EP 440: Maximize Garden Yield Now: Food Forest Principles (Syntropic Agroforestry)

It’s incredible the difference between commercial and ancestral methods of cheesemaking. Join me for today’s podcast with author David Asher as we talk about what you need to know for natural cheesemaking at home. Plus, you won’t want to miss his tip on using sourdough starter to make a homemade cheese culture. You read that right, a sourdough starter! I can’t wait to give it a try.    For more information and any links mentioned in this episode (including where you can grab David’s books), visit https://melissaknorris.com/450. This podcast is sponsored by Azure Standard. For first-time Azure customers, you can get 15% off your first order of $100 or more by using coupon code "MELISSA15" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard  

You may not think of regenerative farming practices and skincare as topics that go hand-in-hand, but after this podcast you might! Not only can regenerative agriculture save the planet, but it can save your skin! Join me in this podcast interview with Charles Mayfield from Farrow Skincare to learn the long-lost secret to your best skincare.   For more information and any links mentioned in this episode (including where you can find out more about Farrow Skincare), visit https://melissaknorris.com/449. This podcast is sponsored by Azure Standard. For first-time Azure customers, you can get 15% off your first order of $100 or more by using coupon code "MELISSA15" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard

Most of us will experience times of uncertainty at some point in our lives. This uncertainty can turn into worry and/or anxiety if not properly processed. However, there are ways to control our emotions and let them work for us instead of against us.  Join me with today's podcast guest, Britnay Nelson for this episode of the Pioneering Today Podcast (episode #448) as we discuss how to turn worry into purpose. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/448. This podcast is sponsored by Pioneering Today Academy, a monthly membership to help you make your homesteading dreams a reality. Join over 1,600 members that are growing, canning, and building their way to healthier, more self-sufficient lives.

As summer rolls into fall it’s important for any homestead to walk through the checklist of things to do to be prepared for winter. The bonus of doing these tasks is that it sets you up for a great spring the following year. Join me as I walk you through everything we’ve been doing on our homestead. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/447. This podcast is sponsored by Azure Standard. For first-time Azure customers, you can get 15% off your first order of $100 or more by using coupon code "MELISSA15" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard

Our diets are more important than Western civilization gives them credit for. Everything from what we put into our bodies and how our digestive system handles that food to the effects of that food is often overlooked (or ignored). Join me with my guest, Heather Woodruff, as we discuss how to heal our guts based on what we put in our bodies. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/446. This podcast is sponsored by Azure Standard. For first-time Azure customers, you can get 15% off your first order of $100 or more by using coupon code "MELISSA15" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard

Sometimes more modern doesn’t mean better. For years, our ancestors raised, slaughtered and butchered animals for their families without the help of butchers. In this episode, my guest Andrea and I are discussing ways to get back to the old ways of butchering with a hybrid model that allows you more control of the cuts and costs less in the long run. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/445. This podcast is sponsored by Azure Standard. For first-time Azure customers, you can get 15% off your first order of $100 or more by using coupon code "MELISSA15" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard 

When it comes to eating the whole animal, our modern-day culture has fallen away from eating nose to tail. Sadly, some of the most nutrient-dense parts of the animal are in the cuts many people don't eat. If you've been wanting to give offal a try, this video interview is a must-watch. For more information, visit the blog post here: https://melissaknorris.com/444 Grab your Pluck Seasoning and be sure to use coupon code "MELISSAKNORRIS" at checkout for 15% off your order: https://melissaknorris.com/pluck-seasoning This podcast is sponsored by Azure Standard. For first-time Azure customers, you can get 15% off your first order of $100 or more by using coupon code "MELISSA15" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard

When raising cattle, the feed is the most expensive part! If you can grow your own feed in a pasture, you’ll be drastically cutting the cost of raising those cattle. For us, we purchased 40 acres of farmland two years ago and have been trying to rehabilitate the pasture grasses to help offset our feed bill. We knew we were battling thistle, but it turns out, the thistle wasn’t the problem, it was the only a symptom of a larger issue. Listen to this podcast episode with Karson Rippstein from Redmond Agriculture as he helps uncover the problems we’re facing in our pastures. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/443.

If you've been curious about getting a freeze-dryer, then this podcast is a must-listen because we're diving deep into everything you'd want to know about freeze-drying before bringing one home! Today's podcast (episode #442) is special for me because it's with my best friend, Carolyn Thomas of Homesteading Family. In this episode, we share the behind-the-scenes of our freeze-drying journies and share some of the mistakes we made along the way. Plus, Carolyn shares her seven must-do steps when freeze-drying for the best success every time. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/442. Grab Carolyn's book, Freeze Drying the Harvest. 

Today we’re learning how we can grow MORE food with LESS work by using food forests with my guest Takota Coen. This podcast includes information about what a food forest is, how they're restorative to nature, and how you can grow one no matter what climate or growing zone you're in. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/440.