My Favorite Podcasts

I only recently got turned onto podcasts. This is partly because when I got a new iPhone at Thanksgiving I splurged and got the one with more memory. Before, it was difficult to have enough room for pictures, a couple of apps and something like podcasts. Now I'm all set! And with my slightly longer commute, I really enjoy something besides the commercial-heavy Nashville radio stations. I also found I really like to listen to them while gardening. Mine are mostly farming/homesteading/cooking focused, but with a surprise thrown in at the end!


So here's a roundup of my favorite podcasts:

The Beginning Farmer is hosted by Ethan Book, a small meat farmer in Iowa. I'm like an armchair farmer. I love to read about it, the challenges, the successes, the different types of animals, the work that truly goes into making a life as a farmer. And Ethan still has an off-farm job. His podcast is funny and approachable. I'm not sure I have a favorite episode, as it's a weekly detailing of life on the farm.




Homesteady is hosted by Austin Martin. His podcast is somewhat new to me, but I like his style. Each podcast is focused on a different topic, like keeping chickens or breaking homemade bread. He also does these "Campfire" episodes that are focused on storytelling and so far that's been my favorite, it's the episode titled "Pioneers." The podcast is really well done (editing, music, etc.) I would suggest it for anyone remotely interested in homesteading.




I've listened to a few of the Living Homegrown podcast, which is fairly new, there are only a few episodes out. Theresa is seriously knowledgeable and I've looking forward to learning more about the hobbies I already enjoy, like gardening and canning. My favorite episode so far is episode 1 "Why Bother with Canning?" Her passion for this hobby comes through clearly and I heard myself in her words, especially that first hot summer in Chicago that I taught myself to can.



Spilled Milk is the podcast I've been listening to the longest. Hosted by Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton, it's 15-20 minutes focused on one food or dish. The latest one I listened to (while vacuuming!) was on soy sauce. I learned that Kroger soy sauce is the absolute worse ever, and apparently I don't even know what I'm missing. I'll be picking up a name brand in the future. They're funny and irreverent and half the episodes get an "explicit" rating because they make dirty jokes about green beans and dissolve into giggles.


Oh my goodness, Gravy. Gravy is the podcast produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance and if I could only recommend one podcast, this might take the cake. (Or the biscuits?) Gravy comes out biweekly with a story from the South that intertwines with food. My favorite episode might be the most recent- a reporter goes to her family home of Natchez, MS, which used to be a large community of Southern Jewish families that has since died out. It's eyeopening and funny but also sad, a way of life that is almost entirely lost. Every single episode is spectacular.


Ok, and here's the wildcard! My college roommate who just came to visit turned me onto this one. I've only listened to two episodes and I'm holding off on the others to save them for our beach road trip.


Disney Story Origins. Yup. It's an absolute pleasure to listen to, these are longform journalism in podcast form (we're talking an hour plus in length). I've listened to the Pocahontas and Sleeping Beauty episodes. In both cases the history and background stories were well researched. The host is funny and sarcastic, the perfect foil for all that Disney goodness. If you like Disney movies, I would highly recommend this one.






I've got a few more I'm just getting into: NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, the Growing Farms Podcast, WesleyCast (hello dorky Methodist!), but I haven't listened to those enough to really recommend them. Over the next couple weeks I'll be saving all my new episodes, and going through back episodes, for road trip material.