The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained

• 145. Reclaiming Our Food from Field to Kitchen with CSA Farmer Mo Moutoux of Moutoux Orchard

  Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired in June, 2023 Emma and Mary are back from Emma's wedding, and they are spreading the joy with The Good Dirt. This episode features Maureen "Mo" Moutoux of Moutoux Orchards in Purcellville, VA. Mo has a Masters Degree in Anthropology, and farms with her husband Rob Moutoux, a 3rd generation farmer at Moutoux Orchards. They currently live on the family farmland with their two children, continuing the over 50 year legacy of the Moutoux family. In 2011, they opened their first CSA program, growing vegetables for dozens of family members (including Mary's household), and it has continued to grow each year. Their mission is to feed wholesome and nutrient-dense farm food to their community, because good food comes from good dirt. Mo shares her journey to becoming a farmer and reclaiming food from field to kitchen. She also discusses what a CSA is, how it has evolved over the years to reduce waste while providing a living wage for her family and team members, and the benefits of eating locally for both nutritional value and the environment as a whole. Topics Discussed • Slow Living Consult • Journey to Becoming a Farmer • Anthropology & Farming • Creating a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Program • Investing in Your Local Farmers • Sustainable & Regenerative Growing Methods • How Systems Favor Multinational Corporations over Local Growers • Romanticization of Farm Life vs. Reality of Running an Farm • Commodity Farming vs. Sustainable Farming • Reclaiming Food from Field to Kitchen • The Food Offered in a CSA • The Exploitation Behind the Cost of Affordability at Supermarkets • Removing Guilt Around “Perfect” Sustainable Practices • Food and Livestock Throughout the Seasons • Reducing Waste in a CSA Program • Transparency of Cost  • Pesticides, Choosing Not to Be USDA Organic Certified, and Outsourcing For Specific Products  • Preservation of Soil Throughout Every Harvest • The Economics of Running a Farm • Knowing Your Food Comes From • A Farmer's Good Dirt • Social Justice & Farming • Maintaining Optimism as a Farmer  Episode Resources: • Mo's Interview with "Grounded Women: Stories of Women who Farm" • Moutoux Farm's Whole Diet CSA Membership • Rob and Mo's Story & the History of Moutoux Farm • Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan • Food, Inc. (2008) • Arcadia Center for Sustainable Agriculture • The Rodale Institute • Essex Farm • CSA Directory Connect with Maureen "Mo" Moutoux: • Website: https://www.moutouxorchard.com/ • Instagram: @moutouxorchard ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: • Our Website • Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram • Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC • Email us at [email protected] 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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• "Lawns into Meadows" with Author Owen Wormser on Regenerative Landscaping

  Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return next spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 7/21/23. Did you know that in this country, we have an area totaling the size of Washington State that is mowed lawns? Our guest is Owen Wormser, author of Lawns Into Meadows, who helps to weave people and the natural world back together through his work building regenerative landscapes. In this conversation, we discuss how meadows offer a compelling solution in a world where lawns have an enormous detrimental impact on our ecology and have wreaked havoc on our natural ecosystems. Owen was born and raised off the grid in rural Maine, surrounded by the natural world, with nature being his greatest teacher. Influenced by his study of horticulture, permaculture, organic agriculture, and ecology, Lawns Into Meadows is a how-to guide on growing your own wildflowers and native grasses. Owen offers approachable, simple steps for anyone and everyone to create sustainable and regenerative landscapes, starting with even a few square feet of land.  Topics Discussed • Connection to the Natural World • Building Low-Maintenance Ecologically Focused Landscapes • How Lawns Are Damaging the Planet • Growing Up in Rural Maine & Off the Grid • Living a Simple Life in a World We've Made Difficult • Convenience & Its Impact on Lifestyle • What Counts Toward a Life Full of Satisfaction, Abundance, and Fulfillment? • Applying Academic Knowledge to Real World Practice • Why We Want to Turn Laws into Meadows • What Makes a Meadow a Meadow • Dealing with Home Owner Associations • Humans are Traditionalist • Lawns & Status • Steps to Start & Maintain a Meadow • What to Plant in a Meadow • The Lifelong Learning Process of Healing the Earth • How Stillness Sustains Us • Plants as Our Birthright Episode Resources: •If You Stop Mowing This May, Will Your Lawn Become a Meadow? •Owen Wormser Massachusetts Department of Higher Education •Lawns Into Meadows: Growing a Regenerative Landscape by Owen Wormser •Lawns Into Meadows, 2nd Edition: Growing a Regenerative Landscape by Owen Wormser •The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living Off the Grid by Baron Wormser •The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Bobbie's Meadow Museum •Listen to The Good Dirt "The Urgent Need for Restorative Gardening with Mary Reynolds" •Listen to The Good Dirt "Seeking the Wisdom of the Earth with Maria Rodale, author of Love, Nature, Magic: Shamanic Journeys into the Heart of My Garden" Connect with Owen Wormser: • Website: Abound Design https://abounddesign.com/ • Instagram: @lawns_into_meadows ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: •Our Website •Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram •Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC •Email us at [email protected] 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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• 130. It Starts in the Kitchen: Sustainable Living with Anne-Marie Bonneau of Zero Waste Chef

  Mary & Emma are on a brief hiatus and plan to return in the spring. Please enjoy this episode that was originally aired on 2/24/23. Our guest today is someone who began her plastic-free journey in her kitchen, and has now become the renowned Zero Waste Chef, Anne-Marie Bonneau! Starting as a Zero Plastic Chef, she took the next step in her sustainability journey and became the Zero Waste Chef working towards producing zero waste in her own kitchen and inspiring others to do the same. She talks about how to shop differently, buy differently, and cook differently to reduce waste in the kitchen! Topics Discussed: Hugelkultur Anne Marie’s transition to plastic free Beginning tips for zero waste Zero Waste as a goal Anne Marie’s rhythm with food prep Fighting Food waste The idea of convenience contributing to waste Zero waste can be simple The attention economy informs our perception of what we can do Thneeds (from The Lorax by Dr. Suess) The Good Ancestor Is there hope for conscious consumerism?  Greta Thunberg The slow food movement began in Italy Alton Brown baked beans Connect with Anne-Marie Bonneau Instagram: @zerowastechef Website Anne-Marie's Book, The Zero Waste Chef 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 [email protected] 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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• The History and Folklore of Brigid: Saint, Legend and Lady Farmer with Kathy Spaar | Episode 27 Reprise

  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 [email protected] 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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• Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth with Asia Suler, Author of "Mirrors in the Earth"

  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 [email protected] 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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