Amber Waves Farmcast: Growing Better Every Day Through Food, Farming and Community

In this episode, Amber Waves co-founders Katie Baldwin and Amanda Marrow kick off the International Year of the Woman Farmer with a wide-ranging conversation on the “invisible work” of agriculture and why getting closer to your food can bring more joy, agency, and resilience.They share how Amber Waves’ apprenticeship program trains the next generation of farmers (overwhelmingly women), why crop rotation and plant ...

00:00 - The Long-Term Experiment of Farming00:19 - Welcome to the Farmcast at Amber Waves00:53 - The Concept of Season Review01:19 - Crop Review: Winners and Losers02:25 - "Chef's Choice" Tomatoes and Contentious Conversations03:31 - Emotional Attachments to Tomato Varieties04:40 - Matt's Wild vs. Jasper Cherry Tomatoes05:30 - Long-Term Farm Experiments: Garlic Plastic Trials06:12 - Challenges with Crop Planning Variables06:58 - Th...

At Amber Waves Farm on the eastern end of Long Island, hiring season is more than sorting résumés. It is a window into who wants to become a farmer in 2026—and what they are running toward.In this episode of the Amber Waves Farmcast, farm manager and hiring lead Amelia sits down in the greenhouse to talk through:- The difference between 9‑month apprenticeships and short‑term field crew roles.- Why applicants are leaving offic...

00:00 Introduction to Amber Waves Farm

00:19 Meet the Hosts: Katie and Amanda

00:36 Interview with Amelia: From Art to Agriculture

02:51 Amelia's Early Influences and Farming Journey

05:38 Discovering Amber Waves and the Farming Community

07:12 Building Bonds and Overcoming Challenges

11:30 The Realities of Farm Work14:06 The Challenges of Farming in Harsh Conditions

14:12 Memorable Moments with the Crew

15:30 The Never-Ending Cycle of Far...

Join us for part two of our year-end conversation as we reflect on 16 years at Amber Waves Farm – from crawling with extension cords and a single outlet to training the next generation of farmers, building soil health, and proving that small farms have a vital place in our food system and our communities.In this episode, we dive into:- Our humble beginnings: one outlet, a toaster oven, and 300-foot garden hoses- The best earl...

In this special bonus episode, Katie and Amanda sit down in the teaching barn to talk about the bright shining elephant on the farm: our holiday lights display.For those driving by, you'll see tractors and equipment lit up in the fields, greenhouses framed in lights, and falling snow tube lights high up in the trees. It takes 200 human hours over two to three weeks to create this free display – but why do we do it?In this epi...

Join us as we reflect on 2025 at Amber Waves Farm – a year defined by our Save Our Soup campaign, vertically integrated food access, and building a community farm that employs year-round staff while fighting food insecurity here on Long Island's East End.

Show NotesEpisode 15: 2025 Year-End Wrap

Join co-founders Katie and Amanda for a conversation about what defined 2025 at Amber Waves Farm: soup.

When federal funding cuts threa...

In this episode of the Amber Waves Farm Cast, we sit down with Holly Reichart Wheaton from the Springs Food Pantry and Jess Tonn to discuss the collaborative efforts between the farm and the food pantry to provide fresh, nutritious produce to families in need on the East End of Long Island. Covering everything from the origins of the Springs Food Pantry to the logistical challenges faced by both the farm and the pantry, this episod...

What does a modern farming apprenticeship really look like? On this episode of the Amber Waves Farmcast, hosts Amanda and Katie sit down with apprentices Maya and Natalie to unpack a full season on a 35‑acre organic vegetable, grain, and flower farm on the eastern end of Long Island. From learning to drive tractors before a DMV road test to bulk harvests of winter squash and sweet potatoes, they share the skills, surprises, and com...

On a 35-acre teaching farm at the edge of the Atlantic, apprentices Sophia and Danyal share what it really takes to become a farmer—from sleeping bees and sun gold tomatoes to the mindset, labor, and joy behind small-scale, regenerative agriculture. The team confronts America’s looming farmer shortage and shows how Amber Waves’ apprenticeship builds a pipeline of new farmers ready to lead.Watch for:- Why paid, han...

In this episode of the Farm Cast, hosts Katie and Amanda sit down with their mentor, the poet farmer Scott Chaskey, formerly of Quail Hill Farm. Scott shares his incredible journey from his suburban upbringing to become a pioneer in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and a beloved agricultural mentor. He reminisces about his experiences as a farmer and poet, including his significant contributions to the farming community over a...

Welcome back to the Amber Waves Farm Cast! Join hosts Katie and Amanda as they share their transformative experience with the water wheel transplanter. In this episode, they recount their early farming days of hand transplanting and how the introduction of the transplanter revolutionized their operations, allowing them to efficiently plant across their 35-acre farm. Tune in for discussions on transplanting techniques, tractor stori...

Chef Alex shows how to cook through a CSA box fast: prep first, quick 15‑minute stock from scraps, blanch‑and‑shock, heat management, a simple 3:1 dressing, and plating with color and texture. “Food is medicine” meets no‑recipe confidence so you can cook what’s in season and use the whole vegetable.Chapters00:00 Intro and the CSA challenge00:25 Meet Chef Alex + “food is medicine”01:00 Cook backwards fr...

Outdoor education fosters curiosity and hands-on learning, allowing children to explore nature and connect with food systems. The program emphasizes experiential learning, integrating classroom concepts with real-world applications, and encourages freedom of exploration. Collaboration with local schools enhances the curriculum, making learning relevant and engaging, while the organization seeks to expand its reach to more children ...

In this episode of the Amber Waves Farmcast, we visit the kids’ outdoor kitchen to explore how harvesting, hands‑on prep, and simple tools turn picky eaters into curious cooks. Director of Education Ann Jones Levine shares kid‑friendly knife skills, spiralizer magic, and crowd‑pleasing recipes like pesto pizza, pink beet gnocchi, farm tacos, and more. It’s sensory, social, and seriously fun.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and epi...

It’s peak summer here at the farm and we’re taking you on a tasting tour through the fields to show you what makes our baby greens program so special.

We’re a nonprofit teaching farm uniting food, farming, and community. With 600+ varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, herbs, and flowers, our mission is to train the next generation of farmers and feed our community with fresh, nutritious food.In this episode, we'...

We are tomato fanatics — growing more than 50 varieties of cherry, heirloom, beefsteak, and sauce tomatoes here on the East End of Long Island. From the first tender plants we “coddle” under row cover in April to chasing that last tomato harvest on November 1st, we’re obsessed with flavor, variety, and the joy of sharing tomatoes with our CSA members and market customers.In this video, we take you behind the...

In this episode of the Amber Waves Farmcast, founders Katie and Amanda share their journey from a failed first wheat crop in 2009 to creating a thriving grain farm on Long Island. Despite launching during the gluten-free craze and economic recession, they persevered to build a vertically integrated operation that grows, mills, and bakes with local grains. Highlights include their pizza farm dreams, support from mentors, milling dem...

Join us for our latest conversation with Julie Resnick, co-founder of Feed Feed, as she shares her journey through food, farming, and community building.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Introduction to Julie Resnick02:14 - CSA Experience: Julie's journey with Community Supported Agriculture08:37 - Zucchini Cooking Techniques: Creative ways to use abundant summer squash15:22 - Potato Harvesting: The joy of digging for treasure at the farm18:45 - ...