Episodes

  • The History and Folklore of Brigid: Saint, Legend and Lady Farmer with Kathy Spaar | Episode 27 Reprise

    The History and Folklore of Brigid: Saint, Legend and Lady Farmer with Kathy Spaar | Episode 27 Reprise
    Jan 31 2025
    Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return in the spring. Please enjoy this episode that was last aired on 1/31/2023 Today's episode is about Brigid, saint and legend, known for her skills at the hearth, the loom, midwifery, healing, poetry and animal husbandry. Kathy Spaar, spiritual director, pilgrimage leader and nature educator shares many of the folklore and stories of this legendary figure from Celtic tradition. As a figure of feminine wisdom and power who presides over the land and the homestead, we consider Brigid the quintessential Lady Farmer, our guide, protector and inspiration for slow living through the seasons. Intro: Follow Kesslyn @gemwellnessofficial for more about her journey as a midwife and her exploration of St. Brigid. Episode Reprise: Imbolc is here! Mary and Emma introduce Kathy and Brigid Kathy introduces herself Brigid's Feast Day Kathy's favorite stories of Brigid Brigid - the quintessential Lady Farmer How does Brigid relate to the times we are in now The most important thing Brigid has taught Kathy Mentions: The Almanac Brigidine Sisters Children's Book “Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story” by Bruce Milligan. "Symbols of Plenty" by Ruth Bidgood "Rekindling the Flame " by Rita Minehan About Lady Farmer: Our Website @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC Leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com Original music by John Kingsley. Our technical partner for this series is CitizenRacecar, Post-Production by Alex Brouwer and José Miguel Baez, Coordinated by Gabriela Montequin and Mary Ball. The Good Dirt is a part of the Connectd Podcasts Network. Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered as medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well-being.
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    43 mins
  • Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth with Asia Suler, Author of "Mirrors in the Earth"

    Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth with Asia Suler, Author of "Mirrors in the Earth"
    Jan 24 2025
    Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 10/20/23. How can we reconnect ourselves to nature, to the plants and animals around us, and the very Earth we walk upon? This is the topic of discussion with our guest Asia Suler, writer, teacher, mother, earth intuitive, ecological philosopher and author of Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World. Asia has taught her principles to over 20,000 students in 70+ countries, and constantly sees how going on a journey of self-healing and acceptance is the key to being able to heal both ourselves and our place in the ecosystem. In this interview, Asia brings us into the ecological history of the Appalachian mountains, the magic and healing potential of the natural world, and the interconnectedness of our personal healing with the healing of the whole world. She believes that when we embody the belief that we are enough as we are, we then we ourselves embody the healing of the Earth. Topics Discussed • What comes to mind with when we think of mirrors in the earth? • Asia's Background and Experience Leading to the Writing of her Book. • Joyful Engagement with the Living World • Vulvodynia, Lyme Disease, and Chronic Pain • Western Herbalism • Finding Your Place in Nature • Creating One Willow Apothecary • Flower Essences & The Power of the Violet • Psycho-emotional States and Inner Blockages • Intellectual Rationalism • Growing up In-between Philadelphia and New York • Watering Plants throughout New York • Re-connecting with Magic • Cultivating a Love of Earth in Urban Spaces • The 10 Year Process Behind "Mirrors in the Earth" • Self-Realization & Self-Compasson • The Influence of Indigenous Beliefs • Earth as a Sentient Being • Empaths & Sensitives • Humanity's Place on Earth & The Proclivity towards Narcissism • Gardens, Boundaries, and Social Media • The Magic within the Appalachian Mountains Episode Resources: • Join Us in The ALMANAC • Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World by Asia Suler Connect with Asia Suler: • One Willow Apothecaries Website: https://onewillowapothecaries.com/ • YouTube @AsiaSuler : https://www.youtube.com/c/AsiaSuler • Instagram @asiasuler : https://www.instagram.com/asiasuler/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asiasuler/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: • Our Website • Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram • Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC • Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Being Old-Fashioned on Purpose with Jill Winger

