Root Simple Podcast
169 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 41 ratingsA podcast about vegetable gardening, food preservation, home economics and DIY living. Hosted by Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne, authors of The Urban Homestead and Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post Consumer World.
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Episodes
138 Erics Gone Wild
July 03, 2020 17:36 - 25.4 MBOn episode 138 of the Root Simple podcast we brain dump with Eric Rochow, a.k.a. “East Coast Eric” of Garden Fork TV about concrete work, bears in the garden, plywood boat building and storm windows. Eric has been a frequent guest on the Root Simple Podcast and is back to fill us in on what […]
137 Corona Crisis With Johnny of Granola Shotgun
March 30, 2020 21:12Johnny Sanphillippo of the blog Granola Shotgun dropped by the Root Simple podcast today to talk about a lifestyle that’s proving useful in our troubled times. I decided to put this podcast out quickly so please excuse the less than ideal audio on my end. During our conversation we discuss Johnny’s most recent blog post, […]
136 Garden Fundamentals with Robert Pavlis
December 11, 2019 20:43On this 136th episode of the Root Simple podcast we talk to author and gardening expert Robert Pavlis about how to improve your soil, how to start seedlings in the winter, how to take care of houseplants and much more. Robert Pavlis lives on 6 acres of land that he has developed into a large […]
135 Larry Korn: Rest in Revolution
November 20, 2019 16:56Root Simple reader Pat just informed me of the passing of Larry Korn, who was a guest on our podcast in October of 2015. Larry was probably best known as the translator of Masanobu Fukuoka’s One Straw Revolution but that underestimates what he did in his life. Larry, almost single highhandedly, is responsible for bringing […]
134 Eric of Garden Fork on Mental Decluttering, Washing Machine Repair and More!
October 02, 2019 14:00On the 134th episode of the podcast we talk to DIYer, YouTuber and podcaster Eric Rochow of Garden Fork TV on some eclectic DIY notions and projects including why he’s quitting beekeeping, mental decluttering, washing machine repair, print making and more.ing, Watch Garden Fork on Youtube and subscribe to the Garden Fork Podcast. You can […]
133 Trees of Power with Akiva Silver
September 18, 2019 14:00On this 133rd episode of the Root Simple podcast Kelly and I talk to Akiva Silver of Twisted Tree Farm, described in his author bio as a “homestead, nut orchard and nursery located in Spencer, New York where he grows around 20,000 trees a year using practices that go beyond organic.” Akiva’s background is in […]
132 Legalize It! A Conversation with Beekeeper Max Wong
August 09, 2019 16:10On this bee-centric episode of the podcast I talk with fellow “backwards” beekeeper Max Wong, in front of a live audience at a meeting of the Long Beach Beekeepers, about her techniques as well as her role in the successful efforts to legalize beekeeping in Santa Monica and Los Angeles. During the podcast Max mentions: […]
131 Learning to Smell the Roses with Kendra Gaeta
June 05, 2019 20:44On this episode of the root simple podcast I talk to Kendra Gaeta about something you probably don’t think about too much–your sense of smell. As usual with the podcast, I have a bad habit of turning off the recorder too soon. After I recorded this interview with Kendra, who is a board member of […]
Pollinators and Power
June 03, 2019 16:12 - 101 MBBeekeeper and activist Terry Oxford has a great new podcast called Pollinators and Power. The premiere episode features Professor Dave Goulson of Sussex University. Goulson is the founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and author of many books on native pollinators including A Sting in the Tale, A Buzz in the Meadow, Bee Quest and […]
130 Farm Unfixed with Jessica Rath
May 23, 2019 00:37In her work artist Jessica Rath examines, as she puts it, “how human containment of the land effects non-human species from the propagation of agricultural plants to the sensoria of bees.” She is on the faculty of the Art Center College of Design and her previous projects include works about apple breeding, co-evolutionary communication between […]
129 The Garden Is the Teacher: a Conversation With EagleSong
May 08, 2019 17:49Our guest on this episode of the podcast is EagleSong Gardener. From her bio: EagleSong is human being, green witch, herbalist and crofter dedicated to deep transformation on an individual and planetary scale. She tends the Spiral Garden at the Pacific Wise Woman Center in Monroe, WA and inspires the Pacific Women’s Herbal Conference on […]
Root Simple Podcast on Spotify
May 03, 2019 15:14You can now listen to the Root Simple Podcast on Spotify. Meaning, I guess, that you can hear us babble in between your carefully curated yacht rock and Jacques Derrida inspired hantological playlists. A new episode of the Root Simple Podcast featuring herbalist EagleSong Gardener will be “dropping,” as the kids say, next week. Thank […]
Making Mistakes and an Update
April 12, 2019 15:48A big thanks to Erik Volkman who let me know that I had accidentally re-released episode 127 of the podcast (an interview with Fr. Mark Kowalewski on apocalyptic thinking) instead of episode 128 (an interview with James Heard and Ashton Hamm of UXO Architects). I’ve fixed the problem but due to the kludgy way that […]
128 Flipping the Future of Architecture
April 10, 2019 14:55A few weeks ago I retweeted an article about a nightmarish Victorian house flip that touched off a minor architectural tweet storm. That prompted an email from James Heard and Ashton Hamm of UXO Architects who had some opinions about this flip and about architecture and city design in general. So I asked them to […]
Who Would You Like to Hear on the Podcast?
