off diseases through whole and natural foods.In this podcast:  Sometimes it is fighting for the health of a family member that prompts an understanding which in turn helps many other people.  In this conversation, Dr. Laura Kelly explains why she turned her attention to bone health, and what she found when looking for underlying causes to bone density loss.  Then as she was not content to just helping others understand bone health, she determined to help people take action to help themselves.Dr. Laura practices medicine based on principles of nature, using nutrients and natural medicines. This approach to primary care combines functional medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and tools of Western medicine to build a complete picture of the body – and a plan for how to guide and assist in its return to health.She consults with patients in multiple countries and is based in Topanga, California.  Her first book is The Healthy Bones Nutrition Plan and Cookbook, Published by Chelsea Green which she co-wrote with her mother Helen Bryman Kelly.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/01/laura-kelly/ for show notes

241: Jared Gulliford on Millennial FarmersStarting a farm from scratch as an urban-raised millennial.IN THIS PODCAST: Being young and not having any land or farming experience did not stop Jared Gulliford from developing a plan and a dream to have his own farm.  He shares his story about how he came to the decision to pursue a living as a farmer, where he got his training and experience, and how he transformed his family’s properties into a farm.  Then once he got there he had to change the soil and he did this using elbow grease and old-fashioned techniques so that he would not have to use chemicals because he cares about what he sells. At the age of 25, Jared moved back to the land he grew up on to start a farm.  Gardening since he was a teen, he became interested in agriculture while at University. Now, he is striving to produce food to share with, and nourish, his community while teaching others along the way.Taking advantage of an opportunity when his sister and her family bought the land next to their parents, he’s attempting the multi-generational farm dream in the middle of suburbia. On degraded soil and with ten thousand dollars, he started from the ground up. Although Jared is the only farmer at this point, he hopes friends and family will join as the project becomes further established.Despite start-up expenses, infrastructure needs, vehicle repairs, and everything else; he survived, and the inaugural year of Earth First Farm was a success. He has a ½ acre market garden, and homestead quantities of livestock then he plans for the farm to evolve from a working venture to a place for education and reconnecting with nature. Jared is also the curator at Dr. Jim Duke's Green Farmacy Garden in Fulton, Maryland; a sanctuary with over 300 species of native and non-native medicinal herbs.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/30/jared-gulliford/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests. 

240: Eve Sibley on Recording the Farm's ActivitiesCreating a history of the garden or farm to document what works best.Eve is a creative who studied painting in school, but it was her passion for activism which led her into gardening and farming. In 2006, when she turned 30, she left New York City and moved to a farm to clarify where she wanted to focus her activism energy. She became interested in gardening as a solution to many of the world’s ails and immediately learned square foot gardening.Eve has spent years setting up innovative gardens, mostly vertical, for different organizations in her travels through the USA, Costa Rica, and India. She came to believe internet technology could be utilized to help more people with their growing projects, and during her travels used her computer skills on attempts to find ways to connect and help gardeners around the world.Through her gardening work, and by volunteering on various farms, Eve recently found a need for improved garden record-keeping and she set out to build an app for that. The FarmFollow app is available in app stores and this is the first real season it is in use.In this podcast: We meet Eve Sibley who melded her determination to make a difference with a love of gardening to make an app that helps gardeners and farmers keep better records of their growing efforts.  Eve explains how she got the idea to make an app for growers, and how to make use of the free online tool to keep track of the daily tasks that can make a difference in each year’s crop results.  Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/27/eve-sibley/ for show notes

239: Pam Freeman on Chicken Raising RealitiesDiscussing the next level of raising your own chicks In this podcast: Chicken expert and poultry advice columnist Pam Freeman shares some great tips on getting started with raising your own chicks.  Her own adventure started with a little gift from the Easter Bunny, and now she helps others get comfortable with hens starting with the egg and raising chicks.Pam is the editor of both the Backyard Poultry and Countryside magazines. After she received four Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks from the Easter Bunny, her flock quickly grew and Pam launched PamsBackyardChickens.com.  In the years that followed, she hand-raised chicks, nursed chicks and chickens back to health, and experienced the entire lifecycle many times over.  Pam is also the resident "Ask the Expert" columnist for Backyard Poultry magazine and continues to write regular posts about chicken keeping and homesteading.  In her spare time, Pam loves to hunt for antiques, bolster her life list as a life-long bird watcher, plus tend her herb and perennial gardens that are set up to encourage local wildlife such as bees, butterflies and birds.  Her latest book is Backyard Chickens: Beyond the Basics. Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/25/pam-freeman/ for more information and to find our other great guests.

238: Mimi Arnold on Farm-to-Table, Resort Hotel Style Building food and garden resources for an ocean-front, secluded ranch hotel.In this podcast: We hear from Mimi Arnold, the gardener who is helping initiate a farm-to-table program at one of California’s beautiful coastal hotels. She explains how she has been working with the owners and the chef to help design and provide the resource gardens on the property. She is dedicated to preserving the environment and loves helping the Inn and its guests connect with nature as much as she can!Mimi is a visual artist and garden designer. After receiving her bachelors in Fine Art at UCLA's School of Art and Architecture, her ongoing interest in botanicals and green spaces fully surfaced; thus, she merged her artistic background with her love in all that is green and headed into the garden design industry. For over two years, Mimi worked for two specialty gardening companies in San Francisco, and contributed to projects for Google and Restoration Hardware.Currently, she is located on California's Mendocino coast where she works as the head ornamental & edible gardener for the Inn at Newport Ranch, as well as the ranch’s florist.  Here, she is involved with developing a farm-to-table food service for the inn, botanical styling throughout the interior, and providing weekly fresh florals-whether grown on site or foraged from the 2,700 acres of redwood forest.Food, flowers, and foliage, - the source matters; she’s doing her best to keep things local and maintain a mindful and sustainable practice.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/23/mimi-arnold/ for more information

