The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

Latest Episodes:

252: Ed Vaccaro on Hydration for Outdoor Small Animals Jun 24, 2017

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252: Ed Vaccaro on Hydration for Outdoor Pets and Small Animals

Creating a product for animals that also helps plants and then getting it to market.

In this podcast: We learn about the motivation to create an ingenious watering device for animals which directs discarded water into useful watering for plants. Ed Vaccaro shares more than just how his unique product works, he shares how he was able to get it onto store shelves and make a new business from a great idea.

Ed grew up in northern California during the 70’s. His parents were in the flower business and his uncle was in the plant business. His relationship with his family and their businesses influenced the direction he took in life. A keen animal lover from early childhood, he joined the famed animal husbandry organization 4-H.

After working in the solar industry for a while in the 80’s, he eventually went back to his roots and launched his own plant business. He quickly won accounts with two large grocery store chains and opened a store in the San Francisco Flower Market.

These days Ed is the proprietor of HydroPet an automatic outdoor water bowl for pets – that periodically automatically refreshes itself while repurposing old water to nearby trees, shrubs and plants.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/24/ed-vaccaro/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

251: Shane Jordan on Food Waste Jun 22, 2017

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251: Shane Jordan on Food Waste.

Making recipes from those leftover ingredients that might have been tossed.

In this podcast: Creating a delicious meal using cooking scraps that would have been tossed, or maybe even looked over when shopping, is something that Shane Jordan wants everyone to try. He explains this philosophy for us here and invites you to try things like his Banana Skin Curry.

Shane is a vegetarian chef and author based in Bristol, England. He works as a part time chef at Arc Cafe while teaching cooking at Universities and Festivals. He has been described as a "pioneer" for this imaginative use of food waste in restaurants and has written a cookbook detailing his alternative approach, called Food Waste Philosophy. In it he explains his concepts and shares many of his popular recipes.

Shane has a passion for education, working in schools and spreading the green message – he is dedicated to showing that dealing with environmental issues can be a fun and interesting experience.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/22/shane-jordan/ for more information and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

Greg Peterson - 250th Episode Special Jun 20, 2017

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Greg Peterson - 250th Episode Special

Interviewing Farmer Greg himself - about his life mission and creating The Urban Farm.

In this podcast: This is the 250th episode of The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson and the tables are turned as our guest host Jake Mace gets to take control of the interview. Greg tells us his story, how writing a mission statement for a college assignment affected him, and why naming your farm is so important to him. And, he shares more about the origin of The Urban Farm Nursery and of Urban Farm U.

Greg has lived at the Urban Farm for almost 30 years. His 1/3-acre yard features an entirely edible landscape, including over 70 fruit trees, rainwater and grey-water harvesting, solar applications, and extensive use of reclaimed and recycled building materials.

Greg is a longtime permaculture advocate, flunked out of university in 1981 because he was bored, then went back twenty years later to get a bachelor’s degree and a Masters in Urban and Environmental Planning in 2006 and is a lifelong continual learner.

On his days off he hangs out in his garden with his sweetheart Heidi and their chickens, creating new projects and catching some rays.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/20/greg-peterson-250th-podcast/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

249: Andrew Gunther on Humanely Raised Farm Animals Jun 17, 2017

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249: Andrew Gunther on Humanely Raised Farm Animals

Labeling for meats to show how the animal was cared for and prepped for consumption.

In this podcast: We learn about how the way an animal is raised can make a difference, not only in the taste, but in how healthy the meat is for us as consumers. Andrew Gunther explains why it is important to know this distinction and how to recognize it when making your buying selection at the store.

Andrew is the Executive Director of A Greener World where he spearheaded the growth and development of the “Animal Welfare Approved”, or AWA, certification into what Consumer Reports calls the only “highly meaningful” food label for farm animal welfare, outdoor access, and sustainability.

