The Beet: A Podcast For Plant Lovers

We need to pay attention to the nuances of nature more, and “surf its wave” rather than try to reengineer the ocean so perfect waves are created every time. In today’s show with Greg Peterson, we learn exactly how to do that. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealt...

Urban farming sounds like a dreamy way to live, and it’s certainly something I’ve been interested in for quite a while. But what’s the reality? How much work does it actually take. Today we hear from Greg Peterson on his urban farming journey. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for...

Soil is not one thing, it’s the sum of many parts, and in an ideal world that whole is greater than the sum. Here are Greg’s 5 components for healthy soil. Connect with Greg Peterson: Farmer Greg is the founder of Urban Farm U and the Urban Farm Podcast, and has been a permaculturist and urban homesteaders for decades. His wealth of experience shows in his incredible courses and you’re going to ab...

I recently picked up one of the fruit trees I’ve had my eyes on for YEARS - the Australian finger lime. This quirky and spiky citrus tree produces oblong limes that have a ‘citrus caviar’ appearance when you cut them open and squeeze out the pulp.  Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master (that last one is my own personal opinion - Kevin). She’s the autho...

Pokeweed is known for - you guessed it - being a weed, but in the South fried poke was a classic dish that has been forgotten a bit. Marie and I talk about how to forage for it, use it, and even cultivate it again in the garden. Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master (that last one is my own personal opinion - Kevin). She’s the author of Forage, Harvest...

Most of us know about milkweed in terms of growing it for the monarch butterflies, but did you know it’s actually edible? I had NO idea until Marie turned me on to it, so now I want to cultivate it in my garden to EAT and I hope you do too. Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master (that last one is my own personal opinion - Kevin). She’s the author of For...

We’ve mostly talked about ferns in terms of houseplant care here on the Epic Gardening Podcast, but did you know there are some you can eat? In particular, the ostrich fern fronds are commonly foraged or cultivated and eaten at a very young age. Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master (that last one is my own personal opinion - Kevin). She’s the author o...

One of the downsides of living in Zone 10b is my lack of access to some of the best that nature has to offer in the foraging realm: ramps. These wild alliums are prized for their delicate flavor and sexy appeal on a plate, but there are some crucial concerns to know before you go out and harvest from ramp patches. Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master...

I get questions about gardening in an urban environment and the potential health concerns of doing so, so you can only imagine how many people are skeptical of foraging in an urban environment. In today’s show, Marie and I discuss the different ways to make sure what you’re foraging is safe to eat. Connect With Marie Viljoen: Marie Viljoen is a forager, writer, and cocktail master (that last one i...

I met my friend Marie Viljoeon at the Better Homes & Gardens Conference in 2018, where she showed us all how to make a delicious foraged sumac cocktail. I knew she was a like-minded person, so eventually I asked her if she’d be interested in coming on the show. To my delight, she said yes! Enjoy this exciting week with Marie - an urban forager, gardener, and cocktail queen. Connect With Marie Vilj...

In my Apocalypse Grow challenge, I’ve consumed far more plants than I ever did before diet-wise. And surprise surprise, the consumption of more plants (and less processed, crappy food) has led to some great health results for me. We’re back with L.Be of Farm Based Foodie to talk about the personal and environmental benefits of munching on more delicious planty goodness. Connect With L.Be: L.Be is...

If you know me, you know that urban, small-space organic agriculture is my wheelhouse. That’s why when I heard L.Be of Farm Based Foodie was doing something similar, I had to have her on the show to talk about her trough gardens. Connect With L.Be: L.Be is the founder of Farm Based Foodie, specializing in mobile organic agriculture solutions. She’s also starting a new podcast called Dirty Talk, wh...

OK, OK...this isn’t possible. But...with a creative twist, we can stretch the way we use our resources in ways that weren’t possible in the past. We’re back with L.Be of Farm Based Foodie for some more knowledge Connect With L.Be: L.Be is the founder of Farm Based Foodie, specializing in mobile organic agriculture solutions. She’s also starting a new podcast called Dirty Talk, which is out now! Fa...

Bear with me, as we’re getting deep into Nerdville today with L.Be of Farm Based Foodie. However, I love covering gardening from as many angles as possible, so hopefully this helps some of you more science-minded growers out there. Connect With L.Be: L.Be is the founder of Farm Based Foodie, specializing in mobile organic agriculture solutions. She’s also starting a new podcast called Dirty Talk,...

