Even if you don’t live in the United States and are not celebrating Thanksgiving this month, you probably will have some holiday get togethers over the next few weeks.  And these ideas can be used for ANY holiday party.

In this episode, I share some of my tips for meshing Thanksgiving traditions with that natural world outside.

Because to me, fall parties are about celebrating the season as well as food and family.

• How to make gratitude a BIG part of the day
• Tips for getting children involved in the decorating
• Which plants make great fall decorations
• How to add botanicals to your place settings
• A simple way to make herbs part of your cocktails
• How to create a decoration that doubles as a guest gift
• Why is cranberry balsamic sauce so amazing
• And I’ll share my ginger pumpkin cheesecake recipe

As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/121 for links and the to download the recipes mentioned. We also have a full transcript for to download for free. 

How to make natural household cleaners that ROCK!

The holidays are coming and chances are you're going to be cleaning your house a little bit more than usual.

Don’t reach for the chemical laden products you find at the store!

Living a more organic lifestyle means eliminating chemicals whenever we can.

And a great place to do that is with the products we spray all over our house such as the things we use to scrub down the countertops, clean the bathrooms or even make our laundry smell fresh.

In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe brought on the owner of the popular blog Brown Thumb Mama. Pam Farley believes in making things herself for less money than the store bought versions. From cleaners to air fresheners, she is always on the lookout for all natural alternatives to what we find in the stores.

Pam shares her insights and recipes for making cleaning products using simple ingredients we probably already have in our homes.

• Why typical household cleaners do NOT have to list all the ingredients
• Which kitchen supplies we already have that will do the job
• The difference between pure essential oils and fragrance oils
• The difference between food grade and therapeutic grade oils
• How to make an All Purpose Cleaner
• How to create an Air Freshener Spray
• Tips for making our laundry smell awesome

In the show notes for this episode, you can download a printable PDF of all of the recipes mentioned. Just go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/120 and you will also find a full transcript of the show and more links/resources to get you started.

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own gardening or farming business?

It can sound romantic and whimsical, can’t it?

But what's really involved in running a seasonal business around growing things? How do you manage the season or even your day around harvesting and delivering plant material?

This week, I share an episode I actually recorded for some of my students. You see, I have a secret podcast called Seedy Conversations® where I give the back story on businesses, homesteaders and bloggers.  We dive into what makes them tick.

Well, this episode is from those archives. I interviewed Erin Benzakein who has been on the Living Homegrown Podcast before (Episode #95). But this time, Erin pulls back the curtain and gives a snapshot of what life is like as a small organic farmer in the state of Washington.

Erin is the top floral farmer-florist in the country and she spills the beans on what it really means to run a small family farm.

And the good news is that Erin finds her business to be rewarding and inspiring each and every day. I think you will love her story! 

• About a typical day in the life of a farmer-florist
• What is the best gear to wear in the field
• Which crops to grow for market
• The magical time for taking garden photos
• The 1 morning practice that sets you up for success in your day
• Top advice for anyone considering becoming a farmer

You can get more information about Erin, her farm and all the links mentioned in this episode in the show notes at www.LivingHomegrown.com/119 as well as a full transcript of the show.

How to use your garden to make holiday gifts

Thinking of making any handmade gifts for the holidays this year?

It’s only October, but this is the perfect time to get started!

By starting now, you can create thoughtful gifts before the craziness of the holidays overwhelm you.

Host Theresa Loe interviews Stephanie Rose of Garden Therapy about garden crafts that make perfect holiday gifts. They discuss several projects (from season salt to homemade soap) that you can make quickly, easily, and with very little cost.

• How Herbal Finishing Salt makes an impressive, low-cost gift
• How to fast-track soap making with natural melt and pour ingredients
• The type of cupcake molds to use for Lavender-Oatmeal Soap
• Why mason jars are perfect for homemade candles
• The trick to pressing herbs into the sides of your glass jar candles
• And more…

As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/118 to get links to all the recipes, instructions and a full transcript of the episode.

How to Make Color Dyes With Your Garden Plants

The plants in our backyards can have multiple uses beyond food.

That’s what this week’s podcast is all about…using our garden plants for something different: Making Natural Dye

Now, you may be wondering what the heck you would dye with your plants. Well, we’ve got you covered.

Host Theresa Loe brought on fiber and dye expert Chris McLaughlin to talk about all the things we can color using natural dyes. They walk through the terminology and the techniques.

It’s super mad-scientisty. Ha!

• What is a fugitive color (No, it’s not a criminal)
• How do you use a modifier
• What is a mordant
• Can we use common household ingredients to change colors
• Which plants work best
• Step-by-step how to dye a silk scarf using flowers

As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/117 to get links to everything mentioned and get a full transcript of the episode.

