Edible Economy

1:00- Podcast start and an overview of what we will be talking about on today’s episode including the farm and starting a local food campus.

3:50- Kim and Nate talk about the driving force within the local food campus and coming up with the plan for the farm. They talk about how creating farmers' markets made them want to help local farmers.

8:06- How to start a local food campus. They talk about where that started for them. The list of things they wanted to accomplish in the first year, and what they learned about their list being a little too ambitious.

11:30- The corn maze. They talk about the first year's corn maze and the obstacles they had to overcome including replanting the corn, starting over because of no rain in the middle of summer, the irrigation system and all the other fun things they had to deal with during the first year.

15:16- Drip tape. They talk about learning how to create a drip tape irrigation system and it taking much longer than it should have.

23:11- Green corn. They talk about the thing that they thought was so unique about their corn maze, the fact that it was green. Then talk about how quickly they realized that green corn was a bad thing due to what happens when it’s still green and it’s cold outside.

28:31- The wind. They talk about how they didn’t realize how windy it is in Brighton, Colorado where their farm is located. They tell a story of the first year's fall festival and how crazy the wind was and that they are not sure how to prepare for that in year 2.

34:01- The animals at the farm. Kim & Nate talk about all the animals & pests they they have encountered including mice, coyotes, snakes, bobcats, pigeons, black widows, geese, eagles and wild chickens.

40:00- Living on the farm. They talk about moving to the farm this summer into a small house and all the cool stuff they are doing and year 2.

43:25- Strategic Partners. They talk about how they are working with Veterans to Farmers, restaurant owners, farmers, lavender farmers, The Denver Rose Society, The FFA, The Butterfly Pavilion and the Brighton Bee Club and how much those groups have helped them with their plan for the farm.

45:08- Finding farmers. They talk about how difficult it was in year 1 to find farmers. Kim talks about meeting a woman named Josie Hart and how she introduced them to new farmers and people who want to teach classes and do farm to table dinner’s.

53:06- The chickens. They talk about working with the FFA and having kids raise chickens and the crazy story of what happened to the first groups of chickens.

57:26- The different projects the FFA kids are doing like building a shelter, raising animals and helping with various projects.

59:26- What they have learned from year one. They talk about everything they learned in year one so that they can make the farm even better in year two including marketing and working with the American ninja warriors. They also talk about how excited they are for the Farm Festival in October and what they are planning for that.

01:03:29- Wrapping up and final thoughts.

Check out the Farm at:

http://www.historicbromleyfarm.com

1:05- Welcome Ben & Claire Ronniger with the Allicin's Ranch & Organic Volcanic Garlic and a little bit about how Nate and Kim know them.

2: 32- The crazy questions that Ben and Claire get about garlic.

3:52- How they got into farming and the garlic business.

6:03- The seeds. Ben and Claire talk about the hooker and the beater A.K.A. Wild Crafting. Ben talks about the process of harvesting seeds and everything that is put into this physically and mentally challenging process.

10:00- The drying, cleaning and extraction process after you collect the seeds.

12:32- What Ben and Claire farm in Idaho. They talk about their main crop, garlic, and how they use sheep to farm the garlic. They talk about the 30 head of Southdown Baby Doll Sheep they have .

16:38- Allicin's Ranch They talk about their ranch and where the name Allicin came from. They also talk about specializing in garlic and how they are able to produce it year round unlike most garlic farms.

20:55 – Volcanic garlic. They talk about the difference between soft neck and hard neck garlic and what kind of garlic they farm.

23:54- Garlic. Ben talks about how there are only 8 varieties of garlic. Porcelain, Rocambole, Purple Stripe, Marble Purple Stripes, Turbine, Silverskin, Artichoke and Creole. They talk about how each evolves depending on where it is grown but they all still have the genetic makeup of the eight types of garlic.

25:55– The volcanic soil in Baja. They talk about what exactly what the volcanic soil is that they use and why it makes the garlic taste so good.