237: Scottie Jones on Farm StaysExperiencing farm life at the source, a few days at a timeIn this podcast:  Moving to a farm gave Scottie Jones and her husband a new chapter in her life. Yet that story changed completely when she decided to open her farm to guests and realized there was no association or group available to help organize farms as a vacation resource. She tells us about how she decided to fix this and how she made FarmStayUS happen. Scottie is a woman of many talents.  She has an MA in Medieval Archaeology Plus an MBA.  She worked at Arizona State University for 11 years, was the Arizona franchisee for The Body Shop, and later Director of Retail and Host Services at The Phoenix Zoo.  Currently she is a sheep farmer at Leaping Lamb Farm in Oregon, a farm stay host, and the founder of FarmStay U.S. - a national travel site for farm and ranch vacations.  Building on the success of her own farm stay, she has made it her mission, via FarmStayUS.com, to raise awareness of the 1000+ working farms and ranches in the U.S. that offer overnight accommodations. For travelers, it's about experiencing farm life at the source, not just at the farmer’s market.Her feeling: it’s all about real food, real farmers, and living the lifestyle that built this nation - if only for a weekend.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/20/scottie-jones/ for more information on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

236: Roza Ferdowsmakan on Sourcing Food in the Digital Age.Helping foodies find chefs, and chefs find local farms, all through their phones.In this podcast:  We are excited to share this conversation with Roza Ferdowsmakan, someone who cares about building up the local food economy as much as we do.  Roza decided she could make a difference in her community by connecting foodies, culinary talents, and local farms through a specially design app.  It is with her new app that she hopes to give people culinary awakenings like the one she had as a young teenager.Roza wants to change the way people connect with food, with their communities, and with the earth. As a tech company founder, she has created a community-driven, farm-to-table mobile app called bites., set to be released in beta to the metro-Phoenix community in July.bites. is a marketplace app for foodies of all socio-economic levels to connect with and reserve personal chef services offered by homemaker cooks, culinary students, and professional personal chefs. These participating chefs are encouraged to source ingredients from local farms.These farms, whether they identify themselves as urban, micro, organic, co-op, family-owned, or simply small farms are encouraged to participate and gain visibility by visiting the bites. website and creating a farm profile prior to the July 1st beta release date so that their profiles will be up and running when the app goes live.Roza also just started a Phoenix area local meetup called "grassroots", intended to engage foodies, local culinary talent, local farms, and sustainability supporters in community events centered around sustainability and education, all part of the ethos behind the bites movement. Beyond "grassroots", she is working to co-organize and resurrect TEDx Phoenix for the local community.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/18/roza-ferdowsmakan/ for more information on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

235: Colin Walker on Keys to Growing Nutrient-rich Food Connecting important ecology-centered concepts for producing nutrient dense food.IN THIS PODCAST: Previous guest Colin Walker goes further into ecology-centered concepts and describes the key points he has developed to focus on growing better foods.  He has taken years of experience, research, and study and compiled it into six key focal points that will help any gardener or farmer produce healthier, more nutrient rich foods.Colin grew up in a rural community near Auckland, New Zealand, and learned the basics of growing by helping his grandfather maintain a small flower market garden.  Initially, he went to college to study economics, however after some course changes, he turned to interests a little closer to his roots.  He got involved in and has had leadership roles in several areas of natural agriculture including establishing the Permaculture Institute of New Zealand, taking on advisory and advocacy roles for seed preservation with independent & government organizations, and even served as a national coordinator of a National Organic Advisory Programme.Colin’s concentrations have been on permaculture, ecology centered design, seed preservation, conservation of traditional/heirloom food plants, garden education and most recently investigating (from an ecology perspective) the essential elements needed to guarantee that the food we grow is actually nutrient-rich.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/16/colin-walker-nutrient-rich/ for more information and to hear from our other great guests.

234: Ruth & Grace Pepler on AgritourismExperiencing life on the farm as a vacation destination IN THIS PODCAST: We meet two very special ladies in the mother-daughter team with Ruth and Grace Pepler who are helping us understand the concepts of Agritourism and Guest Farms. Ruth is inspiring with her story of transforming their small homestead into a very active community building resource and agriculture education resource in the guise of something akin to a bed and breakfast vacation spot.  Her daughter Grace is a delight as she shares her knowledge and passion of teaching kids of all backgrounds the joys of farm lifeRuth has been a registered nurse, private chef, and caterer, and has taught cooking classes, managed a farm, and homeschooled her daughter. She and her husband Thomas started their homestead near the Buffalo National River in Arkansas ten years ago.  Shortly after moving there, they bought the adjoining property and opened Dogwood Hills Bed & Breakfast; Which they call a “guest farm” offering their guests a chance to experience life on the farm in a relaxing atmosphere.At sixteen, and having grown up on the homestead, her daughter Grace has taken a lead role in the daily functioning, guest relations, and marketing of Dogwood Hills Guest Farm.  She is a wonderful agri-tourism ambassador speaking about Dogwood Hills and how it functions, with everyone from the local & county 4H, county chambers, multiple tourism conferences and she even did a personal tour for the Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture.Since opening they’ve added many more cows, goats and chickens, a fodder room of hydroponically grown barley, a “high tunnel” hoop house, a visitor friendly milking room, and they are currently adding a new certified kitchen. With a complete farm to table operation, Dogwood Hills Guest Farm helps people from all over the world experience life on a family-owned dairy farm.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/13/ruth-and-grace-pepler/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

233: Colin Walker on Gardening with Ecology at its HeartFocusing on a larger picture to understand how to effectively grow a good garden. In this podcast: Part one of two with Colin Walker, a long-time gardener and educator from New Zealand, who helps explain a gardening concept that brings the world into focus while looking at the garden bed. The decades of experience and know-how are evident in this conversation about how an ecology-centered viewpoint is so important to successful gardening.Colin grew up in a rural community near Auckland, New Zealand, learning the basics of growing by helping his grandfather maintain a small flower market garden.  Much later, he helped to establish the Permaculture Institute of New Zealand. In the 1980s and 90s, he spent time in the US, Australia, Ireland, and England. Returning home, he learned about the principles of ecology-centered design from Dennis Scott, an innovative designer, landscape architect, and resource management consultantColin’s focus then turned to the conservation of traditional/heirloom food plants in New Zealand. He spent 16 years supporting local and national seed preservation initiatives by practical "growing out" hundreds of seed lines, managing research projects, running internship programmes, and taking on advisory and advocacy roles for this issue with independent & government organizations.In 2010, he returned to Northland to create a long-term home for him, his wife, and five sons. With six years of research and experimentation completed, investigating from an ecology perspective the essential elements needed (and how to practically work with them!) to guarantee that the food we grow is actually nutrient-rich, Colin’s ready to share results!Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/11/colin-walker-ecology/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

