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If you've ever thought about adding ducks to your homestead, this episode is for you.

We sit down with Marc and Katy Metzer of Metzer Farms, one of America's premier family-owned waterfowl hatcheries, to talk all things ducks, geese, and waterfowl.

We cover everything from choosing the right breed and setting up your brooder to keeping ducks healthy, managing water without creating a muddy mess, and whether ducks really need a pond. Along the way, we discuss the advantages of ordering directly from a hatchery, how ducks can benefit your garden, and the important conservation work Metzer Farms is doing to preserve rare waterfowl breeds.

Whether you're dreaming about your very first waterfowl or already have a flock waddling around your backyard, this conversation is packed with practical advice, behind-the-scenes stories, and plenty of duck enthusiasm.

What You'll Learn

• Why buy directly from a hatchery
• How to choose the best duck breed for your goals
• Brooder setup mistakes to avoid
• The secret to cleaner brooders and less water mess
• Why niacin is so important for growing ducklings
• Housing ducks with chickens successfully
• Do ducks actually need a pond?
• Best duck breeds for egg production
• Using ducks for pest control and regenerative gardening
• How Metzer Farms is helping preserve endangered waterfowl breeds

Connect with Metzer Farms

Follow Metzer Farms on IG @metzerfarms

Visit www.metzerfarms.com for a wealth of information and resources including What Duck Breed is Right for You?

Connect with Homestead-ish

Follow Homestead-ish on IG @homesteadish_pod

Connect with Kristin @growingpaines_

Connect with Devon @devonballardhudson

🌱 As always, stay curious and a little bit wild!

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What exactly is happening inside a sourdough starter?

Why do some starters seem to have their own personality? Does a 100-year-old starter really make better bread? And what role do billions of invisible microbes play in creating the flavors, aromas, and rise we love in sourdough?

In this episode of Homestead-ish, we sit down with Dr. Margaret Wallen, Assistant Professor of Biology at Indiana University Southeast, to explore the fascinating science behind sourdough fermentation. What began with her family's century-old sourdough starter, affectionately named "Baby," has evolved into a multi-year research project investigating the microbial communities that make each sourdough culture unique.

Together, we explore the relationship between wild yeast and bacteria, why no two starters are exactly alike, and what Dr. Wallen's research reveals about how sourdough cultures establish themselves and maintain stability over time. We also discuss practical tips for home bakers, including how to revive sluggish starters, the role of whole wheat flour, and common misconceptions about fermentation.

Beyond bread, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on our relationship with the microbial world and why understanding bacteria may be one of the keys to building healthier people, healthier food systems, and a healthier planet.

Connect With Dr. Margaret Wallen

Learn more about Dr. Wallen's research and how to connect HERE.

Connect with Homestead-ish

Follow Homestead-ish on IG @homesteadish_pod

Connect with Kristin @growingpaines_

Connect with Devon @devonballardhudson

🌱 As always, stay curious and a little bit wild!

Send us Fan Mail

If you're looking for a quick list of seed-saving hacks, this probably isn't that episode.

In a world that encourages us to consume information as quickly as possible, today's conversation invites you to slow down.

Noel of Homestead Culture joins us for a thoughtful discussion about seed saving, homesteading, and what it means to develop a deeper relationship with the plants that feed us. While you'll definitely walk away with practical tips for saving seeds in your own garden, we hope you'll leave with something even more valuable: a glimpse into the joy, wonder, and reverence that Noel and his family bring to this timeless practice.

Together we explore:

🌱 How Noel's family transitioned from suburban California to a homesteading life in Southern Oregon

🌱 The story behind Homestead Culture and how a simple fascination with seeds grew into a seed-saving business

🌱 Beginner-friendly crops for new seed savers

🌱 The differences between heirloom, hybrid, and open-pollinated seeds

🌱 Common seed-saving mistakes and how to avoid them

🌱 Finding joy, abundance, and connection through homesteading

This episode is a reminder that some knowledge can't be rushed. Like a good meal, a thriving garden, or a season spent tending plants, some conversations are meant to be savored.

Whether you're an experienced gardener or have never saved a seed in your life, we think you'll enjoy spending an hour in Noel's world.

Homestead Culture Resources

Connect with Homestead Culture on IG @homesteadculture

Free Crash Course into Seed Saving
"Everything you need to know to start saving seeds"
https://homesteadculture.com/saveseeds/

Seed Resources
Lots of articles & stories about seeds in one place. For definitions of Heirlooms, Hybrid, Open Pollinated, scroll to the section titled "Seeds and Diversity"
https://homesteadculture.com/seed-resources/

Our Seed Offerings
Perennial vegetables, flowers, herbs, & diverse mixes.
https://homesteadculture.com/shop/

Connect with Homestead-ish

Follow Homestead-ish on IG @homesteadish_pod

Connect with Kristin @growingpaines_

Connect with Devon @devonballardhudson

🌱 As always, stay curious and a little bit wild!

Send us Fan Mail

This week on Homestead-ish, we’re joined by our friend Shelly Tyler of Fiddlewood Farm & Forest School in Owensboro, Kentucky for a conversation that goes far beyond meat rabbits.

Content Note: In this episode, we have a candid conversation about raising meat rabbits for food, including some detailed discussion of the harvesting and processing process. We know this topic may not be for everyone, so we wanted to give sensitive listeners a heads up.

