The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

We’re talking to Christina Schindler, who after spending 20 years in public education as a teacher and administrator, has embarked on a business venture with her family as the CEO of the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, a restaurant in Chestertown, MD that optimizes nutrition in modern foods through ancestral techniques–creating healthy food for the community. Christina also serves as President of the Eastern Shore Food Lab, a non-profit that is focused on creating a nourishing, ethical and sustainable food system through education, outreach and research. Most importantly, Christina is a mother of three busy teenagers and is married to Dr. Bill Schindler, author of Eat Like a Human.In this conversation, we’ll be talking about the extraordinary adventures of this enterprising family, from living and traveling abroad to serving their community through this very unique restaurant, and their work with the non-profit. We’ll hear about their food journey as a family, practical tips for healthy eating in a busy modern world with kids, their years long quest for gaining knowledge about ancestral foods–and how you can live in a suburban neighborhood and still accomplish things that most people would think you need to live on 20 acres to do. This is a wonderful conversation for anyone interested in embracing ultimate health through ancestral food ways –and a great story of how this family has brought it into the context of modern family life and business. Prepare to be inspired by the end of the episode to start eating like a human.Support The Good Dirt Pledge Drive Here!Topics Discussed · Living & Traveling Abroad· Having a Family-Owned Community-Oriented Restaurant· Being a Former Educator· Cottage Food Operation · Commercial Food Production· The Sourdough Process· What It Means to Eat like a Human· Employing a Team of 25· Food Processing Then & Now· Traveling Abroad with Family· The Origin of Maize (aka Corn)· Being a Former Vegetarian· Hunting as a Food Source· Food Education· Old Bay Seasoning & Pumpkin Spice· Raising 3 Teenagers: Fast Food, Snacks, and House Rules· The Nutritional Pressure of Feeding a Family· Living in Ireland· Kefir· Ancestral Nutrition KnowledgeEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC • Listen to the Discover Ag Podcast!• Read the Eat Like A Human Book • Learn More About Homemade Sourdough• Seed Oil Scout: Healthy Dining App• 12 Spoons - The Weston A. Price FoundationConnect with Christina:• Website: www.modernstoneagekitchen.com• IG @modernstoneagekitchen: https://www.instagram.com/modernstoneagekitchen/• Eat Like a Human Website: https://eatlikeahuman.com/start-here/• Eastern Shore Food Lab @esfoodlab: https://www.instagram.com/esfoodlab/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernstoneagekitchen━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:• Wendy Gray

Whatever we’re celebrating in December, whether it’s the birth of the Christ child, or the miracle of light in the darkness, cultural heritage or family tradition— the urge to gather together in feasting and celebration, seeking warmth and light, is something that connects us to the common human experience of being vulnerable to nature. In this episode, Mary reflects on the winter solstice, what we perhaps share in common with our ancestors’ experience in the darkest and coldest days of the year, and how our cultural celebrations can separate us further from the rhythms of the natural world. Also, what’s behind the tradition of hanging a wreath on the door? Here’s a story you might not have heard before. Topics discussed• The holiday season and Yuletide• Our connection to our human ancestors• The winter solstice as a common experience to all humans, regardless of culture, religion, or tradition• The meaning of the wreath on the door• The December moon• Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe• The Good Dirt Pledge DriveEpisode Resources:• Raising With the Moon: The Complete Guide to Gardening--and Living--by the Signs of the Moon by Taylor Reese and Jack Pyle• Some of the linked articles will only be available to current members of The ALMANAC. If you are not currently a member and are interested in subscribing, check out this page for more information.Support this podcast and get your own downloadable planting by the moon calendar by becoming a member of The Good Dirt Supporters!━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:• Wendy Gray

