Our Natural Life » Garden http://ournaturallife.com/blog Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:23:59 +0000 en hourly 1 Searching for accurate information and provocative discussions about living a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life? Join hosts Jon and Cathy Payne for informative interviews with local and national experts, authors, farmers, filmmakers, and chefs. A bimonthly podcast of varied length that focuses heavily on the principles of Weston A. Price Foundation, Slow Food, sustainable agriculture, and buying local food. Reported through the lens of the hosts lives in rural Georgia. Jon and Cathy Payne no Jon and Cathy Payne jppaynesr@gmail.com jppaynesr@gmail.com (Jon and Cathy Payne) © Alchemy New Media LLC - All Rights Reserved Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Weston A. Price, sustainability, sustainable food, holistic health, farming, organic, nutrient dense food, slow food, biodiversity, locavore, pastured meat, raw milk Our Natural Life » Garden http://ournaturallife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/itunes144x144.jpg http://ournaturallife.com/blog/category/garden/ TV-G Elberton, GA Monthly Georgia Organics Conference 2011 and Gearing up for Spring (ONL074 Podcast Show) http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:56:37 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=566 In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, their new rabbit barn, clicker training their English Shepherd dog, and building housing for a future intern and apprentice.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/feed/ 2 English Shepherds,Heritage Rabbits,Homesteading,Local Food In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, their new rabbit barn, clicker training their English Shepherd dog, and building housing for a future intern and apprentice. Last week I attended my fifth Georgia Organics Conference. I did not think I'd be able to budget for a trip to Savannah or have time to leave the farm. So imagine my surprise when I received an email from Georgia Organics saying that my registration was paid for and that I could stay in a host home for free! As a recipient of this year's Georgia Organics Farmer-to-Farmer mentoring program, I get these perks and mentoring from three fantastic farmers. Russ Green of Greendale Farm is helping me with the business of running a farm profitably. His farm is a showcase of sustainability and diversity, with his artisan cheese dairy, and "beyond organic" beef, lamb, pork, and egg production. Michael MacMullan of McMullan Family Farm is helping me with the use of organic fertilizers, cover crops, and growing produce. He is a fifth generation farmer. Finally, Mac Wade, fifth generation farmer working with his mother Tink of Tink's Grassfed Beef, is helping with pasture development and mineralization. I think this team is awesome! Each of the mentors has visited the farm and given me homework to do. And I thought that was behind me when I finished my doctoral program seven years ago! A highlight of the conference for me was a workshop titled, "Biodynamics is the New Organic" with Daron Joffe aka Farmer D of Farmer D Organics. Daron took a somewhat esoteric subject and made it so much more accessible to me. In order to have a sustainable farm there is a cycle of soil - plants - animals - compost. The first priority is to nurture the soil. I already have a small library of books on biodynamics and doubled it by the end of the conference. Time to crack the books! Friday afternoon I visited Hope Grows Farm in Sylvania, Georgia. This two year old, 5 acre farm produces chicken, eggs, pork, produce, and pecans. They have a unique CSA program. People pre-pay the amount they want to support the farm, then shop for the items they want in a mix-and-match program. The farm was started with a budget of only $300 and a lot of hard work. The farmers, Arianne and Elliott, are only 25 years old. Saturday I attended several workshops, the members meeting with a speech by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, and the Farmer's Feast. In the past, we've enjoyed keynote speakers at the Farmer's Feast including Joel Salatin and Michael Pollan. This year Vandana Shiva was on the docket. Unfortunately, a family emergency required her to be in India and there was no time to replace her on 24 hours notice. However, sharing dinner with my friends Tim and Lucy Heil, Jessica Lara, bottles of wine and delicious farm-to-table food was still quite a treat. Broad River Rabbitry is growing its heritage breed rabbits. We're building a rabbit barn to house our Silver Fox, Beveren, and now American rabbits. By the end of the summer we will add a fourth breed, Lilac. As we grow, my friend Krystal Beers and her husband Tom of Two Hunnyz Rabbitry have been a great resource. As owners of two English Shepherds, they've been a support with Cody as well. Jon and Cathy Payne no 52:54 ONL070 Neal