Andrew works to increase the availability of Certified AWA meat, dairy and eggs in traditional retail settings. He is currently a member of the U.S. delegation for the International Standardization Organization who is responsible for development of standards related to Animal Welfare.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/17/andrew-gunther/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests

248: Ellen Zachos on Wildcrafted Cocktails Jun 15, 2017

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248: Ellen Zachos on Wildcrafted Cocktails

Blending naturally wild flavors to delight the palate and stir up the conversations.

In this podcast: The love of plants was a strong enough call to help Ellen Zachos leave the Broadway stage, and her love of food and flavors combined with plants led her naturally to wild foraging, and then to experiment with mixing cocktails. Ellen has done a lot of research and testing to bring her foraging skills to the cocktail bar and here we learn a lot about mixing the right flavors to get a perfect drink. You might just rethink your next hike to the mountain or the farmers market after this podcast.

A former Broadway performer (she was once in the cast of Les Miz), Ellen is a Harvard graduate and has earned multiple certificates in horticulture and ethnobotany from the New York Botanic Garden. In her spare time Ellen is a garden writer, photographer, and lectures at flower shows & for garden clubs around the world. She is the author of seven books including The Wildcrafted Cocktail and Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat both by Storey Publishing.

Ellen was named a Great American Gardener by the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, has served two terms as a National Board Member for the Garden Writers Association and works with RemyUSA, teaching foraged mixology workshops across the US.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/15/ellen-zachos/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

247: Kim Lehman on Beekeeping for Kids Jun 13, 2017

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247: Kim Lehman on Beekeeping for Kids

Helping young beekeepers learn and grow comfortable with the hives.

In this podcast: The next generation of beekeepers can be intrigued and inspired by fun activities dreamt up by Kim Lehman through her many years of honey bee education. She shares how she got started with bees and some of the interesting facts about bees and beekeeping. There are some sweet points in the podcast!

Kim has worked over 25 years as a honey bee educator, teacher, professional storyteller, musician, and author. She has presented hundreds of programs and workshops at schools, libraries, museums, nature centers, and festivals. Through her work, children have gained a greater understanding of the honey bee, nature’s tiny treasure.

As part of her children’s column for Bee Culture Magazine, Kim began the Bee Buddies Club which now has members in every state. Years ago, she founded the American Beekeeping Federation Kids and Bees Program and directed this educational service about honey bees for the public at their annual conferences in 15 states. Her book Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive was published this year.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/13/kim-lehman/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

246: Johannes Paul on Modern Urban Chicken Coops Jun 10, 2017

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246: Johannes Paul on Modern Urban Chicken Coops

Engineering a new design for housing poultry and encouraging people to raise backyard chickens.

In this podcast: When Johannes Paul and his engineering design classmates were challenged to come up with an idea for a class project, little did they know that design could be received so well. A decade later they have a line of products for outdoor pets and small animals, and their design called out as one of the best British designs in the last 100 years.

Johannes met his three friends James, Simon, and Will, at the Royal College of Art in London where they were studying Industrial Design. In their final year, they designed a revolutionary new chicken house which made it simpler to keep chickens in gardens. It looked rather like an igloo and in a moment of punning genius, they named it the Egglu. They exhibited the first prototype at the graduation show and over 500 visitors expressed an interest to keep chickens in their gardens. At that moment, they decided to move to Oxford and start a company to develop the Eglu.

They created the company Omlet as a way for people to get closer to their food and improve their quality of life through sustainable intelligent design. Over the next 8 months they made over 20 prototypes which they tested with volunteers, each time improving the design. They launched the first Eglu in time for Easter 2004. Since then, the Eglu has been exhibited all over the world and was included in the Victorian & Albert Museum first major exhibition celebrating post war design to coincide with the 2012 Olympics alongside the Concorde and the E-Type Jaguar. Omlet has grown from the original four founders to over 40 committed to encouraging people to discover the joy of collecting their own fresh eggs!