30:40- The Bus A.K.A. the Garlic Shuffle. They talk about the bus they have, how it came about, and how it helps them transport garlic across the country.

37:51- Ben We Have Your Wife. Ben and Claire's story about Ben leaving Claire on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere New Mexico, at night, and not realizing he had done it until hours later.

45:32– Some other fun stories about the bus getting stuck and the story of their dog Floyd also being left by Ben.

50:15- Their farms. Ben and Claire talk about how they are able to keep both of their farms running at the same time year round. They also talk about the village in Mexico where they have their Baja farm and how awesome it is to see that farm help the community and support the village.

57:40- The Garlic Business. Ben talks about how they sell their own products and why it is so important for them to keep it small and sell at small stores and farmers markets. He talks about supporting the community and the education they do to help people get started growing garlic.

01:01:46 – Selling Online. Ben talks about targeting online and what they have learned about keeping their business personal & their customers happy.

01:06:04- Ben's message to the listeners.

01:07:56 – Wrapping up, final thoughts & where to find them on the Web - Facebook - Instagram

1:00- Episode starts with intro to Anna Frye from Naturall Beef Company.

1:59- NaturALL Beef company‘s history and what they pride theirselves in. Anna talks about her background of moving to Cambodia when she was younger and her family starting an International School and Orphanage for children affected by aids and HIV.

6:24- Anna’s love for ranch life and her family history of starting the ranch over 60 years ago.

8:37- The cow branding process. Why it is so important to cattle ranching.

12:05- The beef Anna raises and what Anna believes is the best feed to give cattle for the best beef. She also talks about why it is so important to feed cattle good grains in order to get the best beef.

14:45- The typical diet of a cow. Anna talks about the difference between the cow that is sold at regular grocery stores vs a local company and the difference of grass fed vs corn fed cattle and how that affects the cows and the beef. She talks about why it’s important to pay attention to the label for "natural" and what the beef has in it if it is not labeled that way. She talks about how her cows never get any injections whatsoever and live a good life of roaming around and eating instead of sitting in a stall.

19:25- The typical lifespan of cows. Anna talks about the typical lifespan of the cows she raises and what the FDA regulations are for when to butcher a cow.

20:35- The different misconceptions out there about cows including if they are able to eat themselves to death.

23:00- Anna’s thoughts on grass fed beef. She talks about how beef can taste different depending on what the cow eats.

24:27- Where you can find Anna’s beef and what they are doing to educate the community. She also talks about the interest and feedback they have received from people who love their meat.

30:36- The different cuts of meat. Anna talks about her favorite cuts of meat and how it differs for what each different person likes and different health issues. She also talks about the different cuts of meat that people are not aware of.

38:24- Balancing what she sells and what she cuts. She talks about making sure they have an even pace inventory and what they do to keep the balance.

41:53- The aging process. The difference between how true aged beef tastes compared to grocery store aged beef. She also talks about the different types of aging process.

44:12- Some of the funniest stories Anna has from the farmers market. She talks about always encountering people who have misconceptions about grass vs grain fed beef and the different experiences she has had with vegetarians and vegans. She also shares how some vegetarians have told her that they have changed their minds about beef after trying her beef due to medical symptoms going away.

50:43- What selling direct to customer is and why they do it as opposed to selling at big box stores.

56:15- Where to find Anna and her company and the different weekly specials they have including the farmers markets they are at and what they are doing for the fall Festival this year at Bromley Farm.

01:00:55- Wrapping up and final thoughts. Please subscribe!

1:05- Podcast start and intro Joe and Chris Miller of Miller Farms in Platteville, Colorado.

2:11- Miller Farms backstory. Joe and Chris talk about the farm, when it started and how it started. Joe talks about his dad starting it after World War II, buying the farm in 1948 and then starting a family. He talks about how in 1949 there were 80 acres and then buying another 80 acres to make it 160 acres. He talks about his parents struggles during his childhood and the hard life they had trying to keep the farm alive.