Foley, Rennaisance Man http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl070-neal-foley-rennaisance-man/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl070-neal-foley-rennaisance-man/#comments Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:57:09 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=495 Neal Foley is a master of many skills. Although he once dreamed of veterinary school, an apprenticeship at a raw milk dairy inspired him to look at agriculture. He is now an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, media host, blogger, videographer, educator, butcher, food photographer, homesteader, and “accidental agrarian”. He has influenced and inspired me through [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl070-neal-foley-rennaisance-man/feed/ 2 English Shepherds,Gift Ideas,Homesteading,Lifestyle,Local Food Neal Foley is a master of many skills. Although he once dreamed of veterinary school, an apprenticeship at a raw milk dairy inspired him to look at agriculture. He is now an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, media host, blogger, videographer, educator, Neal Foley is a master of many skills. Although he once dreamed of veterinary school, an apprenticeship at a raw milk dairy inspired him to look at agriculture. He is now an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, media host, blogger, videographer, educator, butcher, food photographer, homesteader, and "accidental agrarian". He has influenced and inspired me through his various social networks and is always ready to give a word of encouragement when needed. We recently had an extensive conversation about his journey, farming, raising Silver Fox Rabbits, and English Shepherds. I first connected with Neal on twitter, where he tweets as Podchef. This led me to his podcast, The Podchef's Gastrocast, available on iTunes. The first episode I listened to was about raising rabbits. I remember coming home to Jon and asking him if we could keep a few in the basement or back yard. The more I learned about Neal, the more impressed and fascinated I became. So I was thrilled when we finally sat down in October and connected for an early morning interview. It was great because we learned more about how his background and what brought him back to the East coast and to Claddagh Farms. Neal embraces the Farm to Table concept as a producer of heritage breeds, processor/butcher, and "nose to tail" gourmet chef. His farm includes Jersey cows, pastured pigs, Silver Fox rabbits, English Shepherd dogs, and Roen ducks. He is also an accomplished gardener. With twenty years of experience, he generously shares his expertise through videos and workshops. For example, this week and in December he is hosting a two day Porkshop that will include slaughtering and processing a pig and making blood sausage, head cheese, pate, bacon, ham, and lard. Next week he hosts Duckfest, a chance to learn how to turn ducks into confit de canard, terrine de foie naturale, and le grande cassoulet. Neal shared with us that the fuel keeping him going is the dire state of our food system and his motivation to teach others to live, farm, and eat more sustainably. Letters from appreciative fans let him know that he is making an impact in people's lives. I steered much of the discussion in this show selfishly to the raising of Silver Fox rabbits. I first learned about this breed from Neal and am excited about the opportunity to help preserve this critically endangered heritage American breed. Rabbit meat, or lapin in French, is very high in protein. With correct cooking it can be very delicious with a rich depth of flavor and texture. With only 1/4 acre of space, a doe can produce about 120 pounds of meat in a year. If her daughters are also bred, the meat produced in a year with the meat produced by a steer in two year's time. The rabbit manure can be used to side dress garden vegetables, assist in vermiculture, make compost tea, or benefit vermiculture. In addition, produce from the garden can feed your rabbits, resulting in a harmonious cycle. Rabbits are easily dressed out at home. Parts not consumed such as entrails, heads and feet make healthy food for canine and feline companions. The pelts can be cured and made into bags and garments. Absolutely nothing is wasted. In the 1940s both my father and Jon's uncle raised rabbits along with victory gardens during World War II. We also discussed English Shepherds. Our clear sable and white ES puppy is now 3 months old and already demonstrating early skills in herding, hunting, and guarding, the three hallmarks of this landrace breed. We hope that Cody's conformation and temperament will make him eligible to contribute to the continuation of this rare and important American breed. You can find out more about Neal by following him on facebook, or at his blogs including The Gastrocast, Claddagh Farms & The Kitchen Garden Company, and The Accidental Agrarian. If you're looking