Living Homegrown Podcast with Theresa Loe (general)

LH 132: Behind the Scenes of the Elliot Homestead

This episode focuses on what it's really like running a homestead - from raising dairy cows, laying hens, meat chickens, hogs, sheep, turkeys, and growing produce in a large organic garden.

Host Theresa Loe invited Shaye Elliott, author of Welcome to the Farm and blogger for The Elliott Homestead, to talk about running a super active homestead that's full of animals, food gardens, four active children, and how she manages to make it all run and operate at the same time.

Shaye shares how ordinary, everyday moments can be magical and THAT'S what life is all about.

You will learn:

  •      How this popular blogger balances home and family
  •      The possibility of a new Food Network series on REAL FOOD
  •      Why having a diary cow was so important to her family
  •      What is raw milk
  •      All the ways to use the extra milk from a dairy cow
  •      How to make “Junket” and why you’d want to
  •      Why a popcorn maker can make the best coffee EVER

As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/132 for the free recipe for Shaye's Junket (PDF Download), all the links mentioned, the Farm Fresh Success path and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 132_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:18am PDT

LH 131: Farming The Rooftops of New York City

This podcast focuses a lot on working with the space you have to grow your garden. Whether that's a backyard, a farmstead, or simply container gardening - where there is a will there is a way to a farm fresh lifestyle.

This episode is about a very creative and inspiring use of space - right in the middle of New York City (and it's not Central Park).

Host Theresa Loe invited Anastasia Plakias to talk about an actual farm that is acres large on top of buildings in New York City. She shares how this project is changing the way city folk think about agriculture and organic farming in a way that no one was expecting.

You will learn:

  •      Why build a farm on top of NYC Buildings
  •      How this farm produces over 50K pounds of veggies/year
  •      The challenges of building a 2 acre farm over the city
  •      The motivations behind the mission
  •      What turned out to be their biggest win in all this
  •      How they added rooftop chickens and bees to the project
  •      What they hope the community gains from their efforts

As always, you can find more links and info at www.LivingHomegrown.com/131 including a full transcript of the show.

Direct download: 131_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:14am PDT

Creative Ways to Use Your Garden for Health and Wellbeing

Explore how to get 'more bang for your buck' (in terms of health benefits) when it comes to your backyard gardens.

Host Theresa Loe brings on author Shawna Coronado to share her tips on the most nutritious foods we can grow and the best ways to use our gardens for wellness.

You will learn:

  • Which homegrown foods pack the biggest nutritional punch
  • What are the best homegrown "fast foods"
  • The best shade tolerant veggies
  • Shawna's secret recipe for making top-notch potting soil
  • Why moving more in the garden is so important
  • Ways to de-stress with sensory plants

As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/130 for related links and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 130_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:51pm PDT

How to Better Understand Your Backyard Chickens

If we understand the behaviors and mannerisms of any of our pets, we can have a better relationship with them.

And so it is with chickens! Everything they do (and say) has meaning.

In this week’s episode, I invite author Melissa Caughey to teach us a thing or two about chickens and their personalities.

You will learn:

  • That chickens are smarter than we realize
  • How they communicate without sounds
  • The main factor that determines pecking order
  • The role of the sentinel in your flock
  • Why your hens all cackle at once
  • The sound they make as greeting
  • Why chickens might growl and why
  • And other interesting facts about our feathered friends

As always, you can visit www.LivingHomegrown.com/129 for relate links and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 129_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:25pm PDT

Fearless Brewing to Get Awesome Hard Cider Flavors

Have you wanted to learn the art of making hard cider but found most of the books were overly complicated for a beginning home brewer?

 

Well, here's your chance to learn the basics without all the overwhelm! Host Theresa Loe brings on Emma Christensen - the author of the new book Modern Cider.

Emma is well known in the foodie world for breaking down artisanal recipes into simple step-by-step DIY projects that are totally doable…and delicious. In her new book, Emma teaches people how to make cider from every angle. She covers using store bought juice or home pressed apples and she gives flavorful options that make your cider BETTER than the commercial brews.

In this episode, Emma shares how to make basic Hard Cider 101.

You'll see that it’s super easy, very forgiving, and you don’t need a lot of equipment to get started!

You will learn:

  • Is hard cider making safe
  • What exactly is happening when we “brew” apple juice
  • Why there are 3 different types of apples needed for hard cider
  • What to do if we don’t have apples of our own
  • What happens if you use pasteurized vs raw apple juice
  • The basic equipment we should buy
  • Which yeast gives the best results
  • How to flavor your ciders with spices, oak or fruits
  • The steps involved in brewing at home

As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/128 for more info, all the links mentioned AND a full PDF of the hard cider recipe discussed in the episode.
Enjoy!

Direct download: 128_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:37am PDT

How To Have a Breakthrough Farm-Fresh Year

It's that time of year for reflection and goal setting. To help you with your own projections for the upcoming year, host Theresa Loe shares the parameters or tips that have given her the best results in her own goal setting and helped her skyrocket her own achievements the last few years. 

As you listen, remember this...

It doesn't matter if you're a goal-setting type or not. And that's because these tips are NOT really about reaching every single goal.

They're about seeking a life that is richer and more fulfilling.

The cool thing is...they only require small shifts. But those small shifts can have a big impact on your year ahead.

You will learn:

  • How to define a breakthrough year
  • Why it's sometimes okay NOT to reach your goals
  • The mental shift that can make all the difference in goal setting
  • The truth about your time
  • Why mentors or experts are important
  • Where gratitude fits in
  • How to handle yourself when you mess up

As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/127 for more links and a full transcript of the episode.

