LH 162: How to Grow More Food In the Space You Have

Today's episode is an ENCORE episode.

What is that you ask?

An encore episode is an episode that has been previously published, but it was SO long ago, you may have missed it. This particular episode is packed with useful information that you'll love.

Do you ever wish you had more garden space in which to grow food?

If you're like most gardeners, you'll find yourself thumbing through seed catalogs, bummed out that you can't plant all that you want to grow.

Or maybe you end up with WAY too much zucchini and NOT enough salad greens. Right?

On this episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Colin McCrate about using high yield farming tricks (but on a smaller backyard-size scale) to get more food in our backyard space!

You Will Learn:

• How just a little planning can make a huge difference
• What it means to plant in succession
• What is relay planting
• How to calculate exactly how much to grow
• How to double your crop storage time by harvesting correctly
• And SO much more...

 As always, you can get ALL the related links by going to www.LivingHomegrown.com/162 and you'll find a full transcript there as well.

This episode was brought to you by the Living Homegrown Institute which is a membership site to help you live farm fresh without the farm. To learn more about the Institute and Theresa's free farm fresh resource guide, go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/FRESH to learn more.

LH 161: Grow Landscape Plants that are Beautiful AND Delicious

As gardeners we grow tons of veggies and fruit, but there are many other landscape plants that are delicious as well as ornamental.

So let's think outside the box of planting our gardens in rows. In this episode, host Theresa Loe brings on author Mike Lascelle to discuss a unique mix of perennial plants that can beautify our gardens and fill our plates at the same time.

You CAN have your yard and eat it too.

You will learn:

•      Why clove currant is often overlooked as an edible
•      Why hops is a great conversation starter
•      What is a Yuzu tree and why you want one
•      Can you really eat a redbud
•      How to grow your own tea
•      What is the dry roasting process for green tea
•      How to make a linden cordial
•      And MUCH more…

 As always, you can get a full transcript of the show at www.LivingHomegrown.com/161 as well as links to related information. 

This episode was brought to you by Theresa's Living Homegrown Institute which is her membership site. You can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/courses for more information.

LH 160:  How to preserve protein-packed foods with gourmet flavors 

In this episode, host Theresa Loe talks with author Karen Solomon about turning your kitchen counter into a deli counter by preserving your own meat with dry curing, brine curing, smoking, and drying.

Karen is the author of "Cured Meat, Smoked Fish and Pickled Eggs" and she shares the secrets to success with each of these techniques and how you can enhance the flavors of what you preserve.

You’ll Learn:

• The ease of dry curing in your refrigerator
• How brine curing works for things like pastrami and ham
• If you can safely skip using nitrites and nitrates
• The difference between hot and cold smoking in preservation
• How to stay safe when curing meat
• Why you don’t need a dehydrator to dry meats
• The special safety recommendation when working with game meat
• A simple trick for keeping your dry meats dry in storage
• How to make ‘Sour Orange Beef Jerky’ for road trips
• And SO much more..

For the printable recipe Karen shares on the show, go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/160 and you can also get links to everything mentioned. There are also more episodes in the show notes related to curing and smoking. 

This episode was brought to you by Theresa Loe's Living Homegrown Membership where you have access to an entire roster of food and garden experts, a library of classes and a farm fresh community for support of an organic, farm-to-table lifestyle. Go to www.livinghomegrown.com/path to learn more.

LH 159: Using Science to Improve Flavor & Food Production

In this episode, host Theresa Loe brought back author Dr. Lee Reich to make us a better gardener…using science!

When we fully understand the reasons behind the gardening techniques, we are better equipped to handle any problems that come along. And in this discussion, you'll learn the real reasons behind why we need to do what we do. 

You will learn:

• How ethylene really works to ripen our tomatoes
• Why some fruits should never be picked early
• The 3 benefits of organic matter in our soil
• The real truth about drainage in flowerpots
• How to improve the flavor of certain fruits
•  The secret to keeping your seeds in long term storage
• And SO much more...

 As always, you can get all the links mentioned at www.LivingHomegrown.com/159 as well as a full transcript of the episode.

