The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Supporting 4th generation farmers while making healthier chocolates.In This Podcast: We've all heard some of the benefits of chocolate, but Shari Flam is harnessing the medicinal benefits of cacao beans by using the fermented beans in her tasty treats. Listen in to learn about ethically sourcing cacao beans, the health benefits of eating raw cacao, the different processing methods, and some of the treats she makes using the unprocessed cacao beans. She also discusses the mineral and chemical components of chocolate and how it interacts with the nervous system.Shari began her endeavors in chocolate 15 years ago as a home-based business for family and friends. A dream finally blossomed 3 years ago with the start of communal Uprising chocolate driven by a passion to help the planet and spread awareness through the heart-opening benefits of the cacao. The treats are all free of white sugar, completely ethically and environmentally sound using no plastic and purchased through a South American Co-op. Communal Uprising chocolate works for them, they do not work for us, says Shari. We educate about the benefits of raw cacao and create a connection in our minds to positivity.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/07/14/547-shari-flam/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!547: Shari Flam on Raw Cacao from Belize and Ecuador.

Playing with seeds and making history.In This Podcast: When you treat your space like a nature sanctuary, sometimes you get botanical surprises! Neal Bringe teaches us about a new variety of Christmas Squash and the conditions he created to cross two varieties of squash to create this beautiful new vegetable that is pleasing to the eye and mouth. Also learn more about growing in Colorado, working with nature so your land comes alive, and allowing plants to go to seed so your garden regenerates itself each year!Neal is a dedicated listener we invited on the show after learning he has developed a beautiful new variety of squash.  Having a PhD in Food Science, and active in his community and church in Elizabeth CO, Neal works with a mind to educate and provide for his family by creating gardens for produce and butterflies.  His photos have earned him multiple awards, and it was by sharing photos of his recent squash crop that we are able to see just how cool it is to create new varieties in our own gardens. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/07/07/546-neal-bringe/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!546: Neal Bringe on Creating a New Squash.

Growing food and sharing it with a campus community.In This Podcast: College isn't always the time people choose healthy eating, but Matt Provost, the student farm manager for the University of Wisconsin Madison is bringing free fresh produce to the students on campus. Listen in to learn how they set up and fund the farm, support other campus programs, and educate others about farming. Matt also discusses some of the epic moments on the farm and how they adapt growing seasons to the school semesters. If only every college offered this experience!Matt is involved with a student organization called FH King Students for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin. He is one of two farm directors running the one-acre student farm on campus. They grow all sorts of vegetables, as well as fruit trees, berries, and hazelnuts. Every Friday during the growing season they harvest produce in the morning then truck it back to campus, set up a farm stand, and give the harvest to the student community for free. Matt is studying Landscape Architecture and very interested in permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and enhancing local food systems. He wants to work at the intersection of eco-restoration & agriculture and believes we can feed ourselves healthier food while providing habitat for all of the creatures that we share the land with.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/06/30/545-matt-provost/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!545: Matt Provost on Student Farming.

544: Seed Saving Class May 2020.A chat with an expert on Seeds.In This Podcast: This is the May 2020 episode of a live Seed Saving Class discussing seed hoarding, providing seeds to a community in times of need, and so much more about growing and creating seed resilience.There is always a bounty of information available in conversations with Bill McDorman.Bill McDorman is Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail-order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/06/23/544-seedchat/ for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Learning how to use food and herbs as medicine.In This Podcast: From her clean food restaurant to her urban farm, Audrey Barron is helping people feel better. Listen in to learn about her journey as a holistic health chef, her philosophy on eating trends, various diets, and how to heal through food. On top of running her restaurant, she also farms her own urban farm using permaculture practices, composting, and involving the community. Audrey shares her knowledge of farming and cooking in her new Medicine Woman program on healing foods.Audrey is the creator and owner of Ezra’s Enlightened Café, in Indianapolis, established in 2014 with a focus on plant-based and gluten-free fare made with non-GMO and organic ingredients. Chef Audrey began her journey toward healing in her early 20’s when she was experiencing some significant health issues and was inspired by a family member to try plant-based eating. Eventually opening Ezra’s Enlightenment Café, she is bringing her experience and training into every aspect -- from classes and programs to menu items and retail herbs. Audrey has been passionate about herbalism as well. Over the past decade, she trained with herbalists such as Susan Weed, Ron Teeguarden of Dragon Herbs, and Rosita Arvigo.  Audrey is excited to bring her past decade of personal healing, herbalism training, expertise in making healing food, and the love of growing food in a way that nourishes the land. This extends to her newest offering, the Medicine Woman Membership where women are learning to use plants to heal, thrive, and take care of themselves and their families.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/06/16/543-audrey-barron/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!543: Audrey Barron on Food and Herbs for Health.

Bringing awareness to the value of local food systems.In This Podcast: Picture buying salad greens at the grocery store that were just picked the day before. Paul Lightfoot from BrightFarms is making this happen in the stores around their farm. Passionate about getting fresh food to more people, Paul discusses the benefits of local vs organic food, how shortening the supply chain provides fresher, safer food, and the nutritional value decline. Listen in to hear about the setup and safety protocols at BrightFarms so they ensure healthy, safe food.Paul is BrightFarms’ founder and president and leads the company on its mission to provide consumers with the freshest, tastiest, and most responsibly grown produce.    Through his vision, BrightFarms is  creating the first national brand of locally grown produce.  In 2017, BrightFarms  was named  235th on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies, ranking  10th among all food companies and the only produce company featured on the list.  Paul is a member of the board of United Fresh Produce Association. They believe Local, indoor produce is fresher because it’s grown closer to where it’s sold. It is cleaner because it can be grown without pesticides. And most importantly, it tastes better. BrightFarms is the No. 1 brand of locally grown packaged salads, serving the freshest, tastiest and most responsibly grown produce to consumers nationwide. BrightFarms operates hydroponic greenhouse  farms  in the communities it serves, enabling them to eliminate time, distance, and costs from the food supply chain.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/06/09/542-paul-lightfoot/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!542: Paul Lightfoot on Local is the New Organic.

Bridging the gap between farmers and consumers.In This Podcast: Want more info on what it takes to be a farmer? Trevor Williams of the Farm Traveler Podcast interviews farmers about their day to day life and processes. Listen in to learn about becoming educated on where your food comes from, some of Trevor's epic guests, and some of the innovative things people are doing in the farming industry. He also shares what it's like to single-handedly produce a podcast and his goals and vision for the future of his show.Trevor is a former High School Agriscience teacher now software analyst and host of the podcast Farm Traveler. He graduated with a major in Agricultural Education and Communication and a minor in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida and is a former Florida Future Farmers of America State Officer. Trevor taught agriscience classes for two years in Daytona Beach, FL and helped direct a career academy focused on Horticulture and Aquaculture.  After two years he moved closer to home and, in order to stay involved in agriculture while working as a software analyst, he started Farm Traveler in 2016 with the motivation and editorial expertise of his wife Allie. As host and producer of the Farm Traveler Podcast, he pretty much does it all to make it work.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/06/02/541-trevor-williams/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!541: Trevor Williams on Farming Podcasts.

Teaching about the personal and community benefits of harvesting rainwater.In This Podcast: Returning guest, Brad Lancaster, recently taught us about Harvesting the Rain and is back to teach about Planting the Rain. If you've ever considered capturing rainwater directly in your landscape, this episode will teach you about rainwater planting methods and strategies, how captured water impacts thermoregulation, and water as a lubricant for exchange. Get inspired by a village in India that changed their water planting culture and learn how to create healthier soil. Brad  runs a successful permaculture consulting, design, and education business in Tucson, Arizona. He is focused on integrated and sustainable approaches to landscape design, planning, and living. Growing up in a dryland environment, water harvesting has long been one of his specialties and a true passion. He is the author of the permaculture bible for water harvesting:  Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond Volumes I & II  and he has just released new full color revised and expanded editions of both.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/05/26/540-brad-lancaster/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!540: Brad Lancaster on Planting the Rain.

Bringing green waste to your driveway.In This Podcast: Organic matter builds soil, and Bryan Kappa has a free service that allows nationwide users to quickly build the quality of their soil. Learn about ChipDrop, the program that connects gardeners with tree companies and benefits everyone. Not all mulch is created equal, and you'll learn the difference in mulch options, how to properly wood chip your yard and improve your soil Ph. There are some exciting improvements coming to ChipDrop, as well as creative ways to use it! Bryan is a Portland native who combined his love of trees and technology into the ChipDrop web service.  While hauling brush for a local tree company he realized the potential cost savings of delivering the freshly chipped trees to neighbors and homeowners, as opposed to driving long distances to the dump (and paying their fees).  He also knew that people loved free things. Bryan has a history of creating life hacks to combine urban living with environmental sustainability.  In 2014 he was granted permission by the Portland Water Bureau to keep 2 goats and a pig on a small lot in North Portland to help clear brush and Ivy without the use of pesticides.  He and his roommates kept a composting toilet in his residential North Portland home, only a mile from downtown.  In his spare time, he serves on the board as a technical lead for Cascadia Wild, helping build and maintain their database of images of rare and threatened species in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/05/19/539-bryan-kappa/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!539: Bryan Kappa on ChipDrop.

Supporting a teaching farm in Africa.In This Podcast: Some people know their mission from a young age. Others, like Erin Douglas, find their direction as they go. With a desire to travel as her guide, Erin left her corporate job and traveled through Africa. An epic moment in Ghana inspired this novice farmer to create a non-profit farm that feeds residents, provides jobs, funds education, and supports an orphanage. Erin shares how she created a sustainable community model that could benefit societies all over the world.Erin is the founder of US non-profit Learn Grow Lead and helped birth a sustainable farm project in Ghana, Africa to support the local community. The Helper’s Farm, is an organic, community teaching farm that works in partnership with local agriculture school programs to encourage farmers to farm naturally, without the use of pesticides, transitioning farms in the surrounding communities to a healthier environment and a healthier food system.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2020/05/12/538-erin-douglas/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!538: Erin Douglas on Sustainable Farming in Ghana.