

The Good Dirt: Sustainability Explained
Lady Farmer
Start living more sustainably. The Good Dirt podcast explores all aspects of a sustainable lifestyle with healthy soil as the touchpoint and metaphor for the healing of our relationship with the planet. Mother and daughter team Mary & Emma bring you weekly interviews with farmers, artists, authors, and leaders in the regenerative and sustainable living space.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 3, 2023 • 16min
Slow Living Through The Seasons | 03 | October
In this episode, Mary talks about her personal associations with the splendor of October, Planting By the Signs as the growing season wanes, the Zodiac signs and their rulership, growing garlic, preserving herbs and a chocolate cake with a surprise ingredient!Support this podcast and get your own downloadable planting by the moon calendar by becoming a member of The Good Dirt Supporters!Topics Discussed*:• Planting By The Signs: Part Three Blog• Of Time and the River by Thomas Wolfe• Halloween/Origins and Cultural Significance• Link to Halloween Bonus podcast episode (October '22)• The October Garden• Hunter's Moon• Garlic• Planting By the Signs/the Zodiac signs, their symbols and rulership• Harvesting and Preserving Herbs• Chocolate Beet Cake• How to Make Stevia Extract by Jill Winger from The Prairie HomesteadEpisode Resources*:• Raising With the Moon -- The Complete Guide to Gardening--and Living--by the Signs of the Moon by Taylor Reese and Jack Pyle• How to process and preserve fresh herbs - For Members of the Lady Farmer ALMANAC**Some of the linked articles will only be available to current members of The ALMANAC. If you are not currently a member and are interested in subscribing, check out this page for more information.Support this podcast and get your own downloadable planting by the moon calendar by becoming a member of The Good Dirt Supporters!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramJoin The Lady Farmer ALMANACEmail Mary at production@lady-farmer.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share a story about slow living through the seasons!
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Sep 29, 2023 • 46min
161. Non-Toxic Cleaning Products: Sustainable Ingredients in Product Manufacturing with David Watkins, Co-Founder of Dirty Labs
When it comes to reducing waste in our daily lives, there are several steps we can take, like curbing our consumerism, composting our food waste, and recycling. But what about our cleaning products? Have you ever thought about the impact of your laundry detergent or hand wash and what actually goes down the drain? If you're curious about cleaning up your own cleaning routine and learning about the ingredients in your household products you'll want to hear today's episode with David Watkins, the co-founder of Dirty Labs.David, an award-winning product designer and entrepreneur, has seen firsthand the staggering amount of manufacturing waste generated by consumer products. That's why he decided to start Dirty Labs, a company dedicated to providing eco-friendly alternatives to conventional cleaners and detergents. In this episode, Emma and Mary sit down with David, and he shares his insights on conscious consumerism and how working with Dirty Labs has influenced his own shopping habits.If you're curious about cleaning up your own cleaning routine and learning about the ingredients in your household products Tune in to this episode and discover how Dirty Labs is making a difference in the world of sustainable consumer goods.This episode is brought to you by Dirty Labs: Use code "TGD20" for 20% off your order!Topics Discussed• Petrochemicals & Harsh Synthetic Compounds• The Role of Chemistry in Environmentalism• The Origins of Dirty Labs • Cleaning Innovations Lab• Laundry, Laundry Sheets, and Tide Pods• Greenwashing• Incorporating Sustainability into Business Practices• The Perceived Value of Something• Why Use Silicone• Re-learning the Proper Quantity to Use• How Businesses Get Us to Consume More and More Product• California Prop 65 Chemical of Concern• Laundry Scents• Regional Ingredient Bans• 1, 4-DioxaneEpisode Resources:• Join Us in The ALMANAC Connect with David Watkins:• Website: https://dirtylabs.com/• About: https://dirtylabs.com/pages/about• IG @dirty_labs : https://www.instagram.com/dirty_labs/• Links: https://linktr.ee/dirty_labs/• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpwatkins/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 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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Sep 26, 2023 • 24min
BONUS: Let's Make Good Dirt!