232: John Vespasian on Rational, Self-Reliant Living.Learning lessons of resilience from history.IN THIS PODCAST: We chat with John Vespasian about learning from the mistakes found in some of history’s interesting stories.  Not satisfied with what he could find in most books at the time, John decided he could do a better job and set out to write a book that he would like to read.  From there he has focused on researching history, learning new languages, and figuring out how certain cultures succeeded and how cultures failed to determine what should be done today to get the best results.John is a personal development author of eight books about history and psychology, including his latest book "Thriving in difficult times: Twelve lessons from Ancient Greece to improve your life today." As a lover of history, he is continuously studying and making notes about what he learns and has found many examples in the past that he feels can help people today.John has given many interviews around his research into what made the Greek society prosperous for 1,000 years, and what later became its downfall. Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/09/john-vespasian/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

231: Trent Lindsey on Converting to Plant Based Nutrition  Chronicling the transition to a vegan lifestyle and helping educate others.In This Podcast:  We hear from Trent Lindsey about what it was like to convert to a plant based diet or lifestyle.  Choosing to go vegan can seem intimidating, however Trent is helping others understand by sharing this journey and opening up about the transition and what he has experienced as he and his family made the changeTrent is the founder of GoPlantBased.info: a website and blog on a mission to improve our world, one healthy person at a time. His blog educates his readers on the health benefits of a Plant Based Lifestyle. He is devoted to fighting against preventable dietary diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, to name a few.He and his family have enjoyed the benefits of a Plant Based Lifestyle since January, 2016. Since then, he has immersed himself in the teachings of the Mastering Raw Food Nutrition program led by Drs. Rick and Karin Dina. He enjoys sharing his journey to health with others and has a passion for educating omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike on the basics of nutrition.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/06/trent-lindsey/ for more information and links.

230: Katie Hess on Blooming into Your Full Potential Connecting with nature to empower the natural self.In this Podcast: We are learning about a natural-medicine aspect of plant essences through this conversation with flower alchemist Katie Hess. This is a new way for us of connecting with nature, and leads us to understanding more about why we feel at home when we are in our gardens. Katie explains how flowers have such a significant effect on living beings and why working with nature’s gifts can improve our lives profoundly.Katie is a flower alchemist and the founder of LOTUSWEI, one of the world’s leading floral apothecaries. After 15 years of independent research of flower and plant-based healing, her flower-powered community is thriving in over 15 countries. Her transformative elixirs having been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times and The LA Times among others.A lifelong spiritual seeker, Katie has studied meditation and mindful-awareness techniques with several Tibetan Buddhist masters, including the Dalai Lama and the Kamapa, Tibet’s next generation leader.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/04/katie-hess/ for more information, photos and links

229: Barbara Pleasant on Gardening to fill your PantryTaking home-grown foods into food storage.In this podcast: We meet Barbara Pleasant who helps expand our ideas for food storage beyond the simple basics.  She also has tips for the new gardener and the ‘old hands’ that might give you some impetus to move a little dirt. Barbara is an Award-winning writer having been covering organic gardening and self-sufficient living for more than 30 years. As contributing editor to Mother Earth News, her work has garnered multiple awards from the Garden Writers Association and the American Nursery and Landscape Association.She has written books on topics ranging from compost to weeds, including Homegrown Pantry published by Storey Publishing, Starter Vegetable Gardens, The Complete Compost Gardening Guide, and The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual. Her columns and articles appear regularly in Mother Earth Living magazine, at GrowVeg.com and on other gardening websites. Barbara lives in Virginia, where she grows vegetables, herbs and fruits along with a few chickens, who all have names.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/05/02/barbara-pleasant/ for more information and great links.

228: Sheri McLane on Soil and Plant Testing.Improving plant yields through expert analysis of growing mediums.In this podcast: Soil scientist Sheri explains how she found her calling in an agronomy and is driven to help farmers and gardeners with their soil questions.  There is a great deal of science in determining the chemical make-up of soil samples and figuring out what is needed for different crops, and she knows how to help explain it for the rest of us.  Sheri also helps by sharing a few tips for some basic soil remediation in this interview.Sheri was interested in science and how things worked from a young age. She was fascinated with paleontology in middle school and even participated in archeology digs with the local museum. In high school, she loved geology and marine biology which led her to the University of San Diego where she obtained a major in marine science with an emphasis in biology and a minor in environmental science. Upon graduation, she worked for environmental labs learning new analytical techniques and her thirst for science knowledge grew.She was planning on pursuing a career in marine mammal rescue and habitation, however, her undergrad studies caused a change in her career path. She decided to learn more about soil and plant science, a topic of interest from her undergrad course work. She went to work for IAS Laboratories and studied under Dr. Paul Eberhart for many years.Sheri has been working in the agriculture field for the last fifteen years and is now the president of IAS Laboratories. Her focus on soil and plants has held firm and she’s earned her masters in agronomy through Iowa State and is in the process obtaining her soil scientist and CPAg certification.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/29/sheri-mclane/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

227: Jan Dohner on Predators on the Urban FarmAdjusting to a new normal with predators near our farms.In This Podcast:  We learn quite a bit from Jan who has spent four decades researching livestock guardians and the predators they guard against.  She helps explain why there has been a resurgence in these wild predators and what steps can be taken to guard our precious farm resources for both urban and rural farms. Jan is a researcher and writer concerned with historic livestock breeds and husbandry, as well as issues surrounding predator control and the use of livestock guardians. She makes presentations on these topics at various conferences, including Mother Earth Fairs and The Common Fair in Maine. She has written several books and maintains a blog you can find on her website. She is also a longtime member of the American Livestock Conservancy.Jan lives on her family farm in Michigan and has more than 35 years of hands-on experience with the use of livestock guard dogs for predator control.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/27/jan-dohner/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

