The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Jessica is a home canning expert and has worked for Jarden Home Brands for over 11.5 years. She currently is an Analytics Specialist (or Home Canning Expert) in Consumer Affairs and a certified process engineer through the USDA.  Being a life-long resident in Muncie, Indiana, Jessica has a strong affinity toward the Ball brand & its heritage in her community.Now in its 6th year, Can-It-Forward Day has a “Facebook Live! Event” taking place on Friday, July 22nd from 10AM – 3:30PM ET.  Jarden Home Brands, will host a series of live, unique recipe demos taking place in kitchens across the country.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/19/jessica-piper/ for show notes and links.

Stacey has taught hundreds of teens and adults how to grow, harvest and prepare fresh foods. She is a recovering engineer and architect turned garden geek and farm nerd. Stacey founded BK Farmyards, a cooperative of urban farmers in Brooklyn dedicated to social justice through urban agriculture, and helped create over an acre of new farmyards in Brooklyn. She's been featured on Martha Stewart Radio, PBS online and once appeared on the David Letterman show with a giant radish. She envisions a world where everyone is nourished by the magic of fresh, affordable and culturally exciting food…extra points if it’s homegrown.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/16/stacey-murphy/ for show notes and links.

Jerome Osentowski has spent the last 30 years developing indoor and outdoor forest farming technology at his location in Basalt, Colorado. He is the founder and director of the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute dedicated to education, research, and demonstration.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/14/jerome-osentowski/ for show notes and links.

Gardening has been DeBorah Prince’s passion and therapy for over 20 years. She grows a huge range of fruits and veggies from asparagus to zucchini, makes her own compost and vermicompost, and her latest project is building a chicken coop. She lives in New Jersey and has been married for 23 years with a big family of 8 children and 15 grandchildren.Come listen to the delightfully upbeat gardener tell us how she decided to just start gardening and learned how from the internet and books.  She explains how the food available today is not real food, and why that matters to her family.  You can't help but laugh with her as she tells us why she named her urban farm and why everyone should name theirs.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/12/deborah-prince/ for show notes and links.

After learning about the devastating effects of plastic pollution on the environment and human health, Oakland accountant Beth began an experiment to see if she could live without buying any new plastic. Since then, she has reduced her plastic waste to less than 2% of the national average. That experiment turned into the popular blog MyPlasticFreeLife.com and new book Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too. Her work and life have been profiled in the award-winning film Bag It, as well as Susan Freinkel’s book, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story and Captain Charles Moore’s Plastic Ocean.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/09/beth-terry/ for show notes and links.

Paris Masek is the Managing Director for Green on Purpose and the Director of Agriculture Programs for Quincea Social Enterprises. He is also a PhD candidate at ASU in English Literature working with Indigenous American Literature and Cultures. He is an active member of the Maricopa County Food System Coalition as well as an urban gardener who uses raised beds, edible landscaping, and a flock of chickens in his downtown residence to keep fresh produce and eggs on his family’s dinner table. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/07/paris-masek/ for show notes and links.

Toby is the author of a new book on urban and suburban permaculture, The Permaculture City, as well as Gaia’s Garden, the best-selling permaculture book in the world, which won the 2011 Nautilus award and was named one of the ten best gardening books of 2010 by The Washington Post. He has been an adjunct professor at Portland State University and Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University. Toby is a well-known permaculture teacher and has taught over 70 Permaculture Design Courses. He and his wife, Key el, live in Sebastopol, California.Listen in to our 100th episode and hear Greg and Toby chat about one of their favorite topics: Permaculture. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/05/toby-hemenway/ for show notes and links

Dr. George Brooks Jr. is the Founder and President of the NxT Horizon Group. Dr. Brooks holds an earned Ph.D., in Wildlife and Fisheries from the School of Renewable Natural Resources at the University of Arizona and is an established social, environmental, economic and political leader and business consultant. With the motto of “AgTech for the Real World” NxT Horizon focuses on bioenergy development in Africa, and the development and application of new urban farming technologies (aquaponics) to solve real world social, environmental and economic problems.Come listen to Dr. Brooks as he helps us understand more about aquaponics and our opportunities with it. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/07/02/george-brooks/ for show notes and links.