4:25- Joe talks about only knowing farming since he was a kid and some of his favorite memories. He talked specifically about driving a tractor when he was five to pick sweetcorn.

5:34- Joe and Chris talk about what they farm now or don’t farm for that matter. They don’t farm okra or black eyed peas and they sell all of their crops at farmers markets.

10:35- The Cheyenne, Wyoming and Fort Collins, Colorado farmers markets. Joe and Chris talk about the different farmers markets they sell at and how quickly they learned that bringing a small card table to a farmers market was not enough. They talked specifically about the Fort Collins farmers market and a few funny stories including a story about a dropped watermelon.

16:27- The $10 produce bag. Joe talks about the $10 bags, the story of how they started and how popular they are today.

21:06- The collectibles at the farm. Joe and Chris talk about all the cars and large vehicles they have collected over the years including a Ghostbusters car, planes, UFOs, cars painted like the Cars movie, where they go to find all of these amazing collections and a few stories behind them.

23:45- The Croc Pit. Joe talks about the croc pit that they started that has a bunch of ground up Croc shoes to make a foam pit for kids to play in.

24:47- More about farming. They talk about the year-round work they do, how it is so much more than just planting and what the typical day is like for Joe and Chris on the farm. They talk about how it is always changing and now what it’s like to have animals on the farm.

32:41- How farming has changed. They talk about how much farming has changed over the years and some of the reasons why they think it has changed so much.

36:26- Watering a farm. Watering a farm can be tough and expensive, Chris and Joe talk about how they water their farm and the 1863 water rights act in Colorado. They talk about their irrigation system and how it runs 20 miles throughout the farm.

43:11- Other businesses that surround the farm. They talk about all the different businesses they have, how they decide to create a business and where those ideas come from.

47:41- Farmers market season. We talk about how they deal with people wanting certain things and not having them because of the growing season. They talk about having to outsource to other farmers to get those items.

54:17- Conventional VS Organic VS Pesticide-Free farming. Joe explains the difference between organic and pesticide free and how they grow their crops. The group discusses why shopping local is best to keep stuff like what happened recently with lettuce from happening. They also talk about why they do not do organic certified farming and the process that it takes to actually get your farm organically certified.

01:04:58- Fall Festival. We talk about the fall festival that goes on at the farm, how they let people pick their own vegetables and how that works. They also talk about the pumpkins that people are able to stack in wagons and put as many pumpkins, corn and potatoes as they can in a wagon for only $35. Joe and Cris talk about why the fall festival is so important for their business.

01:11:47- Joe’s favorite part of what they do. He talks about how every year they have kids come out for educational programs and they always have them pick carrots. The looks on these kids faces when they pick carrots makes everything that he does worth it.

01:15:-03- Joe’s advice to people and why he thinks it’s so important to do something to change other people's lives.

01:16:54- Wrapping up & podcast end.

www.millerfarms.net

1:00- Podcast intro to Jenni Lyons and Mike Burns of Happy Leaf Kombucha and Happy Leaf Taproom and Kitchen.

2:15 – How Jenni and Mike got into fermenting foods, starting with making kombucha at home and then making a business out of it.

6:43 – The Happy Leaf Tap Room and Kitchen. Jenni and Mike talk about how it got started, what the business has turned into from just serving kombucha to now, serving fermented and pickled foods. They talk about how much fun it is to see people learn about fermented foods and enjoy eating them.

11:00 – All the types of fermentation. Jenni and Mike talk about the different types of fermented foods there are from preserving the food and the difference between them. They also talk about how every food is fermented differently and gives it a different taste.

15:08 – The process of making kombucha. We walk through the process of making kombucha from making the sweet tea, to adding the scoby and what exactly a scoby is.

20:30- Preserved lemons. Jenni talks about one of her favorite things to preserve, lemons and how she goes about doing it.

