The Forest Garden

Join us for an engaging conversation with Jonathan Carr on the topic of regenerative orchard practices and a variety of other topics on the podcast today. To quote the writing on one of the hard cider bottles I've got on top of my fridge... "Preservation Orchard is the home of Carr's Ciderhouse, where we practice regenerative agriculture and evolutionary orcharding-- low input silvopasture for carbon sequestration, no spray for avian and pollinator habitat, and traditional and experimental cultivars for pest & disease resistance." If any of these topics interest you, tune in today to learn about how Jonathan, his family, friends, and cooperative farmers are putting regenerative principles into practice in Western Massachusetts. Preservation Orchard Links: https://www.carrsciderhouse.com/ https://www.instagram.com/carrsciderhouse/ https://www.meadowfedlamb.com/ https://www.instagram.com/meadowfedlamb/ https://pioneervalleyapiaries.com/ Lotta Crabtree Fund: https://www.umass.edu/stockbridge/lotta-agricultural-fund ^And here's a UMass news article elaborating further. Tree crop varieties Jonathan name drops in the episode: Baldwin apple Virginia crab, Hughes crabapple Old Fashioned Limbertwig apple Grimes Golden apple Ralls Janet apple English Apples: Dabinette apple Kingston Black apple Yarlington Mill apple White Jersey apple Kokusu mulberry Imshu heartnut from Grimo's Nut Nursery P.S. this episode is a follow up of sorts to an interview we did with Matt Kaminsky a.k.a. Gnarly Pippins last year. Check out our "Feral Apples with Gnarly Pippins" episode if you haven't already.

Black Walnut in alley cropping systems is the topic of today's podcast episode. With a very special guest who you may have heard of. Join us to learn all about Ben's thesis research in a fun co-host interview that we've been meaning to record for many months now. This species is so much more than the juglone, get over it non believers! Don't forget to follow us on instagram @forestgardenpodcast First chapter of Ben's thesis (published): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-023-00909-0 Ben's thesis via Mizzou online archive: https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/handle/10355/91489 Ben's instagram and youtube: https://www.instagram.com/the.forest.gardener https://www.youtube.com/@theforestgardener4011 Other relevant links: https://centerforagroforestry.org/ Center for Agroforestry Youtube

Medlar is the topic of today's podcast episode! We've talked about this unusual and delicious fruit on the podcast in snippets here and there, but today it gets the attention it deserves. Join us for an in-depth interview with Jane Steward, author of Medlars: Growing and Cooking, on the fascinating history of the medlar, cultivation and harvest tips, and best ways to process or cook this fantastic fruit. Jane's business website: https://www.eastgatelarder.co.uk/ Jane recommends purchasing Medlars: Growing and Cooking from bookshop.org or from your local independent bookstore. Jane can be found on instagram at @eastgatelarder In this episode Jane name drops Scott Farm in Vermont and Hortus Gardens in NY. If you're interested in watching the country life Medlar cheese ASMR video that Mike mentioned in the episode, it can be found here.

Join us for a deep dive into the Hazelnut, a tree crop that has not been discussed enough on this podcast! Today we primarily talk about European hazelnuts (Corylus avellana) and hybrids (Corylus avellana x americana), and learn from Dr. Tom Molnar about the decades of germplasm collection, evaluation, and breeding research his lab has conducted at Rutgers University. In 2020, Rutgers released a handful of EFB resistant cultivars of european hazelnuts and a hybrid hazelnut called 'The Beast'. Tune in to learn all about them. We also discuss other hazelnut breeding programs in the U.S. involving both European and American hazelnuts, and how climate change may impact tree crop agriculture in the coming decades. Tom recommends contacting him via email if you are interested in growing hazelnuts released by Rutgers: Tom's Contact Page Tom also recommends checking out, and considering membership with, the Northern Nut Growers. To acquire hazelnut cultivars released by Rutgers, Tom recommends:Foggy Bottom Tree Farm Grimo Nut Nursery Z’s Nutty Ridge Burnt Ridge Nursery Topics covered in our discussion on climate adaptation related to Hazelnuts was inspired by the climate change chapter of the book Growing Hybrid Hazelnuts by Phil Rutter Listeners may be interested in learning more about the Oregon State University Hazelnut Research Program. The Badgersett Research Farm is also mentioned in this episode.

