The Urban Farm Podcast Private feed for Members

257: Laura Allen on Greywater

 Exploring low-tech, sustainable water solutions for urban homes and landscapes.

 In this Podcast: A determination to save money and help the environment was the beginning of a career in water conservation and education for Laura Allen.  She tells us why water solutions became so important to her, as well as gives us an understanding of what a greywater system is and why anyone can set up an easy one for themselves. There are many different options to customize a functioning system and she helps explain the differences.

Laura has spent the past 15 years exploring low-tech, urban, sustainable water solutions, while earning a BA in environmental science, a teaching credential, and a master’s degree in education.  Plus, she participated in the CA and WA state greywater code development committee.   She puts this to use by presenting at conferences, leading classes and workshops on rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and composting toilets.

Laura is the author of Greywater, Green Landscape, and The Water-Wise Home: How to Capture, Conserve, and Reuse Water in Your Home and Landscape. Both published by Storey Publishing.   She is also the co-founder of GreywaterAction.org, an education based organization that teaches people how to design and install greywater systems and was the 2014 recipient of the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award of Water Champion.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/07/06/257-laura-allen/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

256: Tammi Hartung on the Versatility of Plants. 

Discovering amazing uses for herbs, weeds and other common North American plants.

In This Podcast: Curiosity about the uses and benefits of plants led Tammi Hartung to do some pretty interesting research.  She has a significant knowledge base to pull from since she loves plants and has over 1200 varieties on her farm, yet she wanted to know more and shares a little of what she found.  There are some amazing surprises that blew our mind, let us know if you think so too.

Tammi is an ethnobotanical herbalist, organic farmer, author and international speaker. She has been working with plants for more than 37 years.

She and her husband, Chris, own Desert Canyon Farm, a certified organic farm in southern Colorado where they grow more than 1200 different varieties of plants.

Tammi is the author of several books including the national bestseller Homegrown Herbs, The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener, and her newest book Cattail Moonshine & Milkweed Medicine, Published by Storey Publishing.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/07/04/256-tammi-hartung/ for more information & links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

255: Gianaclis Caldwell on Holistic Goat Care  

 Considering the whole picture of raising goats and their benefits.

In this podcast: Raising goats in a holistic and nurturing manner is second nature to Gianaclis Caldwell.  She shares with us some uplifting and useful advice on caring for these unique farm animals, including the three most important things to know about them. She also tells how she and her husband started their dairy farm from scratch and off-the-grid, raised their family, and now they host guests who get to know the intricacies of goat farming. This is a great resource for anyone considering raising goats.

In addition to actively managing their dairy goats, Gianaclis is the main cheesemaker, milker and owner of Pholia Farm, a licensed dairy located on 24 acres she grew up on in southern Oregon. Her farm is well known for its artisan, aged raw milk cheeses; classes on small-dairy, goat husbandry, and cheesemaking at all levels; and its off-grid, sustainable life-style focus.

She is the author of many books including Holistic Goat Care, Mastering Basic Cheesemaking, The Small-Scale Cheese Business, and often writes and photographs for Culture – The Word on Cheese magazine. Gianaclis and her husband Vern own and run Pholia, where they are raising their daughters Phoebe and Amelia.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/07/01/255-gianaclis-caldwell/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

254: Stephanie Tourles on Natural Ways to Repel Insect

Focusing on natural options to create your own bug repellents.

Due to the increasing concern about tick and mosquito populations spreading, as well as the diseases they carry, we pushed this interview to the top of our calendar.  Please share this interview with your friends in those areas that are high tick infestation areas, or those who just love the outdoors.

In This Podcast: Years of studying skin care and natural ingredients has led Stephanie Tourles to put together several recipes for natural insect repellents. She shares some important information about using natural product recipes, as well as a recipe for a great smelling tick and mosquito repellent.   

Stephanie has practiced and taught healthy living for more than 25 years.  She is a licensed holistic esthetician with a strong background in Western and Ayurvedic herbalism, has extensive training in the nutritional sciences, and is an avid organic gardener.

Stephanie is also a certified aromatherapist, a nationally certified foot & hand reflexologist, and a professional member of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists.

Currently residing in Orland, Maine, she is the author of twelve books the including Organic Body Care Recipes, Hands-On Healing Remedies, and Naturally Bug-Free all available through Storey Publishing. 

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/29/254-stephanie-tourles/ for more information and links on this podcast, and to find our other great guests.

253: Tony Kasowski on Farm Trippin

Traveling across several states and profiling examples of amazing farms.

In This Podcast: Chatting with friends on his social media about their farming activities and garden projects got to the point where Tony Kasowski decided he needed to just go see some of those farms and gardens for himself.  We hear his plans for this summer, when he is going on a road trip to see farms, where he will learn new things and share some knowledge & skills along the way.  The cool part is that he is going to share the adventure with the rest of his social media friends. 

