With hosts Phyllis Boorinakis and Julia Boorinakis Harper

Step outside and you can smell it in the air — it’s mushroom season! On this episode, we talk with mushroom-experts/mycophiles Thea Chesney and Christopher Hodge about the fungal bounty of the Sierra Nevada — this year’s forecast, safe and sensible foraging for edibles, the upcoming 18th Annual Fungus Foray and Wild Mushroom Exposition, and more!

Recommended books and links, from Thea:

Mushrooms Demystified (David Arora) – the comprehensive guide

All That the Rain Promises, and More (David Arora) – the pocket guide

California Mushrooms (Dennis Desjardin, Michael Wood, Fred Stevens) – the new book with nice photos and new names, has most common species.

On this edition of The Homestead Radio Hour, hosts Phyllis and Julia talk with Anthony and Robin of Sierra Moonshine about the delights of fermentation: making wine, beer, mead, sodas, and more.

With hosts Phyllis Boorinakis and Julia Boorinakis Harper

It’s the time of year to start planning and planting your home orchard! Whether you have a small backyard or considerable acreage, fruit trees are a wonderful addition to your homestead, and one that you are sure to enjoy for years to come. On this episode, hosts Phyllis and Julia talk with Tom Harper, of the Boorinakis-Harper Ranch, about choosing trees, preparing your soil, pruning, grafting, and more. Plus listener questions… tune in next month for part 2, by popular demand!

With hosts Phyllis Boorinakis and Julia Boorinakis Harper

With hosts Phyllis Boorinakis and Julia Boorinakis Harper

Step outside and you can smell it in the air — it’s mushroom season! On this episode of the Homestead Radio Hour, we talk with mycologist/mycophiles Thea Chesney and Daniel Nicholson about the fungal bounty of the Sierra Nevada — this year’s forecast, safe and sensible foraging for edibles, the 17th Annual Fungus Foray and Wild Mushroom Exposition, and more!

With hosts Phyllis Boorinakis and Julia Boorinakis HarperWith hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

Our guest this month is Richard Marks, president of the Banner Grange, about this weekend’s Seed Swap and Local Food Gathering. Tune in for a conversation about how our local community gathers to trade ideas, knowledge, and seeds! We’ll also talk about the history of the Grange organization and the role it plays in a local farming community, both past and present.

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

John Glavis: Ancient Heirlooms
John Glavis is an indigenous plant researcher, farmer, and the owner of BoTierra Biodiversity Farms, a private bio-diversity research center and botanical garden in Bolinas, CA. We sat down with John at the National Heirloom Expo to talk about ancient heirlooms, indigenous food wisdom, and the future of sustainable food and farming.

Recorded on location at The National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, CA, September 2013

Julia, Phyllis, and John Glavis at the Heirloom Expo

On this special edition of the Homestead Radio Hour, Phyllis and Julia talk with some of the fascinating plant-hunters, seed-savers, plant-breeders, and visionaries at the National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, CA. This episode features Maximilian Meyers on permaculture aquaponics, Irina Stoenescu on food security, and John Glavis on ancient heirlooms.

For Part 1, click here

Plus: Wendy Van Wagner and Rachelle Zorn stop by to share their work with Sierra Harvest Tasting Week, bringing locally-grown farm-fresh food into local schools.

Music: Bela Fleck, The Bluegrass Sessions. HRH theme music by Dakota Sid and Travers Clifford (and Timmy the Rooster).

The Homestead Radio Hour was honored and delighted last month to receive a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and KVMR FM, to produce a radio series for national distribution… that’s right, we’re hitting the road, and our first stop was The National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, CA! Tune in for a special edition of the HRH, featuring some of the fascinating plant-hunters, seed-savers, plant-breeders, and visionaries we met at the Expo.

Featuring Jere Gettle of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., Heather Granahan of CAFF (Community Alliance with Family Farmers), tomato breeders Brad and Evan Gates of Wild Boar Farms, and botanical explorer and culinary botanist Joseph Simcox.

For Part 2, click here

Music: Bela Fleck, The Bluegrass Sessions. HRH theme music by Dakota Sid and Travers Clifford (and Timmy the Rooster).

So you think you want to be a farmer? A homesteader? A farmsteader? What’s the difference?? On this episode of The Homestead Radio Hour, Phyllis and Julia talk with Roger Ingram, Farm Advisor for Placer and Nevada Counties, about farming vs. homesteading, growing for market, farm business planning, and finding your own ideal balance in it all. Plus great upcoming local food happenings, tastings and events in the area with Eat Local Placer and Nevada Counties!

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

On this edition of the Homestead Radio Hour: When it comes to small, local farming, is “profit” a dirty word? Does farming and ranching need to be profitable? Tune in for a conversation with Roger Ingram, County Director for the UC Cooperative Extension, and Andrew Meyers, UCCE Ag Program Reperesentative and former owner/founder of Four Frog Farm, about the challenges that small farmers face, the balancing act between profitability, sustainability, and locality, and how we as a community can support and encourage local, sustainable agriculture as a viable practice.

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

On this edition of The Homestead Radio Hour, hosts Phyllis and Julia talk with the guest speakers and organizers of this remarkable local event, including farmer and author Joel Salatin, sustainable rancher Mark Baker, Underground Wellness Radio host Sean Croxton, and farmer-organizer Eric Dickerson. Tune for a lively conversation about real food, independent farming, sustainability, and keeping it local.

