In her book, To Boldly Grow, author Tamar Haspel uses the term "first-hand food" to describe anything you get with your own two hands – meals we grow, fish, hunt, or even forage. According to the Washington Post food columnist, growing and sourcing your own food just makes it taste better. On this week's show, we're getting our hands dirty and meeting some people who are taking a do-it-yourself approach to food.

We begin with Tamar, whose book chronicles the adventures of her and her husband as they go about raising livestock, growing vegetables, and even hunting their own meat. Recounting tales of their successes and failures, Tamar fills the pages with practical tips and hard-won wisdom for those looking to cultivate their own food.

Then, we hear from fifth-generation chicken keeper, Lisa Steele, whose blog Fresh Eggs Daily inspired her book of the same name. Lisa shares her story as well as some egg-centric tips and tricks.

Finally, we explore one of the South's favorite backyard crops – the mirliton. After our mirlitons drowned in Hurricane Katrina, they were saved from extinction thanks to the efforts of Dr. Lance Hill. We get an update from the good doctor and learn how mirliton lovers from across the globe have connected through his website, Mirliton.org, resulting in the world's largest collection of mirliton recipes.

For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.