It's 2024 and we're back! Marie Viljoen is our first guest on season four of the podcast. Join us as we discuss some of the underutilized edibles featured in Marie's book Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild-Inspired Cuisine. Marie Recommends: https://integrationacres.com/ to find spicebush listed as "Appalachian Allspice" Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Wild Edible Plants as a fantastic resource for foraging information. Marie's Links: Forage, Harvest, Feast + 66 Square Feet (Books) https://www.instagram.com/marie_viljoen/ 66 Square Feet (Blog) Relevant literature regarding urban foraging and pollutants, particulates, etc: Food safety considerations of urban agroforestry systems grown in contaminated environments Particulate Matter Accumulation on Apples and Plums: Roads Do Not Represent the Greatest Threat

It's pawpaw season! So today we have a very timely episode for you all, an interview with Neal Peterson of Peterson Pawpaws. Neal has spent decades working with Asimina triloba, collecting fruits from orchards across the Eastern United States and improving the largest tree ripened fruit of North America into the seven named cultivars that we know so well today. Allegheny, Potomac, Rappahannock, Susquehanna, Shenandoah, Tallahatchie, Wabash...you may have heard of these cultivars, but do you know how they came to be? In this episode we take a deep dive into Neal's breeding work and learn about the selection process that lead to these improved fruits release into the nursery industry. We also discuss the growing requirements for pawpaw, the culture that has evolved around this species over the past half century, food allergy/annonacin content concerns, and much more. This is an episode not to be miss missed, stick with us. Peterson Pawpaws: https://www.petersonpawpaws.com/ Places to buy pawpaws in the northeast: Cricket Hill Garden - https://www.treepeony.com/ Broken Arrow - https://www.brokenarrownursery.com/ Logees - https://www.logees.com/ Perfect Circle - https://www.perfectcircle.farm/ Upcoming festivals (shoutout to Encygropedia for this epic list!): Ohio Pawpaw Festival: https://ohiopawpawfest.com/ Frederick Maryland Festival: https://ecologiadesign.com/paw-paw-festival-longcreek-homestead/ Powhattan, Virginia Festival: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/event?id=2023-05-24-17-33-29-969019-x6b Pawpaws at West Farm Nursery, Branchburg, NJ: https://nofanj.org/event/farm-tour-pawpaws-at-west-farm-nursery/ 1st Annual Pawpaw Festival, Louisville, KY: https://www.louisvillenaturecenter.org/upcoming-events/2023/7/27/first-annual-pawpaw-festival York County Pawpaw Festival, York, PA: https://hornfarmcenter.org/pawpawfest/ West Virginia Pawpaw Festival, Morgantown, WV: https://arboretum.wvu.edu/wv-pawpaw-festival Annonacin Content Research: Progressive supranuclear palsy and pawpaw - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7156197/ Annonacin and Squamocin Contents of Pawpaw - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32761515/ Annonacin in Asimina triloba fruit: implication for neurotoxicity - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22130466/

