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More Than A Mile

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by Nick Carter

4.9(10 reviews)

18 episodes

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More Than A Mile is hosted by Nick Carter, an Indiana farmer, and the CEO/co-founder of Market Wagon, an online farmers market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets.

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Publishing Since

11/30/2021

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Recent Episodes

Episode thumbnail for Ditto Foods: Where a pair of hydroponic farmers persevered through 25 rejections before being able to start their own urban farm and invest in the place they call home

January 10, 2023

Ditto Foods: Where a pair of hydroponic farmers persevered through 25 rejections before being able to start their own urban farm and invest in the place they call home

Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=0.61">00:00</a>): Thanks for joining us. I think you're going to find this first episode of 2023 as fascinating as I did. It's about a pair of farmers named Derek and Brad, who grow about three acres worth of produce in just 320 square feet. They're using hydroponics to, as Derek put it, replicate Mother Nature at its finest. And for an old dirt farmer like me, it was really fun to talk with them about the science behind this technology. But in between all of the talk about soil science and chemistry and light spectrums, I hope you don't miss the story of endurance and entrepreneurship, perseverance, and above all, the meaningfulness of investing in the place you call home. Enjoy. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=45.1">00:45</a>): Welcome to More Than a Mile, a local food podcast from Market Wagon focused on connecting you to local food through farmer stories from across America. I'm Nick Carter, your host, a farmer and CEO and co-founder of Market Wagon. We are your online farmers market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets. Food is so much more than just nutrients and calories. It's actually the fabric that holds us together. Thanks for joining me for this episode of More Than a Mile, and thank you for buying local food. That's one critical step in making an investment in food for future generations. All right, well, I'm really excited. My guests today are Derek Drake and Brad Schiever of Ditto Foods. Really excited to have you guys. Thanks for joining. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=92.73">01:32</a>): Thanks for having us. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=93.73">01:33</a>): Yes, thank you. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=93.73">01:33</a>): You know, some people farm just because they have to, some people get to choose to farm because they want to. And a few people farm because they want to change the world or their corner of the world. And I've been looking forward to this conversation because that describes, I think both you and I, Derek. But our farms look very different. <Laugh>. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=116.97">01:56</a>): Oh yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=118.28">01:58</a>): So how big's your farm? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=119.56">01:59</a>): It is a 40 foot shipping container, so 320 square feet. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=124.94">02:04</a>): And where is it sitting right now? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=126.99">02:06</a>): It's in our driveway in the back of our house Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=130.38">02:10</a>): In the south suburb of Chicago. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=132.18">02:12</a>): In the south suburbs of Chicago. Yes. On our property. So we take up a very small footprint. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=137.669">02:17</a>): How many cows can you get in that shipping container? I'm just kidding. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=140.01">02:20</a>): Oh, probably about five. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=145.29">02:25</a>): Ok Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=145.77">02:25</a>): They won't be able to move around, but Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=147.45">02:27</a>): Not a whole lot of grazing inside there, Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=149.13">02:29</a>): <Laugh>. Ok. No, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=150.84">02:30</a>): This is a fascinating journey. I want to start from the beginning. So 2020, Covid happens. You are senior staff at Kellogg, Northwestern University mm-hmm. <Affirmative>. And that comes to an end with a furlough related to Covid. Tell me what happens from there. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=167.389">02:47</a>): Well, I've always been one of those folks that goes to, all right, what's the next right move for me. In grad school, I've created a business plan for a food truck concept. And it was kind of marrying food truck meets tiny home. And after the furlough, I was like, okay, I want to see if I can do something with this. And started down this long rabbit hole of looking for developers, manufacturers of food trucks and tiny homes and seeing what we can do. And went to Brad and said, all right, I'd like to go down this route. And so I started the search and found this company out of Boston called Freight Farms that manufactures these shipping container farms, and went to Brad and said, I think I wanna be a farmer. I think this is the next right move. And he thought I was crazy. And we started the journey. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=232.7">03:52</a>): And today you're a farmer, Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=234.34">03:54</a>): And today I'm a farmer in a shipping container. Yes. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=237.76">03:57</a>): Take that Brad New Speaker (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=239.92">03:59</a>): <Laugh>. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=240.88">04:00</a>): Right, Right? It was interesting. It was interesting to say the least for Derek to say, we're gonna grow three acres of farm and three acres of crops in 320 square feet. It took a lot of, a lot of convincing and a lot of research and understanding of what exactly that meant to be a farmer, especially without soil. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=261.82">04:21</a>): Well, I, I want to dive into that for sure. Because I'm a farmer with soil and a lot of it. And and this whole concept is fascinating to me. I think it'll be fascinating to our listeners too. But before we get there, I just wanna, there's a part of this story that I wanna make sure is told because Derek, you are an experienced leader and an executive with an MBA. But you couldn't get bankers to believe that this was a legit business, could you? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=292.04">04:52</a>): No. Well, you have to, you know, there are a lot of intersectionality going on in that conversation because a.) Trying to first teach them and educate them on what the hell hydroponics was in the first place, and then talk to them about growing in the back of a truck, essentially. And then they were also dealing with the pandemic. So they had PPP loans, and so they weren't sure of what was happening. And then we were telling them, our customers are restaurants, and every restaurant was shut down, <laugh> <laugh>. So they were like, so who are you gonna actually sell this stuff to? So we had to shift and pivot our business model. And yeah, it was a challenge. It was a challenge. And then you have to throw on the fact that we couldn't actually go in there and talk to them. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=340.51">05:40</a>): So do you know how many banks said no? Like how many, how many no's did you have to take? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=347.31">05:47</a>): <ol start="25"> <li>Wow. And those are the ones that actually got back to us that we actually talked to. Cause there were, there were several that never even returned an email or a call.</li> </ol> Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=357.19">05:57</a>): But the 26th one decided to bet on you, huh? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=361.17">06:01</a>): Yeah. Yeah. The one yes, that we got, actually, ironically enough came from our second No. After they gave us a no, he reached out to us about three or four months later and was like, you know, I, I really think you guys got something good here. I like what you're trying to do. I have a colleague of mine at another bank, they're a little bit more lenient to lending to startups. Do you mind if I send your information to him? I was like, send whatever you need. What does he need? I'll, I'll send it myself. <Laugh>. And that was the one yes that we got. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=394.23">06:34</a>): Did you ever give up hope? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=396">06:36</a>): I did. Yeah, I did. But I knew what we were trying to accomplish. I knew that it was something good and I knew that if we had it, if we got it, it was gonna be something that was a.) Change our lives and our kids' lives, but also be impactful for the community that I wanted to impact, which is where I grew up in my hometown of Fort Heights. And so that was really what kind of kept us going. But absolutely, after you get No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's really hard to stay going. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=433.92">07:13</a>): So, New Year's Eve, 2021, your farm arrives <laugh>, which just sounds so funny for me to say. Your farm arrives. How long did it take before your farm was producing food? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=447.78">07:27</a>): So we had it delivered December 31st, 2021. And it sat unattended, essentially. Because of the length of this process, we really did not, you know, we anticipated putting the first farm in Ford Heights, and because of how long it took to get financing, multiple changes had taken place with Ford Heights, with the mayor and the board, et cetera. And so when we got approved for the loan and the loan came through in October, we then called Freight Farms and said, you know, we're ready to make payment on the farm. And they said, okay, we can have it to you in a month and a half <laugh>. And so at this time we're, we're living in a townhouse in Bolingbrook, definitely not a place to drop a 40 foot shipping container. And so we were able to very quickly looking through Zillow one morning, found a house pop up. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=505.43">08:25</a>): We didn't plan on moving until summer of '22. And we found this house pop up that had been on the market over a year. And we'd been on Zillow multiple times, never came up until this came up. And Derek's like, look at this. Let's go check it out. So the next day we went and checked it out and as the realtor and I are in the house, we have no idea where Derek's at. And here's Derek in the backyard playing with the neighbor's chickens that decided to come running over. And so we looked at the agent and said, okay, you have a month to make this happen cause we have a farm to drop here. And so it was dropped on New Year's Eve and we were able to get into it finally mid-February. And the first seed was planted March 1st of '22. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=554.78">09:14</a>): When most people say they want a farm and they have to move to farm, they're moving to a place, you know, that is a farm. <Laugh>. You had to move to a place that you could deliver your farm to. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=571.27">09:31</a>): Exactly. We had to make sure we could have a farm delivered to where we were living. You know, the great part is where we found essentially is a farm, was a farm, at one time. And so we found, ideally what we had thought we were never gonna find as we thought about moving, which was an acre of land and a place that we could drop a shipping container. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=595.15">09:55</a>): Do you have a well or are you on city water? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=597.92">09:57</a>): We are on a well, but we have a water system that produces some of the best water out there at the moment. Our crops are well watered with fantastic, fantastic quality water. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=611.679">10:11</a>): So you said seed in the ground in March. First crops in April? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=614.98">10:14</a>): Well, not, not quite in the ground. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=617.5">10:17</a>): Well, <laugh>. See, you can't get it out of my lingo. I can't, I can't not say it. So tell me. Alright, let's do this. Tell me about this process because I start seeds in trays in soil and trays, indoors, ready to be transplanted or we'll direct sow into the soil in our farm. What does seeding look like for you? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=639.46">10:39</a>): Same process. We have growing trays that we start our seeds in, but the growing media that we use is not soil. It's peat moss/coco coir mix. And we plant our seed, put the humidity domes on, and we germinate, you know, essentially just like, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=658.02">10:58</a>): That's exactly what I do. Yeah, ok. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=660.67">11:00</a>): We germinate the same way, except instead of putting it, once it's ready to go, instead of putting it in the ground, we put it in a eight foot tower, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=668.66">11:08</a>): A tower. Tell me what else is different. So this, this medium, it's not soil, but it's a medium. It's somewhat absorbent, right? It allows the moisture to get to the seed and the roots. What's the plant eat? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=682.51">11:22</a>): Nutrients. What we do is we replicate the nutrients that they would get from the soil. So the minerals and all the macro and micronutrients that they would get from the soil. And any fertilizer that you feed into the soil, we actually introduce that to the plants through the water, which is, you know, essentially what hydroponics is. It's using water as the conduit to bring the nutrients to the plants. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=707.62">11:47</a>): Okay. And tell me what kind of plants are growing in your farm right now? Lettuce, I assume. Anything else? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=714.67">11:54</a>): Lettuce, leafy greens, herbs. We've grown root vegetables like carrots and radishes and different types of lettuce. We have about six or seven different types of lettuce, a couple of different types of butterhead, some frisee, lots of different herbs. This time of year we're doing sage, rosemary, basil. So we got a variety, nice variety of things that we grow. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=741.87">12:21</a>): Carrots and radishes too. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=743.45">12:23</a>): Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. And the carrots that we grow, they're not your typical long carrot. They're bulb carrots, so they kind of look like a cylinder radish <affirmative>. So we tell our customers that they can use it just like a radish, like slicing it really thin and using it that way. But yeah, you can grow root vegetables. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=765.09">12:45</a>): That is really cool. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=766.77">12:46</a>): Yeah. And we're currently right now also trialing cucumbers. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=771.16">12:51</a>): Wow. A vining cucumber. How so? I'm assuming like your lettuce is cut and come back. Some of the other things are single harvest, like your root vegetables mm-hmm. <Affirmative>, but a cucumber. How long will that vine live? How will it be determinate? Or will you be harvesting off of it over a long period of time? What's that process look like? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=790.89">13:10</a>): It's TBD <laugh>. Cause this is our first time, so we don't really know. Typically in this sort of environment vining isn't an ideal crop. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=806.42">13:26</a>): It's not space efficient. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=807.309">13:27</a>): Exactly. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=808.541">13:28</a>): Not very space efficient Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=810.42">13:30</a>): And in a vertical format as well. So there's a lot of rigging that we'll have to do once the vines themselves get too heavy to mm-hmm. <Affirmative> to hold themselves up. We'll have to do some rigging and figure that process out. But like I said, it's new for us. We just recently transplanted some cucumber plants, so still working it out. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=831.05">13:51</a>): That is really impressive. And that's exactly what entrepreneurship is about. Right? It's like, ready, fire, aim, Hey, let's try cucumbers, <laugh>, <laugh>. If the vine gets too heavy, then we'll put a different wire in there, I guess. Yeah. Just figure it out. Yeah. Very cool. Tell me can you notice any difference in the flavor or taste or quality from what comes out of your shipping container versus what may come out of the soil? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=855.309">14:15</a>): Oh, yeah. Yeah. There is a, I don't want to necessarily use the term clean, but there's a freshness to the lettuce that comes out. The kale specifically has just a raw, crisp flavor to it. The texture is incredible. The lettuce has a great flavor and moisture to it. And the best part is that when you're doing full head, once they're harvested, especially for those that we sell, the root is still on. So those nutrients, it's not dead when it's at the store, even delivered to the customer's home, it's still living, put in a cup of water and it's gonna stay fresh and crisp for two weeks or more. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=902.71">15:02</a>): Oh, that's great. Yeah, because that's the biggest thing with store bought lettuce is you start the clock when you take that thing off the shelf. Exactly. Yeah. Sometimes the clock's already been running a little too long while it's on the shelf <laugh>. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=914.81">15:14</a>): Well, and a lot of it is, especially some of the bag lettuce, has been cut and harvested and washed, and it's two weeks old by the time you pick it up in the store. So when you get it home and you open it up and you wonder why it lasts two days, well, because it's been dead for quite some time Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=929.71">15:29</a>): On our farm, we had just started this year, a greenhouse, it's a high tunnel. We're doing some winter growing, spinach lettuces kale and broccoli as well. But we're still using the sun for our light source. You are in a dark shipping container. It is opaque by design. Tell me, is there any reason why you don't augment light with maybe like a clear cover on the, on the container ship? Is there a particular benefit you get by being able to control the exact spectrums of light that you're producing inside your farm? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=965.65">16:05</a>): Yeah, the plants need the red and blue light for photosynthesis. And with the sunlight it has all of the other colors it has to fight through to get exactly what it needs. And so the best part of container farming and hydroponic farming is we give the plants exactly what they need. And so we're giving them 18 hours of pure red and blue light for the strongest photosynthesis possible, which allows us to be able to produce a crop from seed to harvest in six weeks. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1007.12">16:47</a>): So you can accelerate the growth by concentrating on only the light spectrums that that plant's gonna need to produce the leaves that people are gonna eat. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1017.76">16:57</a>): Exactly. And the cool part about the farm that we have from Freight Farms is we have their most recent model. And so they have three different modes to it, essentially, which we're running in performance mode currently, which allows for that six week growth cycle. It's getting the exact light, nutrients and water that it needs, while still being sustainable, even though it is in performance mode. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1040.7">17:20</a>): What about the light spectrum needed for this, it's a fruiting plant flowering and fruiting is what cucumbers are. A lot of people don't think of cucumbers as fruit, but, the science geek here, it's a fruit. And that takes a different spectrum, doesn't it? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1056.54">17:36</a>): A little bit different temperature necessarily. So with the farm, we can go ahead and program in there what we're growing. And so it has built in automatically what's called recipes. So wow. Right now, because we're experimenting with root vegetables, the farm is still set to grow lettuce and leafy greens, which is a cool weather crop, essentially. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And so the light, the water, the nutrients its delivering is based upon lettuce. And so that is one thing we're working with the cucumbers, is not just the vining, but it's also a little bit of a different environment. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Yep. We're still having wild success with the strength of the vine itself, as well as the amount of flowers being produced out of it. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1102.14">18:22</a>): How will you handle pollination? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1104.41">18:24</a>): So there is actually the ability, it's pretty basic. It's taking just like a toothbrush and rubbing it against the flower. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1112.35">18:32</a>): Yeah. So you'll manually pollinate. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1114.41">18:34</a>): It will be manual pollination. But again, the flowers that we're seeing are incredible right now. