Grow, harvest and enjoy exotic and interesting herbs and edibles - even in the smallest spaces! Garden educator and Youtuber Wendi Phan joins us to talk about growing exotic plants in her suburban garden in Los Angeles, some of her most popular Youtube videos and she shares tips and advice for those of us interested in growing exotic plants in our gardens. We also sample some of Wendi's classic jasmine green tea. Hear our tasting notes and learn more about harvesting and processing green tea....

Grow your best garlic ever with farmer Kristin Graves! Kristin will tell us about planting, growing and harvesting garlic and will share tips to help us produce abundant harvests of this pungent allium.She also talks about using garlic to create value-added products, how to properly dry and cure garlic, black garlic cheesecake, The Garlic Goddess and so much more!Kristin Graves is a fifth-generation farmer in Alberta, Canada and the author of The Garlic Companion. In addition to her vegetable...

A special bonus episode of Seeds & Weeds! From 2021-2024, our friends at Hobby Farms hosted the Growing Good Podcast, a program about small-scale, sustainable farming. Bevin was a guest on the show in 2022 to talk about his book, The Complete Guide to Seed & Nut Oils. Unfortunately, Hobby Farm as decided to discontinue the show, but generously gave us permission to rebroadcast Bevin's episode here on Seeds & Weeds!Please enjoy this encore episode of Growing Good. Host Lisa Munniks...

Grow and harvest fragrant lavender for the kitchen and apothecary!Author, chef, and lavender farmer Terry Vesci joins us to talk about her new book The Lavender Companion. We'll learn how to grow and harvest lavender, the best cultivars for culinary and medicinal uses and some of Terry's favorite ways to use lavender. She'll also share some tips to help us overwinter our lavender plants!Terry Vesci is the co-owner of Pine Creek Canyon Lavender Farm in Pine, Arizona, which welcomes thousands o...

Let's dig into the wild world of fungi to explore the magic of mushrooms. We'll talk about growing and harvesting mushrooms and using the mushrooms as both food and medicine - plus recipes for double mushroom extract and delicious shiitake duxelles. This is a mushroom laced episode of Seeds & Weeds! Learn how to grow shiitake mushrooms on logs!Video 1: https://youtu.be/wh6PeZDriNU?si=yUwWQqLY3DUX7E6EVideo 2: https://youtu.be/Xr5UzHWQusM?si=qlSj780YmRajCjx6Listen to our interview with Erin...

Which came first - beer or bread? Let's explore fermentation, the history of food, and the work of Dr. Julia Skinner. Julia Skinner is a food historian, educator and founder of Roots, a fermentation and food history company that bridges the gap between modern people and historic food. Dr. Skinner holds a PhD in Library and Information Science and is the only historian or food writer in the US to win two 40 under 40 awards in one year. Julia is joining us on the show today to talk about her fe...

Let's get wild! Herbalist Megan Edge joins us to talk about foraging, ethical harvesting, working with invasive plants, wild lettuce, medicinal mushrooms and so much more! Megan Edge comes from a long line of foragers and, having foraged across Canada in both wild and urban settings, she has a wealth of experience to share. A generational forager, Megan has ethically harvested from the forest since a child and now, through her shop, Beyond the Garden Gate, she shares Mother Nature’s healing b...

We've got tomatoes on our mind! Bevin shares a story of Thane Earle, famed Wisconsin seed saver most well known for introducing the world to the Amish Paste tomato! Hear about Thane's incredible collection of seeds; more than 1000 varieties of tomatoes and hundreds of beans! We dig into the history of the classic Amish Paste tomato and meet other dedicated seed savers including Lee Stoltzfus from the Landis Valley Museum in Pennsylvania and Tom Hauch, founder of Heirloom Seeds. Bevin was rece...

Want to make your own Vitamin A oil from homegrown carrots? Learn how to do it, plus so much more, from Zehra Murthy, UCSF scientist and owner of Belfiore Herbal!Let's take a deep dive in homegrown botanicals, working with hydrosols and the science of skincare. Zehra Murthy is a scientist at University of California where she’s spent the last 40 years studying cellular and molecular biology and she’s applied that knowledge to the creation of Belfiore Herbal, a line if botanical skin care prod...

You've harvested some amazing produce from your garden - Now what? Author and TikTok sensation Sarah Thrush joins us to talk about canning, food preservation and her new book, Preserving With A Purpose. Sarah is a third generation canner and and expert in home food preservation. She shares some tips and tricks to help us succeed with our canning projects as well as some of her favorite recipes!Sarah Thrush is known for her passion for canning and preserving food. She shares her knowledge and ...

Hydrosols are aromatic waters produced by steam distillation of botanicals. Learn about these unique herbal products, the distillation process, and more with clinical aromatherapist Liz Fulcher. Liz also shares her Top 5 hydrosols and how to use them!Liz Fulcher brings over 33 years of essential oil experience, research, and education to her work as a clinical aromatherapist, educator, podcast host, and distiller.Since 1997 Liz has been teaching and making it easy for others to safely and eff...

