LH 148: Simple Ways To Prepare Food For An Emergency Being prepared for emergencies is an important topic to cover because no matter where we live, we could face a weather event or community emergency that requires us to be on our own for a bit. This is not about living in fear that at any moment there will be a zombie apocalypse. It's just about being ready for the unexpected...so that you DON'T have to worry. Being prepared is so easy and so important. In this episode, host Theresa Loe...

LH 147: Saving Our Native Bees With many of the foods we grow, bees are critcal. Without bees, we won't have much of a crop at all...or we have NO crop at all. But when you hear about the importance of bees in the media or the struggle of bees in the news...all you hear about are the honeybees. And yet...There are OTHER bees that may play an even more important role in our backyard food system. The native bee. And they are struggling even more! On this episode host Theresa Loe brings on...

LH 146: Canning Q&A With Theresa Loe We're coming up on canning season again, so it's time to freshen up our knowledge! Host Theresa Loe receives a lot of wonderful questions from listeners that they would like to see covered on the podcast...especially about preserving the harvest.  So in this episode, she dives into some canning Q & A using questions submitted by listeners.  You will learn: What food preservation method is best for your priorities Why preparing jam in large...

LH 145: Update on Beginning Homesteader Bev Ross There’s SO much to learn when you are just starting out in homesteading. But the fun is in the journey of learning new homesteading skills as you go! In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe brings back Bev Ross who was the guest on Episode 122: Lessons From A Beginner Homesteader.  Theresa wanted to catch up with Bev and have her share her newest adventure: Raising Baby Goats! (They are adorable) Honestly, Bev isn't a beginner anymore. She has...

LH 144: Cooking Through The Seasons with Foodie-Farmer Andrea Bemis This week’s episode is a fun chat between host Theresa Loe and foodie-farmer Andrea Bemis. If you don’t know Andrea, she is the brains behind the Dishing Up the Dirt Blog and the author of the book by the same name. Andrea is all about sharing the authentic journey of being an organic farmer who also happens to be a foodie. In this episode, she shares the good, the bad, and the delicious meals in between! You will learn: ...

LH 143: Everything you want to know about chicken eggs - From color to preservation, safety and more It doesn’t matter if you raise your own backyard chickens or if you’re a consumer of organic, farm-fresh eggs – there is always more to learn about eggs! In this episode, host Theresa Loe brings on author Jennifer Sartell to discuss everything we might want to know about chicken eggs. From the colors we can have, to the best practices in egg storage...we get into it all! You will learn: ...

142: Small Scale Farming on Just 5 Acres or Less Listen, we all have to eat. Right? And if you’re into consuming organic, sustainable food, you either have to grow it yourself or find reliable sources from people with the same values that you have. Chances are…you’ll find those values in your local, small-scale farmer! In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe interviews Josh Volk who is a small-scale farmer, farming consultant and an author. He wrote a book featuring 15 small-scale farmers...

LH 141: How to draw in beneficials and pollinators with flowers There are huge rewards when you grow your vegetables and flowers in one space of your garden. In this episode, host Theresa Loe brings on flower farmer Lisa Ziegler to explore exactly how we can use companioning planting to draw in beneficial insects, pollinators and so much more. You will learn:      Which flowers will help your tomatoes and why      How your planting space determines sunflower height      The difference...

LH 140: Maximizing Flavor in Our Veggie Recipes As seasonal eaters, foodies and even as gardeners, we understand the nuances of locally-sourced cucumbers, fresh picked herbs and heirloom tomatoes. It doesn’t matter if we grow these foods ourselves or not. We understand their value and we want to deliver the very best of their flavors to our dinner table. Well, what better way to learn how to bring out the best flavors in seasonal produce than by talking to someone who is known for their...

Episode 139: How to make delicious bread with one simple recipe You’re busy. And you probably long for more delicious, wholesome food…made at home. But you just don’t have the time to make things like homemade bread on a regular basis. Good news! Author Alexandra Stafford has the perfect bread recipe for people like us. It comes together in under 5 minutes, rises quickly and it bakes in a jiffy. So simple, yet SO delicious! The best part is…This one bread recipe can be turned into...

#138: Busting Myths About Backyard Chicken Care It doesn’t matter if you’re new to keeping backyard chickens or you’re a seasoned veteran – there’s always more to learn! With each change in the weather, comes a whole new set of considerations about their care. And dealing with extreme cold, extreme heat or even molting can make us worry about them…a lot! To help us get a handle on seasonal care of adult chickens, host Theresa Loe brought on Kathy Shea Mormino – better known as The Chicken...

The basics of worm composting (Vermicomposting) If you’re a gardener, you totally “get” that compost is awesome. But you may not have jumped on the DIY compost bandwagon because you either don’t have the space or you worry it’s too complicated to do well. Fear not! Vermicomposting may be the answer for you. Also known as “worm composting”, it’s one of the easiest ways to compost kitchen scraps in a small space. And to be honest…the little worms feel more like pets than worms. Yeah…sounds...