Michael Judd has worked with agro-ecological and whole system designs throughout the Americas for the last 20 years focusing on applying permaculture and ecological design to increase local food security and community health in both tropical and temperate growing regions. The founder of both Ecologia, LLC, Edible & Ecological Landscape Design and Project Bona Fide, an international non-profit supporting agro-ecology research.Come listen and learn about Michael's adventure in rural latin america and what he learned from some Mayan tribes.  He tells us how he learned they managed to meet all of their needs without help from the outside.  Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/30/michael-judd/ for show notes and links.

Growing vegetables worthy of entering competitions.Jodi is an award-winning vegetable gardener, craftsy gardening instructor, and the founder and editor-in-chief of WesternGardeners.com. In addition to the two books she authored, her garden writing also appears in digital and print media. Since 2010 she’s organized the annual Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign in Denver, Colorado. Jodi has a lot of great advice on how and why to start growing vegetables for competition purposes.  Listen in to our "biggest" podcast ever and find out why we say that. Visit http://www.urbanfarm.org/blog/2016/06/28/jodi-torpey/ for show notes and links.

Molly comes from a long line of farmers in Washington state. She grew up on a farm with chickens, cows, pigs and the occasional turkey. She has two boys and her own acre in Spokane where they raise chickens, honey bees and of course, fruits and veggies.  She’s just getting started and hope to transform her property into a working, thriving, educational farm where she can teach her family and others how to grow their own food.Molly did not want to be a farmer when she went to college so she pursued other interests.  Eventually she bought a house with an acre of land and a bee hive. Listen to her story of how she is returning to farming to give her children better food options, and using her education background to help teach others about beekeeping and basic farming.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/25/molly-cole/ for show notes and links.

Larry has been a teacher and practitioner of Permaculture Design for the last 28 years. After a career in law enforcement, Santoyo went onto land use planning and was mentored by Permaculture’s founding father, Bill Mollison. Santoyo went on to teach Permaculture with Mollison around the US and Australia. He has taught environmental design at colleges and universities nationwide, including UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, Evergreen College, CSU Northridge, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  He is also the Senior Designer at Earthflow Designs of Los Angeles, one of the largest Permaculture companies in the world. The firm specializes in planning and design that integrates economic development strategies with ecological systems management in residential, commercial and municipal projects. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/23/larry-santoyo/ for show notes and links.

Tristram Stuart, founder of the charity Feedback, is an international award-winning author (The Bloodless Revolution and Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal), speaker, campaigner and expert on the environmental and social impacts of food production. The environmental campaigning organization he founded, Feedback, has spread its work into dozens of countries worldwide, working with governments, international institutions, businesses, non-governmental organizations, grassroots organizations and the public to change society’s attitude toward wasting food. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/21/tristram-stuart/ for show notes and links.

Diana is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living on a working organic farm outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She is the author of The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook: Over 100 Gluten Free, Seasonal Recipes and a Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Healthy Food. Diana speaks internationally about nutrition and sustainability issues in our food system, runs the popular podcast, Sustainable Dish, and works with people one on one to help them recover their health through real food.Come join us as we hear Diana tells us how she and her husband created the sustainable farm and education center they now run. Her passion to help others is obvious as it weaves through her story. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/18/diana-rodgers/ for show notes and links.

Casey is a director and producer of independent documentary films, highlighting untold stories. She premiered “The Organic Life” to sold-out crowds at the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival in 2013. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the Santa Cruz Film Festival, and national online and broadcast distribution was rolled out in 2014, including on iTunes, FoodMattersTV, and PivotTV among others. Casey is currently directing a feature documentary “This Just In” as well a digital short documentary series telling immigration stories through food, called “Table." Austin has been farming for seven years. He got his start through the apprentice program at Soil Born Farms in Sacramento, California in 2009. Soon after, he co-founded Lunita Farm in Sonoma Valley, a hand-scale mixed vegetable operation. In 2010, Austin began to work full time at Paul's Produce, a mainstay in the Sonoma farming community for nearly 30 years. At home, he raises chickens and is launching a hot sauce label. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/16/casey-beck-austin-blair/ for show notes and links.