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1122.63">18:42</a>): I assume you don't want to release a hive of bees inside of your container ship. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1127.369">18:47</a>): No, no. We're gonna try and control that part of it as well. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1130.79">18:50</a>): Controlled environment's gotta be the most beneficial there. I have a hive on our property. But definitely try to steer clear of it. I wouldn't wanna be inside a container ship with it. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1142.28">19:02</a>): <Laugh>. No, I don't think so. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1143.67">19:03</a>): This is really fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing and just educating us on hydroponics. Is there anything else I've not asked? What do you find the most surprising about growing this way versus backyard gardening even? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1160.27">19:20</a>): I would say the efficiency and how fast the crop grows. When you're replicating nature, we're replicating nature at its best. So it is always a perfect sunny day. It is always the perfect air temperature. It is always the perfect amount of air flow. So we're replicating nature at its finest. And when you do that, you're literally given the plants exactly what they need, even from the red and blue lights. They don't have to fight through the full spectrum of light to get the lights that they need for photosynthesis. We're giving them those, that exact amount of light that they need for the full 18 hours a day. So if you're traditional farming, you're not getting 18 hours of perfect sunlight. That does just, doesn't happen on a year round basis. You're not giving them the perfect 73 degrees with a nice gentle breeze flowing over their leaves every day, all day for 365 days a year. You're not doing that. So when we talk about efficiency and the output, in my opinion, and because we are hydroponic farmers they just can't, can't compete. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1234.99">20:34</a>): No. When we look at what we are in control of, we're using less than five gallons of water a day. And essentially there is no runoff to the water that is given to the plants. Whatever the plants don't absorb is put back into the tank and recirculated once it's re nutrient again. And we have 320 square feet to grow up to three acres of land, which is over 8,800 plants at one time in there. And so the fact that we can control it and achieve a 99% germination rate from the very start, gives us full control of the quality and a consistent quality of products that we produce. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1276.6">21:16</a>): That sounds amazing for somebody over here who's, you know, dealing with 70 to 80% germination in the soil. My hands are dirty. This sounds almost too good to be true. I can't wait to come visit it and see it. My brother lives in Chicago, so on the next trip up, I'm gonna have to get off a little early near Ford Heights. So let's talk about Ford Heights. You put this in a location that, well, anywhere you're gonna put a container ship near the Chicago area is an atypical place for a farm. But Ford Heights what's the draw there? What's the connection? Why on the south side of Chicago? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1315.91">21:55</a>): To me, that's home. You know, my mother still lives there, so when I go home, that's where I'm going. The house I was born and raised in, my grandmother passed away almost two years now, and she left me the house. So I own a house in that area. So for me, it's going home and it's also reinvesting in home. A lot of folks talk about the bad that comes out of these communities, but they're not doing anything to change the bad. I wanted to change the narrative of what's coming out of that community. I came out of that community and I know lots of folks that came out of that community that I grew up with that are doing really, really good things and that are very successful. And so that was the narrative shift, the narrative change that we wanted was. That's why originally we wanted the farm to be in Fort Heights, to actually talk about what was coming out of Ford Heights, what Fort Heights was producing. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1370.311">22:50</a>): And it will, we will have a farm in Ford Heights. We're currently working with the school there to try to figure that out. But it was that changing that narrative of what's coming out of my hometown. You know, when I go home, that's where I go. And I don't want people to only know the bad, the poor, the this, the that, all of the preconceived notions of what they have about Ford Heights and communities like it. I wanted it to be, 'did you hear about that hydroponic farm that's in Ford Heights?' That's what I wanted the narrative. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1401.79">23:21</a>): That's really neat. And Ditto Foods is a for-profit company, right? You guys are in business, but you've partnered up with several nonprofits. I mean, you are giving back in all kinds of ways. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1415.22">23:35</a>): Yeah. We are working with Cornerstone Community Center out in Ford Heights. They do a lot of great, they do a lot of training for the staff. They do different things to reeducate the folks out there in the community. They also have a food pantry that distributes food to the folks in the community. So we partner with them to provide produce to the community. We also have one of our lettuce blends called the Butta' Blend. Portions of the proceeds from that goes to support the food pantry and goes to allow us to provide produce to the families in the community at a discounted rate. We recently partnered with the school district in Ford Heights to grow out their hydroponic program. They have a garden group there with about 10 kids. And I went and spoke to them and talked to them about hydroponics, and they're all so excited. It's giving back. You can't talk about things that aren't changing unless you're trying to help make that change happen. And so that's what we're doing. We're being a part of that change and we're glad to be part of the change. And I'm excited to work with other school districts to bring this technology and this education to the kids in the community. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1499.48">24:59</a>): And when we developed the mission for Ditto Food, one of the main goals with creating access was not just handing over fresh produce to communities, but it was educating the communities. And it all starts at home. And it all starts at the forefront of educating individuals on how to grow your own produce. And that's our commitment with the schools as we begin to partner with garden clubs and other school districts, is teaching them the new way of food growth, which is how do you grow the most in a limited space that's clean and healthy? And so as we continue to partner with schools and educate them and work with the students on where does your food come from? It all goes back to the reason that we started Ditto Foods, which is providing access and education to multi-levels of generation of what does it mean to get your food and what does it mean to grow your own food. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1559.2">25:59</a>): That sounds awesome. I'm really excited for you guys, and I'm grateful fo how you've poured your life, your career into this mission for your corner of Chicago, right? But you're leading and setting an example and it won't be the last, tell me. What's the future for Ditto Foods? Where do you see this going? More containers, more locations, what? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1587.34">26:27</a>): Our goal is three farms in five years. And so that is what we're working towards. But we also have a grocery store concept, a grocery store business that we created called Your Home Grocer that also takes that whole shipping container and building out a micro grocer using shipping containers. And a farm will be attached to that grocery store. And we're taking this business to communities like Ford Heights to again, bring the access to the community so that the community can produce for the community. So we have a big, big plan. We have big plans for the business as a whole. So there's the farm, there's the grocery store. We even have a laundromat concept that we have called Buddy Annie's Laundry. When I was a kid, my grandfather managed the local laundromat in Ford Heights. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1643.5">27:23</a>): And we don't think about it, but that's a thing that most, a lot of those communities don't have. And so they have to get on a bus to travel to the next community or the next town over just to wash their clothes. And so again, when we talk about access, bringing access to the community. So those are the three things that we're looking to build out within the next five to 10 years is to continue to grow the farm business, building out our micro grocer, Your Home Grocer, and the laundromat, your Buddy Annie Laundry. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1676.05">27:56</a>): Wow. Well, you have a fascinating farm in and of itself, and what you're doing is really interesting and thanks for sharing a little bit of the science behind it, how it works. But you've got an even more compelling vision. I'm sure that a lot of our listeners are going to want to be able to follow your story. So if people wanted to connect with you online, follow what's going on and just support you how are they gonna find you? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1698.3">28:18</a>): So they can go to our website at dittofoods.com. Support, it can be done through Market Wagon and purchasing directly through them. We also have a seedling program on our website that allows customers to purchase a seedling that's been germinated, and they can start to grow their own produce at home as well. And then you'll see Derek all over TikTok and a new YouTube series of growing in your home with the seedlings as well. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1730">28:50</a>): Very, very cool. Derek Drake, Brad Schiever, thank you so much for sharing your story with us on More Than a Mile. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1737.13">28:57</a>): Thank you. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1737.81">28:57</a>): Thank you so much. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/YkWfLhWkJyRC7mk8AkWO3LpNlsYdFQQvaNx8nj4nLNGU7yC-B84r2kFfYpvMYx12TquKQ6pD3B80fbEEaHZJ2LkmYFs?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1745.37">29:05</a>): Thank you for listening to this episode of More Than a Mile. Be sure to sign up for Market wagon at marketwagon.com or after downloading the Market Wagon app for iOS or Android. Follow us @MarketWagon on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for stories, recipes, special announcements, news, and just digital handshakes from our friendly farming community. If you enjoyed More Than a Mile, please rate the podcast and write a review on iTunes, castbox, podchaser, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Thank you for continuing to support local food.

