The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

This episode initially aired on June 19th, 2021

We have a special bonus episode for you this week in celebration of our newest national holiday-- Juneteenth! Mary and Emma reunite with author, historian and farmer Tony Cohen for an exploration into the history of Juneteenth and the holiday’s complex folklore and origins. Tony takes us back in time to examine how this monumental declaration of freedom spread in a variety of ways depending on the geographic, economic and social landscape of the time.

Mary, Emma and Tony pause to reflect upon what freedom means and looks like in the modern era and why society continues to resist a hard look at injustice. Tony points to how altering behavior can feel like giving up our own freedoms and comforts and reminds us that the fair trade movement has deeply historic roots. He also reflects upon the transition from enslavement to the tenant farming system and points to how that system affects us still today. The trio grapples with some hard truths about freedom itself and acknowledges the work still left to be done. 

Tony shares how he celebrates Juneteenth at Button Farm and rejoices in community as he reflects upon the precious ability to gather and take new found enthusiasm into the world. 

Let’s get into the episode:

1:30 - Emma introduces this week’s special episode

3:00 - Tony Cohen on the history of Juneteenth

15:00 - The transition into freedom

20:00 - The shift to “waged” labor and the evolution of slavery

28:00 - Fair trade

31:00 - Local emancipation

41:00 - Celebrating Juneteenth

42:30 - The happenings at Button Farm

48:00 - Creating Community

Things Mentioned: 

• Button Farm
• Oprah’s visit 
• The Menare Foundation
• HipCamp - Camp at Button Farm 
• Anthony Cohen
• The Good Dirt - Episode 31 
• The AG Reserve - Montgomery County 
• The Underground railroad in Montgomery County, Maryland: A history and driving guide
• Juneteenth becomes a federal holiday 
• Lift Every Voice and Sing
• DC Emancipation Day 
• Montgomery County Historical Society 
• 13th Amendment 
• 14th Amendment
• 15th Amendment

Stay in touch & keep the conversation going:

Have thoughts on this episode? A question for Mary and Emma? We'd love to hear from you — send us a message at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at 443-459-1950. Tell us what the good dirt means to you.

And stay tuned — Jill and Mary and Emma have so much more to explore together. Part Two is coming.

🌻 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 podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

Jill Demers is the founder of ReWild Ranch in Montana, a one-of-a-kind regenerative farm, wellness destination, and educational space, rooted in the one question she's been asking for over two decades: Why are Americans so disconnected from their food — and at what cost? As a regenerative farmer and certified nutrition therapy practitioner, Jill has built ReWild as an answer to that question — a place where the farm is the center point, and guests leave changed in ways that they will never forget.

This conversation is rich, wide-ranging, and deeply resonant with everything Lady Farmer stands for. It's also the kind of talk that makes you want to go outside and put your hands in the dirt.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Mary's return to growing her own vegetables — tomatoes, seeds, and all — as she and Emma transition away from their longtime CSA
• Emma's reflections on joining a new CSA and what food rhythms look like in a young family
• Jill's origin story: childhood memories of fresh-shucked corn, a lifelong obsession with food and ecology, and graduate school research on the Dust Bowl
• What ReWild Ranch is — a regenerative farm, glamping destination, and women's retreat space in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana
• The three ways guests can experience ReWild, from passive glamping to immersive hands-on workshops and women's retreats
• How Jill's son Alder's autism diagnosis became the catalyst for her deep dive into nutrition therapy — and how dietary and lifestyle changes led to the eventual loss of his clinical diagnosis
• The Dust Bowl: what caused it, what it revealed about soil health and industrial agriculture, and why Jill argues we may be living through something even more catastrophic today
• Glyphosate, the gut microbiome, and the parallel between soil health and human health
• The "60 harvests" statistic — where it comes from and what it means for the future of food
• Why Jill believes feeding the world is not America's job — and what a "checkerboard" model of small-scale agriculture could look like instead
• The concept of "accidental education" and why ReWild is designed to connect people to food, nature, and each other in ways they can't unlearn
• Wendell Berry, John Steinbeck, and the long literary tradition of writing about humanity's relationship with the land
• The genuine constraints of local, seasonal eating vs the cultural reality of a food system that allows almost limitless food choices — and how to navigate that without guilt or rigidity