    Being Old-Fashioned on Purpose with Jill Winger
    Jan 17 2025
    Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 11/10/2023. Our guest for today is Jill Winger, creator of The Prairie Homestead who over the last 10 years has influenced thousands of people in rediscovering some of the simpler ways of life–helping people grow their own food, cook healthy meals, raise chickens, bake bread—and SO many other things. And yes, she confesses that an old fashioned life can include modern technology, especially in teaching others through online content creation. But Jill’s mission is more than about teaching skills, it’s about guiding others into slowing down and creating a healthier, more centered, balanced lifestyle that includes our modern realities. Jill started out on a neglected farmstead 40 miles away from the nearest grocery store, and has grown with her passion for practicing this way of life and teaching others how to find it for themselves. She is the author of The Prairie Homestead Cookbook and her latest release: "Old-Fashioned on Purpose: Cultivating a Slower, More Joyful Life". Jill lets Mary and Emma in on her process of content creation for homesteading, running an online business, finding writing once again, and what challenges she's faced in trying to do it all. This episode is for anyone who wants to strike a healthier balance between old-fashioned living and life in the modern world. Topics Discussed • Being a Homesteader • Getting Started without a Background in Farming or Ranching • Finding an Alternative to the Suburban-White-Picket-Fence Dream • Sparks of Inspiration & Knowing • Balancing Old-Fashioned Living with Modern Demands • How Jill's Support System Helps Her "Do It All" • Jill's Team & Task Delegation • How to Get People to Consume Your Content • The Consumer-Creator Relationship • Dealing with Technology Addiction as an Online Business • Creator Sustainability • Boundaries & Intentionality • The Pros and Cons of Homesteading's Growing Popularity • Writing Old-Fashioned on Purpose • Community • Raising Kids in a Homestead Lifestyle • Owning a Restaurant • Outsourcing Where You Can • Herbicide Long-Term Damage and Aminopyralid Poisoning Episode Resources: • Join Us in The ALMANAC • The Prairie Homestead "how to use eggshells" Blog • The Prairie Homestead "I Think I Poisoned My Garden" Blog • "Old-Fashioned on Purpose: Cultivating a Slower, More Joyful Life" by Jill Winger • "The Prairie Homestead Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Heritage Cooking in Any Kitchen" by Jill Winger • Listen to The Good Dirt "Reclaiming Our Food from Field to Kitchen with CSA Farmer Mo Moutoux of Moutoux Orchard" Connect with Jill Winger: • Website: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/ • Follow Jill on IG @jill.winger https://www.instagram.com/jill.winger/ • YouTube: https://youtube.com/theprairiehomestead • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theprairiehomestead • Links: https://meet.theprairiehomestead.com/IGlinks ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: • Our Website • Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram • Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC • Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
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    55 mins
  • Stories From Life Off the Grid with Poet Baron Wormser

    Stories From Life Off the Grid with Poet Baron Wormser
    Jan 10 2025
    Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 11/17/23. Our guest today is Baron Wormser, award winning poet, professor and author of "The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid". In this episode, Baron shares stories from his experience living and raising a family off the grid in rural Maine for 23 years, as well as his insight into connecting poetry with how we live, the value of simple living, and how we connect more deeply with the earth. We hear about his journey from the beginning in the mid 1970s, the day-to-day logistics of an off-grid life, raising children in that setting, and the eventual reentry into the contemporary world. Baron has been an example of slow and sustainable living throughout his life and career, and brings his gift of storytelling and poetry to this inspiring conversation. Topics Discussed • "Convenience" by W.S. Merwin • Membership Pledge Drive • Why Choose to Live Off the Grid • The Logistics of the Day-to-Day • Historical Precedence of Living without Electric Power • Living Through the Mid 70s • Needs vs. Wants • Defining Hardship • Living Off the Grid Then vs. Living On the Grid Now • Human Adaptability • Do We Truly Need the Internet? • Raising Children in an Off the Grid Lifestyle • Neighbor Stories • The Recognition of Hard Work • Money & Rural Towns • Deconstruction the Romanticization of an Off the Grid Lifestyle • Finding Your Ordinary • Reentry to the Grid • Baron's View on Hope • Falling in Love with the World Episode Resources: • Join Us in The ALMANAC • "Convenience" by W.S. Merwin • Listen to The Good Dirt "151. 'Lawns into Meadows' with Author Owen Wormser on Regenerative Agriculture" • "The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid" by Baron Wormser Connect with Baron Wormser: • Website: https://baronwormser.com/ • Books: https://baronwormser.com/books.html ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: • Our Website • Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram • Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC • Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
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    57 mins
  • Ancestral Food Ways in Family Life and Business with Christina Schindler of Modern Stone Age Kitchen