The foundation of all life on the planet is the soil beneath our feet. But that soil isn't indestructible and if scientists are right, we may only have a few dozen harvests left before the good dirt is depleted. So what can we do? We're glad you asked. In this episode, Mary and Emma discuss how everyone can contribute to soil regeneration, even without access to a farm or garden. They explore various methods, including composting food waste, sourcing food from local growers, and adding organic matter to the soil. They also share tips on minimizing digging, leaving leaves to create natural mulch, and starting a worm bin to make the soil of your dreams. If you want to start cultivating with intention by taking small steps towards creating a healthier planet, this episode on The Good Dirt about the good dirt is sure to inspire you.Topics Discussed• Encouraging Kids to love good dirt.• Individual Responsibility• The Biology of Soil• Harvest Cycles• Soil Degradation & Regeneration• Limited Resource Depletion• Composting Your Food Waste• Local Food Sources• Intention, not Guilt• Good Dirt in Small Spaces• Herbicides and Pesticides• The Dealing with Raking Your Leaves• Leave Your Garden Alone in the Fall• Vermiculture• Actionable Steps to Take This SeasonEpisode Resources:• Only 60 Years of Farming Left if Soil Degradation Continues by Chris Arsenault in The Scientific American • Old Farmers Almanac: How To Compost At Home • Home composting resource and free composting consult• Find a Composter• Compost Manufacturing Alliance • Vermiculture Blog• The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil by Becca Dzombak in the Smithsonian Magazine━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 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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Sep 22, 2023 • 1h 3min
160. Sustainable Small Scale Homesteading with authors Michelle Bruhn and Stephanie Thurow
We often have this misconception about homesteading; that we need 40+ acres in order to start growing our own food. But that's not the case. There's so much we can do with where we are. Master Gardener Michelle Bruhn and Master Preserver Stephanie Thurow sought to change this mindset by co-authoring "Small-Scale Homesteading: A Sustainable Guide to Gardening, Keeping Chickens, Maple Sugaring, Preserving the Harvest, and More". Join the conversation as they cover a range of topics related to small scale homesteading, including the joy of preserving and growing food, finding balance in a busy schedule, and the importance of inspiring others. Emma and Mary also ask Michelle and Stephanie about their greatest challenges and joys in their work, making for a lively and informative conversation that will leave you feeling motivated to try your hand at homesteading, no matter how small your space may be.This episode is brought to you by Dirty Labs: Use code "TGD20" for 20% off your order!Topics Discussed• The Fall Equinox• Finding a Business Partner• From Online Connection to In-Person Collaboration• Pushing the Seasons• Chickens, Eggs, and Silver Maple Trees• Food Preservation• Feeding the Soil• Dealing with Foxes• Vertical Gardening in the Suburban Space• Hügelkultur Gardening and Lasagna Gardening• Working with Your Local Government• Yearning• Doing What You Can Where You're At• Why We All Need Community• Fostering Relationships with other Farmers• Farmer's Markets & Sourcing Products You Can't Grow On Your Own• The Lone Star Tick• Farm to School Food• Favorite Foods to Can• RaspberriesEpisode Resources:• Listen to The Good Dirt "Slow Living Through the Seasons | 02 | September"• Find Mary's Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe here• Join Us in The ALMANAC • "Small-Scale Homesteading: A Sustainable Guide to Gardening, Keeping Chickens, Maple Sugaring, Preserving the Harvest, and More" by Stephanie Thurow and Michelle Bruhn• "Weck Home Preserving: Made-From-Scratch Recipes for Water-Bath Canning, Fermenting, Pickling, and More" by Stephanie Thurow• "Freeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving 55 Fruits and Vegetables for Maximum Flavor and Versatility" by Crystal Schmidt• The Northern Gardener MagazineConnect with Michelle Bruhn:• Forks in the Dirt: https://forksinthedirt.com/• IG @forksinthedirt : https://www.instagram.com/ForksintheDirt/• Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/forksinthedirtConnect with Stephanie Thurow:• Minnesota from Scratch: https://minnesotafromscratch.com/• IG @minnesotafromscratch : https://www.instagram.com/minnesotafromscratch/• Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/MinnesotafromScratch━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 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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Sep 15, 2023 • 1h 12min