Enjoy!

Direct download: 127_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:43am PDT

How to make sourdough bread using heirloom grains - And make an Onion Jam Recipe to spread on that fresh baked bread!

This is an important episode and I could not be more excited to share it. Here’s why…

When we take the time to do things like make our own breads or ferment our own yogurt, we are not only creating incredible flavors – we are also connecting with our food.

But…When we take that connection a step further by investigating where the base ingredients for that food comes from…then, we are participating in the story of our food.

That deep dive is what this week’s episode is all about.

I brought on Sarah Owens, a James Beard Award-winning author, baker, and organic gardener. We look at the art of making sourdough starter from the seed in the field to the delicious steaming bread loaf coming out of the oven.

We look at the whole story and the importance of good ingredients when it comes to our health and that of our planet.

But hey - we didn’t even scratch the surface of this big topic! And I’m sure this episode will leave you wanting to hear more. But fear not – I plan on having Sarah back soon.

In the meantime, you’ll learn all about sourdough starter, heirloom grains, and even onion jam.  OH MY!

You will learn:

  • Why conventionally grown wheat is actually pretty scary
  • What is it about sourdough that’s so good for gut-health
  • Why heirloom, stone-milled flours are better for us
  • How should you store stone-milled flour for best results
  • What exactly is a subscription-based artisan microbakery
  • The difference between yeast-water sourdough and traditional sourdough
  • How foraged ingredients can be nutrient-rich
  • What makes onion jam so darn addictive

As always, you can get more resources, a FREE PDF recipe from the book and links at www.LivingHomegrown.com/126 and you can get a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 126_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:55am PDT

How to successfully grow food in containers or any small space

If you don’t have a lot of outdoor space, growing food can be frustrating.

Being limited to a patio, porch, or only a precious few feet of space can make you think that you'll never have homegrown food right outside your backdoor.

Container growing can fix that!

But planted containers can also be extremely beneficial to those of us who already DO have a garden.

How so?

Well, by growing in containers you instantly have a moveable garden!  You can create lovely edible planters and strategically place them around your garden or patio to make a statement and draw in beneficial insects.

So the bottom line is that you CAN successfully grow veggies and fruit in teeny, tiny spaces. And you CAN do it in containers.

But what can make or break your success is being very intentional with your choices and how you set yourself up in the beginning.

That’s why I’m so excited to bring you this week’s guest.

Jessica Walliser has been on the podcast before. And she has a brand new book on container gardening.

But this book was unlike any container gardening book I had reviewed before. This book was more than an instruction manual on how to plant up a container.

It really sets the reader up for success by covering what happens AFTER you plant.

And the best part is that the information is just as valuable for people planting a small space in the ground as well.

You will learn:

  • The 3 pillars of successful container growing
  • How to be smart in your veggie choices
  • Why pollinator pots are crucial in urban areas
  • Favorite high producing dwarf edibles
  • What is the thriller, filler, and spiller concept
  • The biggest mistake people make with containers
  • The best way to save $ when container gardening

As always, you can get all the links mentioned and more information at www.LivingHomegrown.com/125 as well as a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 125_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:28am PDT

What if want to grow veggies, but you really don’t have much soil in your backyard to begin with? (It's mostly cement or pavement)

Or maybe your backyard soil is hard to work with and you want a short cut to growing without waiting years to build up the soil.

Or maybe you want a higher yield of food from a raised bed than you can get by just growing in the ground.

(Yep - you really can get a higher yield if you do it right.)

Listen…raised bed gardening is not a magic pill. But it certainly can take care of ton of issues that hold people back from gardening.

And I want to make sure you are armed with all the pros and cons so you can tell if it's right for you.

This week, I brought on Tara Nolan to share some innovative ideas for creating raised beds.

She has tips and hints that can really make the whole process super easy.  You see, she literally wrote the book on the topic. And I just love the way she always thinks outside the planter box…so to speak. :-)

You will learn:

  • How raised beds can help you overcome bad soil
  • About a recent study proving raised beds will increase your yields (This one surprised me!)
  • Why you DON’T need power tools to have success
  • The many benefits in controlling weeds, pest and more
  • Creative examples of building material you can use
  • Why you need to be so cautious with recycled wood
  • How to reduce the cost of filling the beds with good soil
  • Innovative ways to make raised beds from upcycled objects

As always, you can get all the links mentioned and more tips in the show notes at www.LivingHomegrown.com/124 and you can get a free, printable transcript of the episode. 

Direct download: 124_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:32pm PDT

The best organic gardening practices for building our soils

Our soil is the foundation for everything we do out in the garden. And having an understanding of how it works is hugely important.

If we are better stewards of our soil, we will have healthier plants, fewer pest problems, and a happier earth.

In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe brings on Mark Highland, who is also known as the Organic Mechanic. Mark knows a lot about soil and organic gardening because he runs the company with the same name: Organic Mechanics Soil.

Learn how our soil works and how we should care for it an organic way.

You will learn:

  • Why “big picture” thinking is key to all organic gardening
  • The difference between conventional and organic fertilizers
  • Why deer are more attracted to synthetically fertilized plants
  • Why organic matter makes for healthier plants
  • The key practices that make all the difference in soil building
  • Why you should avoid the tiller at all costs
  • Why we need to wait after a storm before weeding
  • What makes bugs attack conventionally grown plants more than organically grown

As always, you can get all the information mentioned in this episode at www.LivingHomegrown.com/123 including a full PDF transcript of the episode.

 

Direct download: LH_123_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:03am PDT