226: Kevin Van Eekeren on Store Bought vs Home Raised Eggs Recognizing eggs from lovingly raised hens and factory raised, regardless of labeling.In this podcast: We get to know the personal motivations behind Kevin Van Eekeren, a tactical advisor and egg farmer with a focus on clear visioning 10 years into the future.  He tells us how his experience developing tactical training has helped him with his farm. He also explains about some of the labeling misperceptions of eggs, and why there is such a marked difference in eggs depending on how the hens are raised.Kevin is not your typical farmer.  He was a SWAT team logistics officer; started Fulcrum Tactical- a charity that specialized in training SWAT teams nationwide; and couple years ago he started Fulcrum Investing- a venture capital fund investing in startups.  He most recently started hosting a podcast called State of Logic which has a planned release date of mid 2017 with a duel focus on both the startup world and topics that affect our world, and not just in business.In the middle of it all Kevin started Fulcrum Farms with just 28 chickens raised for personal use which gave him 20 eggs a day. So, of course he started giving eggs away and that is when restaurants and families started offering to buy them.  To meet demand, he grew the operation to what it is today, 30 pigs, a few hundred quail, 100 ducks, 100 chickens, a few cows and two goats named Thelma and Louise.  They quickly learned the best practice was to follow Joel Salatin's example and use the nitrogen cycle for their own benefit.Now they keep most of their animals rotating constantly to give them new pasture to graze and allow the land they just grazed to rest.  Their biggest seller are his eggs and the reason is clear, there is a visual and taste difference between their eggs and those bought at the store.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/25/kevin-van-eekeren/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

225: Edward Griffin on Indoor Smart Gardens Solving some space and time issues around growing fresh food.In This Podcast:  We meet Edward, a millennial concerned about sustainability and food equity issues, who also wanted to have an active lifestyle and still grow his own food.  Not having a backyard did not stop Edward as he took agricultural and sustainability concepts he learned in college and created his own solution.Edward graduated from Arizona State University in 2013 double majoring in Sustainability and Political Science. During this time, he studied some of the hardest questions relating to sustainability at a social, economic, and environmental level. The area of global sustainability that always spoke to him was the complex issue of agriculture, specifically food deserts because it was something he dealt with his entire life.Faced with environmental and time constraints he began experimenting and developing new ways to integrate technology and grow food inside his apartment. This quickly became a new-found passion of his, and with this new obsession he founded the company Lyfbox, which has just released the first fully intelligent indoor smart garden to automatically grow fresh organic food inside your home year-round and is controlled using the Lyfbox app on your phone.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/22/edward-griffin/ for more information and links to our other guests!

224: Lisa Steele on Gardening with Chickens Incorporating chickens into the gardening process as willing workers. In This Podcast:  We connect again with Lisa Steele to get some great suggestions on how to bring the chickens out of the coop and into the garden.  She explains how these feathered friends can do even more to earn their keep and become true gardening partners.Lisa is a 5th-generation chicken keeper, nationally recognized author and the creative mind behind the Better Homes & Gardens award-winning blog - Fresh Eggs Daily.  Lisa inspires both the newcomer as well as the seasoned chicken keeper and engages almost a million fans worldwide on her Facebook page of the same name with her easy, fun, and accessible approach to raising backyard flocks naturally.The author of three top-selling books, Lisa’s writing can also been found in such publications as Chickens, Backyard Poultry, the Farmers Almanac, and Hobby Farm as well as at HGTVGardens.com. She’s been featured in American Farmhouse Style, Down East and Cottage Journal magazines plus has appeared on numerous national radio and television programs and most recently is hosting her own 30-minute “chicken lifestyle” television show called Fresh Eggs Daily with Lisa Steele which airs on the local CW affiliate in Portland Maine.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/20/lisa-steele-2/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

223: Paten Hughes on Heirloom: Tomatoes and a Web Series. Growing tomatoes when life gives you lemonsIn This Podcast:  We get the inside scoop from actress Paten Hughes on the inspiration for her new web-series which is based on her transition of actor-to-tomato-farmer. She did not just plant a few, she planted more tomato plants than most people can even conceive and now she has several restaurants that order from her. Paten is the star and co-creator of the hit digital series HEIRLOOM on Vimeo, written by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC's This Is Us) and co-starring Margaret Colin, Tom Wopat, Pascale Armand, Ryan Cooper, and John Lavelle.  This semi-autobiographical web series follows the character Emily who gives up her struggling acting career in New York to move to California and farm heirloom tomatoes on a property she inherits.  Paten, who really moved to Northern California and become a first-time farmer, sells her juicy organic tomatoes to several local restaurants in Sonoma.  She is very committed to preserving nature, supporting local and organic farming.  The show’s flavor carries her pro-environment, sustainability, and organic preferences. Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/18/paten-hughes/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

222: Heather Szymura on Hydroponic Container Farming. Growing limited-season crops year-round regardless of climate extremes.In This Podcast:  We meet Heather who decided to change directions away from a professional one towards one more in tune with nature and healing and to her surprise ended up becoming a farmer! She is selling lettuce and kale she is growing year-round in the suburbs near Phoenix and tells Greg how she is doing that in a shipping container in her backyard.After 15 years in the corporate business world and a degree in Global Business Marketing, Heather decided it was time for a shift. She resigned from her position at UPS, went back to school to pursue a degree in Naturopathic Medicine and at the same time delved more into her hobby of urban farming. It was in here that she found her life’s passion unearthing the amazing benefits growing herbs and veggies.Her business, Twisted Infusions, became a reality in 2016 when the container farm arrived on their doorstep! They sell non-GMO, pesticide free, hydroponically grown lettuce, kale and herbs! Now, being a farmer and business owner is Heather’s full time job. She and Brian, her husband and best friend, live in Glendale, Arizona with their two children, Killian and Mary. Throw in two snakes, a pink tarantula, a bearded dragon, and a leopard gecko and that’s the Szymura family.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/15/heather-szymura/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to our other great guests.

