In this episode, you learn how to go about picking the best backyard chickens for YOUR situation.  

You learn: The key questions to ask yourself before making decisions, The breeds best suited for children and small spaces, If it is okay to mix your flock, The exact breeds I personally have, Where to buy those chickens once you decide what you want.  

As always, you can visit LivingHomegrown.com/12 for a lot more information over on the website including a chicken breed selector tool, recommended books AND the full transcript of this episode. 

In this episode, host Theresa Loe answers a listener question about water bath canning and safety. 

You learn: Which foods are safe for water bath canning, Why certain pH rules eliminate the fear of botulism, Why today's tomatoes are different from our Grandmother's era, The critical must-follow step for canning tomatoes, All about water levels in the canner, The key reasons for elevating the jars...AND the science behind some of the canning techniques. 

You can get related links and a full transcript of this episode in the show notes over at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/11 plus you will find other free canning information.

We all lead very busy lives. And that can make it difficult to carve out time for canning and preserving. This can be especially hard when the entire harvest ripens at once!

In this podcast episode, Theresa offers tips for making the most of your canning time. Discover how to reduce overwhelm and more fully enjoy the process with these simple techniques.

You learn about the common mistake that can cost you 20% of your time, the chef tip that is the key to your efficiency, the most overlooked part of preparing, and how to break up your canning into stages.

Learn more, get related links and the full transcript of the episode in the show notes for this episode at: LivingHomegrown.com/10

Learn how easy it is to start a culinary herb garden and how to preserve those herbs once you grow them.

Learn:

The key growing elements you need for success,

Which herb changes flavor based on temperature,

How to get lemon flavor without lemon bitterness,

Which herbs are worthless when dried,

Theresa's four go-to freezing methods for herbs (including herb concentrate). 

For the full transcript and show notes with links, go to LivingHomegrown.com/09

This episode is all about how to keep backyard chickens in the city.

It covers: The top things to consider BEFORE getting chickens, How to check your city ordinances, Having a "rooster plan", Keeping the neighbors happy, How egg production works, The minimum number of chickens you should keep and MORE.

For full show notes and transcript, visit LivingHomegrown.com/08

Learn about the different types of pickles you can make and the pros and cons of each. Delicious sample recipes of each type of pickle are in the show notes for this episode. Just go to: www.LivingHomgrown.com/07 for recipes and links to more information on pickles.

Learn the basics of fermenting food and how to get started.

In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Karen Diggs - the founder of Kraut Source. She shares how to ferment in small batches using an ordinary mason jar.

You learn how lacto-fermentation works, the health benefits, which salts to use and the steps to a simple beginner recipe.

In this Q & A episode, Theresa Loe answers a listener question on pickling salt. Learn what it is, how to use it, if you can make substitutions in pickling recipes and where to buy it.

Host Theresa Loe interviews author Andrea Bellamy (Small Space Vegetable Gardens) as they talk about everything from the secrets of beet greens, carrot tops and radish pods to legal and illegal places to grow food. Then Andrea tells the story of her wheat growing project from seed to flour to homemade pizza.

More info on how to do it yourself is on the website: www.LivingHomegrown.com/04

Lots of tips on food growing included - plus a Giveaway of the book!

This episode is all about growing food when you have little to no garden space and thinking outside the garden plot. But the tips and ideas here will inspire anyone (no matter where you grow) to take food growing to the next level. 

In this episode, two listeners get their jam questions answered. 

Theresa shares info on:

• How to use frozen fruit in jam making
• Tips for freezing fruit in canning jars (BPA Free)
• Tricks for using up leftover jam
• Jam Salad Dressing (ea. jam makes it unique)
• Jam Spritzers
• And more...