January 09, 2019 17:05If I had to assign a letter grade for my ability to email, schedule and book guests for the podcast I’d have give myself a big “F.” Which is why, dear readers and listeners, you have not had a Root Simple podcast in a few months. I’m hoping to have some more time to address […]
127 Apocalypse Now with Father Mark Kowalewski
November 16, 2018 16:31This podcast conversation with Fr. Mark Kowalewski, dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Los Angeles, needs a longer introduction than usual because it might, at first, seem off-topic. But I think it’s safe to say that within the DNA of the urban homesteading, permaculture and ecological movements is a concern with how the world […]
126 The Wild Yards Project with David Newsom
October 18, 2018 05:32On the podcast this week Kelly and I talk to David Newsom about his Wild Yards Project. The goal of the Wild Yards Project is “to give you the inspiration and resources to re-wild your yard and to help others around you to do the same. 10,000 Species a Year Lost. 40 Million Acres of […]
125 Green Burials with the Green Reaper Elizabeth Fournier
October 04, 2018 17:01This week on the podcast Kelly and I talk to undertaker, funeral home owner and author of The Green Burial Guidebook Elizabeth Fournier. Elizabeth, known affectionately as the “Green Reaper,” owns and operates Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon (we’re not making that up). She serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council. […]
124 Adam Brock on Forming Nurtured Networks
September 05, 2018 14:46When I wrote a post lamenting the difficulties of forming and sustaining groups I got an email from Adam Brock, author of Change Here Now, a book which uses architect Christopher Alexander idea of a “pattern language” to find solutions to the many challenges in front of us. A large section of the book develops […]
123 Beekeeping Mistakes I Have Made
August 08, 2018 15:53On the podcast this week is a recording of a talk I gave to the Long Beach Beekeepers on Sunday August 5th 2018. Several times you’ll hear me refer to the “Backwards Beekeepers.” The Backwards Beekeepers were a group in Los Angeles that promoted a radical style of natural beekeeping. The group’s mentor was Kirk […]
Who’s Gonna Care?
August 01, 2018 15:15In lieu of a Root Simple podcast today (it’s just too hot in our editing room) I’m going to point you to Douglas Rushkoff’s always engaging Team Human Podcast. You should listen to them all but I want to especially commend an episode featuring Palak Shah, Social Innovations Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance […]
122 Artist, Gardener and Activist Renee Garner
July 18, 2018 14:00There’s a struggle in cities, around the world, to make streets safer for everyone, especially our children and elders. One hundred years of car-centric planning has created cities and suburbs that are ugly and dangerous. Renee Garner is fighting a plan to turn the road in front of her home in Matthews, North Carolina into […]
121 Beekeeping, Fireworks, Solar Power and Extending Wi-Fi with Will of the Weekend Homestead
July 04, 2018 14:00Will of the Weekend Homestead returns to the Root Simple podcast to talk about how to get into beekeeping without busting the bank, fireworks, rigging up a simple solar power system and extending your wi-fi. During the podcast we discuss: Inexpensive beekeeping. Fireworks. Will’s small solar system. Will on the Garden Fork Podcast discussing his […]
120 Inhabiting Suburbia with Johnny Sanphillippo
June 20, 2018 18:19On this episode of the root simple podcast I speak with Johnny Sanphillippo about the opportunities and challenges of inhabiting suburbia. Johnny asks some provocative questions in our discussion and on his blog Granola Shotgun. Can we make old communities better? How do we deal with the housing affordability crisis? What does the future hold […]
How to Put Together a Small Scale Solar System
June 14, 2018 04:26How can you use solar panels to power a few lights, run a fountain or charge some tools? It seems like a simple question, and yet I can’t tell you how many books/magazines/websites I’ve combed through in search of a basic tutorial for anything less than wiring up a whole house. Now I know how […]
119 A Chat With the Gardenerd
June 06, 2018 18:08Christy “Garden Nerd” Wilhelmi dropped by the Root Simple compound to talk to Kelly and I about everything from loquats to bees to climate change. You can find her blog posts, podcast, YouTube at Gardenerd.com. She is the author of two books, Gardening for Geeks: DIY Tests, Gadgets, and Techniques That Utilize Microbiology, Mathematics, and […]