221: Ocean Robbins on the Food Revolution Summit.Finding a path of health, hope, and possibility through better food choices.In This Podcast: This is a special podcast interview with food activist Ocean Robbins about his Food Revolution Summit happening April 29 to May 7.At 15, Ocean was a co-founder of the Creating Our Future environmental speaking tour, on which he and three other participants spoke in person to more than 30,000 students, presented for 2,000 people at the United Nations, and opened for the Jerry Garcia band in San Francisco.In 1990 at age 16, Ocean founded YES!, an organization he directed for the next 20 years with the goal of connecting, inspiring and mobilizing visionary young leaders worldwide.  He has since spoken to hundreds of thousands of people, led hundreds of retreats, workshops and Jams for leaders in over 65 nations, written books, mentored (and learned from) changemakers, and been a creative partner and lead editor for several bestsellers.In 2012 Ocean founded the Food Revolution Network, which now has more than 350,000 members working for healthy, sustainable, humane and delicious food.  He currently serves as adjunct professor in the Peace Studies department at Chapman University.  Ocean has personally spoken and facilitated leadership gatherings in Jordan, Israel/Palestine, Singapore, Costa Rica, Russia, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, India, Peru, and across the USA.All this and he is also an active and proud father of special needs twins, a lover of life, and a human being who is trying to live in a good way on this earth.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/13/ocean-robbins-2/ for show notes

220: Ben Raskin on Practical Advice for Community GardensIn This Podcast: For those envisioning a perfect community garden, Ben Raskin has put together a fabulous resource to guide, inspire, and empower the designers and leaders of future neighborhood plots. He tells Greg about the purpose he had for writing his latest book and some of the lessons he’s learned during his years of farming.Organizing a community garden from scratch with smart planning and long-term goals. Ben has been working in horticulture for more than 20 years and has been with the Soil Association in the United Kingdom, since 2006. His own experience includes; running a walled garden in Sussex which supplied a Michelin starred restaurant, and working for Garden Organic at their gardens in Kent. He also set up and ran the 10-acre horticultural production at Daylesford Organic Farm before moving to the Welsh College of Horticulture as commercial manager.Ben also works on a range of other projects and over the years these have included working as Horticultural Advisor and founder Board Member of The Community Farm near Bristol, and running a program of biochar trials with organic growers. He is currently managing a new agroforestry planting on Helen Browning’s farm near Swindon.He is also a board member of the Community Supported Agriculture Network UK and committee member for the Organic Growers Alliance.  With all of this experience, he is also an author and has written The Community Gardening Handbook, and two family gardening books titled Grow, and Compost.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/11/ben-raskin/ for show notes

219: Jennifer Osuch on Fundamentals of Self Reliance. Teaching back to basics food preparation and preserving skills.In this podcast: Jennifer tells about the importance of self-reliance skills and why they are becoming needed once again. She explains what led her to this place in her life where she teaches some of these old traditions that traditional homesteaders relied on daily.Jennifer is the author of the Preparedness Planner series, lead teacher at the online Self Reliant School (which is dedicated to teaching preparedness and self-reliance skills), host of the weekly live Self Reliant Living Show (which I was a guest on in Nov 2016), and a homeschooling mom. She is dedicated to teaching back-to-basics food preparation and preserving skills that help people eat healthy, save money, live greener and be prepared for anything.Jennifer and her husband turned to the old-school basics when they found themselves in mountains of debt, two of their three boys suffering from asthma and allergies, and she, herself, struggling for years with her own weight management. She knows from experience that eating real food when you're watching every penny is not easy, and trying to put healthy food into storage is almost impossible.Jennifer, her husband and her three teenaged boys live in Texas. She is on a mission to save the knowledge and wisdom of our grandparents, and to help people apply it to their lives today.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/08/jennifer-osuch/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

218: Nafsika Antypas on Living a Plant-Based Life.Understanding the reasons and options for choosing a vegan lifestyle. Nafsika is the Host and Creator of the world’s first plant based lifestyle TV series that focuses on a plant-based diet living.  She has studied about olive oil and the Mediterranean diet in Greece through her father’s business, Pilaros Inc, a Mediterranean food importer, where she has been involved for over twenty years.  She created the TV show, Plant-Based by Nafsika which aired nationally in 2016, to change the world through food. This has not only sparked the interest of viewers around the globe but has planted some seeds helping veganism become more “mainstream,”In 2015, she founded, The Struggling Vegan, which helps people transition to a plant-based/vegan lifestyle while strengthening the community in a public forum called, Veg Room. The organization offers daily menu plans, recipes, health tips and direct messaging to plant-based doctors and coaches.Nafsika spends her spare time with her family, which includes her two young boys. She and her husband both cook plant-based meals at home and she’ll educate just about anyone who would listen about why it’s healthier to switch to a plant-based diet and why veganism is not just a diet but a way of life.In this podcast: Greg talks to television host Nafsika Antypas about living a plant-based life and how she was inspired to start her own television show all about living a vegan lifestyle.  She helps explain some of the core beliefs behind veganism as well as some of the basics of living a cruelty-free way of life.  Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/06/nafsika-antypas/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

217: Sine Lindholm on an Urban Farming 'Growroom'Creating and sharing an open-sourced growing sphere to create poetic spaces. Sine is from Denmark and has a degree in architecture from Aarhus School of Architecture along with an emphasis on psychology. This shows in her projects where she is combining the two, with her main focus on the theoretical and abstract part of architecture.She grew up on an organic farm with milking cows, however she had never worked with agriculture or urban farming before, until she won an architecture competition together with architect and carpenter Mads-Ulrik Husum. They had designed an Urban Farming pavilion, which received great attention that led to the further development of the project. They teamed up with SPACE10, a future living-lab, where they developed and released an open source design of their pavilion.  Together they started the company Husum & Lindholm, where for the moment they primarily focus on further development of combining architecture with gardening. On the basis of a spatial experimentation with the Urban Farming concept, they strive towards creating architecture where atmosphere and sensuousness - acts as the primary design factors.  Their goal - to generate poetic spaces where a symbiotic relationship with vegetation arises.In This Podcast: Greg sought out this interview with Sine Lindholm after seeing an article about a gorgeous growing sphere design and so today she tells us about the inspiration behind the design.  Sine also explains why they hope an open-sourced design will encourage others to improve on their model.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/04/sine-lindholm/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

216: Emiley Kight on Loving Natural Foods.Making little changes towards more real foods and feeling better.Emiley has always loved food, and wanting to share this passion she dove into a Culinology® degree to explore a role as an R&D chef at SW Minnesota State University. That was until her mom became sick and she put her career on hold to act as her mom’s caretaker throughout her treatment for multiple myeloma cancer.To her surprise, the doctors provided little information on what to eat as a cancer patient, and so Emiley started doing her own research on the effects that food have on chronic disease. Through trial and error in the kitchen, she discovered how whole plants can be used to combat side effects of medication, create pleasure by surprising and challenging your taste buds, and help your body work as efficiently as possible. Completely changing her mother's eating habits (as well as her own) helped her develop a brand-new love affair with foods in their natural state. Now, she is devoted to sharing her story and this information with others to inspire anyone who eats, to fall in love with food again.In This Podcast:  A chance meeting at the Farmers Market connected Greg to Emiley Kight, a Nutrition Consultant who tells about how she helps people to make little changes and enjoy natural foods.  She explains about how her focus on food was taking her towards the kitchens of large food corporations until her mom’s illness and the realization that real food information and options were not included in recovery discussions and she decided to work on changing that.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/04/01/emiley-kight/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