22:24 – How much space is needed to make kombucha and the types of environments you need to make it.

24:21 – Fermented garlic. Nate and Kim talk about one of their favorite things to eat, fermented garlic. Jenni and Mike talk about how they ferment the garlic and what it can be used for including making caesar dressing.

27:25 – The biggest failed food. Jenny and Mike talk about foods they tried to make that did not work out.

31:30- Jenni and Mike talk about where they learned the process of fermenting foods and the techniques they have learned to make sure you aren’t going to get sick. They also talk about encountering health inspectors who do not know much about fermented foods and the difficulties that causes.

34:43 – The classes they teach and what exactly they teach in the classes they are doing.

36:10- Where to find out more about Jenni and Mike, Happy Leaf products, the classes they are doing, and Happy Leaf Kombucha and restaurant. www.happyleafkombucha.com

38:00- Wrapping up, thanks to the sponsors - Bromley Farm and Main Street Markets.

Produced by Mauro Media and Truth & Legend Productions.

1:00- Podcast start, intro to Nate & Kim Mudd and what they will be talking about on today’s episode.

2:03- The podcast. Kim & Nate talk about why they wanted to do a podcast and what they want to share on the podcast.

3:13- Kim and Nate talk about how they got started in local foods and how they met. They also talk about their first experience with CAFO's, what CAFO's are and how that got them started and local economy.

7:30- Local economy. More on local economy, how they got involved in local economy through meeting Wendell Berry. They talk about how Wendell Berry inspired them to think locally and act locally. They talk about moving to Denver and then starting a farmers market 10 years ago and realizing that local foods was a way for them to help the community and the environment.

14:00- The other companies they have started including an organic T-shirt company, a solar company, a smoothie company, an online platform to purchase local foods and others.

18:43- Their greatest failures. They talk about the failures they have encountered along the way and what advice Kim wishes she hadn’t listen to. They talk about the advice they give now to others from the experiences they have had with creating local companies.

21:52- "The Store". They talk about "The Store" that they started and how that has helped the local economy in Colorado.

24:00- What they are doing now. They talk about the farm, the farmers markets and the misconceptions out there that are involved in creating and running farmers markets.

26:07- The farm. They talk about the historic farm that they run, what they have done to help it become what it is now and the education side of the farm.

32:47- Nate talks about the company he started in high school and how he has always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

34:45- Some more of what they are doing at the farm including the weddings, co-op farming and farm-to-table dinners.

36:50- What they have learned. Kim & Nate talk about what they have learned from all the endeavors they have done and why it is so important to find people to help you accomplish your goals like strategic partners. They talk about strategic partners, what they are and why they have been so important to them and the farm.

40:49- Kim talks about some of the most recent strategic partners she is working with to help them actually farm food on the farm and provide a platform for them. They talk about how strategic partners are a two-way street that allow both partners to succeed.

42:50- The office sharing they are doing at the farm. They talk about how they have created office space that is basically like a Starbucks without the coffee and what they have learned after running the farm for a year. They talk about the process of starting and running businesses, eventually quitting their jobs, hiring employees, dealing with different stuff like insurance.

48:54- The corn maze. Kim and Nate talk about planting their first corn maze and what they learned about planting a corn maze. They talk about after planting the corn maze getting snow and it killing the corn and then the winds that basically demolished the corn maze. Nate talks about how this was one of the toughest things he has ever had to deal with professionally and the experience of having to go around and pick up each stock of corn to make it a corn maze again.

52:10- The farming that is actually being done at the farm. They talk about the different items that are being planted at the farm, the historic tours and tease what they are creating.

55:38- Tools. Nate talks about the different tools he uses on a daily basis that he loves to help him stay organized and make him more efficient.
– The Everlast notebook
– Snake boots
– Meditation
– Headspace app
– Evernote app
– Flipboard app

01:04- Wrapping up. They talk about where they see the local food movement going from here from dealing with food and water shortages, food security and the dying shopping malls.