Kamea is the content curator of Kamea World and the author of Thrive, an evidence-based guide to healthy living. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, and she is currently the Marketing Manager of Ethical Writers Co. Through her multi-disciplinary studies and her multicultural background, Kamea developed a particular interest in the relationship between human health and world sustainability—an interest that eventually led her to write her debut nonfiction book Thrive. By proposing a broadened perspective on health—one that encompasses the health of the mind, body, and our collective environment—Kamea hopes to empower her readers to cultivate meaning and create sustainability in all areas of life.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/14/kamea-chayne/ for show notes and links.

Diana is a horticulturist, garden columnist and author of 3 books: Water-Smart Gardening; Rocky Mountain Fruit & Vegetable Gardening; and Southwest Gardener’s Guide,  published by Cool Springs Press. She lives and gardens in southern Utah with her husband, Steve. Combining her professional background in education with the continuous learning experiences her gardens provide, she strives to encourage, to teach and inspire others to garden sustainably. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/11/diana-maranhao/ for show notes and links.

Candy is self-taught chef, instructor, writer and speaker, who has been inducted into Arizona's Culinary Hall of Fame and hosted and produced Food & Life Television for 3 years. She is now shifting her direction to helping others as a Culinary Wellness Coach; assisting those who have been diagnosed with health issues to transition into a healthier culinary lifestyle and make those changes both enjoyable and sustainable. She believes that growing (and cooking) their own food can be a big part of every "healthier lifestyle" success! For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/09/candy-lesher/

Michael was morbidly obese, had severe sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and advanced gum disease. Not only did he lose 105 pounds, but he also reversed all of his lifestyle-related health conditions. This enabled him to transform the dysfunctional relationship he had with food, his lifestyle, and his true self. Michael’s health journey was intensified when he lost five family members in eighteen months. Because of the impact these losses had on his life, Michael was forced to have major breakthroughs with the things that were the most difficult to deal with. After experiencing all of these life transformations, he was highly inspired to become a certified health coach and also wrote an empowering book about healthy and balanced living. For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/07/michael-tamez/

Katie Poirier is the project director of PHX Renews. PHX Renews finds temporary uses for vacant lots, an initiative envisioned by Phoenix Mayor Stanton in 2012 and managed by the non-profit, Keep Phoenix Beautiful. PHX Renews currently operates on a 15 acre parcel located in downtown Phoenix with 16 other non-profit partners and an emphasis on community agriculture. Katie graduated with a B.A. from the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/04/katie-poirier/

Brandi is the Founding Partner of Farm from a Box, an off-grid, modularly designed farm system that provides communities with the tools they need to grow their own food locally and earn an income. Previously, Brandi was the Managing Partner of Human.kind Philanthropic Advisory Company, a consulting firm that created custom giving strategies to foster a greater level of donor engagement, all built around collaboration, transparency, and impact. There she worked to develop cross-sector partnerships with nonprofits, private sector, governments, and philanthropic organizations to help elevate the effectiveness and impact of projects. A collaborator at heart, she specializes in strategic planning, design strategy, and business development.For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/06/02/brandi-decarli/

Ben is a husband and father of two boys and two girls living in the Jerusalem Foothills. He attended the University of Montana where he received a BA in American Literature and a Minor in Wilderness Studies. He received his Master’s Degree in Social Work from Barry University in Miami, Florida. Ben learned how to farm by reading lots of books, watching and listening to lots of videos and podcasts, speaking to farmers, and then jumped in headfirst to start a one thousand container EarthBox farm. Now, he manages a small urban farm at a community center that uses raised beds, containers, and no-till gardening techniques using thick layers of straw mulch and a broadfork. Ben advocates for himself and encourages and consults other small-scale farmers, gardeners, and would-be farmers to carve out niches for themselves as municipal and educational farmers within their municipalities and education school boards.For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/31/ben-klempner/