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• ReWild Ranch — Jill's regenerative farm, glamping, and retreat space in Montana
• Kiss the Ground — documentary film on regenerative agriculture and soil health
• The Nature-Embedded Mind by Julia Plevin — mentioned by Mary; a psychotherapist's exploration of humanity's innate connection to nature
• Zach Bush, MD — physician and researcher who speaks extensively on the shikimate pathway and glyphosate's effects on the microbiome
• Wendell Berry — essayist and farmer whose writing on agriculture and community Mary has been revisiting
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck — Jill's graduate thesis subject; discussed as an early work of ecological criticism
• My Story as Told by Water by David James Duncan — mentioned by Jill as a formative read

Stay in touch & keep the conversation going:

Have thoughts on this episode? A question for Mary and Emma? We'd love to hear from you — send us a message at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at 443-459-1950. Tell us what the good dirt means to you.

And stay tuned — Jill and Mary and Emma have so much more to explore together. Part Two is coming.

🌻 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 podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

This week, in honor of International Compost Awareness Week, we're joined by Ben Parry, CEO of Compost Crew — a small but mighty business in the DC metropolitan area helping thousands of households and businesses turn their food waste into something good for the soil. Ben's story is a quiet revolution in itself: a journey from renewable energy to regenerative soil, from powering the grid to feeding the ground beneath our feet.

In this conversation, we dig into how composting is transforming what we throw away into a vital resource, the very real challenges of scaling community-based systems, and what it takes at the household, neighborhood, and policy level to shift our cultural relationship with food waste. Ben shares Compost Crew's growth from a small food-scrap hauler with a handful of customers to a regional force serving thousands of homes, the partnerships with local farms that bring composting full circle, and his vision for a future where dropping your food scraps into a compost bin is as ordinary as not littering on the highway.

It's a hopeful, grounded conversation about the patient work of building better systems one bucket, one alley, one farm at a time.

Main topics covered:

• The evolution of composting in the Washington, DC metro area
• The role of systemic infrastructure and community engagement in waste recycling
• Strategies to overcome perceived barriers to food scrap composting
• The importance of local, transparent food systems and grassroots momentum
• Future developments in composting technology and policy

In this episode:

• Ben introduces Compost Crew and its mission to keep food waste out of the landfill
• The story of DC's curbside composting pilot and the ambitious plans to expand it citywide
• Why systemic infrastructure and visibility matter when it comes to building participation
• How social perception, education, and regulation shape compost adoption
• The Compost Outpost model — bringing composting to local farms like One Acre Farm in Dickerson, MD
• The ripple effects of crises like COVID-19 and global conflicts on recycling supply chains and the case for local self-reliance
• The cultural shift needed to treat composting as everyday normalcy — much like the "Don't Be a Litterbug" campaigns of decades past
• Future opportunities: composting in schools, hospitals, and wedding venues

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Compost Crew — Ben's company, serving the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia region
• Compost Outpost at One Acre Farm — The farm partnership model bringing composting full circle
• BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) — How to identify certified compostable bags and packaging
• The Energy Switch by Peter Kelly-Detwiler — The book that shaped Ben's understanding of energy and resource transformation
• Montgomery County Food Scraps Recycling — Local food scraps recycling programs and resources
• Keep America Beautiful & "Don't Be a Litterbug" — The cultural campaign Ben references as a model for shifting norms

Connect with Compost Crew:

• @_compostcrew

Listen, Subscribe & Share

If this episode stirred something in you, share it with a friend who's curious about composting — or who's still on the fence about that bucket on the counter. We'd love to hear your own composting story: email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail line at 443-459-1950 and tell us what the good dirt means to you. Your voice might just end up on a future episode.

🌻 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 podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

Spring has a way of pulling us back to the soil — and this season, Mary sat down with someone who has made the health of the soil and the well being of the pollinators and wildlife in her local ecosystem her first priority. Melanie Cutillo is the self-described Plant Wrangler in Chief at Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm in Mexico, New York, a backyard nursery nestled just east of Lake Ontario, where she grows native and wildflower plants entirely without plastic, peat, or synthetic inputs of any kind.

It was a cold January morning walk to the mailbox and a chance encounter with a dried circle of New England aster in the snow that sent Melanie on a quest to grow native plants. The result is a farm, a philosophy, and a way of tending the earth that she calls "Earth First Gardening."

This conversation is for every gardener who has ever come home from the nursery with a carload of beauty and a pile of plastic waste—wondering if there's a better way.

