Living Homegrown Podcast with Theresa Loe (general)

Learn to make delicious fresh cheese in under an hour! In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe interviews cheesemaker/entrepreneur/author Claudia Lucero who shares tips for making fresh cheese at home. Claudia is the founder of UrbanCheesecraft where you can buy DIY cheese kits for everything from Mozzarella to Paneer and more. She is also the author of the book: One Hour Cheese. In this episode, Claudia walks the listeners through all the steps of making their first batch of cheese and gives the low down on how easy it is to enjoy this rewarding hobby. You learn: Which type of milks you can use, If it's possible to make non-dairy cheese, The difference between pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized, What is rennet and why might you want to use vegetarian rennet, How to move on to make Mozzarella, Ricotta, Paneer and more. As always you can go to the show notes at www.LivingHomegrown.com/72 for a full transcript of the show. PLUS - as an added bonus, you can download a printable PDF of Claudia's easy cheese recipe - Formage Facile. And you can go to the show notes to get a limited time 20% discount on all of Claudia's DIY cheese kits.

Direct download: 72_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

Have you ever thought that your existing garden looked a little drab? It doesn't matter if you are using edibles in your landscape or not, after a few years things can get out of balance. And you may find that your garden is just not looking as good as it used to. Learn how to refresh that garden using cool (yet simple) garden design tricks.  In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Northern California garden designer Rebecca Sweet on how we can revamp our garden space. Easy tips for figuring out what's wrong and how to fix it. You learn: Why our garden may have lost its luster, The most important step in garden redesign, What does it really mean to "edit", What is an echo and why is it important, When is the best time of year to refresh, and How can we create optical illusions. As usual, you can learn more at www.LivingHomegrown.com/71 where you will also find a full transcript of the episode. 

Direct download: 71_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:28pm PDT

In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe answers a listener question about the safety of "canned" cake. You may have seen these recipes on the internet where it calls for baking cake-like breads in a canning jar (like pumpkin bread or zucchini bread) and then placing on a lid to create a vacuum seal. A listener wrote in asking if it was okay to do this. Well...although a lot of people used to do this, today it's not considered safe. And Theresa dives deep into the research conducted on this exact practice, what the research showed, and the reasons you should not "can" cake yourself. You learn: Why canners argue about this type of recipe, Why you still might find it in some canning books, The science behind the researched data, How the oven doesn't kill everything you think it does, How commercial companies can get away with it, What is recommended you do instead. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/70 for a full transcript of the episode and any related links mentioned in the episode. 

Direct download: 70_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:21pm PDT

This episode is for anyone wanting to start food gardening for the very first time. Host Theresa Loe interviews garden blogger/author Dee Nash of Red Dirt Ramblings about how to start a food garden if you have never ever picked up a trowel before. And they focus on starting in containers because it is an easy way to dive in without getting overwhelmed with a larger space. You learn: The basic tools you need to garden, The types and sizes of containers you should start with, How to assess a garden space, What to look for in commercial potting soil, How to read a fertilizer label, Why organic is best, How to make a salad bowl garden. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/69 to get related links and a full transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 69_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:07pm PDT

Learn all about how to compost in your own backyard. In this week's episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Joe Lamp'l - the host and creator of the television series Growing A Greener World on PBS. Theresa is Joe's Co-Executive producer and they have been working together for over 7 years on the TV gardening series. But in this episode, Theresa brings Joe on the podcast to give the full scoop on how to compost. You learn: The benefits of composting, How it works, Do you really need a composter, What about those weird brown to green ratios, How can we speed up the process and What do we do with the compost we make. Joe also gives the full story of how the PBS show came about and where the garden series is headed (a big change is coming in season 8)! They spend the first 10 minutes diving deep into behind-the-scenes of the garden TV series and then spill the beans on how EASY it is to compost. As always, you can get the full transcript, related links that are mentioned in the episode and a FREE PDF Composting Cheat Sheet to get you started on your own composting adventure. Just go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/68 and everything you need will be right there. 

Direct download: 68_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:16pm PDT

Infusing can be a fun way to make really delicious, yet simple gifts. If you start now, you will have plenty of time to finish before the holiday rush. In this episode, host Theresa Loe shares: How to make Homemade Vanilla Extract, Spiced Rum and Grand Marnier. You also learn: Some simple tips for packaging, Why you can use bulk vanilla, What to add to your homemade extract to keep the flavor strong and more. As always, there is more information in the show notes at www.LivingHomegrown.com/67 including a free PDF for a Cranberry Liqueur Recipe, lots of resources for jars and bulk ingredients as well as a full PDF transcript of the episode.

Direct download: 67_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:38pm PDT

Learn how easy it is to harness the relaxation qualities of herbs. We all lead really busy lives and we deserve some down time. Why not use ingredients from the garden to revive ourselves? In this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews garden designer and author Sue Goetz about using herbs to create a spa experience. Sue wrote "The Herb Lover's Spa Book" and they discuss: How to create small relaxation spaces inside and outside, Why we should touch our plants, What heat does to herbs, How to harness the value of the natural essential oils, Steaming with herbs, Which herbs promote relaxation, What is tub tea, Can we or should we use real tea in our bath water, and more. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/66 to get a full transcript of the episode and links to related information. There is also a free PDF download in the show notes which includes recipes for bathtub sachets and lists of herbs to use for steaming. 

Direct download: 66_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:49am PDT

Dehydrating food is one of the easiest forms of food preservation. It's simple and safe. You can dehydrate everything from herbs, fruit and veggies to meat. In this episode, host Theresa Loe walks you through the basics of dehydrating for long term storage. You learn: What dehydrating is and how it works, The advantages of dehydration, Is botulism an issue, How dehydrated food tastes different from fresh, What equipment is needed to do the job well, How to dry apples, Do you really need to treat them and how to rehydrate some of the foods you dry. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/65 to get more information, resources and a full transcript of this episode.

Direct download: 65_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:57pm PDT

We all have too many things on our To-Do list, don't we?  And when trying to fit in gardening, canning, homesteading, family, work and other activities...Well, it can be a bit overwhelming. In this episode, host Theresa Loe talks about creating the proper mindset to keep our energy and motivation going while getting a better handle on all the things we think we need to accomplish. This is not a usual topic for this podcast. But after several listener requests, Theresa shares an overview on how she gets so much done. Hopefully there will be a few tips that can help you reduce your own stress and overwhelm with your own To-Do list so that you can be more productive. You learn: Why decluttering gives you better focus on what matters most, How to discover your own personality temperament and why that can help you on projects, How to side step the things that drain you, Why and how you need to recharge, How to schedule like the CEO of your homestead, What is a pile up zone and why you need one. Theresa created a free worksheet to walk you through the 7 steps and it includes additional resources if you want to dig deeper. You can download the free PDF worksheet and get the other links mentioned at www.LivingHomegrown.com/64 as well as a full transcript of the episode. Let's kick overwhelm to the curb!

Direct download: 64_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:17pm PDT

Learn to make lotions, bath products and more on this episode. Host Theresa Loe interviews Blogger/Author Stephanie Rose from Garden Therapy. You learn: How to make After Sun Lotion, DIY Bath Bombs, How to infuse oils three different ways, The difference between essential oils and fragrance oils, The trick to making Easter Egg Bath Bombs and more. Go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/63 to get more free recipes and a downloadable Lip Balm Recipe as well as the full transcript for the show. You will also find resources for all the ingredients for the recipes in the show notes. 

Direct download: 63_LivingHomegrown_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:36pm PDT