Did you know you should NOT do a fall garden clean up?

It sounds counter-intuitive, right? Plants have died back or gone dormant and winter’s coming. So, why wouldn’t we want to clear out the debris and tidy up?

Well if you’re an organic gardener, fall clean up is the last thing you should do because all the beneficial insects are overwintering in that debris. From native bees to ladybugs, the fall garden provides shelter and more.

In today’s episode, host Theresa Loe interviews author Jessica Walliser to give us the whole scoop on why traditional fall clean up is a thing of the past and what we should be doing instead.

Jessica also answers a listener question about trap cropping!

• Why our fall garden is so important for butterflies & other critters
• What you should do instead of clean up
• How to handle plants going to seed
• Why this actually makes your life easier
• What is trap cropping and is it really effective
• The simple trick to finding university garden research online

As always you can get more links and free info at www.LivingHomegrown.com/116 as well as a full transcript of the episode. 

Sometimes, you might want to make small batch preserves such as enticing pickles, chutneys, jams, or other condiments and NOT "can" them. Perhaps you just have a few extra tomatoes or cucumbers and you need a tasty way to use them up. Or maybe you have an event where you just need a jar or two of preserves to include on the table -- But you don't want to break out the canner.

Well, the book featured in today's episode would be the answer in those situations. It's called: Savory Sweet: Simple Preserves From A Northern Kitchen and host Theresa Loe interviews one of the authors (Beth Dooley) about why she and co-author Mette Nielsen wrote a preserving book without any "canning" in it. 

You'll learn: 

• About the freedoms that come from not canning
• How the book was specifically designed for food gardeners
• Why small batches allow for more experimentation
• The challenges of creating a cookbook that works for everyone
• How to make a Sweet Pickled Winter Squash

And you can download a free PDF version of the Pickled Squash recipe that is perfect for the Thanksgiving table. Go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/115 to get the PDF, more links for info and a full transcript of the episode.

I thought it would be fun to share some behind-the-scenes info on how a garden television show is put together and some of the garden and food stories we’ll be sharing in the coming months on our PBS show, Growing A Greener World.

To do that, I brought on the host and Exec Producer of the show Joe Lamp’l. Growing A Greener World was his vision. He dreamed it and put together the team who creates it. 

He’s the guy we laugh with at the end of an exhausting day and same guy we give the evil-eye to when he decides he wants to redo a scene “just one more time.” Ha!

You see…Producing a television show is NOT easy. There are long hours and lots of travel.

But I think you’ll get a kick out of hearing why we still love to do what we do...despite the hard work.

In this episode, you'll learn: 

• How this gardening series was created
• How watching the show can have a ripple effect for the planet
• Which episodes will move you the most
• Why bats will be making a TV debut next year
• What TV celebrity will be featured next season
• And more
  
  

As always, you can get a full transcript at www.LivingHomegrown.com/114 as well as all the links mentioned in the show.

You know when you pick up a cookbook and the recipes make your mouth water?

That’s when you know you have winner on your hands.

And such was the case with the preserving book featured in this week’s podcast.

I brought on author Emily Paster who has been on the podcast before (Episode 54). This time, she shares insights into creating flavorful preserves that are steeped in tradition.

Her latest book is called The Joys of Jewish Preserving.

Now I’m not Jewish, but I can’t wait to dive into some of these recipes because they are so innovative.

There are preserves using rose petals, wine,  and honey. And the recipes shift between jams, conserves and syrups and fermented and/or quick pickles.

There is something for everyone.

This book is meant to open the eyes of both new and experienced canners and explore modern combinations of fruit and spice.

• Why canners should look outside regular cookbooks for canning ideas
• The exact steps to making Cinnamon Salt-Preserved Lemons
• How to make delicious fruit syrups with ease
• The many uses for fruit syrups including desserts and beverages
• How Emily transitioned traditional recipes into modern preserves
• Where she got inspiration for new flavor combinations
• Different ways to use a lemon-walnut jam
• Some of the stories behind the creations in the book

No, we are not talking about fairy gardens this week. We are discussing garden design on a teeny-tiny scale. It still involves design principals, plant choices and yes...maintenance...but with a fork instead of a rake. It can be a fun way to create the garden of your dreams without having to move the tree in your backyard. Sure you can turn a tiny garden into a fairy garden if you want to - but that something different. On today's episode, host Theresa Loe brings on Janit Calvo - a small gardening expert. They discuss Why miniature gardens are so popular, The therapeutic reasons you might want one, What makes them "real", How to create them yourself and get the scale just right, Why pathways are so important, The trick to laying teeny brick or stone, How these landscapes are perfect for people who can't get outside and Tips for creating them. As always, you can go to www.LivingHomegrown.com/112 for a full transcript of the show and all the links mentioned.