Shelly shares her unexpected journey from physical therapist and functional medicine practitioner to homesteader, forest school founder, and rabbit raiser. Together, we explore how slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and learning forgotten skills can transform not only our health, but the way we live and raise our families.

We also dive deep into the realities of raising meat rabbits — from setup and care to harvesting, processing, and the emotional complexity of raising your own food. This episode contains honest discussion about animal processing and homestead meat production.

Follow Shelly and Fiddlewood Farm & Forest School for more from her homestead journey!

Connect With Us

Follow Shelly Tyler of Fiddlewood Farm & School @fiddlewood.farm

Connect with Kristin @growingpaines_

Connect with Devon @devonballardhudson

Follow Homestead-ish @homesteadish_pod

Send us Fan Mail

This week’s episode is a little different. After missing our first Thursday release in two full seasons (life happens!), Devon hops on solo for a brief in-between episode to share a personal update and an exciting glimpse into her forthcoming book, Backyard Climate Activist: Healing the Planet from Home.

Drawing from a recent Substack essay, Devon explores the heart behind the Backyard Climate Activist framework and shares the seven “R’s” that shape the book’s philosophy:

• Rewild
• Reconnect
• Refuse
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle
• Rot

In a world where the climate crisis can feel overwhelming and impossible to solve alone, this episode is a reminder that meaningful change often begins much closer to home than we think.

We’ll be back next week with a full episode and guest interview, but in the meantime, we hope this conversation leaves you feeling inspired, grounded, and hopeful.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Backyard Climate Activist: Healing the Planet from Home (forthcoming)! Stay-tuned to be the first to get your hands on a copy!
• Devon’s Substack essay: “How to Be a Backyard Climate Activist: 7 Ways to Heal the Planet from Home”
• Clarissa Pinkola Estés' Letter to a Young Activist
• Kiss the Ground by Josh Tickell

Connect with us:

Follow along for more conversations about homesteading, sustainability, reconnecting with nature, and creating a more hopeful future from right where we are.

• Follow the Homestead-ish IG page
• Connect with Devon on IG
• Connect with Kristin on IG

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What happens when modern medicine isn’t enough, and you’re willing to explore everything to help someone you love?

In this episode of Homestead-ish, we sit down with Jubilee of Wellness founder Michele Finn—aromatherapist, CBD wellness guide, caregiver, and now Devon’s neighbor at The District—to talk about what it really looks like to blend holistic healing with Western healthcare.

Michele shares the deeply personal story of caring for her mother through an 11-year battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and how that journey led her into the world of aromatherapy and cannabis-based wellness.

Together, we explore how essential oils, CBD, THC, and CBG can support the body, the importance of proper education and safety, and why healing doesn’t have to be an either/or conversation.

One of the most powerful moments in this episode is Michele’s story of a critical turning point in her mother’s illness when traditional treatments had reached their limits, and cannabis helped restore comfort, function, and dignity in a moment that felt nearly hopeless.

This conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t always linear and sometimes the most meaningful care comes from combining tools, not choosing sides.

Connect With Us

Visit Michele locally at Jubilee of Wellness at The District Artisan Market & Patio and at the New Albany Farmers Market

Shop online: JubileeofWellness.com

About Dr. Ethan Russo

Connect with Kristin @growingpaines_

Connect with Devon @devonballardhudson

Follow Homestead-ish @homesteadish_pod

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your health or wellness routine.

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There’s a version of homesteading we all dream about...slow mornings, fresh food, a life rooted in intention.

And then there’s the part no one really talks about: What happens when you need to leave?

In this catch-up episode, we’re sharing what life looks like on our homesteads right now, from scaling up kombucha production and experimenting with no-dig potatoes, to navigating loss in the flock and the very real challenge of finding someone to care for your animals when you’re away.

It’s part life update, part honest conversation, and part figuring-it-out-as-we-go.

🐓 In This Episode:

• Scaling small-batch kombucha into larger production
• No-dig / no-till potato planting with straw
• Losing a beloved chicken and caring for a sick flock
• The realities of farm sitting and leaving your homestead
• Upcoming guests + events

🌿 Connect & Resources

Connect with Kristin @growingpaines_

Connect with Devon @devonballardhudson

Follow Homestead-ish @homesteadish_pod

Purchase the Homesteading as Resistance Tee on Etsy

Attend the Land, Love, & Self-Reliance Festival

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In this episode of Homestead-ish, we’re joined again by Jess Robison of Acton Food Forest, who returns to share how her approach to gardening has evolved in a new season of life, now as a mom of three!

Instead of trying to “do it all,” Jess has leaned into a more time-efficient, realistic, and sustainable way to grow food, one that works with her life, not against it.

We talk about what it looks like to let go of perfection in the garden and embrace practices that are not only easier, but often more aligned with nature.

Time-efficient gardening isn’t just about convenience, it’s about accessibility.

When we remove the pressure to do gardening “perfectly,” we open the door for more people to participate in growing food, reconnecting with nature, and becoming part of the solution!

🌿 Connect & Resources

Follow Jess on Instagram @actonfoodforest or TikTok @actonfoodforest

Weeds and What They Tell Us by Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer

Connect with Kristin @growingpaines_

Connect with Devon @devonballardhudson

Follow Homestead-ish @homesteadish_pod

Share this episode with a friend who “doesn’t have time” to garden!