Episodes

  • Cottage Food Laws: Can You Sell Baked Goods From Your Kitchen in Your State?

    Cottage Food Laws: Can You Sell Baked Goods From Your Kitchen in Your State?
    Oct 14 2026
    Can you sell bread, jam or cookies made in your own kitchen? In every US state the answer is some version of yes, but the rules differ widely: what you can sell, how much you can earn, where you can sell and what labels you need. This episode explains how cottage food laws work and how to find your own state's rules.
    Rules change often and differ by state and sometimes by county. Always confirm with your state department of agriculture or health before you sell. This is general information, not legal advice.
    Source named: Institute for Justice, "Baking Bad" report on homemade food laws, and its published summaries.
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    12 mins
  • What to Check Before You Buy Raw Land (and the Mistakes That Cost Thousands)

    What to Check Before You Buy Raw Land (and the Mistakes That Cost Thousands)
    Oct 12 2026
    Buying raw land can be the best homestead decision you ever make, or an expensive lesson. This episode goes through the checks that matter most before you close: legal access, easements, the perc test, water, mineral and timber rights, boundaries and zoning.
    Rules and costs vary by state and county, and land contracts are legal documents. Ask a local real estate attorney or a title company to review anything you sign. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
    Sources named: lender and farm credit land-buying checklists; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service land values; consumer cost guides.
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    12 mins
  • How Much Does It Really Cost to Start a Homestead on Five Acres?

    How Much Does It Really Cost to Start a Homestead on Five Acres?
    Oct 11 2026
    What does it really cost to start a small homestead on five acres in America? This episode walks through the buckets where the money goes: land, water, septic, fencing, animals and the first year of food. It uses USDA land value numbers and published cost ranges, and it shows you how to build your own budget instead of trusting a single magic number.
    Prices change a lot by state and county. Treat every figure as a starting point and get local quotes before you commit. This is general information, not financial advice.
    Sources named in this episode: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Land Values 2025 Summary; consumer cost guides for well drilling and septic systems.
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    15 mins
  • When Gas Hits $4 and the Grocery Bill Follows: Your Spring Garden Plan

    When Gas Hits $4 and the Grocery Bill Follows: Your Spring Garden Plan
    Jun 2 2026
    Grocery prices aren't going down — and if you're still paying retail for tomatoes, lettuce, and zucchini while fuel surcharges quietly stack up on your receipt, this episode is your sign to stop waiting. In this episode, we break down exactly how to start a beginner vegetable garden in spring 2026 to cut your summer produce costs by up to 60%. We're talking real numbers: a $3–$5 seed packet that can yield 40–80 lbs of tomatoes, the five crops every beginner should start right now, and the specific mistakes that kill most gardens before July — so you don't have to make them.
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    8 mins
  • Raw Milk Is Legal in 39 States. Should You Buy It?

    Raw Milk Is Legal in 39 States. Should You Buy It?
    May 31 2026
    Every morning across America, families are drinking something that could get a farmer fined, arrested, or shut down — not because the milk is dangerous, but because a regulatory system built for diseased city dairies in 1905 still governs what a homesteader can legally sell across a farm stand table in 2026.
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    10 mins
  • How to Garden in the Cold: The $50 Greenhouse Alternative

    How to Garden in the Cold: The $50 Greenhouse Alternative
    May 28 2026
    In this episode of Farm Fresh, I’m pulling back the curtain on the "expensive greenhouse trap" and showing you how to reclaim your growing season without draining your bank account. Many gardeners lose weeks of productivity waiting for the perfect spring weather or saving up for overpriced cedar kits, but the real secret to early harvests lies in mastering micro-climates rather than macro-structures. I break down the core differences between high-capital greenhouses and the high-performance low tunnel, explaining why the thermal mass of the soil makes a fifty-dollar DIY structure more effective at protecting your crops than a thousand-dollar glass house. You’ll learn the exact mechanics of "cunning tension" to wind-proof your plastic, the vital importance of manual venting to prevent steaming your seedlings, and why treating your plastic like an umbrella is the most common mistake that leads to crop failure.
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    6 mins
  • How To Build Soil Forensics for Your Backyard Farm | Farm Fresh DeChem Ep 1

    How To Build Soil Forensics for Your Backyard Farm | Farm Fresh DeChem Ep 1
    May 24 2026
    If you've been adding fertilizer and amendments without really understanding what's in your soil first, this episode stops that cycle. Soil forensics: the hand test, the worm count, the water test, and the pH trend — four tools that replace guessing with reading. Farm Fresh Homestead | De-Chemicalization Series.
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    9 mins