This podcast episode was brought to you by the Living Homegrown Institute - which is Theresa's membership site. Here you have access to an entire library of classes on everything from growing heirloom tomatoes, straw bale gardening and raising chickens to fermenting food, beverages, making yogurt and more. To learn more about all of Theresa's classes and membership, go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/courses to join the waitlist.

LH 158: Eating Local and Getting to Know Your Local Farmer

This week’s episode is about discovering INCREDIBLE flavors...locally.

Host Theresa Loe brought back organic, foodie-farmer Andrea Bemis of Tumbleweed Farm to discuss a national project she's spearheading that's all about exploring what it really means to eat local.

The premise is simple...

We may already be eating some locally-sourced fruits and veggies. But when we look at ALL the ingredients used to create our meals, there are probably many items we know nothing about.

Even Andrea (who is an organic farmer), didn't know the source of every ingredient in her pantry. So she decided to use herself and her farm team in an experiment. And it's opening up a whole new world for her.

And Andrea would love for all of us to join in this exploration of local flavor as well.

But don't worry...

This is not about being perfect or even feeling guilty about buying things from far away. The idea here is is be more AWARE of what we're putting on our table...even if it's only for a few weeks.

And by being more aware, we can be more intensional with our food choices going forward.

Andrea tells us about how her own surprising reality check when it came to food choices and how she is now discovering more amazing flavors right in her own area.

And you'll learn about the impact your own food choices has on the environment and food production going forward.

You will learn:

• Why Andrea's pantry opened the flood gates on this idea
• The three pillars of local food + what they mean
• Why this awareness leads to so many new, incredible flavors
• The top tips for eating local in your own backyard
• How you can have a more local lifestyle all year long
• Ideas for planning delicious meals with less waste
• How to watch + track Andrea and her farm team go ALL in on this idea
• How you can participate in your own Local Thirty Challenge
• And SO much more

As always, you can get links to more information in the show notes at www.LivingHomegrown.com/158 as well as a full transcript of the show.

This episode was brought to you by Theresa's membership site: The Living Homegrown Institute where you get access to an entire library of masterclass on everything from growing organic food to making your own cheese, yogurt and fermented vegetables. Go to www.Livinghomegrown.com/PATH to learn more.

LH 157: The Magic Of Vintage Books

Host Theresa Loe has been collecting vintage books since she was a kid. And on today's episode, she wants to share her tips and tricks for getting the best value from vintage garden books, cookbooks and even old canning books.

Vintage books are real treasures. And they're a great source of inspiration and ideas that you just can't find anywhere else.

On today's episode, you'll learn:

• Why you might want to collect vintage books
• What info can be used and NOT used from these books
• How to find older books with inspiring ideas
• Tips for proper care and storage
• Why you need to use and ENJOY the books you have
• Some of Theresa's favorite vintage authors
• And SO much more...

 As always, you get a full listing of notes and resources at www.LivingHomegrown.com as well as a full transcript of the episode. 

This episode was brought to you by Theresa's Living Homegrown Institute which is a membership site to help you live farm fresh without the farm. Inside the Institute, you have access to an entire library of masterclasses for everything from organic gardening and raising chickens to fermenting food and making cheese and yogurt at home. Go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/PATH for more information

156: Farm-Fresh Living Made Easier

Do you know how you feel when you get a new garden, or kitchen tool, and you love it so much you just have to tell everybody? That's what today's episode is ALL about!

I'm sharing my favorite things that make farm-fresh living easier.

This isn't one of those sponsored episodes where all the products I talk about were sent to me for free in exchange for an endorsement.

I would never do that.

Everything I'm sharing with you today was paid for with my own money, and I've used them for years. I just want to share them because some of these things you may not have heard of yet. And I really enjoy using them around my garden, in my kitchen, and at my farmstead.

I would love to hear about some of your favorite farm-fresh things. After you listen, tell me about them below in the comments, or over on my new Instagram account that's just for @LivingHomegrown.