Episode thumbnail for The Homestead: Where a busy working mom reinvigorated her downtown, all because she didn't want to miss out on the fun when loved ones came to visit. Now her recipes can be found on tables all across the state.

December 6, 2022

The Homestead: Where a busy working mom reinvigorated her downtown, all because she didn't want to miss out on the fun when loved ones came to visit. Now her recipes can be found on tables all across the state.

Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Thank you for tuning into our holiday episode. Today you are going to hear a great story of Jody. It’s an entrepreneurial success story in small town America. Jody is a farmer’s wife. Her family wanted to reinvigorate the dying downtown of a small Indiana community. So they started a small homey business and they called it The Homestead and it’s just grown from there. They’re in two locations now. They have a blossoming eCommerce business. But the origin story is due to this farmer’s wife being a busy mom—they had 5 girls in 6 years—and she didn’t want to be stuck in the kitchen any time they had friends or family over. So she learned some tricks about how to have frozen meals ready to pull out and heat up and today she’s sharing those with you. As CEO and chief cook of The Homestead, she’s going to talk about some of her tricks. We’re going to talk about one of my favorites, the Indiana state pie, a delicacy called the sugar cream pie, so listen in for that. She’s going to have some inspiring advice for would-be entrepreneurs and letting you know why it’s important to know where your food comes from. Thanks for tuning in. Enjoy. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Welcome to More Than a Mile, a local food podcast from Market Wagon focused on connecting you to local food through farmer stories from across America. I'm Nick Carter, your host, a farmer and CEO and co-founder of Market Wagon. We are your online farmers market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets. Food is so much more than just nutrients and calories. It's actually the fabric that holds us together. Thanks for joining me for this episode of More Than a Mile, and thank you for buying local food. It's one critical step in making an investment in food for future generations. My guest today is Jody Bahler, the CEO, founder and chief cook at The Homestead. Jody, thanks for joining us. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Hi Nick. How are you? Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): I'm doing great. Good. So we are doing this recording virtually, but we could have gotten together. You are just an hour away from where I'm at in Indianapolis, up in Remington, Indiana. Right? Yep. I know that you've got a background in farming. Do you and your husband still farm? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Yes, absolutely. That's Mike. And Mike farms with his two brothers. so it's a hundred year farm here in Indiana and that's where we've lived since we've been married and raised our five girls. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): That is so cool. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): I grew up on a dairy farm and married a hog farmer, so I got an ag background myself, <laugh>. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): So you grew up on a dairy farm where at? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): I grew up in Kansas, little town of Lamont, Kansas. Teeny tiny town near Emporia State University, Kansas State University. So that was where I began. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): So I grew up on a dairy farm too. Not really heavy in production because we had gotten rid of the milking equipment. So I just bred. What did you raise? What, do you know what breed? Holsteins, of course. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Yep. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Yeah. Very cool. So you were no stranger to the farm life when your husband, Mike decided to whisk you off to the farm life in Indiana? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Nope. Absolutely not. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): How'd the two of you meet? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We actually met through our church. We did a lot of traveling and back and forth with our church network across the United States, and we had met through that. And so that was, that was, yeah, that was primarily how we met and got acquainted. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Oh, that's neat. So moved Indiana, how many daughters did you say? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We have five girls. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Five girls. Are they, are any of 'em still in the house or have they moved on? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Our oldest is still home. Um, she's 26, and then we have twin girls that are 25. Then we have, we had two girls after that. So youngest is, is 20, they range anywhere from 20 to 26. And the oldest is the only one single and living at home still. She's an RN and works in Lafayette, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): So she's a nurse. So she took that on after you as well. I'm understanding you're a nurse. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): She did, she did. She followed in my footsteps. <laugh>. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Cool. So tell me a little bit about what it's like to raise five girls on a farm in rural Indiana. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Well, it's been a good life. I wouldn't trade it. We love the country life. We love, we loved being able to raise our girls on the farm and to know what hard work means. It's all I've known, it's all my husband Mike and I have ever known. So it was, it's a life that we love and cherish and we're thankful that we were able to raise our girls on the farm. So it's a lot of hard work. It's not a nine to five job, but it's, it's hard work and there's a lot of, of variety and diversity. Um, and so yeah, it was, you know, they weren't necessarily involved with the, the farming operation and neither was I. I was actually working as a nurse at the time that the girls that we were raising our family, um, stayed home with them for a few years, but then I went into school nursing once they started into school, but however, they weren't, um, specifically involved. They, they did some, some things but not a lot. Because my husband actually farms with two other brothers and there was, you know, it's, it's a large operation, so there was not a lot that they really helped with, but they were definitely involved with the day-to-day activities that were going on. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): It's an extended family farm, it sounds like. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Yep. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Got a lot of nieces and nephews involved in the operation? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): There's some nephews that are, that are involved now that they're a little bit older. Yes. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Got it. Now, as you, um, you were a, a working mom, your husband is working hard on the farm, your kids are in school, but I understand that kind of a background here behind The Homestead as a business is just this desire to have good family dinners, right? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): It is, and that is something that's always been important to me, raising my girls. I love to cook and bake and the years that I did spend at home, because we had five girls in six years, I was a very busy mom at home for several years before I went back into nursing. But I would spend my days preparing quantity food and freezing them to be pulled out and used for later date when I had an extra busy day when there was harvest and there was meal, you know, late meals and whatnot. It was the way I kept myself organized and it was nice to just know that I had food prepared in the freezer to pull out for those specific things or, you know, if there were guests that dropped by, I was prepared. So I also did some catering for various friends around the area and it was an interest of mine. I just really liked to do that. Those ideas were kind of the first beginning baby steps. Little did we know at the time, but that was really the, the reason that was really the, the way we founded Homestead was kind of that beginning. How can this help other families do the same thing that we did? Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Where did you learn to cook Jody? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): I learned to cook from my mother, of course, yeah, my grandmother. Both my grandmothers were very good cooks as well as my mom. We're not gourmet cooks, we're just good, you know, Midwestern down home cooks. But I definitely learned from my mom. I also self taught a lot of things as I was married and moved away from home. And it's interesting because I collect cookbooks, which of course is probably to be expected, but I read a cookbook like a novel, and I just, I just, I enjoy it and I feel like I learn something every day and I, you know, especially my early years of marriage when I was really learning, I would sit down when Mike was out late, I would read these cookbooks and I would meal plan and prep, and I really learned a lot about organization that way. I learned how to kind of mix and match recipes to kind of create my own and so, you know, it just kind of became a real hobby almost. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Now, some of the recipes I'm sure that you had passed down that you learned from mom and grandma were designed to come straight out of the oven onto the table. Was there, was there a lot of learning and adaptation to take a recipe that would go from the kitchen into the freezer, out of the freezer, into the oven to the table? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Not necessarily. There are some that you, that just aren't really adaptable to that, but a lot of recipes, and people would be surprised by this, because there are just a lot of, most things that you can freeze and be successful with. My mom did a lot of that as well. So I guess, you know, she kind of taught me those, the foundation, the basics of doing that and you know, how to be organized in that way. And then, it just grew from there. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): So it sounds like the idea was preparedness. You, you wanted to be able, when you had a busy day or you said, when guests show up, right, to just be able to say, Hey, stay for dinner. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Right. Or, you know, we host a lot of company, we have a lot of friends that come in, family come from out of town or whatever. And it was much less stressful to me to be able to prep ahead, know that I had the food prepared in the freezer I would pull out later to thaw. And it, it just created a lot less work for me, um, busyness in the kitchen while I had guests. And so, you know, I could relax and enjoy my time with my company or my family without stressing over, 'man, I gotta make this from, from beginning to end.' You know, it, the hard work was done, the kitchen wasn't a disaster, <laugh>, and it just really made my life a lot easier. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Well, I think for a lot of people, you know, hospitality is somewhat of a lost art and one of the most stressful parts about having folks over for dinner is, is the dinner part, right? It is, 'oh, I'm not much of a cook, and that's so much work.' But you really had some intentionality to be prepared in advance so that you could be that hostess. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Right. That was my goal. Um, that was your goal and it seemed to work for us. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Now you are sharing that ability with others. So you took this idea of a family meal around the table that's simple without a lot of stress, and you turned it into a product that you could help other people have at their tables. Tell me, when did you start doing that? When did that become the idea? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): So we started thinking about this in 2000, really the fall of 2009. We honestly had never thought about creating a business, so to speak with this in mind. But there was a property that was available in Remington and part of our family had an interest in doing something to help our downtown kind of invigorate the town, do something. We just kind of tossed around some ideas. Is this something we even want to get involved with? Then the idea was born. My sister-in-law who was also involved in some of these decisions really liked the bulk food concept, which you see in a lot of, um, Amish type communities that, you know, you buy everything in bulk and, and then package 'em down. A lot of the candies and the gummies and the chocolates repackaged down into sellable quantities that people are gonna wanna grab and go. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): And so, you know, that was her interest. We kind of paired that together with like, hey, okay, I love to, I love to cook, I love to bake, I love to cater. And I've kind of dabbled in that with friends around the area and we've also got five young daughters growing up. Could this really be something that we could create moving forward as a family business and do something worthwhile for our community? And so that was when the idea was born. In the fall of 2009, we created the business that we named The Homestead. We wanted to have a very homey feel, I guess just so to speak, something that had a little bit of meaning behind it. We launched The Homestead in the spring of 2010. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): And we were happy with what it was. We created the, you know, we wanted a warm, homey, welcoming atmosphere. We, we had, looking back, you know, it's been a journey. We started out with very minimal few options. Looking back at photos, the store looked very sparse. So it's just, you know, it it is what it is, right? That's part of growing a business. And so in, in these last, you know, since 2010 we've just continued to grow and expand. We realized that there was really, I guess it sort of started out with more, we were more in the mindset of kind of a hobby business. Not really, not really, let's go for the gusto, just more of a let's let's have a fun thing to do, you know? And then we quickly realized that there was more need for that, what we were offering. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): And I still remember the very first casserole that I made to sell to customers was the chicken and rice casserole. We still sell it today. It's still a very much a top seller. That was the one that I remembered trying and we'd make just, you know, I made just a few and stuck them out in the freezer and the concept just took off and people were loving the ability to come in and find something that was ready made and ready to pop in the oven. So, um, you know, that's, that was, we've just, we've just kind of taken one step at a time and grown from there. And, you know, now we offer quite a few items. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Was there ever a point in the last, you know, 13 years now since you've had this idea, was there ever a point where you, you said to yourself, maybe this isn't worth it? Uh, maybe, maybe, uh, maybe I was crazy Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Honestly, yes, probably more than once. <laugh> <laugh>. But, you know, I also believe that anything worthwhile is hard work. And I also believe that nothing worthwhile comes easy. Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. It's a difficult road. And, you know, just trying to find what works for your business, what works for the demographics in your area, what customers are gonna want, you know, dealing with all of the costing, the inputs, the math, figuring all that out as a young entrepreneur, which is something I didn't go to school for, my husband didn't go to school for. That was very much, it's been very much a learning curve and at times, yes, felt exasperating, you know? Because it is not an an easy road, but when you see the momentum behind it that what is happening and it, you know, it just, it just makes it worth it all. It really does. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Yeah. I think it's one thing to know how to make a delicious meal at home. It's another thing to know exactly to the penny, what that meal costs per serving, and then know what to charge for it at the door. Right? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, also when you're dealing with small home recipes, although I was multiplying and doing freezer food ahead, it's nothing like we do today as far as quantity, you know? So getting all that figured out has been quite a journey for us, quite a process. But it is, looking back, we've come a long way <laugh> Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): If there's anybody listening right now who has a love for cooking just like you do, loves to organize and wants to be able to share that gift with others, what's one piece of advice you could think of to share with a cook, a chef who's thinking about jumping out and doing just what you did 13 years ago and hasn't quite taken that leap. What's one thing you wish you could tell 2009, Jody? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): I think what I would say is if you truly have a heart passion for something and you have your eyes set on a vision and a dream, move forward and don't look back. There's just something about, at least for me, that sense of satisfaction that I am doing what I love, although hard, and not easy. It's still something deep within that I know I'm supposed to do. We've just, you know, we've felt, um, you know, sometimes you wonder, is this the right thing to do? Should we do this or do that? But it, you know, it seems like about the time we always wonder, something falls in place that just gives us that little glimpse of hope that, okay, we're on the right track, we need, you know, let's just keep putting one foot in front of the other and move forward. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Very cool. I think that resonates with a lot of entrepreneurial stories is, I always say, ready, fire, aim. Right? You know, you know where you want to get to. Yes, you may not have all the details worked out, but starting is the hardest part. So yeah, I'm glad you started. Now, somewhere along the way, this must have been going pretty well, because now you're in two locations. So you opened your second location in West Lafayette. Tell me, you know, how did you grow to double the size of your business that way? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We had an offer, somebody actually showed up in our Remington store one day. It was an owner who had some property in West Lafayette and he had a space lease available that was open for a restaurant-type of business. And he approached us, had heard about us, and wondered if this was something that we would want to expand in. And it really is something that we had thought about, you know, growing our business outside of Remington, but just not sure how that would look. We again, we just kind of took that step of faith. Faith plays a big part in this role. It just, it's just, like I said, you kind of step out and you just trust that this is the right decision. We opened that store, totally reset the store and opened that location five years ago and it immediately took off. It's in West Lafayette near Purdue. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Go Boilers. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Go boilers. And it's definitely, you know, it's a different demographics down there. Yes, it's an ag community, but not quite as closely related ag as we are here, right in, you know, right in the country roads of Remington. But you know, you got a lot more working people and Purdue close by and it really caught on. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): So you've got more like busy professionals as opposed to other fellow farmers coming by and and picking up dinner from you? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We do, and I would tend to say that here in Remington we have a lot more folks that are probably stay-at-home moms that maybe do their own cooking. That's just what they're used to, where maybe in Lafayette, west Lafayette area, you have probably more working class people that don't take the time to cook at home. Knowing they have something they can stop for has been a big benefit to them. So we actually outgrew that location and then a couple years ago we actually was it just, it was just last summer my, um, yeah, <laugh>, it was just last July because we just had our one year anniversary in that location. We actually moved to a larger location on Win Hentschel Boulevard in West Lafayette, and we were able to put in a large 16 foot salad bar. So that was an addition to the location that we had there. It was a great move. We're happy there. We love it. It's got great curb appeal and it's done very well in that location. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Very cool. So shifting gears just a little bit, what percentage of your customers do you know, uh, I guess personally or that you could recognize when they walk in, you've got a connection and you know who they are and you've seen 'em before? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): You know, here in Remington, I would say I would say 60 to 70%. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Yeah. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): But we also pull a lot of people off the interstate, people that see our sign that, you know, are drawn in. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): You get some almost tourist traffic in there? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We do. And it's just grown so much that I don't know if that's as high as it used to be, but new faces every day in both locations. Now, I personally don't know as many in West Lafayette just because of, I don't live in the area, but, you know, we definitely have our repeaters every day. We've got new people coming in. What we have found is the best way to advertise is word of mouth. You have a good product, you have good service, that word gets out and people will come. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Now, what's your favorite recipe? If you were to take something from your inventory at the, at the store, if you were to be your own customer, take it home and that's gonna be dinner for you and your husband, what would it be? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): My personal favorite is the chicken broccoli and rice casserole, and that is our number one seller. So apparently other people like it as well. So many favorites of mine because obviously my favorites are the ones that I'm gonna tend to offer to our customers. So I like, I love them all. As far as the pie, the sugar cream pie is probably one of my favorite pies, which is the Indiana state pie. That's Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Is it? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): It is. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): I knew it was an Indiana thing. Yeah. Did you make sugar cream pie when you were living in Kansas? Or did you discover that recipe when you became a Hoosier? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Discovered it as a Hoosier. I had never heard of it in Kansas <laugh> it's introduced in Kansas now. <laugh> Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Oh. Oh, I bet you better take those home to some family gatherings, right? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Sure, Yep. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): I would bet that more than half of our listeners have never heard of a sugar cream pie. And you are missing out. You're missing out. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): You are, you are. Yep. So I love 'em all. I'm like my father. He says he likes two kinds of pie, hot or cold. And that's kind of the way, that's kind where I'm at, really Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): <laugh>, two kinds of pie, hot or cold. I love that. <laugh>. So as far as local food goes, I mean, you're a fixture in your community. You're in Remington and West Lafayette, and for those of you who are listening, you are not familiar with Indiana geography. They're not far apart. You're really plugged into your local community. And you even said you wanted to start this because you wanted to revitalize downtown Remington, so the downtown may have been getting a little, a little sleepy. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): So, what about on the producer side? We've talked about your customers, but where do your ingredients come from? Do you get anything locally? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We do get some things locally. Most of our ingredients come from a small town, a small family-owned supplier, Stanz Food Service, which is originated out of South Bend. We have several vendors that we purchase from, but that's probably the biggest one that we purchased from. As far as some of our ingredients come from, like our flours and our sugars come from, Dutch Valley out of Pennsylvania, which is a large Amish settlement. And, in that area that there's a large production of those types of things. That's where a lot of our gummies, our chocolates, our bulk stuff comes from. We buy a lot of our flours and sugars out of that area delivered. A lot of our jar goods come from Holmes County, Ohio, which is another large Amish settlement. There's canneries out there that actually can our jar goods like our jams and jellies and salsas and that sort of thing. Our peaches, our pears. Those are canned out in Ohio and shipped to us. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Wow. That's fantastic. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Yeah, we don't actually make those things, those things are shipped to us, but we are making, we're making the frozen line here in Remington. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Your canned items in the flour and sugar, you said you don't, you don't make those, but you know the people who do right? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We do, yes. Yeah. Yes, we buy our noodles. We buy our noodles from an Amish family up in Middlebury, Indiana. We've actually watched them make them, and so, you know, there's, we definitely do use some fairly local items. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): It sounds like it. And even if they're not right there from Indiana, local isn't just a matter of where it comes from, although, you know, that sounds like it'd be the key thing, but knowing just a relationship to the source of where it comes from. To say, 'oh, we know this community in Pennsylvania and we know what they do together and we know how they produce the food.' And that's where you've chosen to get your bulk items from. I love that. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Absolutely. Yep. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Is there anything that you guys grow on your farm yourself that gets made into food at The Homestead? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): So we use some of our own ground sausage, some of our own pork because we are pork producers. We definitely use some of our own pork in our store. Not a hundred percent because it depends on, you know, market time and all that when there's hogs ready and available to go in. So it's not a hundred percent, but we definitely use a lot of our own ground pork in our recipes. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): That's awesome. Jody, it's been so great to learn about your business and how your passion and just your leadership and your family has now bled over into blessing tables far and wide, now through Market Wagon delivered all throughout central Indiana. Do you connect with people who maybe you don't even see their face in your store in Remington, but through Market Wagon? Are you connecting online with more and more families? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We are. It's amazing. We've been, we have been affiliated with Market Wagon now for a little over a year, and it's been, you know, we started out, our first pick ticket was 20 items. Now today we've brought as high as a hundred items for delivery. So it's definitely growing and expanding. We see a lot of repeat customers, which we feel like is great because that means they love our products and hey're buying again and again and again. So we've been really happy with our Market Wagon association. It's been a great way to expand our product line into areas that we can't get to personally with our own stores. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): And at the time we're recording this, we are just a couple weeks away from Thanksgiving, and then of course, Christmas right around the corner. The holidays are a time when food really brings people together. It's a glue right, that, community and family bonds are built around. So your recipes are no doubt gonna be on Thanksgiving tables. They're gonna be on Christmas tables, there are gonna be holiday get togethers and in fellowship halls and in kitchens and garages where families get together just like ours has for years and years. The Homestead's gonna be there. Do you have any holiday favorites or even some seasonal recipes that might be just released for a limited release this coming couple of months? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Absolutely, we do. We have some seasonal ones that we, we rotate in and out as seasons come and go. Obviously pumpkin pie is one that we do not offer year round, but it's one that we offer October, November, December. Actually I think we even start in September offering pumpkin pie. It is definitely offered on Market Wagon this time of year and as well as several of our pies going into the Thanksgiving season. That will be big sellers for us. We also here in our retail stores offer my mom's holiday dressing or stuffing as some people call it. That's an item that we roll out at the holiday, um, is a great seller. So it's not something that everybody loves to make, and it's just, my mom has a great recipe. It's just something we've reproduced and, and have offered to customers. We also offer the Sweet potato praline or Praline Sweet potato casserole. It's a mashed sweet potato with almost like a candied pecan. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Oh, I'm very familiar. Oh, yeah. This is a staple at our farming family get togethers too. My wife hates it. She's, she shouldn't, shouldn't say she hates it. She does remind me that it's a dessert, not a side. And I tell her no, it's definitely a side dish counts as a vegetable <laugh>. Um, I think things like that are, they come from rural or farming communities and, it's interesting how my wife, I married an urbanite. Okay. She doesn't, she doesn't relate to the same recipe. She's not as, Jody Bahler (The Homestead): You can't quite not appreciate it <laugh>. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): I, well I'm working on it <laugh> Jody Bahler (The Homestead): <laugh>. Well, sweet potatoes is one of those things. Maybe you either like, you love or you do not like, and, but yeah, it, it, it could almost be classified as a dessert. It's very, you know, it's got that sweet crunch on top and it's, it's fabulous people, people love it. So Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): I've often wondered what the difference in the recipe actually is between the filling of a sweet potato pie and a sweet potato casserole. And I'm guessing they're pretty similar Jody Bahler (The Homestead): <laugh> I'm sure they're, they probably have lots of sugar and butter <laugh>. And one thing I mentioning that, one thing I will note, obviously I mentioned early on is I grew up on a dairy farm. Here at The Homestead, we use only real butter. That's something that I will not, I will not compromise quality and we don't, we don't use any margarine or anything like that. Everything is real butter. So we definitely try to use quality, quality ingredients to create the best, um, quality that we can. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): So, real cream in that sugar cream pie? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Actually, that recipe doesn't actually call for real cream. It calls for milk, but it gets its richness from a lot of butter. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Okay. So it's milk and butter. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Yeah Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Got it. And speaking of pies, are customers able to pre-order their pies for the holidays on Market Wagon? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Absolutely. I believe that we do have some pre-orders. I will have to check on that, but I know that we definitely have them on, um, open and I believe starting this week we have pies available. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Yeah, well, sugar cream pie from The Homestead is gonna be at a Carter dinner coming up in the next couple weeks, if not several Jody Bahler (The Homestead): <laugh>. Okay, sounds great. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Jody, does your family back in Kansas still farm dairy? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): My father has retired from the dairy, but my brother, um, farms a lot of acreage out there and dad helps them. So the ag the ag tradition continues. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): That is great to hear because that's a rarity and so I'm really encouraged to hear that. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Yep. It's a good life. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Other than MarketWagon.com, where else can customers find you online? Are you on Facebook, Twitter? Do you have a website? Jody Bahler (The Homestead): We have a website, HomesteadButtery.com. They can also find us on Instagram, Facebook. We also outsource some of our products. We sell to a few companies. We sell wholesale. Some of our pastries are in all of the Copper Moon coffee shops here in Lafayette. So that's been fun. We sell our scones and sweet rolls and cookies and things like that to all the Copper Moon shops here locally. We sell to a couple of meat markets in outlying towns, and it's amazing how well those products go in these small towns. I think it's just, again, it's another source for something that's quick. They know it's homemade, they know it's got quality ingredients and they can taste the difference. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): So it's become, it's become quite popular in those places as well. It's very humbling to know that something that we have created here in small town Remington has expanded to tables across Indiana. And I don't know that we always realize the impact that that is making on a daily basis, but we have commented to ourselves before, you know, on Thanksgiving Day, how many dinner rolls must be out on people, you know, how many dinner rolls must be, are being served today and that other families are enjoying that, you know, The Homestead's created. It's just such a heartwarming,it's a warm fuzzy feeling to know that you have created something that other families are now enjoying. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): It just strikes me how many, not just how many dinner rolls, but how many times you have enabled a family to sit down around a meal when they might not have otherwise been able to do that. When they may have been rushing out to a restaurant or fast food or takeout or going their different directions. But to have mom, dad, and kids sit down to eat, even if it's in a hurry, I mean, we've got kids in sports, we're rushing out to practice and events and Right. It happens. But, um, to be able to sit down and have a meal together, um, I think is a lost art as a family. And I think that you've empowered people to be able to do that. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Well, I hope so. And it's really a neat feeling to know that, at least our efforts are going toward that cause and it is a crazy world. It's a busy world and we ourselves, we're so on the go. In fact, just this last weekend, our five girls were home and I served breakfast burritos that we had that we make here at The Homestead. And I told Mike, I said, I am really thankful for this place called The Homestead because I can, I could go grab and go. I'm busy, I'm working. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): You're your own client. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): I am, I am. And I, so you know that I do realize how nice it is to have it available. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Jodi Baylor, CEO of the Homestead, thank you so much for sharing your story and just letting us know what life is like for a small Indiana startup entrepreneur like you. Jody Bahler (The Homestead): Well, thank you for the opportunity that you've given us to expand our products to that, to the Indy area and down there. Um, and we look forward to continuing to partner with Market Wagon and grow in that way. So appreciate it. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO): Thank you. Thanks for listening to this episode of More Than a Mile. Be sure to sign up for Market wagon@marketwagon.com or after downloading the Market Wagon app for iOS or Android. Follow us at Market Wagon on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for stories, recipes, special announcements news, and just digital handshakes from our friendly, friendly farming community. If you enjoyed More than a Mile, please rate the podcast and write a review on iTunes, cast box poder, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Thank you for continuing to support local food.