159. Creating the Life You Want: A Holistic Approach to Radiant Living with Andi Eaton Alleman of Oui, We Studio
Our guest today is Andi Eaton Alleman, Founder of Oui, We Studio, a platform dedicated to new school approaches to radiant living. She also hosts the top-ranked wellness podcast Your Woo Woo Best Friend, which features practical conversations for attainable transformation. Andi is known for her no nonsense approach to spiritual wellness and practical advice for living a high-vibe life. Her latest book, Elemental: Nature Inspired Rituals to Nourish Your Life is for wellness enthusiasts interested in disconnecting from the digital and reconnecting with the natural world for better health and inner peace. She’s also the Founder and Creative Director of the clean beauty brand Casa Noon.In this conversation, we discuss numerous topics, including some of the ideas in Andi's book about nature and ritual, Ayurveda, the practice of manifestation, the system of Human Design, and how to bring soul and spirit into our work. Tune in for a fresh and accessible approach to creating the life you want!This episode is brought to you by Dirty Labs: Use code "TGD20" for 20% off your order!Topics Discussed• Manifestation• Ayurveda & Ayurvedic Beauty Brand• Rituals• Astrology• Living with Intentionality• Disconnecting from the Digital World• The Difference Between Ritual and Habit• Believing in What is Meant for You• Detaching from the Outcome• Human Design• Defining a Manifesting Generator• Connecting to Your Intuition• The Incarnation Cross• Being a Conscious CEO• What Success Means• Breaking the Hustle Culture CycleEpisode Resources:• "Elemental: Nature-Inspired Rituals to Nourish Your Life" by Andi Eaton Alleman • The Artist's Way with Lady FarmerConnect with Andy Eaton Alleman:• "Oui, We" Website: https://www.ouiwegirl.com/• IG @ouiwestudio: https://www.instagram.com/ouiwestudio• IG @ouiwegirl: https://www.instagram.com/ouiwegirl/• TikTok @ouiwegirl: https://www.tiktok.com/@ouiwegirl• Listen to Your Woo Woo Best Friend: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-woo-woo-best-friend/id1555589799• Casa Noon Beaty @casanoonbeauty: https://www.instagram.com/casanoonbeauty/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 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.36:46
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Sep 8, 2023 • 1h 4min
158. Ecology and Textiles: Shopping Sustainably with Liv Olsen of "A Thrifty Notion"
Liv Olsen, owner of the secondhand fabric shop A Thrifty Notion in Ogden, Kansas, has a passion for textiles and ecology. She is on a mission to prevent deadstock and destashed fabrics from ending up in landfills, while promoting sustainability in the textile industry. In this episode, Emma, Mary, and Liv discuss the challenges of sourcing quality secondhand textiles, ways to promote mindful consumption, and the intersection of textiles and sustainability. Liv's message will inspire you to reconsider your own practices and adopt a more sustainable approach to your clothing.This episode is brought to you by Farmer’s Friend: Use code “good dirt” for $10 off your first order of Quick-Plant Fabric for the month of September. One use per customer. Offer valid exclusively for new customers, expires 10/1/23 at 12:00 am. Topics Discussed• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron• Creating an Online Business• Leaving Quilting for the Secondhand Store• Why Thrifting Has Risen in Popularity• Goodwill's Rising Prices• Checking Clothes for Plastic Content: The Burn Test• The Permanence of Plastics in Fabrics• Overconsumption & Abundance of Clothing• Growing Up in a