DonnaLonna Kitchen Show

Lonna talks about her visit to the Ames Repair Cafe and Ames Seed Library. Donna gives us an update on GMO corn, our health, the farm economy and our trade relationship with Mexico. We celebrate rhubarb season with growing and harvesting tips, and recipes: rhubarb orange jam, custard pie, rhubarb beet soup, chutney, syrups, and shrubs. We end with a poem to honor workers that built cathedrals with...

The cost of producing our food affects all of us. Farmers are at the front line of price increases as big corporations take over the production of agricultural inputs.   Donna and Lonna report on a Federal Trade Commission Listening Session event held in Nevada, Iowa where FTC chair, Lina Khan heard concerns from midwest farmers about the take over of the Iowa Fertilizer Co. by Koch Industries. Th...

Celebrating foraging and the first green things of spring: Donna and Lonna talk about motherwort, bluebells, nettles, ground ivy, linden flowers, the alder tree and dandelions. Lonna bakes some yeast brown bread from the classic cookbook by Darian Allen. We learn about how to make comfrey tea plant fertilizer. Donna talks about ramps and ramp farming and we go out with a poem about our human micro...

Falling down a rabbit hole, a salute to snakes, Donna talks about eggs, Lonna talks about gingerbread, we talk about the fish kill on the Nishnabotna River in Iowa.  Lonna shares some spring suggestions for the garden and a reads a poem by Mary Oliver about a bear waking up after a long winter.

Dr. Jan Flora joins us at the DonnaLonna Kitchen table to talk about immigrant workers. Dr. Flora is professor emeritus at Iowa State University in the College of Agriculture. His recent opinion piece is entitled "Immigrants Serve the Common Good, Including in Iowa: Those are the Facts".  We also talk about planting onions.

DonnaLonna Kitchen talks to Cara Miller and Jay Goodvin from the Silos and Smokestacks organization about the upcoming Iowa Eats Food and Drink Festival. This is the second year for the event. It will be held April 6, 2024 in Waterloo. Cara Miller talks about vendors, cooking demonstrations, and a pork cook-off. Jay Goodvin shares reviews of Iowa food favorites. Donna closes out the show with some...

Good things have been happening at Mustard Seed Farm since it began in 2008. We talk with Alice McGary and Ami Adams about the MSF's commitment to community service, educational outreach and the growing of good food. Mustard Seed Farm provides food for a local medical clinic, Food at First and Romero House, in Ames. They thrive with support from volunteer workers and staff. Alice and Ami invite li...

Donna returns from a month in New Zealand with her report on food and farming. Sometimes it's nice to see how things are going in other places besides Iowa. Lonna welcomes Donna back into the studio and hears about New Zealand's dairy and beef production, water quality, the price of groceries, rich farmers, raw milk, a visit to a cider maker and a visit to a chocolate factory.

Conservation is often the "elephant in the room" that doesn't get talked about very much. Conservation agronomist Ruth McCabe shares her insights about the state of agriculture around the globe.   Ruth studied farming systems in Australia, Canada, the Chesapeake Bay, Brazil and other locations as part of an international Nuffield Scholarship. She works with Heartland Cooperative in Iowa.    Contra...

Much depends on breakfast. Donna and Lonna explore pancakes and biscuits and gravy at a local Ames restaurant. We talk about the history of breakfast cereals, buckwheat crepes, waffles, brioche and French toast with a small detour into Donna's love affair with pudding. 

Pesticides and herbicides are all over Iowa. These things have consequences. Donna and Lonna talk to farmer, Rob Faux about the lasting effects of pesticide drift on his farm and his work with the Pesticide Action Network to address the problem. 

Donna refuses to use the word "resolution," but we talk about good food, good habits and thoughts that are good to heal the excesses of the holidays and set the pace for a good new year. We talk about soups, collagen, miso, kefir, kitchen remedies for the common cold and a broader look at hopeful actions for earth care and people care. 

We explore tastes and memories of many holidays past with Mike Murphy and Mike Meetz (friends from our community radio family).   The discussion includes: Christmas music, the lemony taste of Yuzu, eggnog, cat ice, big snow and wet wool snowsuits, Donna's mother's oyster casserole, Lonna's winter chicken maintenance, opossum teeth, Mike Meetz's memory of the good luck German pickle ornament, and t...

