Living Homegrown Podcast with Theresa Loe

Fresh herbs are great in the kitchen, but they can also be used to add beauty and fragrance to your home. Learn how to reap the benefits of these wonderful plants with tips for getting the most flavor and fragrance from them. You can grow fresh herbs yourself or buy them at the farmer's market. But once home...what can you do with them. Host Theresa Loe shares tips on using herbs. You learn: Tips for growing herbs, How to judge the freshness when you buy herbs, How to keep them fresh, The substitution formula for fresh vs. dried, Which herbs are best for flavor, Which are best for fragrance, A simple trick for freshening a room with mint, Tips for scenting your linens and Why her teen son's shoes smell like lavender. LOL  As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/62 for links and resources mentioned in this episode. There is also a FREE bonus PDF of Theresa's Herb Plant Resource Guide. It has a full listing of all herbs mentioned (with botanical names) and a list of mail order sources for all the unusual herbs.

Direct download: 62_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:33pm PDT

Learn how to harness the flavor of this versatile herb. In this episode, host Theresa Loe shares the benefits of growing, harvesting and using lavender in the kitchen - both in your cooking and in your preserves. You learn: Which lavender has the best flavor, The basics of growing and harvesting lavender flowers, How to make lavender salt, A simple recipe of lavender sugar, How to make lavender honey, The important concerns of flavoring honey and how to do it safely, Two simple ways to add lavender flavors to your preserves and much more. Plus Theresa has a PDF tip sheet for how to use lavender in your canning projects that you can download for free. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/61 to get more links, information, the PDF tip sheet and the full transcript of the show.

Direct download: 61_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:26pm PDT

There is a lot of confusion about two very different commercial products used in canning. This episode helps clears that up. Host Theresa Loe explains the difference between Clear Jel® vs. Sure Jell® and how you can "put up" pie filling now to enjoy later when the fruit season is over. You learn: What Clear Jel is and how it is used, How Sure Jell is used in canning, Where you can find both of these products, Do you even REALLY need them or can you work without them, and tips for making pie filling. Go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/60 to get all the related links, a PDF of an Apple Pie Filling recipe and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 60_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:58pm PDT

Keeping your own bees may sound thrilling and romantic -- But actually, there is A LOT to this important hobby. If you ever thought about being a beekeeper OR if you would just like to learn more about the importance of bees and the people who keep them - then this episode is for you. Host Theresa Loe interviews experienced beekeeper Karla Delong of Mountain Feed and Farm Supply. Karla shares all the good, the bad and the exciting things that a beginning beekeeper should know and consider before diving in. You learn: The importance of bees and how backyard beekeepers are making a difference, Why local bees are superior (no matter where "local" is for you), Is it possible to be an "organic" beekeeper, The 4 areas of care in beekeeping, The special qualities every beekeeper should possess (or strive for), Is it really okay to keep bees in the city, Can bees be kept on a balcony, Why wine corks are so important for us to have in our gardens and so much more! As always, you can get all the links mentioned and more at www.LivingHomegrown.com/59 as well as a full transcript of this episode.

Direct download: 59_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:23pm PDT

You know exactly what's in your food when you make it yourself. Nothing could be more true than when you make your own bacon! In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Joel MacCharles and Dana Harrison - the authors of the new preserving book Batch. This episode is part two of a two part interview. Part one (Episode #57) focused on the book and different ways to preserve lemons. This week's episode focused on using salt and smoke to flavor and preserve a whole variety of different products. FIRST...Theresa dives into bacon labeling and how that organic bacon you are eating might STILL have nitrites even though it says "no nitrites added other than...".  Important label info to know and understand if your goal is to eliminate nitrites from your diet. Then in this episode you learn: Why "no added nitrites" on bacon labels in the United States can be misleading, How chili salt is great for people who don't like heat, Why pink curing salt is NOT the same as pink Himalayan salt, Step-by-step instructions for making bacon at home (it is pretty easy and delicious), The difference between hot and cold smoke methods, How to turn your BBQ into an inexpensive smoker, How to make inexpensive dog treats for your dog using smoke. And MORE!  As always, you can get all the links mentioned by going to www.LivingHomegrown.com/58 and you can get a full PDF transcript of the episode. 

Direct download: 58_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:44am PDT

Learn how to make salt-cured lemons, lemon zest salt and authentic Limoncello made the old fashioned way. In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Joel MacCharles and Dana Harrison - the couple behind the very successful blog, Well Preserved and the co-authors of: BATCH - Tips and Techniques for a Well Preserved Kitchen. You learn: Why batching different preservation techniques together makes sense, How to make and use salt-cured lemons, How a simple trick with lemon zest can be the gateway to other salted preserves, The "real" way to make Limoncello without steeping, What the heck is Bourbon-cello and why has no one every told us of this before??? This episode is Part One of a two-part episode (next week covers salt and smoke preserving). As always, you can get all related links and information at www.LivingHomegrown.com/57 including a full transcript of the episode. 

Direct download: 57_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:11pm PDT

Do you long for more produce from your tiny garden? Do you find yourself with too much zucchini but not enough cabbage? Ever wish you had a better system for growing just the right amount of food? Learn to grow more food no matter how big or small your garden space. In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Colin McCrate of Seattle Urban Farm Company and one of the authors of: High Yield Vegetable Growing - a new book that shows you how to take your food growing to a whole new level using scaled down farming tips and techniques. In this episode you learn: How just a little planning can make a HUGE difference in your food production, What it means to plant in succession, What is "relay planting", How to calculate exactly how much you need to grow, How to double your crop storage time by harvesting correctly and more. As always, you can get all the links and resources mentioned at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/56 as well as a full PDF transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 56_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:14pm PDT

Learn how to use smart garden design to get more enjoyment out of your food garden. These tips work for ALL gardens, not just food gardens. But many times when we grow food, we think more about harvesting the tomatoes than we do about good garden design. Right??  Well by adding just a few simple elements to our backyard, we can draw in more wildlife, more pollinators and WAY more enjoyment from our backyard space. In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews author and landscape designer Susan Morrison. They discuss simple ways we can set up our garden to benefit both the gardener AND the wildlife around us. It's all about slowing down to enjoy and appreciate the nature around us. As always, you can visit www.LivingHomegrown.com/55 to get more tips and links as well as a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 55_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:33pm PDT

Ever end up with too much of a good thing?  Too many jars of jam or two many pickles? Every canner has! Well in this episode, you learn how to take those extra preserves and trade them to diversify your panty and your friendships. You see, food swaps are a popular and fun way to meet other artisan food crafters, explore new flavors and make friends at the same time. In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Emily Paster - the author of "Food Swap: Specialty Recipes for Bartering, Sharing and Giving". You learn: What a food swap is and how it works, Surprising advantages of trading homemade goods, Food swap etiquette, How to avoid legal issues, What is quince paste and how to use it, How to find a food swap in your area or start your own. As always, there are links and resources at www.LivingHomegrown.com/54 as well as a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 54_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:37am PDT

In this episode you learn the secrets to successfully preserving your garden produce using your freezer. This method is fast and easy if you know the tricks. Host Theresa Loe shares: Which containers work best and why, What is flash freezing and why you should use it on berries, How to disable the enzymes that soften frozen vegetables, Why headspace is so important when freezing in glass containers, What makes tomatoes so easy for freezing, The trick to freezing zucchini quickly. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/53 for the show notes which contain related links and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 53_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:37am PDT