You will learn:

• How to efficiently harvest while on a ladder
• Where to find unusual fruit trees
• The BEST garden marker for long lasting garden tags
• How to protect your arms from thorny brambles & roses
• How to keep butter safe and soft on the counter
• How to make fermenting easy
• Why I switched to glass reusable bottles
• How to turn your mason jar into a neat travel mug
• What to use to rinse your garden harvest fast & thoroughly
• And MUCH more...

 As always, you can get more information including a free PDF with ALL the links to the resources mentioned at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/156 as well as a full transcript of the episode.

This episode was brought to you by Theresa's membership site: The Living Homegrown Institute where you get access to an entire library of classes taught by experts in organic gardening, fermentation and farm-fresh living. Go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/courses for more info

Throwing A Party With Real Food

It's summertime and delicious flavor is EVERYWHERE right now.

There's yummy seasonal flavor at the farmer's market and it may even be in our own backyards (if we grow our own food).

What better way to enjoy that incredible flavor of in-season produce than by throwing a party with friends and family??

On today’s episode, host Theresa Loe brought back Ashley English to chat about simple seasonal eating - especially when we're throwing a party!

They chat about some fun and new ways to make throwing a party with organic food EASY and FUN.

This is NOT about you doing all the work and feeling overwhelmed. It’s about enjoying the people you invite over while you all enjoy the food.

Oh! And Ashley shares a recipe for making homemade plum liqueur.

Let's drink to that!

You will learn:

• How to throw a party without doing all the work
• What does it mean to “bump-up-against” a season
• Why a crafting element can take your event to a new level
• Simple themes that make decorating a snap
• How to bring nature to your table with crowd-sourced centerpieces
• How to make plum liqueur
• Tips for turning any season into a memorable party idea

 As always, you can get all the links mentioned and the free PDF printout of the Plum Liqueur recipe and the full transcript over at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/155 

This episode was brought to you by Theresa's Living Homegrown Institute where you have access to a whole library of classes to live a farm fresh lifestyle. You can learn more about the institute and all of Theresa's other classes over at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/courses

LH 154: Big flavor in a waste free kitchen

You asked for it, so host Theresa Loe brought back author Alana Chernila for another episode!

This time, they chat about getting the very best flavors from our produce and how to use left over scraps so that nothing from our garden goes to waste!

They also talk about caring for our wooden kitchen tools and Alana shares a recipe for making a special cream (wood butter) that will help our wooden spoons last for a lifetime.

You will learn:

• How to get the last bit of flavor from our produce
• The trick to making the very best soup stock
• Why strawberry hulls can be used in beverages
• How to reduce waste in the kitchen
• What is spoon butter
• Why caring for our kitchen tools can make all the difference
• What are the life lessons we can learn from cooking real food
• Tips for slowing down to savor the day
• And more…

As always, you can learn more, get ALL the links mentioned, and download a print out of the Wood Butter recipe at: www.LivingHomegrown.com and also get a full transcript of the episode. 

This episode was brought to you by Theresa's membership: The Living Homegrown Institute where you get access to a whole library of classes that help you live farm fresh without the farm. To learn more go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/PATH

LH 153: How to make real, old-fashioned pickles

Summer is here and homegrown cucumbers are ripening on the vine. Let’s make REAL pickles - The old fashioned kind!

What's a “real” pickle?

It’s where you use natural fermentation (and NO vinegar) to change a cucumber into a crisp, sour treat. They are delicious and nutritious!

Host Theresa Loe interviews Karen Diggs who is Theresa's chief fermentation instructor inside her Living Homegrown Institute

You will learn:

• Why fermented food is so good for you
• How to use common kitchen tools as your vessel
• Why fermentation is so safe
• Which type of salt is best
• The secret ingredient that will give you a crisp pickle
• How to store your finished pickles
• And MUCH more...

 As always, you can get a printable version of the recipe, special links for more fermentation information and a full transcript of the episode at: www.LivingHomegrown.com/153

This episode was brought to you by Theresa's monthly membership: The Living Homegrown Institute where you have access to a whole library of masterclasses teaching you how to live farm fresh without the farm.  Go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/PATH for more information.