Did you know that honeybees increase the yield in our food supply by 30% in our current agricultural system? Master Beekeeper and "Bee Whisperer" Michael Jordan tells us all about it from his perspective as a small scale commercial beekeeper, educator and mead maker. A master in beekeeping, Michael is the CEO and Founder of A BEE Friendly Company, INC. in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he produces honey, tends to his hives, and educates others on how to properly keep and care for bees. In this episode, he dives into the history of bees, the challenges of organic and treatment-free beekeeping, the impact of human practices on bee colonies, and the role of bees in our ecosystem. We also learn about the art of mead making and Michaels' accomplishments as creator of The King's Mead. Whether you're a seasoned beekeeper or simply curious about the intricate world of bees and how they help keep us fed, this episode will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the role of bees in our lives.Support The Good Dirt Pledge Drive Here!Topics Discussed • Welcoming December• Becoming a Beekeeper• Mead/Honey Wine• Managing 60 hives & Multiple Apiaries • Backyard Beekeeping vs. Commercial Beekeeping• Pricing Honey by the Pound• Apiaries, Colonies, and Hives• Resting Haven for Bees• Why Bees are Important & Worth Saving• Achieving a Nice, Natural Honeycomb• Honeybees Being Imported to America• How Food Production Changed due to Bees• Mead Making at Weddings & Private Events• Resoiling the Earth & Permaculture• Preventative Measures to Save Bees• Organic and Organic Practices• "Raw" Honey• Bee Focused Education ProgramsEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC • A "Bee Friendly" Company Inc. Facebook• Michael's TikTok @michaeljordanbeeman• The Survival PodcastConnect with Michael Jordan:• Website: https://www.facebook.com/abeefriendly/• Michael's IG @michaeljordan_bee_whisperer https://www.instagram.com/michaeljordan_bee_whisperer/?hl=en• Michael's TikTok @michaeljordanbeeman: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeljordanbeeman?lang=en• The Survival Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-survival-podcast/id284148583• Got more bee-related questions for Michael? Email him at abeefriendlycompany@gmail.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.

Welcome to our November Bonus episode of The Good Dirt Podcast! With the holidays right around the corner, the consumerism capitalistic market is about to ramp up to full speed. You are going to be bombarded by a message to buy, buy, buy. But what if there was another way? Mary and Emma sit down to present an alternative to diving into the world of holiday celebrations and the concept of a "Good Dirt" holiday. They discuss the importance of thoughtful gift-giving, alternative gift ideas, and the joy of giving gifts that align with the recipient's interests and values. The holiday season doesn't have to be perfect - small shifts towards a more sustainable and mindful holiday experience make all the difference over time. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, connection, and Good Dirt!Support The Good Dirt Pledge Drive Here!Topics Discussed • Having a Good Dirt Holiday• Regenerative vs. Degenerative Celebrations• Wasteful Practices & Traditions During the Holidays• Decorations• Family Meals• Textile Materials• Responsible Thrifting• Plastics, Wax Paper, and Parchment Paper• Gifting Books• Gift Alternatives• Budgeting Your Resources, Time, and EnergyEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.

