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.