Living Homegrown Podcast with Theresa Loe

In this episode, you learn how to make wildcrafted cocktails with foraged ingredients. You learn about homemade syrups, bitters, infusions and garnishes from garden-fresh plants. Host Theresa Loe brings on foraging expert and author Ellen Zachos to give us the full scoop. You learn: All the different ways to use garden ingredients for cocktails, The basics of a good cocktail, How long infusions last on the shelf, Which plants make the best flavorings, How to forage safely, How to create the "Santa Fe Sundowner" Cocktail. As always, you can go to: www.LivingHomegrown.com/107 for more information, resource links, full transcript and a PDF of the lavender-infused cocktail recipe on the show. And if you would like bonus content only available to our crowd-sourced sponsors (including an after-the-show interview with Ellen), then go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/sponsor for more information.

Direct download: 107_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:39am PDT

If you are looking to eat local and in-season during the winter months, then you should be preserving some of the harvest now. The harvest can come from the farmer's market or your own backyard. Of course, you can break out the canning jars and put food up that way. But there are other methods that are super easy and preserve a lot of food at once. Today, host Theresa Loe brings on author Barbara Pleasant to chat about two such methods and whole lot more.  In this episode you learn: Which produce is best for cold and dry storage, Different ways that you can save foods in a dormant state, What it means to "cure" a pumpkin, The best pumpkin to grow for flesh and seed, How to prevent powdery mildew with a common kitchen ingredient, Which tomatoes are best for drying, Should you Steam veggies before drying, and How to store foods after dehydrating. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/106 for the show notes, transcripts and links to more information. 

Direct download: 106_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:28pm PDT

Chances are your garden and farmer’s market are bursting with summer flavors. It’s time to save those flavors so that you can enjoy them later...Which means, it's canning season!! In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe answers several listener canning questions so that you can stay on track with your summer preserves. You learn: If you can use coconut sugar in canning, Which pectin product is preservative free, Some common jar mistakes, Detective skills for determining why a jar breaks, The difference between citric acid and ascorbic acid, When should you be concerned about bubbles, Why wax sealing was eliminated from canning many years ago and more. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/105 to get all the links and free transcription of the show.

Direct download: 105_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:29pm PDT

Did you know that here in America the Monarch butterfly is in serious trouble?  It has had a 90% decline in it's population in the last 20 years. In this episode, you learn all about this beloved butterfly, the surprising reasons for its decline and what we as gardeners can do to help. Host Theresa Loe interviews author Kylee Baumle about this fascinating butterfly. You learn: Exactly why the Monarch is on the decline, The most important plant we need in our garden, The unusual migration of 3,000 miles the Monarch makes every year, How to create a Monarch Waystation, What is tagging and how we can do it, How we can become citizen scientists in our own backyard. As always, you can get more info and resources at www.LivingHomegrown.com/104 as well as a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 104_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:41am PDT

It doesn't matter if you are looking for something new to add to your current garden or if you are a beginner, looking to get started in fruit growing - Today's episode will inspire you with new flavors. Host Theresa Loe interviews author Dr. Lee Reich about growing some of the less common fruits. He gives tips on everything from pawpaws to juneberries. You learn: How Lee uses his backyard as his fruit laboratory, Which kiwi is hardy (even in New York), The benefits of growing juneberries, What is a lingonberry, Why you should never grow a lot of pawpaws, How Asian pears ripen differently than European pears, Which American Persimmons have the best flavor and so much more.  As always, you can visit www.LivingHomegrown.com for more free information, resources and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 103_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:32am PDT

The challenges and benefits of moving a garden. If you decide to move to a new location (new home, new climate, etc.), what would you do with your current garden? Would you take plants with you?  Would you leave it all behind? And how would you go about starting over? What sort of things should you consider when moving to a new growing zone, new soil conditions and new challenges? In today's episode, host Theresa Loe interviews horticulture expert and garden coach, Robin Haglund. Although Robin regularly helps clients with these types of decisions, she recently moved her own garden from the city to the country in Washington state. She shares with Theresa her challenges, decision making process and the big wins along the way. You learn: What should you consider when assessing a new piece of land, Should you ever use landscape fabric, How to handle masses of weeds, What to consider when moving a garden, How to change your mindset around wildlife, How to raise chickens among country predators and more. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/102 for a full transcript and links to everything mentioned as well as more free information on living farm fresh. 

Direct download: 102_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:43am PDT

In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe answers some listener's gardening questions. You learn: How long your garden seeds really last, What is the best way to test seed viability, Should you feed your vegetables or not, What are the benefits of fish emulsion, Can backyard gardeners do cover cropping, What insect makes those round holes on rose leaves...and should you be worried or not, Which herbs do best in containers, Can you grow coffee, allspice or pineapple at home. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/101 to get the full transcript and links to all the resources mentioned in the episode.  Enjoy!

Direct download: 101_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:18am PDT

We are halfway through the year. Have you reached the goals you set at the beginning of the year?  Or did you even get around to setting any? It's okay if you blew that all off. If you still want to hit a few milestones before 2017 is over, June is a great time to regroup and start over. If you have farm fresh goals centered around your home, food or garden, you can take business strategies and adjust them to reach those goals. In this episode, host Theresa Loe walks you through how to pick, set and achieve the goals you have sitting on the sidelines...Those things you want to achieve before you hit the end of the year. They can be goals around food, diet, your garden/home or personal goals. It works for them all.  She shares tips for getting those goals off the ground so that you can check them off your "to do" list before the end of the year. You learn: The exact steps to reach the goals you want, How each goal will require a payment from you (but that can be a good thing), The best time frame for working on goals, How to set up your motivations so you stay on track, How SMART goals can help, The secret to preventing procrastination, Why reverse engineering works. As always you can get the full transcript of the episode at www.Livinghomegrown.com along with other information.

Direct download: 100_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:11am PDT

Learn what it REALLY means to make the leap from the city to farm life. In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Amy Boyd as she shares her story as a brand new lavender farmer. She and her husband are building their dream of farming Hillside Lavender in PA. You learn: How they planned for the transition but then had to make the leap, Exactly what they are creating and the need to de-stress these days, The driving force that keeps them going when things go wrong, How their adorable goats greet their customers and help provide soap, cheese and milk, Which lavenders they planted and why, How they have been handling setbacks and roadblocks, The most valuable lessons so far. As always, you can learn more at www.LivingHomegrown.com/99 where you can download Amy's lessons learned so far and get links and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 99_LivingHomegrown_Podcast_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:12am PDT

Learn exactly how a garden book is born - from concept to book store shelves. We all have beloved garden books that inspire and inform us. But have you ever thought about exactly what goes into creating it?  A lot more than you think!  Garden books have the extra burden of being seasonal. And that can make things like photography super tricky. 
In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews garden book editor Julie Chai about exactly what went into the creation of one of the top garden books of 2017: Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden. Author Erin Benzakein was featured on episode 95 (where she shared how the book can help us grow better backyard flowers organically). But this week, we hear about how a book like that is born. It is a massive project and yet, the resulting book is both beautiful and is having a huge impact in the gardening world. You learn: What goes into creating a top garden book, The first thing you should do if you want to be an author, The secret to writing within the seasons, How many people does it really take to produce a book, The first step in garden research, The "angle" on flowers that most people wouldn't think about. As always, you can get more information at www.LivingHomegrown.com/98 where you will also find a full transcript of the episode. 

Direct download: 98_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:28am PDT