Topsoil nutrition continues to decline, plastics in our foods are on the rise, and governments all around the world are taking too long to solve the impending crisis on the horizon. So what can we do?In this episode, regenerative farmer, mother, speaker, chef, restauranteur, producer, and writer Mollie Engelhart shares her moment of realization that food composting is key to turning this around. She believes that the hope for Earth's future falls to what we can each do individually because collective action and community can change the future. Mollie shares her expertise and passion for sustainable practices in farming and the importance of healthy eating and holistic family life. As a board member of Kiss the Ground, a nonprofit focused on regenerative agriculture, Mollie emphasizes the potential of regenerative practices in stabilizing Earth's ecosystems. Join Emma and Mary as they delve into Mollie's inspiring journey and learn about the power of good dirt in healing our planet. This episode will leave you feeling inspired by the prospect of regenerative farming and the transformative potential of conscious purchasing decisions.Support The Good Dirt Pledge Drive Here!Topics Discussed • Black Friday/Cyber Monday• Being a Mother, Chef, and Farmer• The Danger of Carbon & Methane• The Forever Chemicals Being Sprayed on Our Food• What We’ve Lost in Our Efficiency• Why We Can’t Rely Solely on Regenerative Energy Sources• Over-Regulation & Bureaucracy• Returning to Collaboration & Community• Climate Change & Cities• Future Fertility Rates• Survival of the Family Farm• Self-Sufficiency & Individualism is Not the Answer• California vs. Texas• Hyper-polarization in Politics• Processed Foods• Eating for Sustenance• Microbial in Top Soil• Seasonality of Food• Mollie’s Rescue Parrots• Being a Poet and a Producer• How Mollie Sees the Revolution• Slow Living & Full Living• PersimmonsEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC • Sage Plant Based Bistro and Brewery • Mollie's Hot Sauce• Kiss the Ground's Stories of Regeneration with Mollie Engelhart Connect with Mollie:• Website: https://kisstheground.com/• Sage Plant Based Bistro Links: https://linktr.ee/thekindsage• Sovereignty Ranch: https://www.sovereigntyranch.com• Instagram @chefmollie: https://www.instagram.com/chefmollie/?hl=en• Sow a Heart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sowaheart/?hl=en• The Kind Sage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekindsage/?hl=en• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1917633/• Mollie's Links: https://linktr.ee/chefmollie━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.

Our guest today is Baron Wormser, award winning poet, professor and author of "The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid". In this episode, Baron shares stories from his experience living and raising a family off the grid in rural Maine for 23 years, as well as his insight into connecting poetry with how we live, the value of simple living, and how we connect more deeply with the earth. We hear about his journey from the beginning in the mid 1970s, the day-to-day logistics of an off-grid life, raising children in that setting, and the eventual reentry into the contemporary world. Baron has been an example of slow and sustainable living throughout his life and career, and brings his gift of storytelling and poetry to this inspiring conversation.Topics Discussed • "Convenience" by W.S. Merwin • Membership Pledge Drive• Why Choose to Live Off the Grid• The Logistics of the Day-to-Day• Historical Precedence of Living without Electric Power• Living Through the Mid 70s• Needs vs. Wants• Defining Hardship• Living Off the Grid Then vs. Living On the Grid Now• Human Adaptability• Do We Truly Need the Internet?• Raising Children in an Off the Grid Lifestyle• Neighbor Stories• The Recognition of Hard Work• Money & Rural Towns• Deconstruction the Romanticization of an Off the Grid Lifestyle• Finding Your Ordinary• Reentry to the Grid• Baron's View on Hope• Falling in Love with the WorldEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC • "Convenience" by W.S. Merwin • Listen to The Good Dirt "151. 'Lawns into Meadows' with Author Owen Wormser on Regenerative Agriculture"• "The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid" by Baron WormserConnect with Baron Wormser:• Website: https://baronwormser.com/• Books: https://baronwormser.com/books.html━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.