for a unique holiday gift, consider purchasing the Gastrocast Cookbook. More Holiday Shopping Ideas: Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:21:21 ONL065 Putting up Field Fence with Howard Athas http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/onl065-putting-up-field-fence-with-howard-athas/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/onl065-putting-up-field-fence-with-howard-athas/#comments Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:47:17 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=417 In this episode we talk to Howard Athas, distributor sales manager of the Stay-Tuff Fence Company in New Braunfels, Texas. He spoke with us about how to properly install a quality field fence. In particular, he represents his company’s high tensile, fixed-knot fences. This is the kind we decided to erect on the perimeter of [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/09/onl065-putting-up-field-fence-with-howard-athas/feed/ 4 Homesteading,Lifestyle In this episode we talk to Howard Athas, distributor sales manager of the Stay-Tuff Fence Company in New Braunfels, Texas. He spoke with us about how to properly install a quality field fence. In particular, he represents his company's high tensile, In this episode we talk to Howard Athas, distributor sales manager of the Stay-Tuff Fence Company in New Braunfels, Texas. He spoke with us about how to properly install a quality field fence. In particular, he represents his company's high tensile, fixed-knot fences. This is the kind we decided to erect on the perimeter of our farm. Completing this fence was the first step toward adding livestock to our farm. Click on the link below to listen to the interview or download from iTunes, Zune, Stitcher, or Tivo. Who knew how important the topic of fencing was going to become to us? As a city dweller most of my life, my only experience with fencing was something to keep rabbits out of my garden and my dogs inside my yard. Those basic needs are the same on the farm - you need a fence around the perimeter that will keep predators out, and livestock in. How you achieve those goals is what makes it complicated. Every farmer we visited or asked had a different response. Many of them were not thrilled with the field fences they actually had on the farm and had experienced both losses from predators and the escape of animals. Since installing the fence was going to be a large expense of funds, labor, and time, I wanted to make sure that it was a good decision. However, since I had never done this and had varying advise, it was very difficult for me. We didn't even own any livestock to base a decision on. I was thinking about raising horned meat goats, though, and reasoned that any fence effective for that type of animal would be effective for any other livestock we may get. I joined a Yahoo Group for meat goats and asked about what kind of fences they used. I got a few responses, but more than one recommended the Stay-Tuff Goat-Tuff fence. When I checked out the website, I was intrigued with the heavy-duty look of the fence and reassured with charts that matched various fence models with their purpose on the farm. And they had local distributors. One was less than an hour's drive from us. When I contacted him, he offered to deliver our fence wire and posts at no charge! That was an offer too good to refuse. And the Stay-Tuff website included step by step instructions to assist in installation. Our UGA summer interns provided the manual labor to install our field fence. Once we knew what kind of fencing we would use, we needed to plan out our fence line and determine where to locate the gates and braces. It is always better to have more gates than less for easy access. We are actually using different kinds of fencing on the farm. The first, most essential in my opinion, is the perimeter fence. I have seen farms without a perimeter fence but they have problems with predators and must keep their animals in confined housing or portable fences only. The perimeter fence can be high tensile electric, barbed wire, woven wire hinged, or high tensile fixed knot. There are various spaces between the wires that keep animals from entering or escaping from your property. Cross-fencing is an interior fence within the perimeter or field fence that keeps animals within a designated part of your property. Its purpose is primarily to keep animals in. This can be a woven wire or portable electric wire or electric netting fence. Portable fencing wire with step in posts allows you to move animals frequently onto clean pasture to increase nutrition, prevent erosion, and minimize parasites. Creep fencing allows smaller animals to enter but keeps larger animals out. In the case of sheep, a creep feeder gate allows lambs to leave their mother and eat grass uncontaminated by their mother's parasites. In the case of chickens, it allows them to eat grower feed rather than a lower protein layer mash. We used portable poultry netting around the chicken coop when we first let our pullets on pasture so they could leave the pen to eat bugs but the big chickens could not enter and steal their food. Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:14:31 ONL057 OMG, We Bought the Farm! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:16:11 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/ Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, we are only hours away from a [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl057-omg-we-bought-the-farm/feed/ 6 413 Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, Once in a blue moon, something amazing happens that changes everything. Jon and I have been going through a lot of changes since our last recorded Podcast in November. As I write this on the eve of the last day of the first decade of the 21st Century, we are only hours away from a blue moon and lunar eclipse. While New Year's Eve is always a time for celebration, this one is especially dear for Jon and me, even in addition to celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary on January 1. Here is the teaser (with apologies for the cliches): our goose is cooked, we bought the farm, and I'm going out to pasture in June! Keep reading to find out more! You can listen to our Podcast by downloading ONL057 from iTunes, Zune, Tivo, or Stitcher or by clicking on the embedded link below. On October 9, 2009, Jon and I took a weekend to spend some quality time together. We stayed at Fair Havens Plantation, an historic Bed and Breakfast in rural Arnoldsville. This was in order to be close to Elberton on October 10 to attend Tim and Liz Young's Local Food Camp Out at Natures Harmony Farm. Relaxing in the country settings away from our everyday responsibilities prompted one of us to comment, "Wouldn't it be great to live out here and raise some of our own food?" Wind forward 11 1/2 weeks to December 30, 2009. Just a few days after enjoying our Christmas Eve goose we are proud owners of an 11 acre farm and historic farmhouse near the Broad River just a few miles down the road from Natures Harmony Farm. I've decided to retire from teaching at the end of my 33 year career this May, and will spend my time with pastured livestock on our new homestead! Of course, it all happened with lightning speed, changing from a fleeting comment to reality once we applied our skills of expressing gratitude, setting intention, scripting to manifest abundance, and accessing our inner guidance systems. Looking back one year (or even 3 months) we can see how powerful these tools were when we applied them to our lives. These are all topics which we have covered in past podcasts. Even though we never really discussed farming as a career alternative, it seemed like a natural progression due to where we've focused our energies the last two years. Jon is fortunate to work from home most of the time, so we'll both be working on the homestead. Yesterday after our closing we took our first truckload of items to the new house (Jon traded in his hybrid SUV for a Ford F150). The first item off the truck and put into our new home was my copy of Julia Child's The Way to Cook. After unloading the truck, I looked out the living room window to the south pasture and was amazed to find a covey of Bobwhite Quail grazing on our lawn! I've heard the call of the male Bobwhites before, but have never seen one because they are so reclusive. Here were at least 30! We also have deer, turtles, owls, and wild turkeys on the property. We'll be sprucing up our lovely home in Johns Creek soon to sell to a new family in a few months. I will start my retirement June 1 in our Elberton home. Once we hit the ground running this summer, we'll be blogging about our progress, what we learn, and sharing videos with you. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and Podcast so you don't miss a thing! If we're successful with growing our own pastured rabbits, chickens, eggs, goats, and sheep, we'll open a farm store to supply friends and community. If you want to see more photos of Broad River Pastures, go to our facebook page at Our Natural Life Podcast and look at our album, "Introducing Broad River Pastures." Jon and Cathy Payne no 24:08 ONL052 Preserving the Harvest Tips from Karen K. Brees http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl052-preserving-the-harvest-tips-from-karen-k-brees/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl052-preserving-the-harvest-tips-from-karen-k-brees/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:39:25 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=79 Karen K. Brees , Ph. D., author of The Complete Idiot’s Gude to Preserving Food is the subject of Cathy’s interview today. Her book is a great beginner’s reference on canning, freezing, pickling, and more. The Podcast interview can be played on the device below or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Stitcher.

