On this episode of the Hungry Gardener Podcast, we speak to Robyn Rosenfeldt, founding publisher and editor of PIP Permaculture Magazine.

Its an incredible publication, with beautiful design and photography. The website is a treasure trove of articles, books, blog posts, podcasts and information around Permaculture.

Robyn lives with her family on a two and a half acre property in Pambula.

I hope you enjoy the interview

On this episode of The Hungry Gardener, we speak with Tyrone Brown from Little Yarra Dairy. A 20 acre, family operated, micro-dairy in Launching Place Victoria.

The farm produces milk, yoghurt, cream and cheese from 12 Jersey cattle, and I got a behind-the-scenes tour of the boutique dairy’s production methods.

We then sat down over a cuppa and Tyrone explained the philosophy behind Bio-Dynamic milk production and the importance of a supportive community to a small business enterprise.

On this episode, we speak to Melanie Scott, founder, creator, and director of Agreena. Agreena produces a reusable silicon wrap product that is an alternative to clingwrap, foils and baking paper. Mel hosted us at her beautiful home in The Yarra Valley, as her sheep and chickens huddled together outside, sheltering from the huge, gusting winds throughout the interview. I hope you enjoy this discussion on how she came to developing this unique product.

I also introduce a new section to answer listeners question; this week is about how to deal with gall wasp.

Nick Russo From Summer Snow Juice shares stories about his family business, Bellevue Orchard, growing apples for three generations and now making juice.

We went to visit him on the Farm in Officer, where he showed us the production line, and told us about how the juice business was a result of bad weather that wiped out much of there crop. Hence the name Summer Snow. Hope you enjoy the listen.

We hear from Matt and Lentil, a married couple who have recently released a

book called Grown and Gathered. It’s tagline is ‘Traditional Living made Modern’.

As they explain, the book is a culmination of what they have learnt over the years growing food and flowers including some tips on slowing things down and attempting to live more simply and traditionally.

The two talk about the highlights and the challenges of learning the farming process, as well as managing social media, mentors and future aspirations.

Also, a small heads up that there are a couple of explicit words in this episode, just in case to have a little one listening along with you.

On this episode of the Hungry Gardener Podcast I chat with Alexandra Olsson from ‘Olssens’, the oldest family-owned and operated salt company in Australia. The business produces high-end salt flakes and animal salt supplements. Alex provides a fascinating insight into the history of the company, the production process, and her family’s passion for salt production.

In the tenth episode of The Hungry Gardener, and our first for 2017, I chat to Miranda Sharp of Melbourne Farmer’s Markets. Miranda is an important figure in the local food arena and has been instrumental in championing Farmers Markets here in Melbourne for the past 15 years.

We discuss her early career, farmer market highlights and successes and how she approaches her own shopping. Her respect and admiration for farmers and passionate dedication to the promotion of local produce is inspiring. Hope you enjoy the listen.

In this episode, I speak to Nikki Valentini of The Growing Abundance Project. Nikki is a passionate and hard working innovator and supporter of community focused projects. Our shared Italian background led us to discuss food and its importance to family and to our heritage. We discuss how she encourages and maintains community engagement with her various projects in the Castlemaine community where she lives.

In episode 8, I interview Julie Armstrong from the organisation ‘ACT FOR BEES’. Julie’s passion is raising awareness about bees through education. She examines the threats bees currently face, and the critical importance of healthy bee populations, given they are directly responsible for the pollination of plants, trees and therefore the food we eat.

In episode 7, I chat to Darren Aitken, a biodynamic farmer and owner of Vortex Veggies. Darren was a pleasure to chat with and has some insightful and progressive thinking about current farming practices. He explains to me what fuels his belief in the biodynamic process.