Donna and Lonna talk to special guest, Monika Tucker about her experiences working in Antarctica. We consider (very) southern food and culture at the bottom of the world.  Monika shares recipes from her German heritage: Rouladen, Rot Kohl, German Cheesecake and memories of her time spent working in a German Bakery. Monika also talks about her kitchen experiences at various Buddhist Retreat Centers...

Author Joseph Geha joins us to talk about his new book: Kitchen Arabic, How My Family Came to America and the Recipes We Brought With Us. The book is a story of family, food and the story of the Geha family immigration to America from Lebanon. Delightful stories and many recipes make this a fun read and a labor of love. Joe's wife Fern Kupfer, also a writer joins the discussion with many helpful i...

Donna talks about make-ahead holiday ingredients: candied citrus peel, sugared cranberries and the ins and outs of her famous fudge. We explore the development of organic Christmas sprinkles. Donna gives much good advice on liquors and flavorings for cakes, candies, and traditional plum pudding. And we end with a poem about summer peaches. 

Side dishes and pie thoughts for the holiday table. Donna and Lonna talk about fun and fancy things to do with potatoes: brown butter/sage and spiralized baked potatoes.   Donna gives her recipe for candied fresh cranberries and pumpkin cobbler. Lonna talks about pie crust and reads a poem about being thankful for locally baked bread. 

We talk turkey with farmer, Rob Faux from Genuine Faux Farm. Donna has the opportunity to show off her turkey calling skills while Rob teaches us about the ins and outs of turkeys. We talk about raising, marketing and cooking the holiday bird and learn about jakes, jennys, free range birds, and how to get turkeys into a pickup truck.

Donna and Lonna celebrate fall and Halloween with thoughts of sweet things. Ben Hoksch joins us to tell us about his experience making sorghum. Ben enjoys working with sweet things. He is a botanist, a beekeeper and local maker of maple syrup. Donna talks about gingerbread and taffy. Lonna shares a poem by Alice Walker for the old women, wise women, grandmothers and witches in all of us.

The Farm Bill sets priorities for our nation's farms, food systems, environment and communities. donna and Lonna talk with Aaron Lehman from the Iowa Farmers Union. The IFU has been advocating for farms and rural communities since 1915 and is a voice for conservation, education, research, and sustainable farm policy that affect us all.

Squash, pumpkins and the tastes of fall!  Donna moves way beyond pumpkin spice mix with an exploration of cinnamons, ginger, anise and a wide variety of tasty spice mixtures. These spices are not just for pumpkin pie. Use them for cakes, cookies, stews, coffee and more.  Lonna shares a poem about Weiners and a recipe for Spicy Paprika Tomato Jam. We end the show with advice for storing fall vegeta...

Donna and Lonna get to know some local nuts with Joe Lynch, farmer, forager, and long time partner with Lonna at Onion Creek Farm.   We celebrate the joy of tree crops: black walnuts, butternuts, hickory nuts and acorns. Donna talks about her long time love of chestnuts.   Joe also talks about his homemade version of an apple cider press using a garbage disposal and a hydraulic jack.     

Explore what the nose knows. Donna and Lonna discuss the book Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells by Harold McGee. We find out about the chemistry, anthropology and environmental factors that influence how we experience our world. We talk about the importance of smell in the kitchen, herbs, wine tasting and the science behind it all. 

A birthday cake for Lonna and a good frosting recipe from Donna. Barry McDonald joins us at the kitchen table to talk about his life in Australia. We talk about frogs, colorful language, kangaroo meat and the history of the Granny Smith apple. It's jam and jelly season. Tips and tricks including preparing fruit, jelly bags, pectin, the joy of using a maslin pan and hot packing. Donna shares her re...

Salt! An important part of our lives. Donna and Lonna talk about the book The Miracle of Salt by Naomi Duguid . We talk about weight, density and what constitutes 'saltiness'. We share salt harvesting stories and recipes. Also we talk about the book All the Presidents' Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House by master pastry chef Roland Mesnier. Peaches and pine trees are also part of the m...