With the chestnut harvest season approaching, we have our annual chestnut themed episode today with a true living legend in the field of tree crops research, Dick Jaynes. On today’s episode we discuss Dick’s decades of research on hybrid chestnuts, specific cultivars that emerged from his breeding work, limitations to commercial chestnut growing, Nut Tree Culture in North America (the handbook he published with the Northern Nut Growers Association) and a variety of other related topics. If you are interested in reading some of Dick's published work, try searching google scholar or jstor for Richard A. Jaynes with keywords like chestnut or Castanea. Alternatively, you could try to hunt down a copy of Nut Tree Culture in North America. The book is out of print, but resellers are still circulating copies. Finally, if you join the Northern Nut Growers Association you can gain access to a massive pdf that is a digitized version of all of the NNGA annual reports, where Dick contributed for many years. Linked below are a few of his published articles that don't require a school or library login to view. Finally, check out Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, CT for all of your rare tree and plant needs! Links: Sample of published works: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CAES/DOCUMENTS/Publications/Bulletins/B657pdf.pdf https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7aatGd2WqCAC&oi=fnd&pg=PP5&dq=richard+a+jaynes&ots=x7yuqO5Agc&sig=eMyyQKlOoO9__UN7AO6xZUSZBno#v=onepage&q=richard%20a%20jaynes&f=false Lockwood Farm & Sleeping Giant Plantation: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CAES/DOCUMENTS/Biographies/Anagnostakis/LOCKWOOD-FARM-chestnuts.pdf https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CAES/DOCUMENTS/Biographies/Anagnostakis/PLANTATION.pdf https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CAES/DOCUMENTS/Biographies/Anagnostakis/Chestnut-Work-at-CAES.pdf Broken Arrow Nursery: https://www.brokenarrownursery.com/ https://www.instagram.com/brokenarrownursery/

Today's episode is all about the pomes! Tune in for our discussion with Matt Kaminsky, aka Gnarly Pippins, on the topic of wild/feral/seedling apples. Matt is a fruit explorer and orchardist who specializes in feral trees that kick it on the sides of highways, edges, and other forgotten places without any management from humans. Why are these trees important? Seedling apples and other pome fruits (like pears) that grow in these edge ecosystems are frequently much more resistant to the many pests and diseases that affect their cultivated cousins in commercial and organic orchards. The genetic diversity of these feral fruits is astounding. There is a movement of like minded fruit hunters who have started to champion these trees in recent years, and Matt is one of these folks. This episode cannot be missed! Check out the links below to learn more about the topics discussed in the episode. Acquire scion and grafted trees from: gnarlypippins.com Follow Matt on instagram: instagram.com/gnarlypippins Keep up with silvopasture work at: meadowfedlamb.com  instagram.com/meadowfedlamb Preservation Orchard + Carr’s Cider House: https://www.carrsciderhouse.com/ https://www.instagram.com/carrsciderhouse/ Pomological Exhibition: stay updated on gnarlypippins.com Pomological Series: https://gnarlypippins.com/product/pre-order-pomological-series-wild-apple-exhibition-vol-2/ William Mullin: https://www.instagram.com/Pomme_William/ Franklin County Cider Days: https://ciderdays.org/ Cummins Nursery: https://www.cumminsnursery.com/ Fedco Trees: https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/ Feral Seedling Apples Discussed Today:  I-95, discovered by Jack Kertesz: https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/i-95-apple-147 Old Fertile, discovered by Gnarly Pippins: https://fedcoseeds.com/trees/old-fertile-cider-apple-219 Gnar Gnar of New Philadelphia, submitted to Pomological Exhibition by Teddy Weber of Tin Hat Cider: https://www.tinhatcider.com/ Darth Maul, submitted to Pomological Series by Sam Exhibition of Quivering Twig Horticulture: https://www.quiveringtwig.com/

In today's episode we consider ourselves very lucky to be interviewing Ken Asmus of Oikos Tree Crops. A mail order plant nursery specializing in seedling populations of a wide range of edible plants including trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and tuber crops. Join us as we learn about the many selections that Ken has made over the past forty years. If you are interested in rare or unusual fruit and nut bearing trees, the idea of maintaining biological diversity through seedling populations, or beneficial interactions between intentional and volunteer plantings in a food forest context- don't miss this episode. Ken's links: https://oikostreecrops.com/ https://www.instagram.com/oikostreecrops/

