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26 Episodes 2010 - 2010
Episode 1
Sat, May 15, 2010
ECHO - Educational Concern for Hunger Organization - uses the power of agriculture on a global scale to reduce hunger and improve lives. ECHO helps those who are just one failed crop away from starvation. These garden heroes study difficult growing environments and develop some surprising solutions...
Episode 2
Sat, May 22, 2010
All across our planet, people are doing more than ever to create greener spaces. And that's especially true in Florida, where water runoff can create serious problems. From businesses and theme parks like Disney to hotels like Celebration, that's part of the Florida Green Lodging program, they're all doing more than ever to help the environment. And that's true for homeowners too. And while many homeowners understand the value of gardening in an eco-friendly manner, many of us need guidance on how to do it properly. Every day, we unwittingly make bad choices for the environment when we are simply trying to beautify our landscapes. Something as simple as choosing the right plant-for-the-right-place can greatly reduce the impact we have on the earth. In this episode Joe and Patti touch on some of the most common mistakes we all make, most of the time without realizing it. They offer practical, simple tips for gardening in a more earth&-friendly way as they help one homeowner begin a sustainable landscaping project.
Episode 3
Sat, May 29, 2010
Creating an eco-friendly garden at home is catching on all around the country as we strive to create more sustainable outdoor spaces. But for many of us, it's still an ongoing process as we work with our existing landscape. For these two homeowners, it was their mission the moment they moved into their home, over 10 years ago! We spend time with these professional horticultural experts to learn more about what they did, and what they do now, to create and maintain the most sustainable environment possible. Their background in horticulture runs deep and so does their dedication to environmental stewardship. We'll review the remarkable transformation of their small central FL yard into a beautiful oasis.
Episode 4
Sat, Jun 5, 2010
Today we visit Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. Patti gets a tour of the edible landscape and Nathan creates a special dish with one of Patti's favorite finds in the garden.
Episode 5
Sat, Jun 12, 2010
In 1993, Growing Power was an organization with teens that needed a place to work. Will Allen (a 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellow) was a farmer with land. Allen designed a program that offered teens an opportunity to work at his store and renovate the greenhouses to grow food for their community along with the farming methods and educational programs that are now the hallmark of the non-profit organization. What started as a simple partnership to change the landscape of the north side of Milwaukee, has blossomed into a national nonprofit organization and land trust with a global commitment to sustainable food systems. Spinach is a popular crop at Growing Power and Chef Nathan shows how easy it is to make a flavorful, marinated flank steak and spinach salad.
Episode 6
Wed, Jun 16, 2010
Healthy plants start with healthy soil and the single best amendment you can add to any soil is compost. It's full of the primary nutrients your plants need, along with beneficial microorganisms no manufactured product can provide. In addition, compost takes yard waste and kitchen scraps that might otherwise be destined for a landfill and keeps them at home, where they become black gold for your garden. This episode demonstrates to the viewer that it is neither difficult nor expensive to make compost in your own backyard. And root crops thrive in compost-rich soil so Chef Nathan creates a roast beet salad with sweet, caramelized walnuts.
Episode 7
Sat, Jun 26, 2010
Backyard urban beekeeping is becoming more popular than ever. Due in part to a mysterious die off of many of the hives, known as Colony Collapse Disorder. With high demand for fresh, local honey, combined with the important role bees play in a healthy garden, more people are setting up backyard hives than ever before. On this episode, we follow one such Seattle beekeeper to see what all the buzz is about and we learn how to attract these hard working pollinators to our own gardens. Chef Nathan visits a local chef to see how he uses honey as a culinary inspiration.
Episode 8
Sat, Jul 3, 2010
The Edible Schoolyard is a shining example of how a garden can be used as an outdoor classroom, utilizing all of the children's senses to bring book-learning to life. This public middle school classroom uses a natural setting to teach every aspect of its core curriculum (math, science, language arts, social studies, nutrition awareness, etc.). Students learn about the full garden cycle, from planting seeds to harvesting and returning any waste back to the earth through composting. They also learn to cook with what they grow by preparing and eating meals that tie into their humanities classes. Viewers will discover how even small aspects of such a program can be incorporated into their own communities. Chef Nathan creates a healthy and kid-friendly snack made of ginger-maple glazed carrots and a radish-mint salad.
Episode 9
Sat, Jul 10, 2010
Fetzer winery has won numerous awards for its commitment to the environment. Fetzer not only produces wines in a very sustainable, responsible way, but also shares its knowledge openly with others in the industry in the hopes of shifting them to more environmental practices. The winery's goal is to create wines that are as good for the earth as they are on the palate, setting a fine example of what can be done at a corporate level, as well as what we can do in our own gardens to make a difference. Using wine as his culinary accessory, Chef Nathan cooks ups a delicious risotto with thyme braised mushrooms.
Episode 10
Sat, Jul 17, 2010
Episode 11
Sat, Jul 24, 2010
Episode 12
Sun, Jan 31, 2010
Episode 13
Sat, Jul 31, 2010
Do you ever wonder what happens to all those plastic pots we put in the trash or enthusiastically send to the recycling center after installing the plants contained in them?