118 Eric of Garden Fork on Old Houses, Queen Bees and Ramps
May 23, 2018 17:17On this week’s episode of the podcast Eric Rochow of Garden Fork returns to talk about the struggle of owning an old house, raising queen bees and the over harvesting of ramps. During the show Eric mentions: His live question and answer session Will of the Weekend Homestead New York City water tower video Raising […]
117 Raw Milk with David Gumpert
April 25, 2018 18:36On this episode of the podcast (much delated due to home construction projects) we talk to journalist and author David Gumpert about the controversies surrounding raw milk. David was a staff reporter with The Wall Street Journal and a small business editor of the Harvard Business Review. He was also a senior editor of Inc. David is […]
116 Being the Change with Peter Kalmus
March 07, 2018 15:00On this episode of the root simple podcast Kelly and I speak with climate scientist Peter Kalmus, author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution. Peter was a guest on episode 39, but we thought we’d bring him back because much has changed in climate science and, spoiler, it’s pretty scary. […]
115 Inventing a New Word: Apisoir
January 31, 2018 15:00Wine writer Micheal Alberty was thinking of a way to promote the “terroir” of local honey so, naturally, he coined a new word, “apisoir.” Find out what happened when he tried to get this word into Wikipedia as well as the reasons he thinks we should support local honey. You heard it first on Root […]
Practical, Positive and Peaceable
January 03, 2018 17:53[Editors note 2022: I’ve come to see Eisenstein’s thinking as deeply flawed listen to this podcast for what I agree are many of the problems with his work. I also have come to see the problems with my own posts here. Sometimes you have to fight. Sometimes you have to be cranky. To not fight […]
114 Will of The Weekend Homestead on Fire Safety
December 13, 2017 20:08On the podcast this week I talk to Will of the The Weekend Homestead about fire safety and life on his rural Wisconsin getaway. Will is a former firefighter and avid YouTuber and reached out to me to respond to a post I did on open floor plans and fires. During the podcast we talk […]
113 Open Floor Plans and Dog Sports
November 29, 2017 20:57On the Root Simple Podcast this week, Kelly and I discuss fire safety problems caused by open floor plans and modern materials and Kelly shares her favorite dog sports (picture above is of our Saluki Ivan in front of a neighbor’s non-open floor plan house). During the podcast we refer to our open floor plan […]
Free Resources at the Public Library on Garden Fork Radio
November 15, 2017 18:17At the risk of becoming the “president of an excuse factory” let’s just say that home remodeling has interfered with podcast guest booking. While there’s no Root Simple podcast this week, should you want to hear me blabbing you can head over to Garden Fork Radio. On the latest episode I talk to host Eric […]
112 Eric of Garden Fork on Glazing, Concrete Anchors and Mouse Traps
October 25, 2017 19:25On this episode Eric of Garden Fork returns to the podcast to drop some opinions on window glazing, concrete anchors, mouse traps and Harbor Freight. Our fix-it rap includes: How to apply window glazing putty This Old House on triple track windows Eric’s concrete anchor video Hammer Drill (mine is a corded Makita model) Eric’s […]
Team Human
October 18, 2017 15:47There will be no podcast this week due to the fact that I’ve spent too much time glazing windows and too little time booking guests. Rest assured that you can look forward to future Root Simple Podcast episodes involving topics as varied as climate science, lard and rum. If you are glazing windows today and […]
111 Cardoons, Medlars and Hipster Toilets
October 04, 2017 19:22On the podcast this week, Kelly and I read and respond to listener questions and comments about cardoons, medlars and Toto’s Eco Promenade toilet! Here’s some links to the topics we rap about: What’s a Saluki? Los Angeles Bread Bakers (sign up for an invite to the monthly pizza party) Our 2010 post on cardoons. […]
110 A Report from the 2017 National Heirloom Expo
September 20, 2017 14:00On the podcast this week are three interviews I recorded at the 7th annual National Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa, California in the first week of September 2017. The organizers of the expo, Baker Creek Seeds, hold a press conference in the midst of the fair and that gave me the chance to talk to […]
109 Doubt is Our Product: Bees, Chemicals and Academia