Homestead• Each Generation Dealing with More and More Stuff• How Marketing Might Be the Potential Solution in America• Secondhand Quality Control• Tough Fabrics to Maintain• Balancing Sustainability with Running a Business• Funding the Creative Process• Cotton• Linen, Flax, and Hemp• Waiting Before ConsumingEpisode Resources:• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron• "The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living: Cultivating Sustainable Simplicity Close to Home" by Mary E. Kingsley • Crispina ffrench• Listen to The Good Dirt. "The Chico Flax Project"• Listen to The Good Dirt, "The PA Flax Project"• Mr. Money Mustache Connect with Liv Olsen:• A Thrifty Notion Website: https://athriftynotion.com/• Instagram @athriftynotion: https://www.instagram.com/athriftynotion/• Blog: https://athriftynotion.com/a/blog• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC__MBy85k6bHejXAl4NLNPA?sub_confirmation=1Statements 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.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramJoin The Lady Farmer ALMANACEmail 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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Sep 5, 2023 • 14min
Slow Living Through the Seasons | 02 | September
Welcome to September and Slow Living Through the Seasons! This is the month that we transition into fall. We'll talk how to embrace the last beautiful days of summer despite the marketing pressure for the upcoming autumn and winter season. Our Planting By the Signs segment will help you plan your fall garden activities, and as always we'll be sharing a couple of special recipes from our seasonal kitchen. Also we're discussing sweater weather, and some things to consider in keeping your cool weather wardrobe more sustainable.Support this podcast and get your own downloadable planting by the moon calendar by becoming a member of The Good Dirt Supporters!
Topics Discussed & Resources Mentioned*:Planting by the Signs: Part Two Blog on Lady Farmer WebsiteFind Mary's Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe hereFind Mary's Pimento Cheese Recipe hereFor Members of the Lady Farmer ALMANAC*Creating Fall Fragrances*Some of the linked articles will only be available to current members of The ALMANAC. If you are not currently a member and are interested in subscribing, check out this page for more information.Support this podcast and get your own downloadable planting by the moon calendar by becoming a member of The Good Dirt Supporters!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramJoin The Lady Farmer ALMANACEmail Mary at production@lady-farmer.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share a story about slow living through the seasons!
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Sep 1, 2023 • 1h 24min
157. A Conversation with Krista and Fia Arias of Tierra Soul Farm, a Ministry for Healing, Liberation and Cultural Repair
In this interview, the mother-daughter team Krista and Fia Arias join Emma and Mary to discuss the mission of Tierra Soul Farm in Magdalena, New Mexico, helping people and communities find well being, connection and belonging in an often confusing and complicated world. Tierra Soul Farm is an earth sanctuary, honey spa, artist hive, ministry for healing, liberation, and cultural repair. Krista Arias is a Myth Mender— an Earth Alchemist and the creator of the Lazy Lady Living program. Also, among other things, she is a nutritional therapist, restorative justice enthusiast, permaculture instructor, birth keeper, and death midwife.Fia Arias, 17 years old, is keeper of the farm animals, big sister, daughter and aspiring sustainable, regenerative, and connected farmer. Her specialty is dairy. In this conversation, Fia reflects on her work with the animals and her coming of age in the context of an atypical upbringing, while Krista shares her thoughts about the inherent spirituality of earth connection, permaculture, indigenous wisdom and ancestral healing.This episode is brought to you by Farmer's Friend: Use code "gooddirt" for $10 off your first order of Quick-Plant Fabric for the month of September. One use per customer. Offer valid exclusively for new customers, expires 10/1/23 at 12:00am.