    Ancestral Food Ways in Family Life and Business with Christina Schindler of Modern Stone Age Kitchen
    Jan 3 2025
    Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 12/8/2023. We’re talking to Christina Schindler, who after spending 20 years in public education as a teacher and administrator, has embarked on a business venture with her family as the CEO of the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, a restaurant in Chestertown, MD that optimizes nutrition in modern foods through ancestral techniques–creating healthy food for the community. Christina also serves as President of the Eastern Shore Food Lab, a non-profit that is focused on creating a nourishing, ethical and sustainable food system through education, outreach and research. Most importantly, Christina is a mother of three busy teenagers and is married to Dr. Bill Schindler, author of Eat Like a Human. In this conversation, we’ll be talking about the extraordinary adventures of this enterprising family, from living and traveling abroad to serving their community through this very unique restaurant, and their work with the non-profit. We’ll hear about their food journey as a family, practical tips for healthy eating in a busy modern world with kids, their years long quest for gaining knowledge about ancestral foods–and how you can live in a suburban neighborhood and still accomplish things that most people would think you need to live on 20 acres to do. This is a wonderful conversation for anyone interested in embracing ultimate health through ancestral food ways –and a great story of how this family has brought it into the context of modern family life and business. Prepare to be inspired by the end of the episode to start eating like a human. Topics Discussed · Living & Traveling Abroad · Having a Family-Owned Community-Oriented Restaurant · Being a Former Educator · Cottage Food Operation · Commercial Food Production · The Sourdough Process · What It Means to Eat like a Human · Employing a Team of 25 · Food Processing Then & Now · Traveling Abroad with Family · The Origin of Maize (aka Corn) · Being a Former Vegetarian · Hunting as a Food Source · Food Education · Old Bay Seasoning & Pumpkin Spice · Raising 3 Teenagers: Fast Food, Snacks, and House Rules · The Nutritional Pressure of Feeding a Family · Living in Ireland · Kefir · Ancestral Nutrition Knowledge Episode Resources: • Join Us in The ALMANAC • Listen to the Discover Ag Podcast! • Read the Eat Like A Human Book • Learn More About Homemade Sourdough • Seed Oil Scout: Healthy Dining App • 12 Spoons - The Weston A. Price Foundation Connect with Christina: • Website: www.modernstoneagekitchen.com • IG @modernstoneagekitchen: https://www.instagram.com/modernstoneagekitchen/ • Eat Like a Human Website: https://eatlikeahuman.com/start-here/ • Eastern Shore Food Lab @esfoodlab: https://www.instagram.com/esfoodlab/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernstoneagekitchen ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: • Our Website • Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram • Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC • Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • 222. Intro to Slow Living | Part 4 | Reflecting on Slow Living: A Year-End Retrospective

    222. Intro to Slow Living | Part 4 | Reflecting on Slow Living: A Year-End Retrospective
    Dec 27 2024
    In this episode, Mary & Emma conclude their 'Intro to Slow Living' series by reflecting on the evolution of the slow living concept in their experience over the past eight years. They discuss the importance of intentionality, how slow living has transformed from a term to a mindset, and personal experiences with slow living in areas like fashion and daily choices. They announce a hiatus over the winter to rest and reassess their future direction, emphasizing the need for balance and space to let new ideas emerge organically. Mary and Emma encourage listeners to reflect on their own slow living journeys, and to share any feedback or suggestions while enjoying replays of past interviews. 00:00 Introduction and Series Recap 02:14 Reflections on Slow Living 03:43 Evolving Concepts of Slow Living 06:21 Sowing Seeds of Intention 10:49 Taking a Break and Future Plans 14:01 Personal Goals and Slow Living 24:07 Technology and Slow Living 28:40 Listener Engagement and Hiatus Details 33:15 Conclusion and New Year Wishes ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community Visit Our Website Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Lady Farmer 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray
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    37 mins
  • Gathering Light: Winter Solstice Reflections & Holiday Harmonies

