DonnaLonna Kitchen Show

What do we know about food? We talk to Kate Gilbert from the Iowa State University Food Science department about the current state of food literacy in academia and on our plates. Kate talks about her family farm, her career and her passion for good, local food. We also explore the Iowa Food Systems Coalition, Iowa food hubs, a Local Food celebration on the Iowa State University campus, the nutriti...

Wendy Johnson joins us at the kitchen table to talk about her farm ( Joia Food Farm ) her farm journey and her joy of growing local food.   We explore Kernza, the new, perennial grain that Wendy is trialing on her farm and helping to introduce to the market.    Donna gives a history of perennial grain breeding at the Land Institute by Wes Jackson and her experience in baking with Kernza.   Wendy ...

A potpourri of food topics! Donna talks about attending the annual Niman Ranch Farmer Appreciation Dinner. Tips for preserving the summer harvest, Lonna visits a local food potluck/picnic and shares a recipe for fermenting hot peppers and raw okra salad. Writer, cook and world traveller Gheeta Iyer joins Lonna at the DonnaLonna Kitchen table. She shares her thoughts on Indian food and explains why...

Donna and Lonna visit with Carmen and Maja Black, farmers at Sundog Farm and Local Harvest CSA in Solon, Iowa. Sundog Farm grows vegetables, flowers, sheep, goats, and chickens for the local market. The farm has spread across five locations thanks to creative cooperation with other farmers and innovative use of season extension. The Black sisters talk about scaling up their farm with size-appropri...

Donna and Lonna talk with Jennifer Knox, co-owner of the business Saltlickers located in Nevada, Iowa. With great skill and good humor, Jen and her husband, Collin Switzer, bring salt and herb blends to the farmers markets of central Iowa and also retail outlets and mailboxes across the nation. We talk about creating a product, selling an idea and tickling taste buds across the state and beyond.  

Tomatoes and sweet corn - fresh from the garden. We look ahead to the Iowa State Fair and DLK's upcoming cooking demonstration at the fair. Donna reviews the recipes. We celebrate Iowa food with polenta with candied tomatoes and lard pound cake with berries and whipped cream. Also some thoughts on gazpacho, zucchini, carrot top pesto and elderberries. Lonna reads about the Automat, a short food hi...

The summer garden is a good time to resolve to eat healthy. Get away from processed food and be cautious about using the sweetener, aspartame. We talk about garlic and beets with recipe advice from Donna. Lonna talks about bush beans, pole beans, the first garden tomatoes of the season, harvesting and drying herbs and some of the science behind breeding the Cherry Plum. We explore edible flowers a...

From a 2018 interview with Fred Kirchenmann, we revisit a talk about the state of modern agriculture: What we have done, what we have learned, and what we can learn to do better. Fred Kirchenmann is the past director of the Leopold Center, board member of the Stone Barns Center for Renewable Agriculture, organic grain farmer, philosopher and proponent of thoughtful choices regarding our relationsh...

The DonnaLonna Kitchen show talks about everything cherry: harvesting cherries, pitting cherries, cherry pie, and a very good cherry ice cream recipe. Pitting cherries can be quite a messy adventure but as Donna says, it is well worth the effort. We also explore the book Pulp: A practical guide for cooking with fruit written by Abra Behrens. We explore sweet, savory and unexpected recipes for frui...

Shelley Buffalo is The Colonial Pathfinder for the Meskwaki Tribe. She is an advocate for local food sovereignty, food justice and rematriation. Donna and Lonna talk with her about the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa, indigenous management of the prairie, food ways and thoughts on colonization.   Join Shelley at her upcoming Practical Farmers of Iowa field day on June 28, 2023: Rematri...

We start our podcast with talk about honey berries and a recipe for Creamy Sorrel soup. Then our guest Diana Smith from Simple Life Farms in Winterset, Iowa, joins us to tell us about dairy goats. Diana talks about making great goat cheese, soap and lotions.

Ahh, summer! Garlic scapes, picnics, potato salad, summer food safety, Donna's latest ice cream flavors, a lemon mint cake recipe from the book Gateau by Alexandra Crapanzano and a radio drama featuring thoughts on lawn care. Donna and Lonna also review the book Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky including a recipe for cooking 'possum.'