Welcome back podcast listeners, today we have Nellie Ward & Alex Alvanos of the Boston Food Forest Coalition on the podcast. Boston Food Forest Coalition is a non profit organization that works to transform vacant lots across Boston into community orchards and edible parks. Nellie is a steward at the Eggleston Community Orchard in Jamaica Plain, and Alex is both a steward of the same orchard and the associate director of the organization. BFFC has a community land trust that they use to preserve their food forests to ensure they remain public in perpetuity. The organization works in partnership with community residents to create equitable green space for all, while taking into consideration regenerative practices. Tune in to learn all about it. Links from today's discussion: https://www.bostonfoodforest.org/ https://csld.edu/ (Conway School) https://www.offshootsinc.com/ http://landofplentyboston.com/ https://communityfoodforests.com/handbook/ https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/49351 (Joan Nassauer) https://blackskyblacksky.bandcamp.com/album/demo (Nellie's band) https://www.alexandthepeople.com/ (Alex's band)

You spoke up and we listened! Responding to a survey we put out earlier this year on our instagram page, which is @forestgardenpodcast, we decided to do an episode on ground covers in the forest garden. And who better to talk about this topic than the man who wrote the book on forest gardens in North America, Dave Jacke (with co-author Eric Toensmeier, who we have previously interviewed... and you should check out that episode too). Today's episode discusses ground covers, but also dips into a range of topics related to forest gardens and Dave's experience writing the book Edible Forest Gardens Volumes 1 & 2. Stick with us for an episode jam packed with useful info. Dave's links: https://www.edibleforestgardens.com/ contact: davekjacke@gmail.com Chelsea Green link to purchase the books: https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/edible-forest-gardens-2-volume-set/

Today's episode dives into the community fridge model, a concept that became common in the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic as more and more people in urban areas across america became food insecure. Join us today, as we learn about the origins of Fridgeport, the community fridge project based in Bridgeport, CT. Be sure to check out the links below, and consider making a peapod delivery donation to the fridge itself at the location listed here: Fridgeport address for donations: 219 James St, Bridgeport, CT 06604 https://bridgeportmutualaid.org/what-do-you-need-what-can-you-offer/ https://www.facebook.com/Fridgeport/ https://www.instagram.com/fridgeport/ https://www.instagram.com/fridgehaven/ https://www.instagram.com/fridgeford/

Today's episode is all about the winter harvest, and the reality of starting a farm in New England where land is not affordable. Tune in for our interview with Dakota Rudloff-Eastman of River Ridge Farm to learn about what the land acquisition process looks like for a new farmer trying to set their roots, leasing vs. owning, how four season farming with the double cover method works, which vegetables produced through this method do best at the market, advice for young farmers trying to get started, and much more. Find us on instagram @forestgardenpodcast and Dakota & Matt at the links below: https://www.riverridgefarmandmarket.com/ https://www.instagram.com/riverridgefarmct/ https://www.facebook.com/Riverridgefarmandmarket Starting a farm resources mentioned by Dakota: https://www.ctfarmlink.org/find-a-farm https://newenglandfarmlandfinder.org/new-england-farm-link-collaborative https://www.fsa.usda.gov/ https://www.farmcrediteast.com/ https://www.dirtpartners.com/ https://landforgood.org/ https://www.thecarrotproject.org/

How many of y'all have heard of the long root ale? Climate smart honey oats cereal? How about Kernza? The main ingredient in these products, and the perennial grain that has the potential to revolutionize our modern agricultural system. Tune in today for a deep dive into Kernza and the other perennialization projects taking place at the land institute. Tessa Peters fills us in on the history of perennial grain research in the U.S., what Kernza is, where it grows, what conditions it prefers, what hurdles perennial grains have to overcome in our current agricultural model, and much more. Don't touch that dial! Find our guest at @thelandinstutue and us on instagram at @forestgardenpodcast. Links: https://kernza.org/ https://landinstitute.org/

