The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

• Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World by Asia Suler

Connect with Asia Suler:

• One Willow Apothecaries Website: https://onewillowapothecaries.com/

• YouTube @AsiaSuler : https://www.youtube.com/c/AsiaSuler

• Instagram @asiasuler : https://www.instagram.com/asiasuler/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asiasuler/

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

• 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.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Being Old-Fashioned on Purpose with Jill Winger Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 11/10/2023.

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 Poisoning

Episode Resources:

• 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

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

• 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.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Stories From Life Off the Grid with Poet Baron Wormser Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 11/17/23.

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 World

Episode Resources:

• "The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid" by Baron Wormser

• "Convenience" by W.S. Merwin

• Listen to The Good Dirt "151. 'Lawns into Meadows' with Author Owen Wormser on Regenerative Agriculture"

Connect with Baron Wormser:

• Website: https://baronwormser.com/

• Books: https://baronwormser.com/books.html

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

• 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.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ancestral Food Ways in Family Life and Business with Christina Schindler of Modern Stone Age Kitchen Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 12/8/2023.

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.

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 Knowledge

Episode Resources:

• 12 Spoons - The Weston A. Price Foundation

• Listen to the Discover Ag Podcast!

• Read the Eat Like A Human Book

• Learn More About Homemade Sourdough

• Seed Oil Scout: Healthy Dining App

Connect 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

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

• 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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

222. Intro to Slow Living | Part 4 | Reflecting on Slow Living: A Year-End Retrospective Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Mary & Emma conclude their 'Intro to Slow Living' series by reflecting on the evolution of the slow living concept in their experience over the past eight years. They discuss the importance of intentionality, how slow living has transformed from a term to a mindset, and personal experiences with slow living in areas like fashion and daily choices. They announce a hiatus over the winter to rest and reassess their future direction, emphasizing the need for balance and space to let new ideas emerge organically. Mary and Emma encourage listeners to reflect on their own slow living journeys, and to share any feedback or suggestions while enjoying replays of past interviews.

00:00 Introduction and Series Recap

02:14 Reflections on Slow Living

03:43 Evolving Concepts of Slow Living

06:21 Sowing Seeds of Intention

10:49 Taking a Break and Future Plans

14:01 Personal Goals and Slow Living

24:07 Technology and Slow Living

28:40 Listener Engagement and Hiatus Details

33:15 Conclusion and New Year Wishes

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🌻 About Lady Farmer:

Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community
Visit Our Website
Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
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 Lady Farmer

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Gathering Light: Winter Solstice Reflections & Holiday Harmonies Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

In this special episode, we're bringing back two cherished holiday-themed recordings from our archives. Whether it’s the miracle of light, the birth of a Holy Child, or the warmth of family traditions, December celebrations connect us to a shared human experience rooted in vulnerability to nature’s rhythms.

First, in this excerpt from the December episode of Mary's Slow Living Through the Seasons series from 2023, Mary reflects on the winter solstice and its significance across cultures, exploring what we share with our ancestors during the darkest days of the year. Discover the deeper meaning behind festive traditions and how modern celebrations can sometimes pull us away from the natural cycle of the seasons.

Then, we revisit a delightful musical performance from the Lady Farmer Archives. Recorded in Seneca, Maryland, in November 2020, this casual fireside set by the Missing Sister Band warms the soul with soulful harmonies.

Topics Covered:

The winter solstice as a universal human experience, excerpted from Slow Living Through the Seasons
Yuletide reflections and our connection to ancient traditions
The story behind holiday symbols like the wreath
A soulful musical set featuring holiday-inspired covers

Music Setlist:

"White Flag" by Joseph
"Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash
"Strangers" by The Kinks
"Baby Where You Are" by Ted Lucas
"Dogs Laying Around Playing" by My Bubba
"Long Time Traveller" by Sacred Harp

Performed by the Missing Sister Band:

Vocals: Anna Glenn, Charlotte Henderson, Shannon Beston (guitar), Caitlin Robinson, Emma Kingsley
Guitar: Cameron Palmer
Audio/Visuals: David Smith, Emma Kingsley, Mary Kingsley
Editing: Emma Kingsley

Tune in for an episode that celebrates the beauty of gathering, the wonder of the solstice, and the joy of shared music. Happy Holidays! 🎶✨

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🌻 About Lady Farmer: