This episode is with returning guest Chris Trump. He’s a student of Nature, and regarded as one of the leading experts in Korean Natural Farming and it’s adaptations around the world.

In this interview Chris shares a bit of his story of how he got involved in natural farming and why he started teaching it. I ask him about the qualities he sees in successful natural farmers, and we dive into philosophy.

We also get into a more detailed discussion about Indigenous Microorganisms aka IMO. I refer to his videos, which you can find on Youtube here: IMO1 IMO2

I highly recommend you look at his videos if you are even remotely interested in probiotic growing, it really helped me to look outside the box, and connect in with Nature.

You can find Chris on Youtube: Chris Trump’s Channel

We also talk about the difference between Effective Microorganisms aka EM and IMO and a bit about what you see under the microscope. Chris turns it around and asks me about my journey of natural farming.

You can find info on Chris and what he’s up to at naturalfarming.co and also on Instagram

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

May the beneficial microbes be with you.

Cheers!

In this episode I’m flying solo… talking about my thoughts on living a probiotic life. It’s a question I ask myself regularly, and I challenge you to have a question that you ask yourself. It’s a form of meditation; asking yourself a question over a period of time.

Join me as I share a little more of my journey from the last year or so, and where asking this question has taken me. I delve into science, its applications and its limitations, and compare it to traditional eastern thinking, specifically Traditional Chinese Medicine. I go into the wisdom of nature, an ancient knowledge that expresses itself in the patterns all around us. Observing these patterns and rhythms with a curious mind and heart can lead to the understanding that we are all connected.

I then share some of the books that have influenced me in the last year or so.

These include:

Braiding Sweetgrass

Robin Wall-Kimmerer

Walden

Henry David Thoreau

One Straw Revolution

Masanobu Fukuoka

The Girl Who Sang To The Buffalo

Kent Nerburn

Little House On The Prairie series

Laura Ingles Wilder

One I forgot to mention is:

The Secret Teachings of Plants

Stephen Harrod Buhner

Here are a few other links I mention throughout the episode too. Well worth the look.

The microscope course I took was with Earthwhile Australia

www.earthwhileaustralia.com

Yellowstone Wolves

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/a12c500d-eb1f-4304-88a6-73d414f3918a

Walden:

https://vimeo.com/231114403

In summary, I believe we are supposed to be connected through our senses; to plants, to animals, to microbes, to each other.

To have the humility to admit we only know a fragment of what life is, and the willingness to trust Nature, and to trust what I call God; the Creator.

I hope this, like other episodes, inspires you to dig deeper, to ask your own exploratory question.

Thanks for being on the journey, and I’d love to hear from you!

May the beneficial microbes be with you.

Until next time,

Cheers

In this episode we have a chat to Holly Howe of makesauerkraut.com

She shares her story of how she fell in love with this fantastic fermented food, and how she came to write the book Fermentation Made Easy! Mouthwatering Sauerkraut.

We talk about various aspects of sauerkraut, from probiotic benefits of this amazing food, to delicious flavours that make your ferment stand out. Holly takes us though the basics of her step by step guide, and gives us some helpful tips. I’m sure you’ll be inspired to go and ferment after you listen to this episode!

Be sure to check out her website and find her book HERE.

Holly is also on social media:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

But wait, that’s not all!

I’m excited to share with you a groovy song and make this episode a celebration of fermentation… Thanks to Charlie Mgee of Formidable Vegetable for sharing this song about KIMCHI!

I’ve been jamming to this band for the last couple of years, and my kids love the music. They ask me to play some songs over and over, including this cheeky one about a dunny.

Charlie’s songs have been therapy for my soul; they are fun and meaningful. Check out his TED Talk about music with purpose, and how it is an important medium to transfer knowledge and cultural wisdom.

You can find all of Charlie’s music HERE. Support him, download the songs, and spread the love!

Formidable Vegetable on social media:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

I hope you’re inspired by this episode, and I’d love to hear from you about what you’re fermenting or how you are living a probiotic life. If you like this content, give us a rating and review!

May the beneficial microbes be with you.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Join us in this episode we hear from Gil Carandang who is considered to be a father of modern day natural farming in the Philippines and around the globe. His knowledge and wit shine as he shares insights into what it means to farm closer to nature, and listen to Her wisdom.

He is an organic farmer, Fulbright Scholar and educator. Gil’s work developing and teaching about beneficial indigenous microorganisms has been revolutionary for natural farmers worldwide; he is known for his engaging teaching style and empowers farmers to think outside the box.

He currently runs Herbana Farms and is an Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP) inspector.

Gil has done extensive studies including:

-Bio-intensive Mini-Farming under John Jeavons in California.

-Natural Farming Systems for Crops and Livestocks under Dr. Han Kyu Cho.

-Apprenticed with Natural Farmers of Japan.

-A graduate of Ecological Horticulture at University of California, Santa Cruz.

-Biodynamics preparations at the Biodynamics Association of Northern California.

-Permaculture Design Course at the Center for Natural Design, Los Osos, California.