Our guest for today is Jill Winger, creator of The Prairie Homestead who over the last 10 years has influenced thousands of people in rediscovering some of the simpler ways of life–helping people grow their own food, cook healthy meals, raise chickens, bake bread—and SO many other things. And yes, she confesses that an old fashioned life can include modern technology, especially in teaching others through online content creation. But Jill’s mission is more than about teaching skills, it’s about guiding others into slowing down and creating a healthier, more centered, balanced lifestyle that includes our modern realities.Jill started out on a neglected farmstead 40 miles away from the nearest grocery store, and has grown with her passion for practicing this way of life and teaching others how to find it for themselves. She is the author of The Prairie Homestead Cookbook and her latest release: "Old-Fashioned on Purpose: Cultivating a Slower, More Joyful Life". Jill lets Mary and Emma in on her process of content creation for homesteading, running an online business, finding writing once again, and what challenges she's faced in trying to do it all. This episode is for anyone who wants to strike a healthier balance between old-fashioned living and life in the modern world.Topics Discussed • Being a Homesteader• Getting Started without a Background in Farming or Ranching• Finding an Alternative to the Suburban-White-Picket-Fence Dream• Sparks of Inspiration & Knowing• Balancing Old-Fashioned Living with Modern Demands• How Jill's Support System Helps Her "Do It All"• Jill's Team & Task Delegation• How to Get People to Consume Your Content• The Consumer-Creator Relationship• Dealing with Technology Addiction as an Online Business• Creator Sustainability• Boundaries & Intentionality• The Pros and Cons of Homesteading's Growing Popularity• Writing Old-Fashioned on Purpose• Community• Raising Kids in a Homestead Lifestyle• Owning a Restaurant• Outsourcing Where You Can• Herbicide Long-Term Damage and Aminopyralid PoisoningEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC • The Prairie Homestead "how to use eggshells" Blog• The Prairie Homestead "I Think I Poisoned My Garden" Blog • "Old-Fashioned on Purpose: Cultivating a Slower, More Joyful Life" by Jill Winger • "The Prairie Homestead Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Heritage Cooking in Any Kitchen" by Jill Winger• Listen to The Good Dirt "Reclaiming Our Food from Field to Kitchen with CSA Farmer Mo Moutoux of Moutoux Orchard"Connect with Jill Winger:• Website: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/• Follow Jill on IG @jill.winger https://www.instagram.com/jill.winger/• YouTube: https://youtube.com/theprairiehomestead• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theprairiehomestead• Links: https://meet.theprairiehomestead.com/IGlinks━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.

How does November feel to you? After the bright and festive days of October with its blue skies and glorious foliage, pumpkin picking and trick-or–treating, we rather suddenly descend into a different vibe altogether. There are certainly many ways to describe this month, but the first that comes to mind is that November is a mood. Listen in as Mary describes how the increasing darkness and sense of melancholy reflects a time for endings, in life and in nature, and reminds us of the beauty and wholeness in the full cycle of the seasons.Support this podcast and get your own downloadable planting by the moon calendar by becoming a member of The Good Dirt Supporters!Topics Discussed*: Planting By the Signs November Blog November Recipe Blog/Sally Lunn Bread and Pear Clafoutis My November Guest by Robert Frost Kate Hill Podcast Episode #55 Planting By the Signs for southern regions The November Garden: what NOT to do Beaver Moon Baking by the signs of the moon A November challenge Episode Resources*:• Raising With the Moon: The Complete Guide to Gardening--and Living--by the Signs of the Moon by Taylor Reese and Jack Pyle*Some of the linked articles will only be available to current members of The ALMANAC. If you are not currently a member and are interested in subscribing, check out this page for more information.Support this podcast and get your own downloadable planting by the moon calendar by becoming a member of The Good Dirt Supporters! ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramJoin The Lady Farmer ALMANACEmail Mary at production@lady-farmer.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share a story about slow living through the seasons!

Humans are one of hundreds of thousands of lifeforms on this planet, and each has its own unique place in the ecosystem. In this conversation, we're talking about the inherent connection between humans and the world of living things. Our guest is Alison Zak, environmental educator, anthropologist, yoga teacher and author of "Wild Asana: Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World. This book is a delightful mix of wildlife science, Hindu mythology, Eastern philosophy, and personal stories. Alison sits down with Mary and Emma to discuss the importance of curiosity and wonder in our relationship with nature and how the yoga poses inspired by animals help foster that connection. Alison also shares fascinating insights and stories stemming from her academic studies in human-animal interactions and her involvement in beaver conservation. Tune in to hear things you never knew about beavers as a keystone species in the ecosystem--and about how the creature living in the wall of Mary's kitchen challenges her own feelings about the human-animal connection!Topics Discussed • Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time• Human-Wildlife Conflict• How Yoga, Wildlife Conservation, Writing, and Anthropology Connect• Balancing the Mystic with the Scientist• The Inherent Worth of Animals• The Academic Path to Conservation• Anthropomorphism & Anthropo-Denial• Why We Should Not Separate Humans & Animals• The Rise of Animal Acceptance & How Dogs Might Save the World• Coyotes & Wolves and Other Threatening Animals• Animal Boundaries in Society• The Creature in the Kitchen• Keystone Species• The Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund• Beavers Before Humans• The Beaver's Ecological Impact• The Conservation Movement's Evolution• Honoring Each AnimalEpisode Resources:• Shop Holy Lamb Products at The Lady Farmer Marketplace!• "Wild Asana: Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World" by Alison Zak • Listen to The Good Dirt: "Jason Schaefer"• Listen to The Good Dirt "Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth with Asia Suler, Author of 'Mirrors in the Earth' "• "Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World" by Asia SulerConnect with Alison Zak:• Website: https://alisonzak.com/• Instagram @animal_asana: https://www.instagram.com/animal_asana/• Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund on IG @coexistwithbeavers: https://www.instagram.com/coexistwithbeavers/• Links: https://linktr.ee/aazak127• A Yogic Lens on Animal Conservation with Alison Zak Podcast━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.

How many of us consider recycling the answer to plastic pollution? We are sold the idea that it's okay to buy and use these materials because they can be recycled into other things. But these claims are ultimately untrue. 95% of the plastic produced in the world goes directly into the landfill, and essentially stays there forever. The small percentage of materials that make it into the recycling system might find a reuse, but will ultimately end up as trash as well, or be shipped overseas to become someone else's garbage. These are some of the shocking truths that are revealed by Eve O. Schaub In her newest book and experiment, "Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Waste". In this interview, Eve tells the story of how she convinces her entire family to go a year without producing any garbage. With a family of four, it was already a monumental task, and when the pandemic hit just a few months into the experiment, it became even more challenging. However, throughout it all, Eve and her family remained committed to their goal, resulting in a transformative experience. She shares with Mary and Emma her motivations for taking on this no-garbage challenge, describes her experience, and reflects on the valuable lessons she learned along the way. During this experimental year, Eve gained a wealth of knowledge about the pervasive plastic pollution in our soil and bodies, the influence of fossil fuel companies in lobbying for increased plastic production, and the silent epidemic of plastic waste. Despite the alarming nature of her findings, Eve is able to convey this information with a sense of humor and perspective that gets the message across.. Tune in for an insightful and entertaining discussion that will inspire you to reconsider waste and its impact on our lives.Topics Discussed • Halloween• Modern Recycling is Broken• Single Stream Recycling• Convincing Your Family to do the Impossible• Growing Up with Hoarders• Finding Compromise• Undergoing the Experiment During 2020• Waste: The Silent Epidemic• Resin Identification Code• Carton Council & TerraCycle• Why Plastics & Micro Plastics Are so Dangerous• How Eve Found Activism in This Way• The Barbie Phenomena• The Impending Plastic Crisis• Racism & Classism in Plastic Pollution• Taking Beyond Plastic 101 with Judith Enck• How Plastics Use Tobacco Tactics to Lobby the US Government• Ramping Up Plastic Production by 2050• Starting with One Small, Manageable Step• Heating Up Food in Plastic• Incinerating Plastic• Chemical Recycling in NOT a good thing• Eve's Realization that Recycling is a Lie• How Eve's Cats Taught Her a Great Lesson• Life After the ExperimentEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC • Discover Ag Podcast & The Elevate Ag Course• Listen to The Good Dirt, "Halloween Bonus Episode"• Listen to The Good Dirt, "Seeking Real Solutions to Plastic Pollution with Smruti Aravind of The Story of Stuff"• Watch The Story of Stuff's "The Story of Plastic"• "Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Waste" by Eve O. Schaub• "Year of No Sugar: A Memoir" by Eve Schaub • "Year of No Clutter: A Memoir" by Eve Schaub Connect with Eve Schaub:• Website: https://eveschaub.com/• Instagram @eveoschaub : https://www.instagram.com/eveoschaub/• TikTok @eveoschaub : https://www.tiktok.com/@eveoschaub• Links: https://linktr.ee/Eveschaub━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:• Our Website• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.34:52