215: Suzanne Bontempo on Gardening without Pesticides Contemplating the best options for: If, when, and what type of insect control to use in the garden.Suzanne has worked in the horticultural industry for over 20 years in a variety of capacities; as a landscape contractor, a fine gardener leading garden maintenance teams, and in retail nursery management.  Currently she is an environmental educator and IPM Advocate, where she mentors & educates people. She does this by providing IPM trainings at hardware stores & garden centers, providing educational programs for garden clubs, businesses & organizations, and presenting lectures for the public through government agencies.Her message is focused around less-toxic pest problem-solving in the home & garden, pesticide reduction, and how to garden sustainably. She helps people see their home or garden as its own ecosystem, and that the real solution to their problem usually doesn’t require a pesticide at all. She enjoys raising the awareness of beneficial insects and how biological control methods in the garden are easy, effective and fun!Suzanne was recognized for her excellence in her field winning the 2013 IPM Innovators Award and in 2016 received the San Francisco Green Business award.IN THIS PODCAST: Insects and pesticides are challenging topics for gardeners and even more so for organic gardeners, so of course Greg loved hearing from Suzanne about how to make the best choice for controlling pests in the garden.  She breaks down the options in ways that make sense and loves to help others find the most beneficial way to manage their pest controls.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/30/suzanne-bontempo/ for show notes

214: Michael Miller on Poverty in the World. Examining the problems of poverty and solutions we need to reconsider.Michael is a Research Fellow at the Acton Institute and the Director and Producer of Poverty, Inc. Previously, Michael was the Director of Media and Director of Programs International at the Acton Institute and has appeared in various videos including Doing the Right Thing. Before coming to Acton, he taught philosophy and political science at Ave Maria College in Nicaragua and was the chair of the philosophy and theology department. Michael holds graduate degrees in philosophy, international development, and international business.He has lived and traveled in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America and speaks extensively on themes of international development, entrepreneurship, political economy, and moral philosophy. He has been featured on FOX Business, CNBC, numerous radio shows, and published in The New York Post, The Washington Times, The LA Daily News, The Detroit News, and Real Clear Politics.IN THIS PODCAST: Greg gets a chance to talk about a serious social sustainability topic when he interviews Michael Matheson Miller, the Director-Producer of Poverty Inc.  Michael has examined this issue at great lengths and tells why some of the things we think are helping are really fostering additional problems and why we should be asking if we are part of the problem.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/28/michael-matheson-miller/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

213: Nikki Golly on Nutrition and Wellness. Recognizing the highly important nutrients that might be missing from our foods.In this Podcast: We get to meet Nikki Golly who’s focus on micro nutrients gives her a detailed perspective on the essentials of good nutrition.  Her chat with Greg is a chance to break down the descriptions of some important food terms in today’s vocabulary and bring to light some very key details on the tiniest, but very powerful ingredients.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/25/nikki-golly/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.Nikki is a micronutrient coach on a mission to help people experience the healthiest and happiest version of themselves. She graduated with highest honors with a degree in nutrition from Arizona State University. She worked for 8 years in a vitamin store in Phoenix where she gained her vast knowledge of supplements.Fuel Your Body is a coaching program, as well as, a series of products to help you reach your health goals. Everything you eat makes a difference in how you feel.  Your immune system starts in your gut and the foods you eat affect your whole body, from the bottoms of your feet to the top of your head. Through her simple tips, recipes and how to videos, she empowers others to reach their goals.

212: Jenny Beasley on Community GardeningBuilding a community revitalization garden project from scratch.Jenny received her certification as a health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City along with her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University. She is currently the Director of Heart for the City Community Garden located in Glendale, AZ.She became involved with Heart for the City seven years ago, a non-profit that helps change lives of inner city at risk youth by walking life with them. She was asked to spearhead a 1/2-acre community revitalization project.... a community garden in which they educate Title 1 school children and their families on gardening and provide families ways of growing their own healthy foods.She decided to become a health coach to fulfill her passion of working with individuals to enhance their own well-being.In this podcast: Starting a community garden from scratch is no easy feat, and Greg talks with Jenny Beasley to hear about her work to bring a bare lot to life with a very thriving and highly appreciated garden resource in her community.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/23/jenny-beasley/ for show notes

211: Colin Austin on Wicking Beds and Healthy Food Examining wicking garden beds and bio-intensive vegetables.In this Podcast: We get to meet a gardening pioneer when Greg talks to Colin Austin who is known world-wide as the man who engineered a simple but highly popular garden bed called a wicking bed.  Greg learns why Colin was motivated to create the beds and how the wicking process works. Then they go further to talk about why healthy food is so important to him and his family.Many years ago, at the birth of the computer revolution Colin learned to write code and set-up a company which grew to become Australia’s leading exporter of technical software.  Then twenty years ago, Colin developed a growing system, which is known today as wicking bed technology and has gone feral worldwide. He runs a website WaterRight.com.au and a newsletter which are leading sources of information on wicking bed growing technology around the globe.Colin’s wife was very healthy and after moving to Australia from China she developed diabetes when she transitioned to a Western style diet.   Consequently, he has spent many years studying the causes and remedies for diabetes.  This complex disease involves many factors such as genetics and life style stress but the dominating one of course is diet.  As a result of this research he is developing a new farming technology for growing in nutrient dense soil which is very biologically.  He says living soils are based on recycling waste and are regenerative.  He believes we have been destroying our soil and that we are now approaching peak soil.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/21/colin-austin/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