Melanie and Mary talk about what it really means to be not just a gardener, but a guardian of the earth’s abundance. Whether you have many acres or simply a front porch, a city window or a community garden plot, this episode will remind you that what matters is how we tend to the land we have.

In this episode, Mary and Melanie talk about:

• What makes Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm different from a conventional nursery — small scale, field-grown plants, zero plastic, and a focus on local ecotype native species
• The January morning that started it all: a circle of New England aster in the snow and a pair of tracks that changed everything
• Why Melanie ditched plastic entirely — and how a 10-by-25-foot barn full of collected pots finally pushed her over the edge
• The alternatives she found and invented: soil blocking, wool pots, burlap wrapping, and growing in native soil without bagged amendments or peat
• Why avoiding peat matters and what's lost when we use it: carbon sequestration, living soil, and a non-renewable resource extracted from ancient bogs
• The difference between a native plant and a nativar — and why it matters enormously to the pollinators and wildlife that depend on them
• How to ask better questions at your local nursery: Where does the seed come from? Can I bring back my plastic pots? Do you grow from seed on site?
• The concept of "tending" — and why you don't need land to do it. A street tree, a park path, a porch container can all be a place of care and relationship
• Native hydrangeas, dahlias, echinacea, monarda, jewel weed, sweetgrass, and tulsi — stories of plant relationships that illuminate the beauty and intelligence of the natural world
• Melanie's best tip for gardeners: make your seed list in July, at the height of the season, when you can see clearly what you have and what you truly need — then recycle the January catalog
• The new paradigm: from consumer to guardian, from transaction to relationship, from gardener to grower of community

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm — Melanie's website, where you can also find wool pots for sale
• Lazy Dirt Wildflower Farm on YouTube: youtube.com/lazydirtwildflowerfarm
• Melanie's Substack: So Wild Garden — behind-the-scenes of growing a four-acre habitat garden
• Garden Circles — Melanie's monthly Zoom gathering for gardeners; third Tuesdays at 6:30pm, with in-person farm gatherings during the growing season (find the link on her website)
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Wild Seed Project — native seed sourcing
• Ernst Seeds — native seed supplier
• Blossom and Branch Farm / Brianna Groh — inspiration for Melanie's no-till, native-soil approach
• Mount Cuba Center — research on native plants and their relationship to wildlife
• Mary Reynolds, previous Good Dirt guest, on the shift from "gardener" to "guardian"
• Wool Pots — available on Melanie's website; made in Britain from wool that would otherwise be discarded

We'd love to hear from you!

Has this episode inspired you to try something different in your garden this season — a native plant, a plastic-free swap, or a new relationship with a tree on your street? We'd love to know. Send us an email at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com, or leave us a voicemail at 443-459-1950. Tell us what you're tending this spring.

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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 podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

What happens when a listener writes in with the very questions your community is wrestling with? You invite her on the show.

Emily Hillman has spent 14 years in the fashion industry — from the artisan workrooms of Midtown Manhattan to the fast fashion corporate world. After purchasing a 19th-century farmhouse in rural New Jersey and becoming a mother, she found that her priorities had quietly shifted. Finding herself at a crossroads, Emily reached out to Mary and Emma, not looking for all the answers so much as a grounded, honest conversation. .

This is The Good Dirt's first interview back after a hiatus. Here we’re talking about the real tension so many of us feel: I want to live more simply, more slowly, more intentionally — but how do I actually do that in the life I'm already living?

If you've ever felt the push and pull between the values you hold and the demands of the world you live in, this episode will speak to you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Emily's journey from Vermont roots to New York City fashion workrooms — and what she learned firsthand about the difference between artisan craftsmanship and fast fashion production
• The "painful catch-22" of slow living: wanting a simpler life that costs money, while earning less because you're stepping back from the corporate grind
• Why removing moral judgment from your daily purchasing decisions can actually free you to make more sustainable choices
• Practical, accessible approaches to buying secondhand clothing for kids (and why our audience is already well ahead of the curve)
• The economics of slow food: buying in bulk, finding local sources, joining a CSA, and why embracing constraints actually sparks creativity
• Composting as one of the most powerful individual acts for the planet — and tips for making it work even in bear country
• How small, cumulative changes add up — and why you're probably further along than you think
• Book recommendations: Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and Jen Sincero's You Are a Badass series
• The concept of "blue sky thinking" — letting yourself imagine the life you want before the budget anxiety kicks in
• Reconnecting with nature and the seasons as a compass for finding your authentic calling

Books & Resources Mentioned:

• Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes — [listen to our interview with Shannon here]
• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
• You Are a Badass and You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
• Fibershed — a network for regional fiber systems and slow fashion
• Local Harvest (for finding CSAs near you): localharvest.org

Want to chat with us? If Emily's story resonates with you — if you're somewhere in the middle of this same journey — we'd love to hear from you. Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 443-459-1950.