Episode 14
Sat, Aug 7, 2010
Episode 15
Sat, Aug 21, 2010
Episode 16
Sat, Aug 28, 2010
Episode 17
Sat, Sep 4, 2010
Episode 18
Sat, Sep 11, 2010
More than ten years ago a city block in the Kensington area was the site of an abandoned galvanized steel plant and an EPA brownfields project (see below) that the neighborhood had given up on. But not Mary. Beginning the experimental transformation she was growing lettuce hydroponically (growing plants in a water and nutrient solution without soil) for her clients; high-end local restaurants in need of fresh, organic produce. But the one attribute she prides herself on is her ability to change.
Episode 19
Sat, Sep 18, 2010
Joe visits with California native, Nan Sterman, to see how she manages her garden in order to preserve this precious resource. Gardener extraordinaire, designer, sought after speaker and award winning author, Nan focuses on water-wise approaches to creating beautiful gardens. She is also the host of 'A Growing Passion' on television.
Episode 20
Sat, Sep 25, 2010
CSA's or Community Supported Agriculture have become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from the farmer. These farms operate by offering a preloaded bag or box of fresh produce, sometimes picked just hours before, to the public each year for a monthly fee. Nestled in the Hopewell Valley area of central New Jersey, Honey Brook Organic Farm is one of the nation's largest CSA farms. Jim Kinsel and Sherry Dudas, owners and husband and wife, run the Pennington farm. These two have combined their love of community and organic farming to grow over 60 types of crops and 350 varieties, including many unusual and heirloom vegetables.
Episode 21
Sat, Oct 2, 2010
Like a perfect storm, elements have come together to foster an increased interest in community gardening. That's why we hear the term more and more lately. Whether you just want to grow flowers or provide fresh food for your family, community gardens provide many more benefits than just the tangible ones. Joe travels to Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio to speak with Bobby Wilson, President of the American Community Gardening Association. ACGA was founded just over 30 years ago to provide technical assistance to individuals and groups that have a desire and the means to grow fresh vegetables. Their website is chock full of information for anyone seeking to find a community garden in their area or to begin the process of creating one.
Episode 22
Sat, Oct 9, 2010
Considering that urban sprawl is wiping out much of the available green space in our cities, we only have to look up for solutions. Rooftop gardens offer numerous opportunities to replenish much of what has been destroyed. Today Joe and Patti visit Chicago's famous City Hall rooftop garden. Although a welcome respite among concrete and steel, rooftop gardens offer so much more and it is one of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Joe and Commissioner McKenna discuss the benefits of the Chicago City Hall rooftop garden Air quality is positively affected Atop the eleven-story structure and amidst the 20,000 square foot garden, Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner, Department of the Environment for the City of Chicago discusses Mayor Daly's vision with Joe. Long concerned about the environment and inspired by a trip to Germany, Mayor Richard Daley championed an example he wanted emulated throughout the city. Although not an inexpensive undertaking the benefits are many.
Episode 23
Sat, Oct 16, 2010
Joe and Patti travel to rural Pennsylvania to the Rodale Institute, the cradle of organic gardening in America. Founded in 1941, by visionary J. I. Rodale, and nurtured by four generations of the Rodale family, today the Institute resides on a 333-acre farm. Rodale Press has evolved into the largest multi-media company dedicated to restoring a healthy planet and continues to pioneer the organic movement through research and it's books and magazines. Rodale's flagship publication "Organic Gardening" (1942) still enjoys a robust following today.
Episode 24
Sat, Oct 23, 2010
Don't be so eager to reach for the pesticide spray at the first sight of a bug in your garden. Why? In reality only about 3% of the insect population actually does any kind of harm to our plants. That leaves 97% percent that are actually good bugs or just neutral. Joe gets a first-hand look at how the horticultural community is embracing biological controls. Suzanne Wainwright-Evans blends her degrees in environmental horticulture and entomology, into a unique skill as an "ornamental entomologist" specializing in Integrated Pest Management establishing that there is a safer way to treat pest problems. Her company, Bug Lady Consulting, specializes in controlling pests within the green industry; specifically greenhouses and nurseries.
Episode 25
Sat, Oct 30, 2010
Joe and Patti visit Jefferson's Charlottesville home, Monticello, to speak with the undisputed authority on Thomas Jefferson's gardening practices, Peter Hatch. He is the Director of Gardens and Grounds for the Monticello estate. The 1,000-foot kitchen garden at Monticello, is legendary for the variety and scale of its vegetable production. Growing more than 330 vegetables and 170 varieties of fruit, many of the procedures and practices Jefferson observed and recorded are still in use today as sustainable organic gardening methods.
Episode 26
Sat, Nov 6, 2010
Although widely popularized in WWII Victory Gardens had their roots in WWI. Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith, a historian and nationally recognized expert on Victory Gardens and wartime food policies discusses the subtle differences. Initially called "Liberty Gardens" in WWI they were promoted at home, schools and at work as a way to secure the national food supply. Americans were encouraged to grow more fruits and vegetables locally as a way to reduce food miles so that trains could move troops and materials instead. Additionally this freed up agricultural products that could be shipped to our allies in Europe. This call to patriotism served to unify a diverse population under one goal of assuring allied victory.