Karen, a master [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl052-preserving-the-harvest-tips-from-karen-k-brees/feed/ 0 Karen K. Brees , Ph. D., author of The Complete Idiot's Gude to Preserving Food is the subject of Cathy's interview today. Her book is a great beginner's reference on canning, freezing, pickling, and more. The Podcast interview can be played on the dev... Karen K. Brees , Ph. D., author of The Complete Idiot's Gude to Preserving Food is the subject of Cathy's interview today. Her book is a great beginner's reference on canning, freezing, pickling, and more. The Podcast interview can be played on the device below or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Stitcher. Karen, a master food preserver, lives on a ranch in Idaho where she raises South African Boer goats (for meat) and vegetables. In spite of a small growing season, she manages to produce a large bounty of produce for her family. By preserving her harvest, she and her husband enjoy local, sustainable food year round. Food preservation techniques used to be handed down from mother to daughter, but many of these traditions have been lost over the last 40 years as modern, processed, convenient foods filled the supermarket shelves. With the recent interest in eating local foods, eating seasonally, and home gardening, there is an increased need to learn these skills once taught at home. Karen's book is a good beginner text that gives newbies the basics in a wide variety of skills including food safety, freezing, canning, pickling and fermenting, relishes, jams and jellies, drying, salting, smoking and root cellaring. Learning to preserve your sustainable, seasonal food can save you money, as well! I've used a couple of recipes from the book and they were easy to do from her clear directions. I put up 7 pints of Wilma's Bread and Butter Pickles using my own homegrown cucumbers. Karen describes these as "the best you will ever find," and I have to agree. They include 3 ingredients I haven't used in bread and butter pickles before. I've also put up a beef brisket from Natures Harmony Farm using her corned beef recipe. I've made this once before from a Julia Child recipe. I need to wait another three weeks to see how it stacks up, since the corning process takes 4 weeks. If I'm ever successful in growing more cabbage than our cabbage worms can eat, I'd like to try her sauerkraut recipe. One reason I've been hesitant to attempt this is insecurity about what might go wrong at each step. Karen includes a thorough troubleshooting section to address these concerns, detailing what to expect when things are going right and how to know when it has gone wrong. In the interview, Karen discusses some helpful tools and hints that are helpful to know. The supplies and gadgets she discusses can be found at our Amazon Store. Chapter 6 is devoted to the freezing of meat, poultry, seafood and game. This includes tips for wrapping, identifying cuts of meat, definitions, and more. We'd love to hear about your favorite techniques for preserving the harvest and your experiences with them. Leave comments below. Write in any questions you have for Karen. New Products Please check out our new products page to check out CDs from some of our popular interviews on sustainable food. We hope you will consider purchasing these for your self or as gifts to support our work for the sustainable food movement. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund We recently issued a Call to Action to demand clean, sustainable real food sources in your products. Current laws and regulations to not reflect the growing respect for sustainable family farms, according to the Weston A. Price Foundation's Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Check out their website to see all the hard work they are doing to help your local farmers. They need your support! Consider making a donation today. You'll be glad you did. Real Food Wednesday This blog is participating in Real Food Wednesday. Jon and Cathy Payne no 48:39 ONL049 Sustainable Farmer Lynn Pugh http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl049-sustainable-farmer-lynn-pugh/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl049-sustainable-farmer-lynn-pugh/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:43:54 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=82 In this Podcast we interview Lynn Pugh. She and her husband Chuck are proprietors of Cane Creek Farm in Forsyth County, Georgia. You can download the show on iTunes or Zune or listen from the website below.