DaNelle is a former health care provider, mother of 2 children, and creator of the blog Weed 'em & Reap. DaNelle started to take an interest in a healthier lifestyle after suffering from two debilitating chronic diseases. On a mission to create a farm of her own, DaNelle forced, or rather 'lovingly persuaded' her husband to purchase a ranch home on an acre of land and transform it into their very own urban farm. DaNelle blogs at Weed 'em & Reap where she writes about sustainable backyard farming, traditional food, & natural remedies.For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/28/danelle-wolford/

This is part 2 of a two-part series with singer-songwriter Jason Mraz. Jason Mraz is a two-time Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter and urban farming enthusiast. He has been backyard homesteading for the past 5 years and currently owns and operates a 10 acre subtropical fruit orchard where he grows avocado, coffee and 25 other fruit varieties. He believes a connection to farmers and/or the origin of food itself can empower a person to live a happier, healthier, more eco-friendly and more economical life. He also loves driving a tractor. Greg and Jason share a great conversation about what it is like to farm, what motivates him, and how Jason is managing his passions.  The conversation was so great that we had to divide it in two parts!For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/26/jason-mraz-2/

This is Part 1 of a two-part series. In this episode, Jason Mraz shares his urban farming adventures with Urban Farm U. Jason is a two-time Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter and urban farming enthusiast. He has been backyard homesteading for the past 5 years and currently owns and operates a 10-acre subtropical fruit orchard where he grows avocado, coffee and 25 other fruit varieties. He believes a connection to farmers and/or the origin of food itself can empower a person to live a happier, healthier, eco-friendlier and more economical life. For show notes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/24/jason-mraz-1/Greg and Jason share a great conversation about what it is like to farm, what motivates him, and how Jason is managing his passions.  The conversation was so great that we had to divide it in two parts!

Dr. Jay is a doctor focusing on a natural functional medicine approach. He is also a popular speaker, #1 international bestselling author, husband, father, church elder and former radio talk show host. Dr. Jay was the host of the Chronic Lyme Disease Summit with 31 experts that happened April of this year. Dr. Jay is admired for his ability to bridge the gap between the scientific health community and the layperson. For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/21/jay-davidson/

Albert is a long time Pacific Northwest activist. He's worked on urban farming, forestry, quality of life issues and more since moving to the region in 1994. Albert is a huge proponent of helping people find their way to the garden. You can learn more about him at AlbertIdeation.com and FarmMyYard.org.For show notes and links visit -https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/19/albert-kaufman/

Jennifer Johnson was a former sous chef at Chez Panisse under Alice Waters, credited with starting the global sustainable foods movement. For the last 14 years, Jen has served as the Executive Chef for Ann & Gordon Getty, one of San Francisco’s most prominent families - where she was also tasked with preparing healthy, home-cooked lunches for students at the household's Montessori school. In 2015, Chef Jen and Hip Chick Farms co-founder Serafina Palandech were named Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink by Food & Drink Magazine.  Jennifer attended the California Culinary Academy where she earned an Associate of Arts degree. She will discuss the meal she cooked for Obama and life on the farm.For show notes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/17/jennifer-johnson/

Ed is an award-winning singer/songwriter, performer and multi-instrumentalist from Shelburne, Ontario, Canada. Blurring the lines between pop, rock, folk, and country music genres, Ed’s uniquely crafted songs have received regular rotation on more than 100 terrestrial radio stations across North America and more than 400 stations, worldwide. Ed is a 2014 International Music and Entertainment Association Award Winner, a two-time 2015 IMEA Award nominee, a Josie Show Awards nominee, an Akademia Awards Winner, a 2016 Libera Awards nominee, and a two-time Indie Music Channel Award winner. Ed is also a farmer, who grows his own food for his family and community.For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/14/ed-roman/