Topics Discussed• Folklore Foods & Farming Program• Te Amo Member Cafe• Homesteading & Permaculture• Typical Teenager Life vs. Farm Life• Cultural Ethos to Raising Children• Indigenous & Mexican Practices• The Spiritual Dimension of Our Material Reality• Appropriation of Ceremony and Ritual• The Trauma of Colonization• Creative Revolutions from Plants• Remembering Our Bodies as a Part of Nature• GED, College, and Rites of Passage• Home Schooling• Reciprocity & Relationships• Specializing in Dairy & Cows vs. Goats• Myth Mending• The Soft Animal Course• Solace in Nature & AnimalsEpisode Resources:• Lazy Lady Living• Captain Fantastic Connect with Krista Arias:• Website: https://kristaarias.com/contact/• Follow @tierrasoulvillagefarm: https://www.instagram.com/tierrasoulvillagefarm/?hl=en• Tiera Soul Website: https://tierrasoul.com/• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TierraSoul━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 About Lady Farmer:Our WebsiteFollow @weareladyfarmer on InstagramJoin The Lady Farmer ALMANACEmail 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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Aug 29, 2023 • 24min
BONUS: Always Feeling Rushed? Three Practices for Experiencing More Time in Your Day
Do you feel like your time slips away from you? Do you feel overwhelmed by the tasks you have to complete during your day, like they're an insurmountable mountain you can't climb? You're not alone. We all feel this way at times. At The Good Dirt, we aim to educate and empower you, the consumer, to create the life you want and embrace slow living. In today's discussion, Mary and Emma will explore techniques to help you reframe your relationship with time and provide three practical tips for helping you experience more spaciousness in your day:Topics Discussed• What Time Actually Is• EOD or End-of-Day• The 21st Century Human's Relationship to Time• The Fixed Nature of a 24 Hour Day• Allowing Time• Changing Our Language Internally & Externally• The Making Meditation• Remember the Breath• Embrace Empty Space• Giving Your Kids Permission to Embrace Time• Overview of the 3 Practices: Allowing Time, The Making Meditation, Embrace Empty SpaceEpisode Resources:Leave Us a Voice Note at (443) 459-1950 to let us know how you will be implementing these techniques to help you take ownership of your time!━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 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.12:42
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Aug 25, 2023 • 56min
156. Pathways Toward an Ecological Civilization with Phillip Clayton of EcoCiv
As the climate crisis continues to escalate, viable solutions might seem more and more unattainable. Our guest is Philip Clayton, Co-Founder and President of the Institute for Ecological Civilization, talking about the great hope in on-the-ground solutions showing up all over the world that reflect the values of living in harmony with the earth. Philip describes EcoCiv as a place where "big ideas meet the local project." With his extensive background in academia, including a PhD from Yale University and guest professorships at top universities, he has refocused his efforts at the intersection of the environment and humanity, helping others in living ecologically and in ways that foster the thriving of our one and only planet earth. Philip provides three crucial steps that anyone can take to transform their habits and explores how each of us can affect positive change in a world that is increasingly in need of ecological solutions.Topics Discussed• The Institute for Ecological Civilization• The Climate Crisis• Finding a Piece of Earth• Reconciling Theology and Ecology• Our Home Ecosystem• Panentheism & Spirituality• Centering Nature over Humanity• Honoring the Sacred Aspect of Nature• The Anthropocene• How Humanity's Dominance Over Nature Shows Up In Our Day-to-Day• Transforming Our Habits• Promising Changes Happening Today• The Three Phrases to Help Anyone Get Started• Incremental Lifestyle ChoicesEpisode Resources• Listen to Our New Podcast "Slow Living Through the Seasons"• Listen to The Good Dirt "An Ecological Civilization for All with Andrew Schwartz of EcoCiv"• Visit The Lady Farmer Marketplace • The Ecociv Podcast.• "Is It Too Late?: A Theology of Ecology" by John B. Cobb• "The New Possible: Visions of Our World beyond Crisis" by Philip Clayton and Kelli M. Archie• This Changes Everything with Naomi Klein • "Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth" by David C. Korten • Kiss the Ground Film• Humanity as a Geologic Force with Michael Osborne of Generation Anthropocene• Greta Thunberg• Jainism• Deep Ecology• Religious Society of Friends.Connect with Philip Clayton:• Website: https://www.philipclayton.net/• Institute for Ecological Civilization: https://ecociv.org/member/clayton-philip/• Instagram @ecociv_: https://www.instagram.com/ecociv_/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🌻 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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