We’ve been buying produce from Lynn and Chuck since we discovered their CSA through Local Harvest 3 [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl049-sustainable-farmer-lynn-pugh/feed/ 0 In this Podcast we interview Lynn Pugh. She and her husband Chuck are proprietors of Cane Creek Farm in Forsyth County, Georgia. You can download the show on iTunes or Zune or listen from the website below. - In this Podcast we interview Lynn Pugh. She and her husband Chuck are proprietors of Cane Creek Farm in Forsyth County, Georgia. You can download the show on iTunes or Zune or listen from the website below. We've been buying produce from Lynn and Chuck since we discovered their CSA through Local Harvest 3 seasons ago. When we first contacted them, we were put on a waiting list. However, one shareholder had toddler triplets. The trip to the farm along with three sets of car seats was just too much for the young family. We were able to buy out their share mid season, when produce was at its peak. It seems inconceivable now that we were uninformed about Community Supported Agriculture for so long, and we learned about it from a surprising source. My friend Tammy Billups told me about her favorite charity, Heifer International. It soon became our favorite charity, too. After donating to Heifer, we were subscribed to their wonderful journal, World Ark. World Ark is a wealth of information about sustainable food and how it can ease hunger world wide. It was one of their articles that informed me about CSAs and the Local Harvest website. World Ark also introduced us to Will Allen of Growing Power, the urban farmer in Milwaukee who raised our red wigglers. Lynn, a former science teacher, not only helps feed 75 families on 3 acres of her 17 acre farm, but is also the curriculum director for Georgia Organics, leads educational field trips of her farm, and teaches classes in organic farming methods. She strongly values the camaraderie of these activities, which involve sharing the work, sharing meals, and building community. I took one of Lynn's food preservation classes a couple summers ago and enjoyed the communal experience of working in the kitchen with several other women on July evening putting up tomato sauce using Barbara Kingolver's recipe from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. We are proud to feature sustainable farmers on our show because they are our heroes. We support them any way we can. Our favorite means of support, is of course, to enjoy their food on our plate three times a day! Lynn talks with us about how she became a farmer, her various activities, and the benefits of eating organically raised food. We hope you enjoy listening to it. Weston A. Price Membership Drive and 2009 Conference News Help Jon and me get to the Wise Traditions Conference November 13-15 and become a member today! We will earn one registration for each 15 people we recruit. Be sure to contact us and let us know that you listed us as your referral. We hope to meet many of you at the conference. Scholarships are also available. This year's conference them is "Honoring the Sacred Foods." To hear Sally Fallon Morrell, president talk about reasons for joining the foundation, go here. Become a Food Renegade. Vote with your dollars 3 times a day. Purchase your food from local farmers using sustainable methods. Prepare your food nutritiously at home. Eat real, nutritious food, not processed imitation substitutes. You will be rewarded with great taste, good nutrition, and radiant health. This post is an entry to Fight Back Friday on the Food Renegade website. Jon and Cathy Payne no 57:12 Rainwater Harvesting Slide Show http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/rainwater-harvesting-slide-show/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/rainwater-harvesting-slide-show/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 01:53:28 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/rainwater-harvesting-slide-show/ This is the very short slide show Jon made of how he built our rainwater collection system.

You can view it on the website or download it to your PC using the links below. To play it on your PC you might need Apple Quicktime (free) for either a PC or a MAC.