Nevada County’s Sustainable Food and Farm Conference will once again bring together an internationally renowned panel of speakers, local and national farming related businesses and organizations, and the public, for a weekend full of informative lectures, lively discussion, a food and farming exposition, plus numerous workshops for all levels of farming and ranching.

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

Joel Salatin and Michael Ableman visit the Homestead Radio Hour to talk about sustainable agriculture, real food, and the future of farming.

Joel Salatin is a full-time farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. A third generation alternative farmer, he returned to the farm full-time in 1982 and continued refining and adding to his parents’ ideas. His speaking and writing reflect dirt-under-the-fingernails experience punctuated with mischievous humor. He passionately defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. He is the author of nine books, including The Sheer Ecstacy of Being A Lunatic Farmer and Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World.

Michael Ableman is a farmer, author, and photographer and a recognized practitioner of sustainable agriculture and proponent of regional food systems. He has written several books and numerous essays and articles, and lectures extensively on food, culture, and sustainability worldwide. Michael is currently farming at the Foxglove Farm on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, home of The Center for Arts, Ecology & Agriculture.

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

On this episode of the Homestead Radio Hour: tune in to learn all about the joys of Backyard Chicken-Keeping! How do you get started? What do you need to know before you bring home those chicks? What should you consider when building a coop? And what is life with chickens really like? Find out why urban homesteaders everywhere, in city and country alike, are keeping chickens in their backyards — and why you should too! Plus, we take calls and questions from Homestead listeners.

See resources below for more info on getting started with backyard chicken-keeping…

The Nevada County Sustainable Local Food and Farm Conference and the Placer Grown Food and Farm Conference are just around the corner. On this edition of The Homestead Radio Hour, hosts Phyllis and Julia talk with the organizers and presenters of these two remarkable local events about how they bring together internationally renowned speakers, real-food advocates, regional and local farmers and organizations, and consumers to share their knowledge, enthusiasm, and ideas.

Plus, Joel Salatin and Michael Ableman visit the Homestead Radio Hour to talk about sustainable agriculture, real food, and the future of farming.

Joel Salatin is a full-time farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. A third generation alternative farmer, he returned to the farm full-time in 1982 and continued refining and adding to his parents’ ideas. His speaking and writing reflect dirt-under-the-fingernails experience punctuated with mischievous humor. He passionately defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. He is the author of nine books, including The Sheer Ecstacy of Being A Lunatic Farmer and Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World.

Michael Ableman is a farmer, author, and photographer and a recognized practitioner of sustainable agriculture and proponent of regional food systems. He has written several books and numerous essays and articles, and lectures extensively on food, culture, and sustainability worldwide. Michael is currently farming at the Foxglove Farm on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, home of The Center for Arts, Ecology & Agriculture.

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

What are your favourite gifts to make and give? What handmade treats will you be giving this year? On this month’s episode of the Homestead Radio Hour: we’re celebrating Handmade Holidays, and we want to hear your suggestions for local, sustainable, useful, and meaningful presents. From jams and jellies to cozy hand-knit socks to great garden tools and must-have guidebooks, homesteaders always think outside the gift box… and our listeners are no exception!

Plus, we talk with Jim and Ginger Armstrong, of Snowy Peaks Christmas Tree Farm in Foresthill, about their 14 years in the tree-growing business. Find out why a fresh, locally-grown, natural, and real tree is the sustainable and eco-friendly choice, and how these farmers are caring for their land while cultivating family holiday traditions.

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

Have more leaves in your backyard than you know what to do with? Maybe you’ve tried making a compost pile, but found it too stinky or too slow? Then you’ve come to the right place! On this episode of the HRH: UC Extension expert Kevin Marini, “The Worm Whisperer,” discusses the hows and whys of traditional composting, vermicomposting, and more. Get the dirt on putting your kitchen scraps and yard waste to work, making your own homegrown, nutrient-rich soil amendments. From choosing a composting method to building a bin and maintaining your pile, Kevin explains how to make composting an integral part of your homestead (and maybe even your life!)

With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

In this episode: The joys of Backyard Chicken-Keeping! Learn all about the little critters, and why you should have them. How do you get started? What do you need to know before you bring home those chicks? What should you consider when building a coop? And what is life with chickens really like? Find out why urban homesteaders everywhere, in city and country alike, are keeping chickens in their backyards — and why you should too!

In this episode: Put on your party hats, light the handmade beeswax candles, and join in the fun as The Homestead Radio Hour celebrates its first birthday! Join your hosts Phyllis and Julia and special guests Rob Slay, president of the Nevada County Beekeepers’ Association, and his 11-year-old niece Brighten, for a look at backyard beekeeping — the why’s, the how’s, and the rewards of having your own hive.

with hosts Phyllis & Julia Boorinakis-Harper

On this episode: It’s January, and that means it’s time for new resolutions, new projects, and new additions to your homestead. On this month’s Homestead Radio Hour, find out how to start and grow an orchard to fit any space – even the smallest backyard. From evaluating your site to picking out and planting trees, learn how to get started with a project that will bring rewarding harvests for years to come! Our special guest on this episode is Tom Harper, of the B H Ranch orchards in Auburn.

with hosts Phyllis & Julia Boorinakis-Harper

Wednesday August 11th – The Homestead Radio Hour broadcasts live from the Nevada County Fair