September 06, 2017 14:00How do chemical companies influence university scientists? Who pays for research? Why did the California State Beekeeping Association oppose legislation that would have required labeling neonicotinoid treated nursery plants? These are just a few of the controversial questions covered in this week’s episode of the podcast. My guests are Stacy Malkan co-director of US Right to […]
More on Federico Tobon
August 28, 2017 15:44I had a great time last week interviewing the always creative and ever resourceful Federico Tobon for the podcast. Federico put up a blog post going into more detail on some of the things we talked about during the podcast, specifically the type of CNC router he uses (the ShapeOko 2 ), his social media […]
108 Artist/Maker Federico Tobon
August 23, 2017 17:36Update: Federico wrote up a blog post showing some of the things we talked about. Our guest this week on the Root Simple Podcast is artist Federico Tobon of WolfCat Workshop. We talk about a lot of things including Federico’s art, adventures in extreme “makerdom,” sharpening tools, knots and even how to train cats! This […]
107 Urban Beekeeping with Terry Oxford
August 09, 2017 16:13Terry Oxford is a rooftop beekeeper in San Francisco. On this episode of the podcast we discuss her natural beekeeping methods and her efforts to stop the use of systemic neonicotinoid pesticides such as Imidacloprid. Terry’s website is Urban Bee San Francisco. We get into a lot of topics including: Keeping bees on rooftops in […]
106 Opposable Thumbs
July 26, 2017 14:55This week on the Root Simple Podcast we’re featuring the first half hour of another podcast we think you should subscribe to: Opposable Thumbs. Hosts Taylor Hokanson and Rob Ray interview a guest each week who issues a creative challenge to the next guest on the podcast. Think of it as kind of a maker […]
105 GardenNerd’s Tips for Organic Gardening Success
July 12, 2017 18:44Our guest on this episode is “GardenNerd” Christy Wilhelmi, previously heard on episode 19 of the podcast, who returns this week to discuss her new ebook 400 Plus Tips for Organic Gardening Success. As you might guess we touch on a lot of topics and tips including: Monarch VR CropSwap Time Banking Homestead Hamlet Repair […]
104 Erin Schanen the Impatient Gardener
June 28, 2017 14:00On the podcast this week we talk to garden blogger Erin Schanen, the Impatient Gardener. Erin lives in a small cottage in Southeastern Wisconsin. During the show we discuss some of Erin’s recent blog posts and other subjects including: Gardening mistakes. Dealing with creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) and other weeds. Remodeling a cottage. Erin’s day […]
103 Ugly Little Greens with Mia Wasilevich
June 14, 2017 14:00Our guest this week is chef and forager Mia Wasilevich. Mia is the founder of Transitional Gastronomy and teaches culinary workshops, wild-food identification and food styling. She was a featured consultant on “Master Chef” and “Top Chef.” She is also the author of a brand new book, “Ugly Little Greens: Gourmet Dishes Crafted from Foraged […]
102 Beekeeping Controversies With Susan Rudnicki
May 31, 2017 18:06Behind the headlines about bee die-offs is an untold story about the methods of conventional beekeeping. There is a sharp divide between mainstream beekeepers and natural beekeepers. In this episode we delve deep into the controversies over how bees are managed with beekeeper Susan Rudnicki. We recorded this episode in front of a live audience […]
The Fertile Ground of Bewliderment
May 29, 2017 16:40[Editors note 2022: I’ve come to see Eisenstein’s thinking as deeply flawed listen to this podcast for what I agree are many of the problems with his work] It’s Memorial Day in the U.S. which means that most of our domestic readers are probably not reading Root Simple blog posts. For those few of you […]
101 Eric Interviews Erik
May 18, 2017 00:45Between Kelly’s aortic dissection and my mom’s passing it’s been a difficult few months here at Root Simple. Eric Rochow of Garden Fork noticed that I haven’t put out a podcast episode in a long time and offered to interview me. So, on episode 101, you’ll hear Eric interviewing Erik about Root Simple, our books […]
100 Eric Rochow of Garden Fork on Maple Syrup, Welding and Cast Iron
March 15, 2017 14:00On this, the 100th episode of the Root Simple podcast we talk with Garden Fork impresario Eric Rochow about his adventures in maple syrup making, learning how to weld and the controversial topic of maintaining cast iron. During the show we touch on a lot of things including: Eric’s file cabinet evaporator Eric’s evaporator upgrades […]