Using Design Principles for Our Smaller Veggie Gardens Just because we have an edible garden does NOT mean it can’t be beautiful. In fact, it should be even MORE beautiful than the average backyard. In this episode, host Theresa Loe brought on garden designer Susan Morrison to talk about some simple design principles we can use to make our backyard space more usable and beautiful at the same time...even our veggie garden space! You will learn:      The biggest mistake most homeowners make...

How one homesteader balances family life with raising farm animals and bees. There's so much processing done to the food in our grocery stores today that much of that food is unrecognizable. And that processed food has certainly lost most (if not all) of it's nutritional value. Homesteading is one way to take back control of the food that we eat. When we grow our own food, we know EXACTLY what's on our plate and where it came from.   This week, host Theresa Loe invited Kristina Urquhart,...

Learn how mead is made (in a sustainable way) with local honey and fruit Mead is an old-fashioned drink that's been around for centuries. If you aren't familiar with mead, it's an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting honey and it can be DELICIOUS. Host Theresa Loe invited Nick Lorenz of Nectar Creek Brewery on to talk about the art of crafting mead. This drink is experiencing a resurgence thanks to companies like Nectar Creek. But they're doing WAY more than just producing a tasty...

Why Grow THIS, When You Can Grow THAT Who wouldn't want to grow something like purple sugar magnolia peas, cape gooseberries, cucamelons, or dragon's egg? These unusual and heirloom varieties of vegetables add an element of fun in the garden and flavor to the table. Plus, they make our veggie gardens more magical...especially if we have kiddos. So let's change what we grow this year and dive into the HUGE variety of tasty, exotic looking vegetables that honestly take very little effort. ...

LH 132: Behind the Scenes of the Elliot Homestead This episode focuses on what it's really like running a homestead - from raising dairy cows, laying hens, meat chickens, hogs, sheep, turkeys, and growing produce in a large organic garden. Host Theresa Loe invited Shaye Elliott, author of Welcome to the Farm and blogger for The Elliott Homestead, to talk about running a super active homestead that's full of animals, food gardens, four active children, and how she manages to make it all run...

LH 131: Farming The Rooftops of New York City This podcast focuses a lot on working with the space you have to grow your garden. Whether that's a backyard, a farmstead, or simply container gardening - where there is a will there is a way to a farm fresh lifestyle. This episode is about a very creative and inspiring use of space - right in the middle of New York City (and it's not Central Park). Host Theresa Loe invited Anastasia Plakias to talk about an actual farm that is acres large on...

Creative Ways to Use Your Garden for Health and Wellbeing Explore how to get 'more bang for your buck' (in terms of health benefits) when it comes to your backyard gardens. Host Theresa Loe brings on author Shawna Coronado to share her tips on the most nutritious foods we can grow and the best ways to use our gardens for wellness. You will learn: Which homegrown foods pack the biggest nutritional punch What are the best homegrown "fast foods" The best shade tolerant veggies Shawna's...

How to Better Understand Your Backyard Chickens If we understand the behaviors and mannerisms of any of our pets, we can have a better relationship with them. And so it is with chickens! Everything they do (and say) has meaning. In this week’s episode, I invite author Melissa Caughey to teach us a thing or two about chickens and their personalities. You will learn: That chickens are smarter than we realize How they communicate without sounds The main factor that determines pecking order...

Fearless Brewing to Get Awesome Hard Cider Flavors Have you wanted to learn the art of making hard cider but found most of the books were overly complicated for a beginning home brewer?   Well, here's your chance to learn the basics without all the overwhelm! Host Theresa Loe brings on Emma Christensen - the author of the new book Modern Cider. Emma is well known in the foodie world for breaking down artisanal recipes into simple step-by-step DIY projects that are totally doable…and...

How To Have a Breakthrough Farm-Fresh Year It's that time of year for reflection and goal setting. To help you with your own projections for the upcoming year, host Theresa Loe shares the parameters or tips that have given her the best results in her own goal setting and helped her skyrocket her own achievements the last few years.  As you listen, remember this... It doesn't matter if you're a goal-setting type or not. And that's because these tips are NOT really about reaching every...

How to make sourdough bread using heirloom grains - And make an Onion Jam Recipe to spread on that fresh baked bread! This is an important episode and I could not be more excited to share it. Here’s why… When we take the time to do things like make our own breads or ferment our own yogurt, we are not only creating incredible flavors – we are also connecting with our food. But…When we take that connection a step further by investigating where the base ingredients for that food comes...

How to successfully grow high yields of food in containers and small spaces.

What if want to grow veggies, but you really don’t have much soil in your backyard to begin with? (It's mostly cement or pavement) Or maybe your backyard soil is hard to work with and you want a short cut to growing without waiting years to build up the soil. Or maybe you want a higher yield of food from a raised bed than you can get by just growing in the ground. (Yep - you really can get a higher yield if you do it right.) Listen…raised bed gardening is not a magic pill. But it...