Jo’s Table Alaska

On this episode I speak with Callen Christensen about his work with the AFFECT program. What started as a grant to teach hydroponics, evolved into a three year curriculum to teach farming to interested and upcoming farmers who want to start their own farm, or work on a farm.  Tuition free, this program selects students, age range 18+, to enroll in a 15 week program that blends classroom as well as hands on experience on farms. The ...

On this episode I sit down with Megan Schulze to learn about her small but diversified farm in Interior Alaska, called Frontieress Farm

She farms only one and a half acre of land and grows the full gamut of vegetables and over 30 varieties of flowers including tulips. TULIPS! Yes, and they are ready for Mother's Day no less. There is no mechanization on her farm, its all done by hand. Seven years into working on her farm, she is ma...

On this episode, I sit down with Ron and Margi Illingworth of North Pole Peonies, a commercial peony farm that has been successfully growing and exporting peonies for twenty years. They started this venture after retirement.  They are in their 80's now. Impressive!

Why Peonies? Because it turns out Alaska can grow peonies during June July and August when the rest of the world cannot.  There are no peonies to be found in the world e...

Hawks Greenhouse is celebrating its 65th year of operation this year, It’s three generations working together to continue the greenhouse that was started by Angie’s in laws, Elaine and Charles Hawks in 1960.

This podcast is the third in the Greenhouse series.  It's the inspirational story of Chuck and Elaine Hawks who traveled the ALCAN highway with three kids to Alaska in search for a better life for their family.  Chuck and Elain...

Putting Animals first.  That's the philosophy embraced by the young and energetic couple who along with their five kids have started a farm in Fairbanks, Alaska.

In this episode I sit down with Michael and Jessica Shaffstall, to talk about their journey in starting a farm in this very cold climate.  It was a dream of theirs for many years.  Mike is Active Duty military and was stationed in Fairbanks where he and his family fell in ...

As the year 2024 ends, I'm reflecting back to when I started this podcast, my reasons, my challenges, my journey.  The insights I gained. If not for this podcast, I would not have met the wonderful people who took time to speak with me and share their stories. If not for them, we would not know their journey and learn about this community of people who work hard to address food security and provide healthy food to the community.

I ...

On this episode, meet Tom Zimmer.  He and his and co-founder Susan, started Calypso Farm twenty five years ago with mission to grow food ecologically, keeping mother nature in front and foremost focus and to educate the community of all ages in growing gardens, homesteading, blacksmithing and fiber arts. Their farm has kids camps, teaching indigenous farming and sustainability to rural communities, they grow food to share with thos...

Fresh vegetables all year long? In Alaska?  Yes!

Meet Sam Knapp. He is the only farmer in Interior Alaska that has a cold storage farm and produces winter storage vegetables, a niche that he has cultivated for himself and his farm that serves his passion for winter storage farming. 

Everything he grows is meant for storage in his specially-designed, modern root cellar. After the veggies are washed and stored in the fall, he provide...

Pig Farming!  Its really more complex than that.  More diversified, and more challenging in Alaska. In this Episode I have a wonderful conversation with Mitch and Melissa Berggren, local farmers who always had raised pigs, not just for their own use but for others who wanted to buy pigs from them for 4H projects and to raise their own pigs.  But their story is not just about raising pigs, it’s a diversification of their efforts and...

In this episode Hannah Hill, Executive Director of Breadline, Inc speaks about food security and the need to address and reduce hunger in our community. 

Bread Line is an anti-hunger organization that has been serving the Fairbanks community since 1984

For almost 40 years, the Bread Line has helped feed people and affirm lives in the Fairbanks, Alaska.

Our conversation brought home the issue of homelessness, hunger, food reliance a...

Lions Mane, Oyster, Black Pearl, Chestnut, King Oyster, And Pioppino?  What these are mushrooms? Yes! And all grown in a small Interior Alaska community of Ester.

Boreal Woods is Interior Alaska's only year-round mushroom farm, growing a wide variety of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms for the Fairbanks community. Meet Matthew Meares who started this venture ...

The ever evolving Plant Kingdom.  An established greenhouse under new hands, venturing in expansion and new directions but keeping the essence of the much loved greenhouse intact.  Its a place to find flowers, vegetables, perennials, shrubs along with joy, peace and tranquility, and soon coffee!  

Stephanie Bluekens is a young dynamic entrepreneur who has jumped in with great enthusiasm and focus to take over the greenhouse.  She i...

Community Gardens are a place to garden, grow food, flowers and engage with other fellow gardeners. Community Gardeners grow food for their own needs, or to distribute to food banks, neighbors, families and to friends.  Its a place where gardeners come together to connect with the soil, people, find joy and peace. 

On this episode we talk with Wendy Anderson who has managed the Fairbanks Community Gardens for nearly two decades! Li...

Managing, the oldest established Tanana Valley Farmers market in Alaska that showcases Alaska Grown produce and running his own farm, Goosefoot Farm, that focuses on diversified produce. Brad St. Pierre certainly has his hands full.  Can one person do it all?  Brad St. Pierre can and does so with passion, enthusiasm and good humor.

Solving food security, supporting farmers and encouraging consumers to eat differently, seasonally, a...

Running and successfully managing not one but two enormous interior Alaska Greenhouses and Nursery, Tacks Greenhouse and Plant Kingdom, Cyndie Warbelow is a horticulturist, a phenomenal gardener, a legend, a shrewd businesswoman and an author of a best selling book on Alaskan Perennials.

Her passion for gardening and helping hundreds of people grow their own flowers and vegetables and teaching us all about perennials is so infectio...

On this episode I'm speaking with Tom Gross, who takes us through the journey of his life and brings us finally to where he always needed to be.  We walk with him through growing up in a large family, college, military, tree cutting and land clearing business, opera, and now running a meat retail shop.  Throughout his journey, one sees the solid foundational pillars of hard work, dedication, passion and overcoming challenges with g...

On this episode we talk with Callen Christensen who runs Alaska's only Chaga Cooperative. Chaga is becoming more mainstream.  There is awareness and use of it that is increasing.  However, this poses challenges as accurate information, benefits, problems and sustainability need to be upfront as more people "try it out".  People are drawn to it, whether its for health benefits or for actual interest in foraging. Chaga is complex and...