Tony is Co-Founder and Principal Farmer at St Vincent de Paul Urban Farms in Phoenix, Arizona. The agricultural division to the charity provides food production, education, and revenue generation, and has produced over one hundred thousand pounds of fresh food to feed the working needy and homeless through five dining rooms in Arizona. The farm is also responsible for mitigating over one million pounds of food and landscape material through its composting initiatives.

Tony is also the founder of GrowKale.com where he consults, educates, designs and builds ecological and chemical free edible spaces. His current project, Farm trippin is a cross country road trip showcasing ways to grow food mindfully, while featuring the individuals and their stories behind the farms. He will be sharing the journey through his website Farmtrippin.com and his informative Instagram @Tonygrowsfood.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/27/253-tony-kasowski/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

Bonus Episode 1: Ask Jake and Greg. 

A Q&A session with two experts on Gardening and Fruit Trees.

In This BONUS Podcast: Jake Mace the Vegan Athlete and Greg Peterson of The Urban Farm are both gardening educators offering classes, podcasts, and videos on a large variety of gardening topics. Every month they get together for a monthly gardening chat to discuss what is going on in their gardens and answer your questions.. This is the June 2017 Q&A episode with a variety of questions addressed from shade trees, mulching, fertilizing, soil amendments, watering, and much more. 

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/26/bonus-episode-1-jake-and-greg/ for more information and links on this bonus podcast, and to find our other great guests.

Episode 252.5

252: Ed Vaccaro on Hydration for Outdoor Pets and Small Animals

Creating a product for animals that also helps plants and then getting it to market.

In this podcast:  We learn about the motivation to create an ingenious watering device for animals which directs discarded water into useful watering for plants. Ed Vaccaro shares more than just how his unique product works, he shares how he was able to get it onto store shelves and make a new business from a great idea. 

Ed grew up in northern California during the 70’s. His parents were in the flower business and his uncle was in the plant business. His relationship with his family and their businesses influenced the direction he took in life. A keen animal lover from early childhood, he joined the famed animal husbandry organization 4-H.

After working in the solar industry for a while in the 80’s, he eventually went back to his roots and launched his own plant business.  He quickly won accounts with two large grocery store chains and opened a store in the San Francisco Flower Market.

These days Ed is the proprietor of HydroPet an automatic outdoor water bowl for pets – that periodically automatically refreshes itself while repurposing old water to nearby trees, shrubs and plants.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/24/ed-vaccaro/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

251: Shane Jordan on Food Waste.

Making recipes from those leftover ingredients that might have been tossed.

In this podcast: Creating a delicious meal using cooking scraps that would have been tossed, or maybe even looked over when shopping, is something that Shane Jordan wants everyone to try. He explains this philosophy for us here and invites you to try things like his Banana Skin Curry.   

Shane is a vegetarian chef and author based in Bristol, England.  He works as a part time chef at Arc Cafe while teaching cooking at Universities and Festivals. He has been described as a "pioneer" for this imaginative use of food waste in restaurants and has written a cookbook detailing his alternative approach, called Food Waste Philosophy.  In it he explains his concepts and shares many of his popular recipes.

Shane has a passion for education, working in schools and spreading the green message – he is dedicated to showing that dealing with environmental issues can be a fun and interesting experience.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/22/shane-jordan/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

Greg Peterson - 250th Episode Special

Interviewing Farmer Greg himself - about his life mission and creating The Urban Farm.

In this podcast: This is the 250th episode of The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson and the tables are turned as our guest host Jake Mace gets to take control of the interview.  Greg tells us his story, how writing a mission statement for a college assignment affected him, and why naming your farm is so important to him.  And, he shares more about the origin of The Urban Farm Nursery and of Urban Farm U.   

Greg has lived at the Urban Farm for almost 30 years.  His 1/3-acre yard features an entirely edible landscape, including over 70 fruit trees, rainwater and grey-water harvesting, solar applications, and extensive use of reclaimed and recycled building materials.

Greg is a longtime permaculture advocate, flunked out of university in 1981 because he was bored, then went back twenty years later to get a bachelor’s degree and a Masters in Urban and Environmental Planning in 2006 and is a lifelong continual learner.

On his days off he hangs out in his garden with his sweetheart Heidi and their chickens, creating new projects and catching some rays.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/20/greg-peterson-250th-podcast/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

249: Andrew Gunther on Humanely Raised Farm Animals

 Labeling for meats to show how the animal was cared for and prepped for consumption.

In this podcast: We learn about how the way an animal is raised can make a difference, not only in the taste, but in how healthy the meat is for us as consumers.  Andrew Gunther explains why it is important to know this distinction and how to recognize it when making your buying selection at the store. 

Andrew is the Executive Director of A Greener World where he spearheaded the growth and development of the “Animal Welfare Approved”, or AWA, certification into what Consumer Reports calls the only “highly meaningful” food label for farm animal welfare, outdoor access, and sustainability.

Andrew works to increase the availability of Certified AWA meat, dairy and eggs in traditional retail settings. He is currently a member of the U.S. delegation for the International Standardization Organization who is responsible for development of standards related to Animal Welfare.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/17/andrew-gunther/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests