The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Documenting the many unique aspects in seed varieties.In This Podcast: Returning podcast guest, Chris Smith, updates us on his Okra Trials, everything he learned, and how they determined the best variety of okra out of over 60 contestants! He also shares how The Utopian Seed Project is focusing on bringing seed and food diversity to the south. They are currently testing southern crops such as cowpeas, heritage beans, corn, and groundnuts. Listen in to learn about growing tropical perennials in the south, open-sourced seeds, and much more! Chris is an author, garden blog writer, and homesteading consultant. In 2018 while writing his book The Whole Okra, he grew out 76 different varieties of okra as research.  In many ways, this research fed The Utopian Seed Project to take root and grow. Based in Asheville, NC, the Utopian Seed Project is a hands-in-the-earth organization committed to research trials on crop varieties in the Southeast to support diversity in food and farming. They are working towards an overarching vision to support food security in the face of climate change through diverse and regenerative agriculture. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/26/488-chris-smith/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!488: Chris Smith about Saving Seed Diversity

Bonus Episode 31: Seed Saving Class September 2019. In This Bonus Podcast: This is the September 2019 episode of a live Seed Saving Class discussing genetic modification, the current advances, what that means for our food, the truth behind the scientific studies, hand pollination, and so much more.There is always a bounty of information available in conversations with Bill McDorman.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/22/bonus31/ for the show notes on this bonus episode, and access to our full podcast library!

Discovering the wonders of harvesting native and urban trees, weeds, and cacti.In This Podcast: What would you eat if all the grocery stores in your area closed? Peggy Sorensen has found her answer in the native trees, shrubs, weeds, and cacti of the southwest! Hear how she got into foraging edible desert plants, which southwest plants are her favorite to harvest, and some of the ways to process and prepare them. If you've ever wondered about making your own prickly pear juice, mesquite flour, purslane pickles, or mallow chips, you'll love this intro to wild foods!Peggy is a wild-foods enthusiast and forager who enjoys helping people discover the edible plants, trees, and weeds that grow all around us but typically are not recognized as food.   She gives workshops and plant walks around the Phoenix area and not only brings in samples of the plants to see, touch and taste but she also likes to turn them into tasty treats in order to provide a well-rounded experience.  She has become known for her mallow chips, purslane pickles, prickly pear lemonade as well as mesquite nectar and truffles.   Peggy is also a gardener, an herbalist and a board member of the AZ Herb Association.   Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/19/487-peggy-sorensen/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!487: Peggy Sorensen on Foraging Edible Plants in the Desert

Honoring a family heritage or nurturing neighbors.In This Podcast: Most people in Arizona are familiar with Hickman's eggs, but there is so much more to this family-run business than eggs! Clint Hickman shared with us the evolution of egg farming, and how his family business grew enough to feed Phoenix. He also explains all the side businesses that came out of egg farming: organic fertilizer, recycling programs, and animal feed. They even formed a mutually beneficial program with local prisons that gives farm-work-release inmates a leg up.Clint is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Hickman’s Family Farms, the largest egg company in the Southwest United States and one of the top 20 nationwide. Truly family-run, Clint and his siblings have built up the business that his grandmother founded.  A graduate of the University of Arizona, he oversees the vast network of partners that Hickman’s maintains, and guides the company’s marketing efforts.   While growing up, Clint was inspired by how his grandparents treated friends and neighbors. From that, he now makes sure that programs are provided to help relieve hunger, support education, and promote extensive and ongoing training in the communities that Hickman brands are welcomed. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/15/486-clint-hickman/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!486: Clint Hickman on Building Community Sustainability

Creating a full circle food system that connects family and community.In This Podcast: Wholistic living has taken on a whole new meaning for Jolene Kuty! Through learning about health, she went from eating cheese infused hot dogs to working as a chiropractic physician surrounded by her half-acre urban farm. She created a full circle system using compost, chickens, mealworms, and contributions from neighbors. Hear how she engages her kids and educates with no element overlooked as she creates a thriving space that allows her to get outside and engage with the world. Chiropractic physician and health educator, Dr. Jolene Kuty, built an idyllic sustainable urban farm as a role model for her patients and her family.  Her home and on-site chiropractic office is surrounded by 800 sq. ft. of raised organic vegetable gardens and over 20 Urban Farm fruit trees. They live, work, and play on a half-acre in the city where their five children swing beside seedlings and are surrounded by fresh growing fruit. They eat farm-to-table sharing recipes and inspiration with all who visit. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/12/485-jolene-kuty/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!485: Jolene Kuty on Abundant Holistic Harvests

Helping others understand and create food forests.In This Podcast: Eco-edible landscaping sounds like a cool new method, but it incorporates many of the tried and true methods of permaculture. Kristie Kapp educates on building a food forest and how to incorporate 7 layers, supporting plants, mineral accumulators, and beneficial insects. She teaches stacking plant functions and how to build the ideal soil for your food forest in just one year. Listen in to learn these principles and how to start creating regenerative, resilient ecosystems. Kristie is the Founder and Executive Director of Resilient Roots. She has a master's in ecology from Yale School of Environmental Studies and over twenty years of farming experience. She decided to merge the two professions, completed a permaculture landscape design program, and has been designing landscapes since 2014.   Resilient Roots is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and promote awareness about permaculture landscapes that are primarily edible and guided by ecological principles. They empower people to grow their own food in a manner that is sustainable and uses local resources.   Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/08/488-kristie-kapp/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!484: Kristie Kapp on Eco-edible landscaping

Moving from dreaming about it, to doing what it takes to grow a farm.In This Podcast: How does an adventurous spirit, practicing yoga and following your intuition lead someone to start a farm? As Tiffany Panaccione learned, those experiences teach you to follow your heart and try new things! Listen in to learn how she plans to turn her dream of farming into a profitable business. She discusses her plans for her first crop, and how she plans to build a customer base. Healthy soil, drip tape, and saving seeds are all part of the strategy she discusses. Tiff is a Phoenix native with a gypsy soul. Her self-healing journey has sailed her around the world and right back home to her roots. With a strong craving and an inner calling to go deep within herself and simultaneously the dirt, she is now listening, learning, discovering, and planning to cultivate the gifts of the Sonoran Desert. After all, she wonders… is it really worth doing the “hard work” if it isn’t your heart’s work? Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/05/483-tiffany-panaccione/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!483: Tiffany Panaccione on Starting an Urban Farm Business

Enhancing our connection to the earth and each other.In This Podcast: Learning about permaculture can be life changing, and Michael Gettens shares about his experience taking a permaculture design course, how to take on a production mindset instead of simply consuming resources, and how the current food system is degenerative instead of regenerative. Rainwater harvesting, sectors, zones, and solar cooking are all topics in this chat about working with the earth to connect with it and each other. Michael is a Permaculture student inspired by the diversity of plants and animals who call the Sonoran Desert home. Growing up in New Jersey, his Italian mother sparked an interest in nutrition, and thus the importance of fresh, local ingredients began his gardening journey. When he moved across the country in 2014 to Arizona, the unique climate presented an obvious focus on water to ensure a good harvest.  Michael took his first Permaculture Design Course in the Fall of 2017, led by Dan Dorsey - which guided him to a concentration in rainwater harvesting, and a goal to discover low-tech solutions that provide basic human needs. His current position at Galaxy Gardens includes irrigation maintenance, rain garden design, and planting services. Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/10/01/482-michael-gettens/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!482: Michael Gettens on Evolving Lifestyles in a Changing World

Building soil quality through carbon management.In This Podcast: Biochar can improve your soil and help the environment at the same time! We visited with Dr. Rivka Fidel from the University of Arizona to learn all about biochar and carbon farming. Listen in for how you can make it, use it, and the science behind adding it to your compost. She also shares about her journey into the field of sustainable agriculture, why it's important for our future to create a carbon negative world, and highlights in carbon farming.Dr. Rivka Fidel is currently an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Department Environmental Science, University of AZ, teaching introductory level classes in Soil Science and Critical Zone Science. She received her PhD in Soil Science from Iowa State University and her B.S. in Environmental Science from Union College. Her research is in soil carbon and nitrogen cycling, specifically examining the efficacy of biochar for improving soil quality and mitigating climate change.Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/09/28/481-rivka-fidel/ for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!481: Rivka Fidel on Biochar and Carbon Farming

Bonus Episode 30: Seed Saving Class August 2019. In This Bonus Podcast: Once again we join a conversation with Bill McDorman and Greg Peterson to learn about growing from seed, growing for seed, and why our seeds are so important in these changing times.This is the replay of the August 2019 Seed Saving Class  In this class, he covers the Art of Seed Saving, and of course a few more things as well.Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2019/09/24/bonus30/ for more information and links on this bonus podcast, and to find our other great guests.