His book we talk about:

Grow Your Own Beneficial Indigenous Microorganisms and Bionutrients In Natural Organic Farming

Gil A. Carandang

Here’s a PDF of his book that he doesn’t mind sharing.

Some archived info from his old website.

Connect with Gil on Facebook

And his new project Napayong Island Ecovillage which is under threat from the Taal Volcano.

Thanks for listening, and may the beneficial microbes be with you!

In this episode we talk to a fascinating guest from Germany, Dr. Anne Katharina Zschocke.

She is a doctor of medicine who studied in Freiburg and London. She worked for the German Red Cross and in immunology and oncology as well as working in various horticultural projects in Upper Bavaria, Franconia and the Rhineland. She did further studies in naturopathy, and has a unique, holistic view of life. In this episode she shares how she made the transition from MD to horticulture with a focus on microbiology, and EM aka Effective Microorganisms.

Anne Katharina has written 5 books: 3 on various aspects of EM, one on intestinal bacteria as the key to health, and one on natural healing with bacteria with her novel approach to microbiome therapy. She lectures internationally on topics for paradigm shifts including: microbiology, nutrition, water, trees and spiritual cultural history.

She has described her transition to practical horticulture as "unusual but recommendable". Her heart motive is the harmonisation of humans and nature for deep healing.

In this thoughtful episode I was challenged to think about how we anthropomorphise the world around us; how we see things such as bacteria as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and place a moral judgement on them, when really that is only a human view.

We also discuss EM aka Effective Microorganisms, which I really want to explore more. You can hear more about EM in episode 41 with Cuauhtemoc Villa.

I hope this episode challenges you to think about the way you see the world, and encourages you to live a bacteria friendly life; they are our partners, not enemies.

Find out more about Anne Katharina at:

www.bacteriotherapy.eu

And more info at:

www.dr-zschocke.de

A talk from Dr. Zschocke on YouTube in German (you can turn on auto generated subtitles by turning on CC then go to Settings>Subtitles>Auto-Translate)

If you can read German, you can get her books here. Some of them are also translated into Italian, Spanish, French, and Polish.

Thanks for listening to The Probiotic Life! Who’s one person that you would want to share this episode with?

May the beneficial microbes be with you.

Ben Klenner

This episode is close to my heart, it really exemplifies the journey I’ve been on in the last year.

Join us today as I talk to Larry Korn who was one of Masanobu Fukuoka’s students 40 years ago, and is now an author, teacher, and natural farmer. Larry shares his story of how he came to be a student of Fukuoka, and his adventure since.

We talk about philosophy and the wisdom of nature as well as compare Fukuoka’s Natural Farming to methods of organic agriculture such as Korean Natural Farming and Permaculture.

We also discuss how Natural Farming is in line with the philosophies of indigenous peoples and how some of the main elements are humility and gratefulness. This resonates with me deeply, and I hope it stirs something in you.

Thanks again to everyone who is supporting the podcast in some way. If the message in this podcast has benefited you in any way, share your experience with us and your friends!

May the beneficial microbes be with you…

Larry Korn’s book: One-Straw Revolutionary: The Philosophy and Work of Masanobu Fukuoka

Larry’s website about Masanobu Fukuoka, Natural Farming, and more: www.onestrawrevolution.net

If you want to connect with Larry direct, he has given his email: [email protected]

Masanobu Fukuoka’s books:

Shizen Nōhō — Wara Ippon no Kakumei - Japanese edition of The One-Straw Revolution

The One-Straw Revolution — An Introduction to Natural Farming - Translated English edition

Sowing Seeds in the Desert: Natural Farming, Global Restoration, and Ultimate Food Security

The Natural Way of Farming: The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy (free pdf)

The Road Back to Nature: Regaining the Paradise Lost (pdf)

See Also:

Fukuoka Masanobu Shizen Nōen (Masanobu Fukuoka’s Natural Farm) Official website.

Final Straw: Food, Earth, Happiness, documentary by Patrick Lydon and Suhee Kang.

SHOW NOTES:

Traveled to Japan

met a nice lady

traveled to different back to the land communes

the bozoku - the future primitives

when back in America, Larry did soil science and plant nutrition at Berkley
ended up going back to Japan with no plan and living on Masanobu Fukuoka’s farm for two years

What does do nothing farming mean

Fukuoka’s background

trying to improve on nature

natural farming is about getting back to our natural mind, our natural way of living

help nature get whole again so it could fulfil its destiny of providing conditions to foster life

building natural diversity

getting crop yields equal to or better than conventional farming

growing trees from seed - maintaining genetic diversity

people can never understand nature - there’s no need to understand

just enjoy being with the plants in nature

natures design - getting human intellect out of designing a farm

Fukuoka’s philosophy is almost identical to what indigenous cultures were doing

talking with the plants and animals, and trying things out

they had humility and gratitude - this is what we’re missing

arrogance is not the way of natural farming

try things out then listen - nature points out the direction to go

came back to the U.S. with the One Straw Revolution manuscript

landscaping in San Francisco

moved to Ashland, Oregon

wrote the book The One Straw Revolutionary - stories and teachings from his time on Fukuoka’s farm

Larry has edited two of Fukuoka’s four english books - One Straw Revolution and Sowing Seeds In The Desert

