The Coop

Homestead Living

Educational and inspirational conversations with the homesteaders who are at the forefront of the modern homesteading movement.

  1. 4 HR AGO

    Ep 14: Lisa Steele on Gardening with Chickens … Symbiotic Systems That Actually Work

    Lisa Steele returned to her fifth-generation roots after Wall Street, launching Fresh Eggs Daily in 2009 to share natural, herb-based poultry care the old-timer way. Her book Gardening with Chickens showed that flocks and gardens can thrive together: chickens debug, fertilize, and till; gardens supply greens, bugs, and scraps.  Ten years on, the updated 10th anniversary edition (https://homesteadliving.com/gardening-with-chickens) adds refined systems, small-space hacks, and lessons from a decade more dirt-under-nails experience. The message is clear: build a symbiotic relationship that supports both your hens and your plants. Cut your feed bill, raise healthier birds, and grow better food (even on a small plot of land). Learn how herbs can support your flock, how to prevent your chickens from destroying your plants, and how to harness the power of your garden and your chickens to improve the health and outputs of both. If you want practical harmony between hens and plants, this is it. In this episode, Anna and Lisa cover: Lisa’s journey from Wall Street back to her rural rootsWhy she chooses natural herbs over chemicals for keeping her flock healthySafe plants vs. toxic ones for chickensHow chickens can help manage compost, weeds, and garden pests Timing free-range access to optimize your garden while protecting your main-season cropsChicken tractors, tunnels, and wing clipping: real-world pros and consDecorating the coop for joy (curtains, herbs, and aesthetics for form and function)Lessons learned from more than a decade of gardening with chickensA sneak peek into Lisa’s updated 10th anniversary edition of her book Gardening with Chickens

    1h 9m
  2. 29 JAN

    Ep 13: Sally Fallon Morrell on The Timeless Wisdom of Real Food

    Thirty years ago, Sally Fallon Morell dared to challenge the low-fat gospel. Her book Nourishing Traditions wasn’t born from theory. It came from a mother’s quiet rebellion against the “virtuous” diet being sold to families. She discovered Dr. Weston A. Price’s photographs of indigenous peoples with broad jaws, straight teeth, and robust health, then watched modern guidelines push the opposite:  margarine in place of butter, skim milk instead of whole milk, and seed oils over saturated fats.  Sally pushed back against the “diet dictocrats,” and recommended an ancestral diet where red meat, raw milk, and healthy fats reign supreme. The message is disarmingly simple: nutrient-dense, traditional foods (properly prepared) built the healthiest humans for centuries.  Butter for vitamin A and contentment. Soaked grains to unlock minerals. Bone broth for glycine. Liver once or twice a week for the sacred nutrients that guide new life. Today the tide is turning. Butter sales climb. Raw milk finds new fans. The food pyramid has (rightfully) been flipped on its head. One family at a time, people are remembering what real food and health actually looks and feels like. If optimizing your family’s health and nutrition matters to you, you won’t want to miss this conversation. In this episode, Anna and Sally discussed: The story behind Nourishing Traditions and discovering Dr. Weston A. Price’s workWhy traditional, nutrient-dense foods beat modern “healthy” guidelinesThe dangers of industrial seed oils and the supremacy of butter & animal fatsImportance of vitamin A (from liver, butter, cod liver oil) for fertility & healthy babiesRaw milk’s superiority, finding sources, and why pasteurization creates problemsProper preparation of grains (soaking, fermenting) to unlock nutritionSacred foods: liver, shellfish, bone broth, fermented vegetablesBuilding health before pregnancy—and redemption even if you “missed the boat”Saturated fats vs. carbs for satisfaction, mood, and avoiding addictionThe quiet revolution: rising butter sales, raw milk popularity, wiser families survivingAnd yes, plenty more

    1h 14m

About

Educational and inspirational conversations with the homesteaders who are at the forefront of the modern homesteading movement.

You Might Also Like