And if you're interested in joining our free, casual Slow Living Through the Seasons cohort, reach out to mary@ladyfarmer.com for the signup link.

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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 podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network.

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

Mary and Emma return to the podcast after over a six-month hiatus, reflecting on the evolution of Lady Farmer as a brand and their own experiences within it. They discuss how the cultural context around sustainability has shifted, how they don't want to present themselves as experts or frame sustainability in moral terms, and how systemic forces limit individual impact even as daily habits still matter. They aim to focus more on finding meaning, creativity, and defining “the good life". They share personal updates (babies! work! gardening!) and discuss plans for how they want to continue to unfold into The Good Dirt and the Lady Farmer project.

00:00 Welcome Back Check In

01:11 Meet Mary And Emma

02:12 Lady Farmer Origin Story

04:16 Slow Living Then And Now

08:17 Beyond Individual Responsibility

10:37 Morality Free Sustainability

13:24 Decluttering And Landfill Guilt

15:34 Meaning Emotions And The Good Life

17:16 Creativity Work And Money

19:52 Grandma Life And Restorative Gardening

21:13 Reopening The Marketplace

25:52 Listener Requests And Wrap Up

In this episode of The Good Dirt Podcast, Emma and Mary welcome back Janna Hockenjos, founder of We Are Earth Friends, an environmental education organization designed for children ages 3-8. Jana discusses the program’s impact on young learners' understanding of the interconnectedness of all of life on our planet and provides an update on the progress and expansion of the program. She also offers insights from the suburban food forest project. that she and her husband have been cultivating over the last few years.

In addition, Emma and Mary make the announcement that the podcast will take a sabbatical until next year to allow time for rest and the development of new ideas. In the meantime, they will be continuing with articles, ideas and inspiration in The ALMANAC, the online newsletter and community of Lady Farmer. See the Substack link below!

00:00 Reflecting on Slow Living Amidst Chaos

00:30 Embracing the Present Moment

01:35 Nature's Simple Joys

02:27 Recording Together and Taking a Sabbatical

04:10 Podcast Evolution and Future Plans

08:13 Introducing Jana and Earth Friends

12:25 Jana's Journey and Environmental Education

15:19 Earth Friends Curriculum and Impact

32:14 Making Environmental Education Accessible

36:33 Challenges in Implementing Earth Friends in Schools

37:04 Making Earth Friends Accessible to All

38:57 Homeschool Groups and Marketing Strategies

41:22 The Importance of Patience and Letting Go

42:00 Personal Reflections and Yoga Insights

51:23 Suburban Food Forest Project

54:09 The Healing Power of Growing Your Own Food

01:06:03 The Significance of Good Soil

01:10:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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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 podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network. 

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

This episode was originally published on August 18th, 2023

In this episode we're talking to Leah Webb, author of The Seven Step Homestead about how to turn any yard into a primary food source with vegetables, fruits, chickens, pollinator plants and medicinal herbs. A mother of two children with unique medical needs, Leah utilizes food grown in her own backyard garden as an important part of her children's integrative care. She sees herself as a solutions-based Family Food and Garden Coach, with a goal of guiding families in making small yet impactful steps towards sourcing their own nutrition and achieving long term dietary, cooking, and gardening goals. She is also the author of The Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Family Cookbook. In this conversation, we delve into the challenges and benefits of growing and preparing nutrient dense food, and the practicalities of creating your own microfarm in the space you already have. If you are one of many with a goal to connect with the land and create more independence from the industrial food system, Leah can guide you through, step-by-step.

Topics Discussed

• A Stormy Week in the DC Area

• Leah's Background in Nutrition Education and Her Path to Creating a Microfarm in her own Backyard.

• Being a Mom to Kids with Unique Medical Needs and the Role of Gardening and Home Grown Food in their Integrative Care.