Join us for our discussion with Linh Aven, regenerative farmer and chef extraordinaire. Linh has a fascinating background in both molecular biology and gastronomy, which she applies to her current practice as a regenerative farmer. Today we learn about her story and how it brought her to forest farming in Nottingham, New Hampshire. In today's episode, we cover a wide variety of topics including the layout and design of Dandelion Forest Farm, what a csa box from the farm looks like, the agroforestry products Linh has been working on, Linh’s farm to table dinner series, and much more. You can find Linh on instagram and facebook at @dandelionforestfarm, and us on instagram at @forestgardenpodcast. Linh's links: https://www.dandelionforestfarm.com/ Links to topics discussed in the episode: https://route9cooperative.com/ https://www.regenerativedesigngroup.com/ http://www.twisted-tree.net/ (Akiva Silver) https://www.perfectcircle.farm/ (Buzz Ferver) https://www.eco59.com/ (CT local ecotype project) https://edgewood-nursery.com/ (Aaron Parker, local ecotype seed) https://www.riverhillsharvest.com/ (American Elderberry) https://www.facebook.com/BigRiverFriend/ (Big River Chestnuts, Jono Neiger) https://www.foragersharvest.com/store/p240/HickoryNutOil.html (Sam Thayer, hickory nut oil) https://www.yellowbud.farm/ (Jesse Marksohn + co., hickory nut oil) https://northeastpermaculture.org/ (PAN)

Welcome back podcast listeners! This episode is jam packed with information about fruit and nut trees. We consider ourselves very lucky to have Buzz Ferver of Perfect Circle Farm on the podcast today, sharing his wealth of knowledge with us. Tune in to learn about Buzz's backstory, his introduction to tree crops and regenerative systems, the history of tree crop selection in the early 20th century in North America, and much more. If you stick around until the end of the episode, we dive into specifics on several nut and fruit trees. It's really worth the listen! We hope you enjoy the episode, and remember you can always get in touch with us via a direct message on our instagram page @forestgardenpodcast.  Buzz's links: https://www.perfectcircle.farm/ https://nutgrowing.org/

Hey there podcast listeners. Today we have a very interesting interview for you with Henry Lappen, a member of the Cherry Hill Cohousing community based in Amherst, Massachusetts. Henry has been a part of this unique community in western Massachusetts for the past thirty years - ever since its establishment in the early 1990's. For those who aren't familiar, the cohousing model is a Danish concept that originated in the 1960's. If you're trying to imagine what cohousing looks like, think of an intentional community of private or semi-private homes laid out in a clustered design around shared communal spaces. Shared meals and shared work are an integral part of the model, and often these communities have many gardens or agricultural spaces integrated in the landscape. In this episode, we’ll learn all about the cohousing model, how the vast food forest at Cherry Hill came to be, and what day to day life is like at Cherry Hill. We'll also get some insight into how folks interested in establishing their own ecovillage or cohousing community can get started. Stick with us, and remember that if you have a question about the episode you can always reach us via a direct message on our instagram page @forestgardenpodcast.  Relevant Links: https://web.cohousing.com/ http://cohousing.org/

Welcome back podcast listeners. In todays episode we are continuing our series on overcoming winter gloom, with some forest garden (or forest garden-adjacent) streamable content. Tune in to hear about some of our favorite youtube channels. Our hope is that you'll discover something new! Maybe a channel that inspires you to try something different this coming spring, or teaches you something you didn't know, or maybe just satisfies your innate need to binge. This episode has something for everyone. Think we missed a notable channel? Let us know with a message to our instagram page @forestgardenpodcast.  Channels covered today: Weird Explorer, Jared Rydelek Business Insider: So Expensive - Food Growing Your Greens, John Kohler Those Plant People, Pippa Chapman + Andrew Chapman Kirsten Dirksen Green Dreams, Pete Kanaris Edible Acres, Sean Dembrosky The Forest Gardener, (our very own) Ben Bishop Andrew Millison Happen Films Exploring Alternatives Regenerative Films