77: Kim Eierman on Native PlantsChoosing plants that are appropriate for your ecosystem.Kim is an environmental horticulturist specializing in ecological landscapes and native plants. She is also the founder of EcoBeneficial!, a horticulture communications and consulting company. Kim teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Native Plant Center and several other institutions. She is an active speaker on ecological gardening topics, presenting at industry conferences, garden clubs and nature centers. A Certified Horticulturist through the American Society for Horticultural Science, Kim is also a Master Gardener, a Master Naturalist, an Accredited Organic Landcare Professional and a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center. She received 2015 and 2014 Silver Awards of Achievement from the Garden Writers Association.In this podcast: What kinds of plants are good for bees? How else can you support pollinators? Did you know that some bees and even ants can be pollinators? How do you know which bugs are GOOD for the garden? How can urban farmers enhance their ecosystem?For more links and resources from this podcast go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/12/kim-eierman/

Amanda Midkiff of Locust Light Farm is a medicinal herb farmer and herbalist in New Hope, PA. She had been an organic vegetable farmer for 6 years before making the switch to growing herbs, and she's been happily surrounded by their beauty ever since. When she's not farming, Amanda enjoys teaching yoga, reading and writing poetry, and sipping coffee in diners. For show notes and links visit - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/10/amanda-midkiff/

Kristin is a native Texan, went to college in Kansas, and ended up in Arizona in 2004. She’s been gardening, raising chickens, planting fruit trees, and constructing buildings ever since! Kristin is an architect and an interior designer, and completed her Permaculture Design Course last fall. She lives on a half-an-acre property with her husband, 2 dogs, 10 chickens, a Jersey Cow, and over 75 fruit trees. She works part time at an architecture firm, and started MODIFY Concepts in 2015 to provide design consultation for architecture, interiors, and permaculture. For show notes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/07/kristin-parsons/

Stella Otto got her first taste for fruit growing during annual family outings to the U-pick orchards of western Massachusetts. After receiving a B.S. in horticulture from Michigan State University, she worked at one of largest fruit tree nurseries in the U.S, a major tart cherry orchard near Traverse City, Michigan, as well as in her own diversified fruit farm in northern Michigan.  Stella has authored two books, the award-winning The Backyard Orchardist: A complete guide to growing fruit trees in the home garden and The Backyard Berry Book: A hands-on guide to growing berries, brambles, and vine fruit in the home garden. She has written freelance articles for numerous magazines, appeared on the Discovery Channel, and been interviewed on National Public Radio and other gardening radio programs. Stella presently cultivates a fruitful family garden and enjoys her horses and cats on a 10-acre homestead in northern Michigan.For show notes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/05/stella-otto/

Dr.Z is ascientist who researches the environmental, ecological and economicbenefits of urban agriculture. He recently published a bookentitled "Just One Backyard: One Man's Search for FoodSustainability" that describes his journey from his family's Iowafarm to a major metropolitan area, and how that journey reflectssociety's transition from homegrown to industrialized foodproduction. In the book, he lays out indisputable facts thatdemonstrate just how beneficial urban food growing is to the localcommunity, the nation and the world's future foodsupply. Hisbook has been recognized as a Notable 100 Book for 2015 by ShelfUnbound Magazine and the e-book edition has beenawarded 1st Place in Self-Published Nonfiction by the prestigiousWriter's Digest Magazine. For shownotes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/03/john-zahina-ramos/

Tonyehn is the owner of Eco-Arts Living. Eco-Arts Living is about interconectedness, living with wholeheartedness and meaning, and the lives we want versus the lives WE CREATE for ourselves.  We spend too much time focusing on what we don’t have the time, the skill or the money to do.  Life is about making the time, finding the space and doing your best. Tonyehn is an avid gardener, foodie and prior restaurant reviewer, and sits on the board of The Greenhouse Project.For show notes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/30/tonyehn-verkitus/

Jake Mace will talk about why humanity's global future is local and 3 ways to ensure your fruit trees thrive. Jake is The Vegan Athlete, runs Longevity Gardens in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Pam, and is one of the most passionate food advocates that we know. This is his third visit to The Urban Farm Podcast. We love having him on the show because he is always working on some new project in his yard and has a lot of valuable expertise to share!For show notes and links visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/28/jake-mace-humanitys-future/