We’ve all heard of probiotics for our own bodies, but what about for our soil? Microbial inoculants have been a popular topic on the show. Today we’re with L.Be of Farm Based Foodie discussing inoculants and the idea of a soil “prebiotic” as well. Connect With L.Be: L.Be is the founder of Farm Based Foodie, specializing in mobile organic agriculture solutions. She’s also starting a new podcast cal...

When we compost, we’re often not making full use of the energy within biomass. In today’s show, we define biomass and discuss how we might get more out of our organic waste products with L.Be of Farm Based Foodie. Connect With L.Be: L.Be is the founder of Farm Based Foodie, specializing in mobile organic agriculture solutions. She’s also starting a new podcast called Dirty Talk, which is out now!...

We’re getting nerdy with L.Be of Farm Based Foodie this week. Our first topic is the fact that the energy in a system cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. OK...but what does this have to do with gardening and our environment? Tune in ;) Connect With L.Be: L.Be is the founder of Farm Based Foodie, specializing in mobile organic agriculture solutions. She’s also starting a new podcast c...

Ever had TOO MUCH of something in the garden? I know I have. This year, it was squash. Tons of squash. Today we finish out the week with Chris Starkus, who’s battled this quite a bit at Lost Creek Micro Farm.  Connect with Chris Starkus: Chef Chris Starkus is the executive chef of Urban Farmer in Denver, a farm to table restaurant. He’s also the owner of Lost Creek Micro Farm. Chris Starkus' Insta...

I used to never garnish my dishes, but now that I have an abundance of edible native plants, herbs, etc., garnishing is something I’m having fun with! Chef Chris Starkus from Urban Farmer Denver talks about what garnishing is and what plants he grows to get the job done. Connect with Chris Starkus: Chef Chris Starkus is the executive chef of Urban Farmer in Denver, a farm to table restaurant. He’s...

As home gardeners, we often don’t think about growing plants for dessert. Or, we just grow fruit! Chef Chris Starkus from Urban Farmer Denver comes on the show today to talk about what he grows at the farm and how it shows up in his desserts. Connect with Chris Starkus: Chef Chris Starkus is the executive chef of Urban Farmer in Denver, a farm to table restaurant. He’s also the owner of Lost Creek...

As a chef, what you grow in the garden is often quite different from the average home gardener. So I asked Chef Chris Starkus from Urban Farmer Denver to give us some secret plants he’s using in his cocktails and mixed drinks in the restaurant. Connect with Chris Starkus: Chef Chris Starkus is the executive chef of Urban Farmer in Denver, a farm to table restaurant. He’s also the owner of Lost Cre...

We’ve talked a lot about bees on the podcast, but never about the human journey to become a Master Beekeeper. Chef Chris Starkus from Urban Farmer Denver is in the second level of the program right now, so we chat about his experiences to give you all a picture into what the journey looks like. Connect with Chris Starkus: Chef Chris Starkus is the executive chef of Urban Farmer in Denver, a farm t...

In the restaurant world, we talk a lot about the sourcing of ingredients in the sustainability conversation, but what about the rest of what goes on at a restaurant? Today Chef Chris Starkus from Urban Farmer Denver talks about what he calls 360° Sustainability and how he employs it at his restaurant Connect With Chris Starkus: Chef Chris Starkus is the executive chef of Urban Farmer in Denver, a...

How does your gardening change when you’re planning what you plant for the eventual end use of it...in the kitchen? Today we have Chef Chris Starkus from Urban Farmer Denver, a farm to table restaurant in Denver and the owner of Lost Creek Micro Farm. In today’s show, we talk about how he plans his farm to make incredible, farm to table meals.   Connect With Chris Starkus: Chef Chris Starkus is th...

I don’t know about you, but I can never resist spending way too much money after picking up a seed catalog. Margaret and I share our top tips for shopping for the next season. Connect With Margaret Roach: Margaret Roach is a liifelong organic gardener and the founder of A Way to Garden, as well as the newly re-released book A Way to Garden. Order Field Guide to Urban Gardening My book, Field Guide...