Happy New Year podcast listeners, and welcome to season three of the podcast! We have a winter themed episode today featuring many documentaries that we have curated into a list separated by topic. Some of you may remember our interview with Lisa Fernandes from last season. In that interview Lisa mentioned how The Resilience Hub of Portland, Maine hosted movie nights to start building community around regenerative programming. That interview gave us an idea, if we were to make a master list of documentaries and films related to the topics we cover on the podcast - what exactly would that look like? Today's episode is our best attempt! We hope you enjoy the episode, and if there are any that you think we missed and are deserving of being included feel free to reach out to us on instagram @forestgardenpodcast Docs Featured in the Episode: Soil/Regenerative Ag: Kiss the Ground, 2020 (Netflix) Regreening the Desert John D Liu, 2012 (Youtube/Vimeo) Symphony of the Soil, 2012 (Youtube) Living Soil, 2018 (Youtube) Farming: The Biggest Little Farm, 2018 (Rotational Streaming) Fruit/Food The Fruit Hunters, 2012 (Youtube/Rotational Streaming) The Botany of Desire, 2009 (Prime/Rotational Streaming) Bees: The Pollinators, 2019 (Prime) More than Honey, 2012 (Plex/Rotational Streaming) Vanishing of the Bees, 2009 (Plex/Rotational Streaming) Climate/Water: Tomorrow, 2015 (Rotational Streaming/Direct Purchase) Last Call at the Oasis, 2011 (Rotational Streaming) Tapped, 2009 (Youtube/Rotational Streaming) Chasing Ice, 2012 (Rotational Streaming) Permaculture: Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective, 2015 (Direct Purchase Vimeo) Woodlanders Series, 2017 (Vimeo) Permaculture The Documentary: How it Started, 2020 (Youtube) Regenerative Films (Youtube) Mushrooms: Fantastic Fungi, 2019 (Netflix/Rotational Streaming) The Last Season, 2014 (iTunes) How To Change Your Mind, 2022 (Netflix)

It's December and winter is nearly here! For many of us, it probably feels like it has already started. Some might wonder what a plant nerd does in the cold winter months, at least for us - we start planning. What new trees are going in the ground in the spring, where will they be planted, and more importantly where will we get them from? Today's episode is meant to help with that last question. Tune in for our discussion on some of our favorite mail order nurseries that ship plants and plant materials across North America. An important note for listeners - the nurseries we cover in today's episode all have one thing in common, they're not massive businesses with immense staff. Plants they carry frequently sell out and ordering from some of them may not be possible at the time that this episode is released! Patience is always a virtue when trying to source hard to find specialty trees, shrubs, or perennials. Different plants or plant materials are often available at different times of year. In our experience a friendly email goes a long way, and often there's a mailing list you can sign up for to be notified when new plants are available. Be kind and you will be rewarded! We hope you enjoy the episode, and as always you can get in touch with us most easily by sending a friendly DM to us on instagram @forestgardenpodcast Links of nurseries covered in today's episode: Humble Abode Nursery, Ashfield, MA USDA Zone 5a: https://www.humbleabodenursery.com/ Hidden Springs Nursery, Cookeville, TN USDA Zone 6: http://www.hiddenspringsnursery.com/ England’s Nut Orchard, McKee, KY USDA Zone 6a: http://www.nuttrees.net/ Ozark Mountain Jewel, Gainesville, MO USDA Zone 6b: https://www.ozarkmountainjewel.com/ Norton Naturals, Tamworth, ON USDA Zone 5b: https://www.nortonnaturals.com/ Perfect Circle Farm, Barre, VT USDA Zone 4b: https://www.perfectcircle.farm Fruitwood Nursery, Humboldt County, CA USDA Zone 8: https://www.fruitwoodnursery.com/