The diverter [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/rainwater-harvesting-slide-show/feed/ 0 This is the very short slide show Jon made of how he built our rainwater collection system. - You can view it on the website or download it to your PC using the links below. To play it on your PC you might need Apple Quicktime (free) for either a PC o... This is the very short slide show Jon made of how he built our rainwater collection system. You can view it on the website or download it to your PC using the links below. To play it on your PC you might need Apple Quicktime (free) for either a PC or a MAC. The diverter came from RainReserve.com The barrels came from Gutter Water LLC in Georgia You can use this link to find rain barrels in your area. See the ONL043 bog post and podcast for more details. //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no ONL043 Installing Rainbarrels to Harvest Rainwater http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl043-installing-rainbarrels-to-harvest-rainwater/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl043-installing-rainbarrels-to-harvest-rainwater/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 17:03:30 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=256

Rainwater harvesting has several benefits to the home gardener and to the environment. First, it conserves a valuable resource by avoiding the use of potable water for your landscape or garden. Second, it reduces storm water runoff pollution. Additionally, it helps consumers save money by reducing water bills. It may also be [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl043-installing-rainbarrels-to-harvest-rainwater/feed/ 0 Rainwater harvesting has several benefits to the home gardener and to the environment. First, it conserves a valuable resource by avoiding the use of potable water for your landscape or garden. Second, it reduces storm water runoff pollution. Rainwater harvesting has several benefits to the home gardener and to the environment. First, it conserves a valuable resource by avoiding the use of potable water for your landscape or garden. Second, it reduces storm water runoff pollution. Additionally, it helps consumers save money by reducing water bills. It may also be healthier for your plants. In podcast #43, Jon shares some tips he learned while setting up a rain barrel project in our back yard to supply water to our Square Foot Garden . Jon and Cathy discuss several websites related to rainwater harvesting. They also share some tips on how to get information from Our Natural Life from various social networking sites. While researching rainwater for collection for this show, we were surprised to find that collecting rainwater is illegal in Colorado and in Bolivia . This is because when you divert rainwater from collection by municipalities, you are "stealing" their rights to resell it to you as drinking water. When installing a rain barrel, you need to decide if you want an open system with rainwater entering an open, usually screened, lid, or a closed system that is sealed from outside contaminants. The closed system prevents breeding of mosquitoes. Jon bought our barrels from Gutter Water LLC , a company in Georgia that recycles barrels from the food industry. The 55 gallon barrels were only $20 apiece, and by grouping delivery with several friends we shared the $40 shipping cost. He painted the barrels a light tan to match our house and mounted them on cement blocks. He bought a diverter system to help us with our closed system from Rain Reserve . He was very happy with their quality and service. They also have a "Locate a Barrel" link on their site to help you find local sources. With all the rain we've had this week, we've already filled our barrels! Click here to view a slide show Jon made of how he built our system. You can also click here to view a video showing how Fine Gardening editor Danielle Sherry built a rain barrel similar to ours for under $50. Rain barrels can be very simple and functional, like ours, decorative and beautifu l, or quite extensive and costly. When you harvest the rain to water your plants, you become more aware of the need to conserve water at home. If you are planning on building a home, you may want to consider the inclusion of a graywater recycling system. Technical Updates: A Primer We love to stay in touch with our listeners and readers. We're making it easier for you to keep in touch with us at your preferred medium(s). Many of these are automatic if you subscribe. Subscribing is free! On the right side of our website you will see buttons to help you subscribe to the Our Natural Life podcast by iTunes, Zune, or Podcast Ready. You can click on the orange RSS icon to get it by RSS feed. You can fill in the "subscribe" information to get an email each time we post a new show or blog. Finally, you can click the facebook icon to "fan" us at Our Natural Life Podcast. Scroll down a bit further to our "What we're doing" section to view our twitter tweets. You can follow us on twitter as ONL2. We are passionate about sharing our knowledge and experiences and connecting with like-minded groups and individuals around the planet. We have invested many hours and dollars into our website and producing quality podcasts over the last 11 months. We greatly appreciate anything you can do to keep us going. If you shop by Amazon.com, please enter the store through our Go Shopping page icon to allow us an opportunity to earn credit from your purchases. We have several high quality affiliates that can also earn us a percentage from sales. You can also leave us a "tip" at our PayPal account. Thank you in advance for your support! Please contact us by leaving comments on the website, sending an email, leaving a voicemail, writing on our facebook fan page, or sending a direct tweet to ONL2. Personal Updates Jon and Cathy Payne no 39:41 ONL037 – Sustainable Food – Georgia Organics Conference http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:36:15 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/01/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/ We talk about the 2009 Georgia Organics Conference held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur Georgia. We discuss what we learned at the various breakout sessions, the famous person who sat with us, our new ‘livestock herd’, the great meals we ate, and highlights from Michael Pollan’s keynote address.