    Gathering Light: Winter Solstice Reflections & Holiday Harmonies
    Dec 20 2024
    In this special episode, we're bringing back two cherished holiday-themed recordings from our archives. Whether it’s the miracle of light, the birth of a Holy Child, or the warmth of family traditions, December celebrations connect us to a shared human experience rooted in vulnerability to nature’s rhythms. First, in this excerpt from the December episode of Mary's Slow Living Through the Seasons series from 2023, Mary reflects on the winter solstice and its significance across cultures, exploring what we share with our ancestors during the darkest days of the year. Discover the deeper meaning behind festive traditions and how modern celebrations can sometimes pull us away from the natural cycle of the seasons. Then, we revisit a delightful musical performance from the Lady Farmer Archives. Recorded in Seneca, Maryland, in November 2020, this casual fireside set by the Missing Sister Band warms the soul with soulful harmonies. Topics Covered: The winter solstice as a universal human experience, excerpted from Slow Living Through the Seasons Yuletide reflections and our connection to ancient traditions The story behind holiday symbols like the wreath A soulful musical set featuring holiday-inspired covers Music Setlist: "White Flag" by Joseph "Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash "Strangers" by The Kinks "Baby Where You Are" by Ted Lucas "Dogs Laying Around Playing" by My Bubba "Long Time Traveller" by Sacred Harp Performed by the Missing Sister Band: Vocals: Anna Glenn, Charlotte Henderson, Shannon Beston (guitar), Caitlin Robinson, Emma Kingsley Guitar: Cameron Palmer Audio/Visuals: David Smith, Emma Kingsley, Mary Kingsley Editing: Emma Kingsley Tune in for an episode that celebrates the beauty of gathering, the wonder of the solstice, and the joy of shared music. Happy Holidays! 🎶✨ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: • Our Website • Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram • Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC • Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray
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    35 mins
  • 221. Seeds of Connection: The People Behind Pinetree Garden Seeds

    221. Seeds of Connection: The People Behind Pinetree Garden Seeds
    Dec 13 2024
    In today’s episode, we’re talking to Melissa and Jaci from Pinetree Garden Seeds, a family owned and operated business since 1979. Pinetree Garden Seeds was founded with the simple mission of offering low prices on quality seeds to the home gardener. Over the years offerings have expanded to include over 1300 varieties of seeds, including many heirlooms & organics, a huge assortment of tools and gardening gear, books, and live plants. Located in rural Maine, they operate out of a 300 year old farmhouse and strive to offer the best service and products with a personal touch. In 2011, the company was passed down from its founder, Dick Meiners, to his stepdaughter Melissa. She and her family are excited to continue the mission of supporting the home gardener by offering affordable, high quality seeds and goods. In this conversation we delve into the story of Pinetree Garden Seeds, the complexities of GMO's, heirloom seeds and the practices of the company. Melissa and Jaci share their passion for helping others succeed in gardening, emphasizing the simplicity and joy of growing food that promotes the health of humans and the planet. 🌿 Podcast listeners can use the code DIRTPGS20 for 20% their seed order at superseeds.com ! Topics Introduction to Pinetree Garden Seeds History of the company Seed Selection and Catalog Creation Work environment at Pinetree Seed Packing technology Seed Sourcing Gardening Practices and Trials Understanding the Safe Seed Pledge Understanding the types of seeds: heirloom, hybrid and GMO The value of heirloom seeds Seed longevity and germination The seasonal flow and Pinetree Garden Seeds The value of gardening in community and connection 03:20 Meet the Pine Tree Team 04:11 The History and Evolution of Pine Tree Seeds 05:53 Learning the Business of Seeds 08:47 The Art of Seed Catalogs 11:06 Gardening Experiments and Trials 17:49 Understanding Seed Types and Safety 20:31 Understanding GMO vs. Hybrid 22:15 Heirloom Seeds: Stories and Significance 25:00 Seed Longevity and Germination 28:38 A Day at Pine Tree Seeds 31:31 The Concept of Slow Living 34:29 The Good Dirt: Meaning and Metaphor 36:04 Final Thoughts and Contact Information 🌿 Podcast listeners can use the code DIRTPGS20 for 20% their seed order at superseeds.com ! ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: Subscribe to The ALMANAC, a Lady Farmer Newsletter & Community Visit Our Website Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 🌿 The Good Dirt Producers: • Wendy Gray
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    43 mins