Squatters on Red Earth from Iowa writer Mary Swander is an important new play telling the story of historical cooperation and respect between the Amana Colonies and the Meskwaki Indigenous people. Artist and food sovereignty advocate, Shelley Buffalo also joins us to talk about her involvement in the production and her thoughts on re-introducing rematriation of the land in Iowa to better reflect a...

We celebrate the 2023 Practical Farmers of Iowa field day season with Jacqueline Venner Senke who share stories and highlights about upcoming on farm events.   

The Supreme Court support of the California law banning gestation crates for farm animals paves the way for a more humane way to raise pork. We talk about how this affects Iowa farmers. We celebrate good news from the Brazilian rainforest. It's time to talk about rhubarb: how to grow it, harvest it and use it in the kitchen. Donna shares a recipe for Beet, Rhubarb and Ginger Soup. We talk about fi...

Donna shares information about one of her favorite subjects: milk! Spring grass makes happy cows. Cows on pasture make good milk. We talk about pasteurization, homogenization, organic milk, and raw milk. Donna talks about raw milk cheeses, goats, and grocery store labels in the dairy aisle. We celebrate butter with a poem by A.A. Milne and contemplate some words of farming wisdom from the Kentucky...

Donna and Lonna talk about the month of May and the joys of spring. LoJean Peterson from the Ames Main Street Farmers Market gives us a taste of good things to come this season. We also explore May Day traditions, May Apples, International Workers Day and the "May Day-May Day" radio distress call...  Also baby chicks, ramps, garlic chives, and ticks.    

We talk to Marlene Ehresman and Jenna Maag from the Iowa Wildlife Center about human-animal conflict and coexistence.   Bats, squirrels, foxes, raccoons, deer, songbirds and raptors. How can we help our animal neighbors? The Iowa Wildlife Center provides professional wildlife rescue, medical treatment, rehabilitation and education in Central Iowa.

Donna and Lonna talk to Ray Schmidt of Farm Story Meats located near Williamsburg, Iowa about heritage pigs, pork cheeks, pigs feet and marketing. To celebrate the early tastes of spring - forager, Ben Hoksch talks about cordials and a surprisingly green cake made from nettles along with nettle harvesting tips. Donna gives her favorite take on asparagus and radishes. 

Donna and Lonna celebrate spring and the Easter season with talk about eggs, chicks, hens, roosters, Easter bonnets, a crustless quiche recipe, how to cook a rabbit, Welsh Rarebit, many bad bunny jokes, hot cross buns and Finnish Easter bread.

Donna and Lonna talk to Kate Solko, farmer of Root to Rise Farm north of Ames, Iowa, about starting the garden.   Topics include germination tips, favorite varieties, soil, timing, growing for the farmers market, thoughts on organic certification and a buckwheat pancake recipe.   Word of the day: graupel.

Masa! Donna & Lonna explore the joy of corn masa with the book - "Masa" by Jorge Gaviria, food entrepreneur and founder of the Masienda Company. Donna & Lonna talk about traditional corn landraces, nixtamalization, the development of masa harina and modern corn chips and the joy of making your own tortillas. Donna shares recipes for a tasty taco dinner including a good dessert to end any m...

Peter Biechler talks about his experience in the hospitality business. Donna and Lonna talk to Pete about restaurant trends, the impact of COVID-19 and the concept of food system sustainability and employee equity.   Donna and Lonna also talk about Peter's world travels, tipping, food service work structure, gardening and making a great breakfast. Peter now lives in Ames, IA, where he helps to run...

Farmer, Steve Strasheim from Twisted River Farm in Mitchell, IA, grows greens all year. We talk about his growing practices including his new geothermal greenhouse. Spinach, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and now cut flowers are all part of his operation.   Steve gives seed starting advice and some words of encouragement for beginning farmers. Donna and Lonna also share some sweet news items. 

Donna and Lonna celebrate Black History Month by exploring the work of Jessica Harris, author and food historian and also talk about the cookbook "Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking" by Toni Tipton-Martin.   The Black diaspora has brought many ingredients and diverse culinary skills to our modern plates. And they talk about Glenn Roberts, the founder of Anson Mills. Bi...