Show Links Slow Food USA High [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/03/onl037-sustainable-food-georgia-organics-conference/feed/ 0 We talk about the 2009 Georgia Organics Conference held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur Georgia. We discuss what we learned at the various breakout sessions, the famous person who sat with us, our new 'livestock herd', the great meals we ate, We talk about the 2009 Georgia Organics Conference held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur Georgia. We discuss what we learned at the various breakout sessions, the famous person who sat with us, our new 'livestock herd', the great meals we ate, and highlights from Michael Pollan's keynote address. Show Links Slow Food USA High Mowing Organic Seeds Seed sales are booming Watershed Media: Dan Imhoff Vermont Feed Farm to School Program White Oak Pastures Grass Fed Beef is Better Nature's Harmony Farm Lasagna Gardening Square Foot Gardening Gutter Water LLC - Products Growing Power The White House Blog - Spring Gardening Michael Pollan All New Square Foot Gardening Lasagna Gardening: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding! //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 51:04 Making Ketchup from our Surplus Harvest http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/making-ketchup-from-our-surplus-harvest/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/making-ketchup-from-our-surplus-harvest/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:19:24 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=117 Saturday morning July 26, we went to our CSA and got about 4 pounds of tomatoes. Half of them were the paste and Juliet variety. I needed to use them quickly and we had just completed our broadcast on fermentation, so I decided to make ketchup using the recipe on page 104 of Nourishing Traditions. [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/making-ketchup-from-our-surplus-harvest/feed/ 0 ONL003 – Anyone Can Grow Food at Home http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl003-anyone-can-grow-food-at-home/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl003-anyone-can-grow-food-at-home/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:17:12 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=116 ANYONE can grow food at home – this podcast introduces listeners to micro gardening, a way to utilize small spaces to grow vegetables at home, even if only on a patio or deck. We include a history lesson on Victory Gardens from WWI and WWII in this country, and the Dig for Victory campaign of [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/onl003-anyone-can-grow-food-at-home/feed/ 0 ANYONE can grow food at home - this podcast introduces listeners to micro gardening, a way to utilize small spaces to grow vegetables at home, even if only on a patio or deck. We include a history lesson on Victory Gardens from WWI and WWII in this cou... ANYONE can grow food at home - this podcast introduces listeners to micro gardening, a way to utilize small spaces to grow vegetables at home, even if only on a patio or deck. We include a history lesson on Victory Gardens from WWI and WWII in this country, and the Dig for Victory campaign of the UK in WWII. The new concept has been referred to as an Energy Garden, or E-Garden, as growing food at home is one way to reduce both trips to the grocery store and transportation of produce. We briefly introduce websites with videos that explore the ugly side of agribusiness. Micro gardening resources: Urban Gardening Help Wikipedia article on Urban Agriculture Square Foot Gardening ALL NEW Square Foot Gardening Other links we talked about: The Meatrix The World According to Monsanto - the film most American will not ever see. Other informative articles about Monsanto at Celsias.com. The Future of Food - Rent from Amazon Unbox The Future of Food DVD - Buy the DVD from Amazon Please watch these videos and email us with your reaction; we want to hear from you. Email us at ournaturallife@gmail.com. -end- Jon and Cathy Payne no 34:42 Getting Started with our Podcasts http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/getting-started-with-our-podcasts/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/getting-started-with-our-podcasts/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:13:36 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=114 We have finished program number 3 on the topic “ANYONE can Grow their own Food.” Show notes and links will be available soon. We also discussed some DVDs on the topic of farming methods that we found to be very profound. We would really like to hear from our listeners about their reactions and [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/07/getting-started-with-our-podcasts/feed/ 0