Fukuoka’s other english books are The Natural Way Of Farming and The Road Back To Nature

natural farming is suited for orchards, and not so much market gardens

natural farming and KNF are different

Larry’s wisdom is to relax, and accept things that come to you rather than grasping

go easier on yourself and do something that makes you happy

Permaculture vs Natural Farming - one is design based, and the other is intuitive

observing in permaculture is the first step to separation - the observer and the observed

indigenous peoples could talk to the plants and were one with them

become the soil

onestrawrevolution.net

[email protected]

In this episode we talk to Dr. Jason Hawrelak. He is a leading clinician, researcher, naturopath and lecturer in the area of probiotics. Jason completed his PHD on dysbiosis in irritable bowels and how to change the microbiome using herbs, prebiotics and probiotics. He is well regarded in the probiotics community worldwide, and has authored many papers on the microbiome, the GI tract and pre and pro-biotics.

He’s the lead researcher for probioticadvisor.com and a professor here in Australia and in the US.

Find out all about Jason at probioticadvisor.com

On this episode we’re also featuring a fabulous song called Church of Fermentation by Samara Jade. You can check her out at:

https://samarajade.bandcamp.com/track/church-of-fermentation

May the beneficial microbes be with you!

This is a bit of a different episode. In the first half Ben responds to some emails for the benefit of everyone. If you like it, let us know, and he’ll use this format for episodes between interviews.

The second half of the episode Ben gets real, and goes into some of the challenges he’s faced, and some of the things that are inspiring him. He asks for your input on what inspires you on the journey of living a probiotic life.

Thanks to Daniel Klenner for the music in this episode. Check out his work at danielklenner.com

May the beneficial microbes be with you!

Today on the podcast we are talking with fermentation fanatic and entrepreneur Mara King. She shares her passion of probiotics through workshops, talks and fermented food products and has inspired people worldwide through her TED talk - “What can we learn from fermentation?”

Mara worked for many years as a chef, including a period as a sushi chef, but through a journey of process and fermentation, co-founded a fermented food company called Ozuké based in Boulder, Colorado.

Join us as Mara shares some of her story, including memories of growing up in Hong Kong, first experiences with fermentation, and starting the business Ozuké. We talk about the workshops she attended with Sandor Katz and how that eventually led to her travelling with Sandor through China to explore traditional Chinese fermentation techniques. You can watch their travels through China in an eight part series called: Peoples Republic Of Fermentation

Mara refers to a book near the end of the episode - she says “The Botany of Desire” but what she is actually referring to is “The Drunken Botanist” by Amy Stewart.

Support the podcast by getting the book here: Hardcover or Audiobook

If you want to find out what Mara is up to, you can check out her Instagram @zukemono

Also check out Ozuké at ozuke.com and on Facebook and Instagram @we.are.ozuke

Mara will be doing a workshop with Sandor in Denver at:

Slow Food Nations, July 20, 12.30-2pm

slowfoodnations.org

She’ll be giving an Asian fermentation presentation at:

Congreso de Fermentacion, Oaxaca, October 17-20

Facebook and Instagram @fermentoaxaca

If you’ve been inspired by our talk today, why don’t you reach out to Mara and tell her so:

[email protected]

As Mara says: it’s all about process…

Be involved with living a probiotic life and may the beneficial microbes be with you!

Show Notes to come.

Our guest today is a Professor of Immunotoxicology at Cornell University.

He has become an internationally renowned author, educator and scientist known for his work on the microbiome and the immune system.

Not only has he been on faculty at Cornell since 1977 and published many peer-reviewed papers, but he’s traveled the world giving lectures and keynotes in a variety of forums.

He may be most well known for his book "The Human Super Organism: How the Microbiome is Revolutionising the Pursuit of a Healthy Life”

Join us as Rodney shares his story of how he came to be a professor at Cornell and what inspired him to do so.

In this episode we delve into Rodney’s ‘Completed Self Hypothesis’ which he outlines in the book ‘The Human Super Organism’ and talk about how what we are learning about the microbiome changes the way we look at medicine. He relates the human microbiome to a coral reef ecosystem, anyhow it relates to antibiotics, probiotics, gene transfer, biofilms, inflammation and cancer. We also chat about getting out in nature and playing in the soil and risks versus benefits.

There’s lots of great info in this episode, and Rodney makes it quite relatable for the non-academic. We hope you enjoy it and find it valuable on this exploration of the probiotic life. Thanks for taking time to be part of the journey!

Dr. Rodney Dietert’s latest book:

"The Human Super Organism: How the Microbiome is Revolutionising the Pursuit of a Healthy Life”

Purchase the book, ebook or audiobook through this link to support the podcast.

Connect with Dr. Rodney Dietert:

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @RodDietert

If you are keen about soil health, go on over to microbiometer.com and pick your self up a microbiometer… You’ll be able to get a better picture of how much life is in your soil, and you’ll be supporting the podcast by purchasing from our affiliate.

Enter the promo code ‘probioticlife’ to get $10 off your purchase.

May the beneficial microbes be with you!

Show Notes to come.