Garden to glass beverages can bring joy and relaxation into your life. Learn how to make seasonal botanical cocktails (and mocktails) with author and herbalist Tenae Stewart!Tenae Stewart is a certified astrologer and spiritual coach. She is on a mission to embody simplicity in daily rituals and self-care practices, as these can be such supportive tools in our busy, modern world. Her work empowers others to create rituals and to connect with the earth in ways that fit effortlessly into their ...

Grow your best garden with seeds adapted to your climate, your soil and your culture. Dr. Matthew Kost talks about the benefits of growing regionally adapted seeds; why these seeds are so important, how to develop adapted seeds, creating and maintaining landraces, where to purchase quality seeds and so much more!Dr. Kost, and his wife Nancy, launched the Buffalo Seed Company in October 2018. Matthew is originally from Kansas City and has returned after obtaining a Bachelor in Ecology an...

Are you ready to build and use your own herbal apothecary? Herbalist, author and educator Mary Colvin joins us to talk about her new book, The Herbalist's Guide; how to build and use your own apothecary. We also dig into herbal energetics, working with local herbs and so much more!Mary is a registered herbalist of the American Herbalists Guild and the owner of Ancestral Herbology. She wants to inspire a new generation of herbalists and provide education and mentorship in the study of herbalis...

Gardening in a changing climate can be challenging. Learn how to adapt and overcome these challenges with author and garden educator Kim Stoddart. Kim talks about her new book The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden and we cover important topics like building soil, resilient garden design, working with perennial plants and seed saving. Kim even shares some of her favorite variety recommendations for your gardens!Kim Stoddart, co-author of The Climate Change Garden, writes about climate ...

Garden for the birds! Important members of the food chain, birds offer natural pest control, are fun to observe, and they need our help! Learn how to create a beautiful, bird friendly garden with author Jen McGuiness. Jen will also share some tips on how to attract more beneficial insects to the garden as well as a list of plants that will deter deer.. awesome! We'll also learn about small-space gardening, the importance of native plants and how to grow birdseed. Jen McGuinness is a writer, e...

Squirrels and rabbits in your garden? Too much clay in your soil? Curious what fruits and veggies will thrive in the shade? Garden expert Susan Mulvihill answers these questions and more! Susan Mulvihill is a gardener, educator, author and host of the popular 'Susan's in the Garden' Youtube channel. Susan is passionate about gardening and believes everyone should be able to grow a great garden! Her latest book, The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook, is now available through Cool Spring...

Morel mushrooms, wild onions, and tender spring greens await the hungry forager! Join us as we talk with George Barnett, founder of The Hungry Forager and author of the new book, Foraging Kentucky. George Barnett owns and operates the Hungry Forager, an educational program based in the Bluegrass region and focused on teaching people about wild edibles, ethnobotany, ecology, and agroforestry. His educational background includes restoration ecology, foraging, and the history of utilizing tree...

Discover the magic of native plants and bring your garden to life! Get your garden party started with Shubber Ali, founder of Garden for Wildlife. We’re talking with Shubber about growing native plants, how native plants support our ecosystem and what you can do to create a little wildlife sanctuary in your own backyard! Shubber Ali is the CEO of Garden for Wildlife, a program that began within the National Wildlife Federation. Garden for Wildlife allows people to make a difference for the...

What are staple crops and what role do they plan in sustainable, regional food systems?   We’re talking with Michelle Ajamian, founder of Shagbark Mill, about localized food systems, growing and processing staple crops like corn and beans and we’re going to explore how growers, producers and consumers come together to decide what kind of food system we want for ourselves and our communities. Michelle Ajamian launched the Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative in 2009 and she is the cofounder...

Grow your best garden ever with tips and tricks from author and YouTuber Tony O’Neill! After listening to this interview you’ll be ready to grow a healthier and more productive vegetable garden than ever before! Tony O’Neill has been creating educational gardening content for the last fourteen years and in 2020, he launched the wildly popular YouTube channel Simplify Gardening. Tony believes gardening’s appeal is linked to nature’s generous response to nurturing, which is proven by his...

Are you ready for the new GMO Purple Tomato?!? What impact will this new variety have on our health, our gardens, or our tomato seed saving? Bevin unpacks this latest development in the gardening world, then sits down for a relaxing chat with herbalist, author, and educator Kristine Brown.  Kristine Brown is helping parents teach their kids about herbalism, one herb at a time. She created the only children’s herbal curriculum that uses all four styles of learning and she has taught classes...

What does it mean to be a kitchen curandera? What’s the difference between Indigenous food and local food? We’ll learn all this and much more when we sit down to chat with traditional healer and award-winning author Felicia Ruiz.  We’ll also talk about Felicia’s book Earth Medicines, winner of the 2022 Reading the West Award: Eating The West and the 2023 LULAC Book Award! Earth Medicines is an accessible guide to time-honored Indigenous wisdom, healing recipes, and wellness rituals for modern...

From selling herbs at the renaissance fair to editing one of the most influential herbal magazines of the decade, Tina Sams has done it all! She’s joining us on the podcast for a special herbal edition of 5 Questions. We talk about her early days running an herb shop at a renaissance festival in the 90s, growing Jerusalem artichokes and horseradish, plus we dig into the International Herb Association’s Herb of the Year Books and Tina even shares her go-to herbal tea recipe for managing...