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.For more show notes and links visit -https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/26/don-titmus/

Matthew Hoffman on Saving Organic and Heirloom SeedsMatthew and his wife Astrid co-founded of The Living Seed Company, an organic and heirloom seed company, serving the greater Bay Area. Dedicated to planting the seeds of World Peace through supporting the act of families, friends and communities growing food together. The Living Seed Company preserves the diversity in our food through the distribution and growing of open pollinated seeds and educating about the life-affirming art of seed saving. Matthew and Astrid live and farm happily in Point Reyes Station, California.For more links, photos and resources from this podcast go to http://www.urbanfarm.org/blog/2016/04/23/matthew-hoffman/

Laura operates Indian Ladder Farmstead Brewery and Cidery in Altamont, New York with her husband, Dietrich. The two have been growing hops and brewing beer at home while working to restore local hop production in the northeast. Their orchard has been in Ten Eyck’s family for four generations, and she and Dietrich have lived there for more than twenty-five years, growing fruits and vegetables for sale to restaurants, gardening extensively, and raising animals, including sheep for meat and wool, dairy goats for milk, and chickens for eggs and meat. Laura is also the author of  The Hop Grower's Handbook:  The Essential Guide for Sustainable Small-Scale Production for Home and Market (published by Chelsea Green).Check out our show notes here - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/21/laura-ten-eyck/

Stewart Jacobson is with the Agricultural Consultation and Training Program (ACT) of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. A 37-year employee of the department, Stewart has spent over 33 of those years as enforcement with Meat and Poultry Inspection, as an inspector, trainer and the Program Manager. Now with ACT, Stewart’s role is consultation in food safety programs for leafy greens and other vegetables leading to the GHP/GAP audit. Whether traditional agriculture in a field, hydroponics or other systems, Stewart will assist in the development of your food safety program. Stewart understands Arizona agriculture and will discuss the food safety audit and program with everyone.Check out our show notes here https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/19/stewart-jacobson/

In this episode, we have Hassena Kassim of Vermi-Love Worm Farm & More LLC to talk about her experience with vermicomposting. Sena (AKA the Worm Whisperer) holds degrees and certificates in Herbalism, nutrition, landscaping, arboriculture and water harvesting. Edible gardens, vermicomposting and water harvesting are all part of her integrated landscape designs. Besides a love of worms, Sena enjoys playing imaginative games with her daughter and creating art. Living a more natural life daily and always learning more about plants helps to get her out of bed in the morning.Check out our shownotes here - https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/16/hassena-kassim/

Maat van Uitert is a homesteading and chicken expert who helps everyday people learn to grow food in their own backyard. She is the founder of the blog FrugalChicken, the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, and a sought-after freelance writer. When not writing and raising poultry, Maat develops online courses about backyard farming to spread the message that freedom is ripe for the picking. Grab a free ebook about using fermented feed to raise healthier chickens at TheFrugalChicken.com/TheBetterEggCheck out ur show notes here https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/14/maat-van-uitert/

Jacq was born in Taipei, Taiwan, grew up in Taichung, moved to Singapore for High School, then moved to Ohio to study at Columbus College of Art and Design in 1997. She became a US citizen in 2011. After living in Texas for a few years, Jacq and her husband sold their house, moved into a 35-foot Fifth Wheel RV and traveled and worked full time in the RV for 4 years.  Jacq runs her own graphic design business, Jacq Design, from her home office in Tempe, AZ. She was first introduced to permaculture through the Valley Permaculture Alliance in 2012. Now, she is in the process of establishing a semi self-sustaining food forest in her backyard in Tempe, AZ. She hopes to inspire others to do the same by giving tours and trading seeds, harvests and plants with visitors.Check out our show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/12/jacq-davis/