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/10/johannes-paul/ for more information, photos and links on this podcast and to find some of our other GREAT guests.

245: Willow Aldridge on Raising Quail Jun 08, 2017

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245: Willow Aldridge on Raising Quail

Exploring the benefits of raising quail for meat and eggs

In this podcast: After meeting this young woman at a local Urban Farm tour and finding out how, and why, she started her own quail meat and eggs business, we could not act fast enough to get Willow Aldridge’s interview scheduled. She shares with us how she convinced her parents to let her start the business, and the challenges and the wonders of raising quail and selling the meat and eggs.

Cricket is natural homesteader. Growing up in rural Idaho with a garden, a horse, and lots of home canned food, she brings those sensibilities to her suburban home in Phoenix. Add a little dose of cottage garden flavor and permaculture tendencies, and you’ll see why her blog, GardenVariety.Life is a reflection of everything she does.

Cricket enjoys sharing skills that promote a meaningful and practical connection to our gardens and environment. Because so many residents of the metro Phoenix area are transplants like her, she finds that the area’s unique desert climate is often misunderstood and underestimated in terms of what is possible. That’s where the fun begins. Arizona is a burgeoning permaculture haven with homesteading written all over it, and there is nothing Cricket enjoys more than encouraging others to jump in and give it a try.

Visit https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/08/willow-aldridge/ for show notes

244: Raymond Jess on Wicking Beds Jun 07, 2017

Show notes

244: Raymond Jess on Wicking Beds

Watering up in the garden, and using physics to maintain proper soil hydration.

In This Podcast: We hear from Ray Jess, a man who loves to learn, and is enthusiastically helping others get excited about wicking bed gardens. When he first saw a wicking bed at a fellow Master Gardener’s yard, he was intrigued and that started his deep research. From there he tinkered with an idea about how he could build one in his own yard, with a little improvement, of course. Now he has written an article for the Urban Farm and we hear the benefits of capillary action in his own words.

After retiring from two careers, the Air Force and teaching, he pursued his love of food by graduating from the Phoenix Art Institute with a certificate in Culinary Arts. The highlight of his culinary experience was working as a chef for the 2007 Super Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Natural extensions for this self-proclaimed foodie were the completion of his Master Gardner training and his Certificate in Permaculture Design.

A love of fresh foods and herbs kept him gardening for the last two decades. During a volunteer component of his Master Gardner training, Ray discovered wicking garden beds. A man of curiosity and a seeker of ways to do things more efficiently, he embarked on a research project leading him to the Father of Wicking Beds, Collin Austin. As a result of Ray’s research, his backyard garden has evolved from rows of crops in a plot of ground and raised beds, to grow-buckets and wicking beds. He is currently keeping his eyes open for the next great idea to perfect his garden, so he can keep giving his family, friends, and neighbors fresh produce.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/05/raymond-jess/ for more information on this podcast and to find our other great guests.

243: John Rowden on Planting for Birds Jun 03, 2017

Show notes

243: John Rowden on Planting for Birds

Determining which plants are best for specifically local ecosystems.

In this podcast: We learn a little bit more about a national resource for nature lovers from John Rowden from the National Audubon Society as he talks about their new database for native plants. It makes a lot of sense that native plants would be appreciated by birds, and John shares how the interaction between plants and birds can be enhanced and appreciated by anyone willing to grow a plant in their area.

John joined Audubon in 2009 when he was hired by the New York City chapter to direct citizen science and outreach throughout the city. In 2013, he transitioned to the National Audubon Society, first working on the Toyota TogetherGreen program before becoming Audubon’s Director of Community Conservation in 2016.

John’s work at Audubon has focused on engaging new audiences in the organization’s conservation efforts, personally and through Audubon’s extensive national network. He holds a PhD in Zoology from Duke University.

Go to https://www.urbanfarm.org/2017/06/03/john-rowden/ for more information and links on this podcast.

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