mushroom Erica Wohldmann
Erica Wohldmann shows off her foraged stash.

Podcast: Foraging with Erica Wohldmann

Continue ReadingPodcast: Foraging with Erica Wohldmann

My guest this week is Erica Wohldmann, professor of Psychology at Cal State University Northridge and avid forager of urban and wild places. She spent 6 months gathering food and medicine in the forest to live off, without spending a single dollar on meals. She shares her knowledge and philosophy with us today. Erica Wohldmann shows off her foraged stash. Foraging in Urban and Wild Places Erica talks about what to look for when foraging for mushrooms in the forests.…

Wordless Wednesday pomegranate
Our pomegranate tree leafed out this week. So exciting!

Wordless Wednesday: Signs of Spring

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: Signs of Spring

With recent rain storms, the garden is going gangbusters. Signs of spring are everywhere. Here's some inspiration for what is to come regardless of whether you're gardening now, or your garden is knee deep under snow. A bee with full pollen pockets inspects a bok choy flower. Our pomegranate tree leafed out this week. So exciting! We cut down our cover crop, chopped it up, and covered it with compost. It will be ready to plant 3 weeks later. It's…

Wordless Wednesday Harvest
The harvest needs washing right away. It took about an hour to process this batch. We soak lettuces and other greens, rinse off roots, and trim stems from brassicas and roots. The chickens get some of it, we get the rest.

Wordless Wednesday: Winter Garden Harvest

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: Winter Garden Harvest

The beauty of a fall or winter garden is that it grows almost without care. Cooler temperatures and rain lend themselves to a stress-free garden. There are virtually no bugs, you don't have to water as often, and some veggies (brassicas and root crops in particular) become sweeter with a frost. True, they do need protection from cold snaps in cooler climates. But now we reap the benefits of a winter garden--it's harvest time! If it's too cold for a…

Joanne Poyourow
Joanne Poyourow. photo by Christopher Frangapane

Podcast: Joanne Poyourow the Environmental Change-Maker

Continue ReadingPodcast: Joanne Poyourow the Environmental Change-Maker

Joanne Poyourow is a change-maker. She started two community gardens, created a seed company, founded a grassroots environmental activism group, and wrote a book that started it all. In today's podcast, Joanne shares her journey from feeling helpless about Climate Change, to fostering a positive impact on her local community and beyond. She has funneled her gardening knowledge into several publications that raise awareness and reduce one's carbon footprint at the same time. Environmental Change-Makers is headquartered at Holy Nativity…

Pig Wildlife Waystation
Frankie and this guy live in an open pen and let guests pet them.

Field Trip: Wildlife Waystation

Continue ReadingField Trip: Wildlife Waystation

This week I had a unique opportunity to visit the Wildlife Waystation, a sanctuary for wild and exotic animals on 160 acres in Sylmar, CA. The motto of the Wildlife Waystation is Refuge, Healing, Education. It was an experience I'll never forget. Imagine standing in the midst of the Angeles National Forest, among chaparral, cactus, and wildflowers. Suddenly you hear a lion roar. Next, a peacock caws, followed by the hoot of two or three chimpanzees. It's out of place…

William Woys Weaver
William Woys Weaver

Podcast: Heritage Seeds with William Woys Weaver

Continue ReadingPodcast: Heritage Seeds with William Woys Weaver

Our final interview from the 2018 Heirloom Expo is with Dr. William Woys Weaver, steward of the Roughwood Seed Collection. Dr. Will is author of 16 books, and a fascinating food historian and epicure. We chat about how he discovered the Roughwood Seed Collection at the bottom of his grandfather's freezer. Dr. Will's knowledge of Pennsylvania Dutch culture and cookery has filled volumes, so it was hard to limit this podcast to just seeds. We chat about his process of…

Dazzling Blue Kale

New Year’s Resolutions 2019

Continue ReadingNew Year’s Resolutions 2019

New Year's resolutions are tough. I'm torn between motivation to make changes, and residual exhaustion from last year telling me to take it easy. Usually that exhaustion wains as spring draws near, as excitement for new seedlings permeates my world. So with hope in the wings, here are two resolutions to share for the coming year: Self-Care We all know that self-care is hard. We sacrifice ourselves for our families, for clients, for the cause. It's easy to burn out.…

AstridMatthew_Uchuva
Astrid and Matthew Hoffman inspect their Golden Berry or Uchuva plants.

Podcast: Seeds with Astrid and Matthew Hoffman

Continue ReadingPodcast: Seeds with Astrid and Matthew Hoffman

I met Astrid Hoffman back when she and her husband Matthew had just started The Living Seed Company in northern California. Since then, their company has grown to showcase far more than the original 22 seed varieties they sold in the beginning. Now they're providing locally adapted seeds from around the world. During our interview, we talk about what got them started. Astrid mentions Seed School from the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, as the point of inspiration that sparked it…

Heirloom Expo Sebright
This is probably the best photo I've ever taken. Little Miss Sebright graced me with a close up.

Year-End Round Up from Gardenerd!

Continue ReadingYear-End Round Up from Gardenerd!

This is our penultimate post of the year wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year. Our last post of the year will be a new podcast on Thursday, Dec. 27th, but we couldn't leave 2018 without thanking you for being such adventurous and enthusiastic gardenerds! Here are some highlights from 2018 to inspire you for the coming year: Year-End Round Up New varieties we tried: There's so much more that happened, including a…

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