Michael Kramer is Managing Partner and Director of Social Research at Natural Investments, a sustainable and responsible investment advisor with 10 offices in 9 states. A national leader in his field since 2000, Michael serves on the national policy committee of USSIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, the industry’s trade association. He is co-author of The Resilient Investor: A Plan for Your Life Not Just Your Money (Berrett-Koehler, 2015). A former Executive Director of Permaculture Drylands Institute, Michael has facilitated permaculture courses and teacher trainings since 1992. He lives in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.Check out our show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/09/michael-kramer/

In 1992, John and Cecilia moved to a flat in a suburban area of Southern California, where there was no space in to grow a garden. Prior to that, they had always lived in rural areas where they had some acreage to grow a good-sized garden. John began to experiment with the container gardening concept on the front porch balcony, and it eventually became the Balcony Budeze™ Vertical Growing System, a DIY method for vertical gardening inexpensively. Check out or show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/07/cecilia-haviland/

Claire is the co-author with two genetic engineers of the new book, GMO Myths and Truths: A Citizen's Guide to the Evidence on the Safety and Efficacy of Genetically Modified Crops, which is for sale on Amazon and in bookstores. GMO Myths and Truths summarizes the facts on GM crops and foods in simple terms that are accessible to the non-scientist but still relevant to scientists, policymakers and educators. As her regular job, Claire is the managing editor of GMWatch.org, a public news and information service on genetically modified crops and foods. She also grows some of her own food in her garden. Check out our show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/05/claire-robinson/

Kim began gardening using the original Square Foot Gardening method in the late 1980s. She learned the All New Square food gardening method and became a square foot gardening Certified Instructor, taught by Mel Bartholomew, in 2010. She teaches the next generation of Certified Instructors and serves as one of Mel’s assistants. Along with her daughter-in-law and Mel, Kim is working on children’s versions of the All New Square food gardening book. She is the owner of Square Foot Gardening 4 U, a woman veteran-owned business in Glen Burnie, Maryland where she teaches. She can be reached at sfg4u.com.Check out our show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/04/02/kim-roman/

Lynn Pugh is the farmer at Cane Creek Farm in north Georgia. She has been sharing what she has learned in organic farming classes at her farm since 2007. She teaches adults from a curriculum she developed for Georgia Organics, introduces children to agriculture through farm camps and hosts a Lunch N’ Learn series on a variety of topics related to food, farming and gardening. Many alumni of her classes are farming and gardening organically across the southeast. Her background as a chemistry teacher and higher education degrees in plant pathology and science curriculum give her a good foundation for establishing an agricultural education program.Check out our show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/03/31/lynn-pugh/

Today on The Urban Farm Podcast we have Katrina Blair of Turtle Lake Refuge to talk about her experience with edible weeds. Katrina Blair began studying wild plants in her teens when she camped out alone for a summer to focus on eating wild foods.  She later wrote “The Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants of the San Juan Mountains” for her senior project at Colorado College.  In 1997 she completed an MA at John F Kennedy University in Orinda, California in Holistic Health Education.   She founded Turtle Lake Refuge in 1998, a non-profit, whose mission is to celebrate the connection between personal health and wild lands. Turtle Lake Refuge is a wild harvested, locally grown and living foods café and sustainable education center for the community.  Katrina teaches sustainable living practices and wild edible and medicinal classes.  She has authored two books: Local Wild Life - Turtle Lake Refuge’s Recipes for Living Deep and The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival, which was published by Chelsea Green 2014.Check out our show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/03/29/katrina-blair/

57: Tyagaraja Welch on Sustainable Humane EarthTyagaraja (learn what his name means in the podcast!) is an Austin musician, permaculture designer, and yogi. With all of his intensive training Tyaga and partner Gunjen Mittl created a socially conscious local business called Sustainable Humane Earth, or SHE. SHE is true Mother Earth Activism! In this fascinating, philosophically-rich episode, Greg and Tyaga discuss everything from permaculture, aquaponics, and stacking functions to building community, the formation & philosophy of SHE,and whether or not modern society is ready for sustainability. His advice for others: "Cultivate a willingness to serve others."Check out ouw show notes at https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/03/26/tyagaraja-welch/