• Learning the Basics of Gardening for Food

• Eating Home Grown Vegetables

• Food Preservation

• Convenience Foods

• Priorities & Food

• Investing in Homesteading

• Start Small for the Long Haul

• Which Plants to Start With

• Planting Charts

• Using, Measuring, and Creating Compost

• The Difference Between Homesteading and Gardening

• Homesteading , Self Sufficiency and Community

• Finding an Alternative to the Industrial Food Industry

• Consumer Awareness of Food

• Regenerative Growing Practices

Episode Resources:

•"The Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Family Cookbook: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Whole Foods on a Restrictive Diet" by Leah Webb

•"The Seven-Step Homestead: A Guide for Creating the Backyard Microfarm of Your Dreams" by Leah Webb

•Listen to The Good Dirt Reclaiming Our Food from Field to Kitchen with CSA Farmer Mo Moutoux of Moutoux Orchard

Connect with Leah Webb:

• Website: https://www.leahmwebb.com/

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

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

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🌻 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.

In this episode, Madison Murphy Barney, a two-Spirit Hoopa and Shoshone sister, author, doula, and public health storyteller, discusses the significance of the two-Spirit identity, historical roles, and the importance of maintaining cultural traditions. Madison delves into personal experiences growing up in North Dakota, the impact of indigenous boarding schools, and the generational transmission of pride and cultural knowledge. She also talks about the nature of stewardship, reconnecting with one's ancestry, and practical ways to slow down and embrace a more connected, mindful lifestyle. Highlighting the importance of personal and collective healing, Madison's insights offer deep wisdom and helpful guidance on how to engage with land, personal identity, and community.

00:00 Introduction to Madison Murphy Barney

04:01 Understanding Two-Spirit Identity

05:11 Historical Context and Personal Background

07:35 Family Heritage and Cultural Pride

11:17 Impact of Residential Schools

14:55 Journey to Vermont and Community Building

18:22 Stewarding the Land and Personal Growth

21:59 The Role of Humans in Healing the Earth

23:40 Madison's Upcoming Book and Its Themes

25:33 Final Reflections on Connection and Responsibility

30:44 Exploring the Concept of 'Away'

30:55 Connecting with Our Own Medicine

34:42 Practical Steps to Reconnect with Ancestral Wisdom

39:36 Astrology and Past Lives

43:20 Navigating Challenging Times on Earth

47:04 The Importance of Slowing Down

50:46 Offerings and Final Thoughts

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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 podcast is proudly part of the Connectd Podcasts network. 

🌿 The Good Dirt Producers:

• Wendy Gray

This is an ENCORE EPISODE, originally published on August 5, 2022

In this episode, Mary and Emma are talking to Julia Skinner of Root: Historic Food for the Modern World. Root was born from Julia's deep love for community and a belief in the power of food to tell stories, connect us to place and to each other, and to build a bridge to the past.

Julia's work is all about food, history, food stories, where it comes from and the people behind it. She loves fostering connections with other people and with the earth around us. Julia is especially interested in learning and teaching about fermentation, demonstrating to people the ease and accessibility of preparing delicious and healthy food using this ancient and powerful food preservation technique.

Topics Covered:

• Exploring historic cookbooks
• Julia’s discovery of historical cooking traditions
• Types of fermentation she has explored
• How to start fermenting
• The growing popularity of traditional foods
• Shifting food interests during the pandemic
• Food Access
• Milk Kefir
• Food as medicine

Resources Mentioned:

• Julia's website--Root Kitchens
• Our Fermented Lives. by Julia Skinner
• The English Housewife by Gervase Markham
• The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz
• Free99Fridge, Atlanta
• Umi Feeds
• Goodr
• Sowans Celtic Porridge
• The Fermentation School
• Son-Mat --(Korean) Hand taste, the unique quality and taste food has from an individual's touch, care, and experience; the way food tastes different when made by different people, often used to describe the taste of mom's cooking.

Connect with Julia:

•  Root Kitchens Website: https://root-kitchens.com/
• @rootkitchens on Instagram
• Julia's Books, Classes and Courses
• Root Kitchens Newsletter on Substack

About Lady Farmer:

Lady Farmer is a sustainable apparel and lifestyle brand, with education around sustainability and sustainable living at the forefront of our mission. Lady Farmer is proud to produce The Good Dirt podcast.

• Our Website
• @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
• Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or tell us what the good dirt means to you.
• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com