210: Don Titmus on a Synopsis of Permculture.Chat with an Permaculture ExpertIn this Chat with an Expert Podcast: Greg chats with Permaculture expert Don Titmus who has been teaching permaculture techniques for for more than a decade and working in landscape design for more than three decades. They talk about what Permaculture is, a synopsis of the key elements of Permaculture Design Course education and how it can change your perspectives on the world around you.Don grew up in London and at age 16 spent 4 years being trained in horticulture through an apprenticeship and a college course. From there he continued landscaping in his hometown until he moved to Arizona in 1981, where he worked in landscaping and then starting his own business in garden maintenance.In 2003 he attended a Permaculture Design Course, which was life-changing for Don. He knew right away that this was the path he’d been waiting for, and later attended two Permaculture Teacher Trainings.He co-founded the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, started a Permaculture design company, redesigned his home site into a permaculture destination, and helped develop a thriving permaculture community in the Phoenix, Arizona area. He has presented in 5 cities, worked in several states, attended classes in 5 states, and pretty much lives and breathes permaculture.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/18/don-titmus-cwe/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests

209: Alastair Monk on The Future of Indoor Ag.Creating technology to help gardeners and farmers control their greenhouse watering systems.Alastair, or Ally, is the CEO and Co-founder of Motorleaf, which created the first wireless, automated, indoor growing system. A native from the UK, Ally has lived and worked in North America since 1999.  He has a history of success within the technology sector, providing his 3 children, wife and Husky Dog (Shadow) a rich life filled with nature and opportunity.Ally loves to keep it simple and he says he wakes up each morning feeling hungry. Hungry for company growth, hungry for new product features, and hungry for new happy customers.In This Podcast:  Greg talks to Ally and finds out what it is like to be a founding partner in a brand-new company that is focusing on making indoor gardening easier.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/16/alastair-monk/ for show notes and links.

208: Chat with an Expert - Catherine Crowley "The Herb Lady"Catherine, The Herb Lady, is a self-taught, hands-in-the-dirt, Urban Farmer who experiments and researches constantly for new and interesting edibles as well as playing with old favorites. She was given the nickname "The Herb Lady" when vendors and customers at farmers markets would say "go ask the herb lady" for questions on herbs.  It stuck. Catherine has taught many cooking and gardening classes at various locations private and public including the notable Boyce Thompson Arboretum which is an Arizona State Park, and Phoenix’s own Desert Botanical Garden. She has been a newspaper columnist for 4 years writing on growing and using edible herbs.  Catherine has a blog online and is a regular vendor at her local Farmers Market.  In this Podcast: Chatting with Herb expert Catherine Crowley about growing herbs and using them in cooking other beneficial ways. She and Greg explore many of the different unique and awesome aspects of a myriad of herbs that can be grown in the home gardens and urban farms, with a special emphasis on garlic.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/14/cwe-catherine-the-herb-lady-crowley/ for show notes and links.

207: Megan Cain on Garden PlanningJoining a Legion of Gardening addicts through sensible preparation and design.Megan grew up an urban girl in a row home in Philadelphia. She never saw a vegetable growing in the ground until well into her 20’s. A few years ago, she quit her job and traveled to Africa for two months to volunteer with a fair trade organization.  Now, she is a garden educator, writer and speaker. She has developed one of the first youth gardening programs in Madison, designed and installed gardens in many homeowners’ yards, managed a quarter-acre youth farm, worked on CSA farms, created a series of gardening class that often have waiting lists, and tends to a large home garden. She knows what works and what doesn’t…and loves to share it.Megan is setting out to create a legion of gardening addicts that successfully and passionately grow their own food. Through her gardening education business, The Creative Vegetable Gardener, she helps people get more from their gardens by first mastering the essentials and then indulging in the colorful details that make gardening not just a favorite pastime, but a lifestyle.In This Podcast:  Acquiring a love of gardening transformed Megan into a fully focused farmer and she tells Greg how she went from being an naive urbanite with no plant growing experience to a gardening educator and resource to kids and adults alike.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/11/megan-cain/ for show notes and links.

206: Allison Duffy on Food Preservation. Canning and other preservation techniques to safely store foods longer.Allison has been growing and preserving food for over fifteen years.  She is a Master Food Preserver, trained through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and holds a Master’s Degree in Gastronomy from Boston University.  She has written about food for various publications including the Boston Globe, Backpacker magazine, and Taproot magazine, and is the author of the book Preserving with Pomona's Pectin.She regularly writes and develops recipes for the Pomona Pectin company, and blogs at her own website CanningCraft.com plus she teaches canning and preserving classes. Allison lives on several acres in Mid-coast Maine with her husband Ben and their two young boys, where they tend an apple orchard, look after a way-too-big vegetable garden, take care of chickens, and put up as much food as they can manage.In this podcast: Canning food is a favorite topic of Greg’s so of course he was excited to talk to Allison about her experiences and get some tips from her as well.  As a bonus, they also chatted about her ‘too big’ garden and how this homestead is so rewarding for her family.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/09/allison-duffy/ for show notes and links.

Nancy Bailey on Prolific Vegetables in Small Spaces.Increasing the yield of a small garden through planning and care.Nancy had an idyllic childhood growing up in western New York State, right next door to her grandfather who she adored. He had a small farm where he raised a few head of beef cattle and always had a few dozen chickens. While much of the 10-acres was devoted to raising hay and grain to feed and bed the cattle, her father and grandfather also managed a large vegetable garden and an apple orchard.The garden produced a considerable bounty which her mom canned and froze; and while young, it didn’t occur to Nancy to consider how special it was to be fed on free-range grass-fed beef and farm fresh eggs, and to eat organically grown fruits and vegetables year-round.  Today she looks back and realizes how lucky and loved she was.Although she’s always had a passion for ornamental horticulture, it wasn’t until retirement 2 years ago, that she got serious in raising vegetables and composting. By adding micro-nutrients and her own amendments, each season has yielded a more prolific harvest. Although her vegetable garden is less than 200 square feet, she reaps far more produce than she and her husband can consume. She says she raises vegetables for the joy of watching them grow as well as to consume and share with the neighbors.In this podcast: Greg chats with Nancy, an urban farmer from Southern California who explains how she is maximizing the potential of her very small garden. She has faced off critters of various sizes with some ingenious tricks and she is using soil amendments to make her soil healthy and her plants happy and productive.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/07/nancy-bailey/ for show notes and links.

204: Vanessa Sardi on Farm over Pharma.Learning how to prevent health issues through achievable diet changes.Vanessa is Certified Health and Nutrition Coach with a unique perspective on health and wellness. She has a Master's degree in Cardiopulmonary Physiology, a bachelor’s in Sports Medicine, clinical work in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, and research/sales positions in pharmaceutical and gene expression testing.  Vanessa has a passion for nutrition & helping others to live healthy, fueled by her background and consistent studies. When Vanessa realized that “more pills” wasn’t the answer to better health, she walked away from her cushy salary as an Executive Sales Rep for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world to start her own business, Nutriception®.  As a Certified Health and Nutrition coach, she is now driven to help people get off their meds, many of which she promoted herself, and improve their health via a whole-foods, plant-based lifestyle. Vanessa’s slogan says it all…FARM over PHARMA.In this podcast: Greg finds another EPIC moment in this interview with Vanessa Sardi who tells why she decided to stop selling pharmaceutical drugs and instead is focusing on preventing issues through teaching about healthy diet choices. Tired of feeling like she was adding to problems, she wanted to be part of the solution and she went out and found a way to do just that.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/04/vanessa-sardi/ for show notes and links.

Anna Swanson and Meg Stratton on School and Community GardensHelping kids and community members understand food origins.Megan is a student at Binghamton University, and was drawn into the world of food and agriculture as a powerful way to address a range of current environmental, social, and ethical issues. After graduating with a self-designed degree focused on sustainable food systems, she moved to Glocester to join the FoodCorps. As a two-term FoodCorps service member, Meghan has been involved in all aspects of the Backyard Growers' school programs.Anna graduated from the College of William and Mary with a BA in Africana Studies and a minor in Environmental Studies.  Looking for a way to integrate her desire to work for social justice and her interest in environmental sustainability, Anna became Backyard Growers’ first FoodCorps service member in the fall of 2013. After her year of service, she moved back to her hometown of Philadelphia, where she taught farm, food, and nutrition classes on the farm and in Philadelphia schools.In this podcast: Greg chats with an inspiring couple of women from Backyard Growers. Anna and Meghan help explain the purpose of this community organization and how satisfying it is to watch kids and community members learn about growing food and cooking the food they grow.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/03/02/anna-swanson-and-meghan-stratton/ for show notes and links.

202: Andrew Mefferd on Hoophouse and Greenhouse growing.Improving crop production through the smart use of protected structures.Andrew spent seven years in the research department at Johnny’s Selected Seeds, traveling around the world to consult with researchers and farmers on the best practices in greenhouse growing. He put what he learned to use on his own farm in Maine. He is now the editor and publisher of Growing for Market magazine.Prior to starting his own farm, he worked on farms in six states across the US. Andrew also works as a consultant on the topics covered in his book The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower's Handbook Organic Vegetable Production using protected culture another great book published by Chelsea Green.In this podcast: Getting excited about agriculture in protected structures is the topic of discussion for Greg and his guest Andrew Medferd today.  With a journey that took him across the United States, Andrew learned a lot about different types and sizes of farms.  He explains how he used that experience to improve his skills why he hopes others can learn from it as well.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/02/28/andrew-mefferd/ for show notes and links. Go to www.urbanfarm.org/onedropfarm for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to hear from our other great guests.

201: Jake Mace on Gardening with SeedsChat with an expert on gardeningJake Mace started his garden in 2011 with a peach tree, fig tree, pomegranate tree, and kumquat tree to save money on his food budget. Today, it’s a luscious green food forest. In Episode 001, we interviewed Jake about his urban farm, learned some of his best tips and tricks, how to avoid his failures, and became inspired by his mission to live a life that’s compassionate with a a zero- to positive-sum impact on the earth, particularly through his commitment to a vegan lifestyle.He also teaches Martial Arts, Fitness, Tai Chi, Yoga, Gardening, and Golf to people from around The World via his successful YouTube channel and Online Schools at JakeMace.com. Outside of teaching, Jake’s real passion is as an advocate for the environment, animals, and people. Jake has been a Vegan Vegetarian for nearly 16 years and believes in preserving The Earth, it’s resources, and it’s living inhabitants so that future generations can enjoy them as he has! Jake Studied Mandarin Chinese while attending ASU and Duke Universities. Currently Jake lives with his wife Pamela and their many adopted animals on their edible urban homestead in Tempe.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/02/25/jake-mace-cwe/ for show notes and links.

200: Josh Trought on Community-Scale Permaculture FarmingAppreciating the wonders of a community farm with a resilient lifestyle.Born to two service-oriented medical professionals, he spent most of his upbringing in the fields and forests of North Carolina which at the time was transitioning from a rural agricultural economy into a service based economy. The sprawl and destruction of the traditional culture lost in the transition process left him with an undeniable distrust of growth and consumerism. So, he graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Environmental Conservation, and after college he spent the summer as an intern for the Solar Energy International’s renewable energy and construction school.  He’s spent time abroad in Spain during college, and traveled through South America. And in 1997, he moved full time to what is now known as D Acres where he has specialized in forestry, construction, and farming.Currently he is a member of the Artistic Roots Co-op in Plymouth and serves as Treasurer of the Pemi-Baker Solid Waste District. He also participates in local government as the Dorchester Town Moderator overseeing elections and facilitating the annual Town Meeting.  The fate of humanity preoccupies his thoughts.In This Podcast:  Greg talks with Josh, a member of a permaculture farm community near Plymouth, NH, and learns about living a resilient lifestyle from someone who is living a truly community-oriented and sustainable farming lifestyle.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/02/23/josh-trought/ for show notes and links.

199: Kanin Routson on Apple Tree DiversityStudying the genetics of an iconic and incredibly wide-ranging fruit.Kanin, has devoted his life to heritage apple tree diversity. In the pursuit of apple knowledge, Kanin has researched apple varieties from historic homesteads across Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.During this research, he documented 34 known apple varieties and 110 unique trees of unknown origin. He has collected and propagated unique varieties of heritage trees from numerous small homestead orchards in Northern Arizona, as well as Capital Reef National Park and the historic Philmont Scout Ranch and Chase Ranch in New Mexico. This research and further research on wild apple genetic diversity led Kanin to complete a Master’s degree at Northern Arizona University and a Ph. D at the University of Arizona.In This Podcast: Greg was super excited to talk to Kanin and talk about the history of Apple Trees and find out why there is so much diversity in this very popular fruit tree. Kanin’s interest in apple orchards started young and prompted him to pursue his PhD to study this fruit tree even further.  Find out why and what he is doing now with all that research!!Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/02/21/kanin-routson/ for show notes and links.