Episode thumbnail for Classic City Gourmet Mushroom: Honoring our Veterans with Dr. Sara Skinner and hear from her about the journey from the Army to mushroom farmer and professor of social work at the University of Georgia.

November 9, 2022

Classic City Gourmet Mushroom: Honoring our Veterans with Dr. Sara Skinner and hear from her about the journey from the Army to mushroom farmer and professor of social work at the University of Georgia.

Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=0.819">00:00</a>): Hello, and thanks for joining the podcast. My guest today is Dr. Sara Skinner. She's the owner of Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms. And with Veterans Day on Friday, it just seemed appropriate to share her journey to becoming a mushroom farmer because it's directly connected the time that she spent in the Army. And she may have left the Army 12 years ago, but she's never really stopped advocating for veterans. She's now a professor of social work at the University of Georgia. She's even designed courses that help other clinicians working with veterans and military families. And as you're about to hear, while she has no desire to be the mushroom queen, farming itself has really become an important part of her healing process because of the hope that's found in growing things and investing in the future. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=46.27">00:46</a>): Welcome to More Than a Mile, a local food podcast from Market Wagon focused on connecting you to local food through farmer stories from across America. I'm Nick Carter, your host, a farmer and CEO and co-founder of Market Wagon. We are your online farmer's market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets. Food is so much more than just nutrients and calories. It's actually the fabric that holds us together. Thanks for joining me for this episode of More Than a Mile, and thank you for buying local food. It's one critical step in making an investment in food for future generations. Well, my guest today is Sara. Sara, thanks for joining us. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=88.61">01:28</a>): Yeah, no problem. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=89.42">01:29</a>): I love your story. At time of recording, we are coming up on Veterans Day. So it's a time of year everybody acknowledges, you know, the sacrifices veterans have made throughout the generations in our country. Seems like every day's Veteran's Day for you though, right? This is a lived reality. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=108.66">01:48</a>): That is true. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=109.64">01:49</a>): So we're gonna talk about your service and how that's brought us around to growing mushrooms. I just want to start at the beginning and first of all, say thank you for serving our country to you and your husband. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=122.55">02:02</a>): Thank you for your support. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=124.12">02:04</a>): Of course. How did you get, you know, today you're a mushroom farmer. You started in the Army. How did you get, how did you decide to join the army right out of high school? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=134.9">02:14</a>): <laugh>. So I didn't actually, So I grew up as a military brat. My dad was a, um, lifelong Army soldier. Growing up I was very adamant of like, I'm never gonna go in the army. No way. Then after high school, I did one semester in college and it didn't go very great <laugh>. Uh, and so I was like, Hm, Army's not looking so bad now. So, yeah, after I did one semester of college and then I joined the Army mostly to kind of help me get back to college, but it turns out I loved it. And, uh, I really had a wonderful experience. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=175.53">02:55</a>): I really love that because I grew up son of a farmer and swore I'm never going to be a farmer. Then I dropped out of college and now I farm. So we have a lot of things in common except I didn't join the military. So you grew up in a military family. You met your husband in the military, right? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=195.95">03:15</a>): That's correct, Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=197.49">03:17</a>): At West Point? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=198.47">03:18</a>): That's right. Yeah. So after I was in the Army for a couple years, so I enlisted originally, and so I was enlisted for a couple of years. And then I was given the opportunity to apply to West Point and I was accepted. And so while I was there, I did meet my husband and we've been married for 20 years now. We just did our 20th reunion this past weekend. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=224.06">03:44</a>): Congratulations. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=225.63">03:45</a>): Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=226.14">03:46</a>): And your husband also was in the Army? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=228.52">03:48</a>): Yep. Yep. It's a requirement after graduating. So we both graduated and our senior year was when 9/11 happened. So our senior year of college was 2001-2002. We graduated 2002 and pretty much we were both, you know, immediately deployed to Iraq. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=248.65">04:08</a>): So you're newlyweds on deployment. Is that hard? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=253.64">04:13</a>): Um, the hard part was most, most of the time we were separated. Yeah. But there was a brief point where we were both deployed to Baghdad at the same time. So I was on one side of the river, he was on the other side of the river. And so there were a few times we were able to actually visit. I have this distinct memory of like, you know, sitting on top of a security point with my husband at night watching the tracers, <laugh>, you know, in the sky overhead. And, and it's something that we kind of go back to in our marriage, you know, when things are going rough or the kids were crazy or whatever, we say, Well, nobody's shooting at us. We're okay. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=293.92">04:53</a>): Yeah. It could be worse. Could be worse. A lot of people say that and you guys really have lived it. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=298.55">04:58</a>): Yeah, yeah. Like literally nobody's shooting at us. We're okay. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=302.31">05:02</a>): Yeah. Wow. So I want to talk about how this military journey brings you into providing food for your local community. So speaking of things being difficult, you, you also gardened while in the Army? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=319.97">05:19</a>): Yes. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=321.31">05:21</a>): Now I have family in the Army. And you even talked about being a military brat, which indicates, you know, you moved around a lot. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> gardens are usually like, literally putting down roots. Is is that hard to do? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=334.64">05:34</a>): Um, yes. Yeah. But it was, it was a very important part of my upbringing. So yes, I was a military brat. I grew up moving around. But even so both sets of my grandparents were farmers in Michigan. And so every summer I would go and stay with them and help them on the farm, you know, hoeing beans or whatever else, you know, we had to do. And so my mother, when we were growing up, wherever we were stationed, she would always make sure she had a garden. And so I'd help her plant. And so it was a natural thing wherever I was, if it was a house plant was all I could manage. I would do that. If I had some space I would, you know, plant some flowers or some tomatoes or whatever. So I've, I've been doing that forever wherever I went. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=385">06:25</a>): Uh, so on, on bases all across the US there's a, a garden in the backyard of some housing unit there that you started. Do you think people kept it up after you left? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=396.529">06:36</a>): Germany... I don't wanna know. <laugh>. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=399.16">06:39</a>): You don't wanna know. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=400.11">06:40</a>): That's the one thing about moving. I've gone back before, you know, to a place I lived and seen that the new tenants have razed my garden and it makes me very sad. So I'd rather just not know and believe that they're enjoying what I left. But yeah. Yeah. So not just the United States. Also in Germany. Even on my first deployment, my mom sent me flower seeds while I was in Iraq. They didn't take, and that was probably a good thing, <laugh>. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=432.07">07:12</a>): Yeah, there's, yeah, there's a large body of literature about not sending seeds across to different continents. <laugh>. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=438.51">07:18</a>): Yeah. That was probably not a good idea, but it was just such a natural thing for her to do. Oh, sure. Um, yeah. So I appreciated the thought, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=447.12">07:27</a>): <laugh>. So when did you decide to leave the Army and how did that take place? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=452.73">07:32</a>): So I left the Army in 2007. I did two deployments to Iraq. I was injured on my second deployment, so we made a decision as a family after that to get out of the military. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=470.09">07:50</a>): So in 2007, you make the decision as a family to get out of the military. Did you have kids at that, did you say as a family? So did you have kids? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=478.04">07:58</a>): Yes. Yeah. So I just had my oldest son. He was eight months old when we got out, so he was a baby. And my husband and I made a decision at that point because, you know, like I said, I did two deployments. He did two deployments. So our first five years of marriage, we had only been together in the same place for four months consecutively. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=505.56">08:25</a>): Wait, cumulatively? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=507.88">08:27</a>): No, consecutive. Four months consecutive. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=508.64">08:28</a>): The longest consecutive time together Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=511.29">08:31</a>): Exactly was four months. And so we knew that if we stayed in, we were going to be separated again. And now we had a baby in the mix. So we decided on top of everything else that we were gonna try our hand at civilian life. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=528.45">08:48</a>): Okay. So you said your first semester at college didn't go all that well, then you became a West Point graduate mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And now, um, is it Dr. Sara Skinner? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=538.5">08:58</a>): It is Dr. Sara Skinner. Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=540.83">09:00</a>): So tell me about your doctorate work, how you, you went back for a PhD. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=544.73">09:04</a>): Yeah. Well after I got out of the Army in 2007, I was doing a lot of volunteer work for an organization called Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). And it was through that work that I learned that there was a shortage of mental health workers nationwide. Because that was one of the things we were advocating for is more mental health services for veterans. So at that point I was like, 'Well, why not me?' So I decided to go back and get my masters in social work. So I did that in 2009. And then after a couple of years I decided to get my PhD. and so I came to the University of Georgia here in Athens and got my PhD. in social work. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=593.69">09:53</a>): And does a lot of the social work that you focus on, is it focused on military, military veterans? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=601.1">10:01</a>): It is. So that is something that I've enjoyed researching and a program that I brought to University of Georgia. I developed a course on military social work for the University of Georgia. And it's a graduate and undergraduate level. I also put together a military social work certificate program that we're hopefully going to be implementing soon in order to certify mental health workers in the state of Georgia to work more competently with the military population. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=635.23">10:35</a>): Yeah. That's awesome. And does gardening and growing food intersect with that work? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=642.09">10:42</a>): Maybe not that particularly, but I will say that it was a very important part of my healing after serving in Iraq and after getting out of the military. I have this distinct memory of when I was flying out of the desert for the last time and I was flying into Germany, looking out the window of the airplane, and I could just see the deep rich browns and greens of Germany in contrast to having been in the desert. It just sticks in my mind of all that life that's in vegetation and the soil as being kind of, you know, being home, and being surrounded by living and nurturing myself. So I threw myself into really gardening and growing things and it was very meaningful for me, very healing. I know the same is true for a lot of veterans. There are a lot of programs nationwide that combine veterans and agriculture because it turns out it's actually a really good fit for a lot of veterans working in agriculture. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=724.94">12:04</a>): Not only professionally. I mean, they probably have the experience of hard work, they can do what it takes to run a farm. But it sounds like at a little bit more of a deeper level it's meaningful and impactful work. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=739.46">12:19</a>): Yes, exactly. We know that farming is hard work, right? And there's a lot of uncertainty. And so veterans are uniquely able to handle the stress of it. But I feel like there's hope inherent in the act of planting something, right? So it's kind of a bet on the future every time you put a seed in the ground or in my case inoculate some, you know, wood with mushroom mycelium. It's the same kind of thing that you're vesting in the future. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=774.55">12:54</a>): Yeah and able to bring about creation and flourishing and not destruction. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=780.57">13:00</a>): Exactly. Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=781.8">13:01</a>): Yeah. Wow. So let's talk about mushrooms then. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=785.8">13:05</a>): Yeah, so like I said, I've always gardened and grew food and that sort of thing. And then when we moved into, not where I'm living right now, but I was putting together my garden and there was parts of my yard or land where it was very shady mm-hmm. <affirmative>. I used up every like square foot of sunlight that there was available. And so I was like, 'Well, what can I do now?. So then I started investigating mushrooms. So I started growing mushrooms probably around 13 years ago, I think now. Wow. I started with the way a lot of people do, like inoculating logs and that sort of thing. It was fun and I enjoyed it and grew some mushrooms for my family. But really once the pandemic hit and I found myself with all this time, that's when I really got serious about it. I did a lot more investigating into indoor mushroom cultivation. It turns out I just really loved it because it is so quick compared to traditional gardening. I can inoculate with oyster mushroom mycelium and from the time of inoculation to the time of harvesting can be four to six weeks. Really? Yeah. Which is really fast. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=870.38">14:30</a>): And so in produce gardening, we have this term called cut and come back. A lot of lettuces are cut and come back. Are mushrooms the same way where you can harvest and then it'll regrow just like lettuce will regrow its own leaves? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=883.94">14:43</a>): Yes, to a certain extent. They will regrow until they consume basically all the nutrients that are in whatever substrate they're growing in. So I can usually get two or three flushes from one of my blocks. Now if I'm talking about logs, you know, those can produce for years. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=904.57">15:04</a>): Got it. What are the nutrients that these mushrooms need? Because I'm thinking entirely in terms of, you know, I raise produce. Yeah. You probably don't need a lot of nitrogen, right? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=917.48">15:17</a>): No, no. A little bit is good, but it's mostly carbon based and carbon and lignin and I feel like I need to go get out one of my mushroom books so that I'm really accurate. But, yeah, mostly if you think of like out the woods or whatever, mushrooms are, for the most part, are denser forest, right? So they're growing on dead or decaying things that are part of the process of breaking down material. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=946.22">15:46</a>): Yeah. They're a primary decomposer. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=948.35">15:48</a>): Exactly. There you go. That's basically what they need is something to grow on. And it's usually sawdust, wood, almost everything I grow grows on hardwood of some type. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=963.58">16:03</a>): And they don't require the same sunlight requirements that I need in order to get a produce crop so you can grow 'em in a shade. They actually prefer that? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=971.94">16:11</a>): Yes, but not total shade. I think that's a misunderstanding a lot of folks have. There are some mushrooms that can grow or prefer a darkness. I think most of the grocery store mushrooms that you think of, those do grow best in a shade, total shade. But most of the mushrooms that I grow, lions main oysters, those are mushrooms that you would find growing in the forest. So you think, you know, dappled sunlight. And so that's basically what all I need. Not as much as you would need like in a greenhouse or whatever, but yeah, I do have to have light for eight to 12 hours a day. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1012.8">16:52</a>): But nothing that you're selling is foraged, right? This is all cultivated mushrooms. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1017.66">16:57</a>): Yes. I don't do any foraging. So I'm not sure about other places, but in Georgia you have to have a foraging license. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1025.359">17:05</a>): Indiana is the same. And we have a mushroom here. I don't know if it grows in Georgia, the morels? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1030.45">17:10</a>): Oh yes. Yeah. I get, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1032.75">17:12</a>): Yeah. Yeah. Do you actually forage some that you don't <sell> for your own enjoyment? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1038.95">17:18</a>): I try. Okay. Yeah. I do try to forage. So every time I'm out on a hike, I'm constantly looking for mushrooms and drive my family crazy. Cause they're like, you know, 'could you speed up?' I'm trying to look at under logs and everything. But I'm not really great at foraging. And so I tell that to my customers all the time. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1063.24">17:43</a>): And side note for our listeners, don't eat just any mushroom that you happen to find in the forest. I think most people know that but I really don't want to get sued as the host of More Than A Mile here, <laugh>. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1073.52">17:53</a>): Thank you. Well then you can cut this out, but I always say, 'you know, you can try any mushroom at least once.' Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1079.119">17:59</a>): <laugh> <laugh>, we can say that as long as everyone knows it's a punchline. You may not be able to try anything after you've tried that mushroom. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1086.48">18:06</a>): Yeah. But that's an advantage for me of growing my mushrooms cuz I know exactly what I'm growing and what I'm getting. And also I don't have to fight with the bugs because I get to harvest them exactly when they're ready. So I don't have to worry about them being past prime or any of that. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1103.09">18:23</a>): Of course. So do you grow any indoors or is it all outdoors? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1108.99">18:28</a>): No, actually most of the stuff I grow is indoors. So my lions mane and my oyster mushrooms are all grown indoors. Most of my shiitake, though I do have some shiitake outside. I only have a couple types of mushrooms that I have outdoor beds for, and that is reishi mushrooms. I like to grow those ones outside and they do well here in Georgia cause it's hot. I also do wine caps, which is also known as garden giant or the garden wander. It's a wonderful mushroom that likes to grow in mulch. And maitake is another one that I'm kind of experimenting with out in the garden. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1153.5">19:13</a>): Okay. Yeah. Which one's easier growing indoors or outdoors? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1157.6">19:17</a>): Indoors, absolutely. Because I can control the humidity levels. I can control the temperature. I love growing outdoors, but it's sometimes it's a surprise. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1169.26">19:29</a>): You're at the mercy of Mother Nature, right? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1172.25">19:32</a>): A hundred percent. So if you get a dry spell, you're just, you know. Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1177.369">19:37</a>): What should we picture? Everybody has an idea of what a garden looks like and maybe even what a greenhouse looks like for indoor growing. But can you help our listeners understand what does it look like? Is it a plank of wood that you keep wet all the time? Or what's it gonna look like if we saw your indoor growing? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1194.39">19:54</a>): So no. It's actually it looks like I have a couple grow rooms and those are just rooms that I have shelves in those. And on the shelves are bags and the bags contain sawdust and the mushroom mycelium. And so the mushrooms actually grow out of those bags. And so, yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1219.19">20:19</a>): So you use sawdust instead of logs primarily? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1222.64">20:22</a>): Yes. Primarily I use sawdust. Like I said, some of my outdoor stuff, I definitely use logs, but the indoor stuff is all grown on sawdust and I enriched the sawdust with a little wheat bran or like shredded beet hulls, beet pulp. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1239">20:39</a>): Got it. Yeah. What's your favorite? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1241.95">20:41</a>): It changes with the seasons. I'll say in the warm weather, I really love golden oysters. They're kind of sweet, a little nutty, but after the long summer that we've had in Georgia, I'm over the golden oysters. And so I'm starting to get some of the cold weather mushrooms. And so this time of year I love black pearl oysters. It's a hybrid mushroom. It's combination of like a oyster and a king trumpet. Okay. And it's really meaty, very dense. It's got kind of a peppery smokey flavor. It's just amazing this time of year. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1281.52">21:21</a>): Now I'm hungry for fried mushrooms. Do you fry it? Yeah, Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1285.64">21:25</a>): I, yes. If you name it, I will make mushrooms that way. But I always tell everybody if they don't know what to do with the mushroom, then just go ahead and saute it, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So that's the best way to kinda try to eat a mushroom. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1297.81">21:37</a>): You can't go wrong with maybe a little bit of breading and fry it in butter. I don't think you can do anything wrong that way. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1303.28">21:43</a>): That's true for just about anything i think. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1305.41">21:45</a>): That's true for anything that's edible. Right? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1307.53">21:47</a>): Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1307.85">21:47</a>): How do I cook these Pop Tarts? Well, listen, just fry them in butter, you're going to be fine. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1311.49">21:51</a>): There you go. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1312.53">21:52</a>): <laugh>. So, you started growing mushrooms just last year 2021? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1320.85">22:00</a>): Well I started growing mushrooms, like I said, it's been probably about 13 or 14 years, but I started Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms a little over a year ago. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1329.859">22:09</a>): You turned this passion into a business a little over a year ago, Classic City Gourmet Mushroom. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1335.01">22:15</a>): That's correct. Yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1336.92">22:16</a>): Where do you go when you want to sell mushrooms, you say, I'm gonna grow a large volume of mushrooms, how do you find a market for that? Is it a lot of chefs? Was it farmers markets? What did that look like? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1351.57">22:31</a>): I started with farmers markets. I've sold at a couple farmers markets locally, so we're fortunate in our area. We have a lot of large and small farmers markets and so that was a great way to get a feel for the demand. Fortunately the demand was really good. People love mushrooms and they wanted lots of it. I have sold to a couple restaurants locally, um, a couple farm stores. Then of course I sell through Market Wagon, which is my favorite online farmers market. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1390.21">23:10</a>): Thank you. That's great. We love to know that there's a vibrant market for what people produce. We know that Market Wagon is one way that consumers get food delivered to their door. But farmers markets are fantastic. They're a fantastic experience. Great way to meet customers face to face and then to know that there's some chefs and restaurants that support is really important. Where do you want to see this going in the future? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1417.54">23:37</a>): I do feel like I will be expanding within the next few years. But I really desire to keep it very local. I think that's where my heart is. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1429.71">23:49</a>): You don't want to be the mushroom queen of America? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1431.94">23:51</a>): No, I definitely don't. I have zero desire to do that. But I really love the community that I get by being a farmer and being part of a farming community in my area. So when I'm at the farmers markets, it really does feel like being part of a community because I know my other vendors, I know my customers, I see them face to face. I have regulars who come every week. Same on Market Wagon. I have regulars who subscribe to my mushrooms and they communicate with me regularly about what they're doing with them. So that feels really nice. It feels good to have those kind of relationships. I think that's very important to me. I love living here in Athens and in this part of Georgia. And so yeah. I'm very much embedded here. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1486.359">24:46</a>): What about your boys? Are they involved in the mushroom growing? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1489.47">24:49</a>): Yes. Whether they like it or not. <laugh>? No, they're, they're wonderful. They've learned every part of the mushroom growing operation. And they've been really helpful at the markets, so they love the opportunity to earn a little bit of extra money. And they're really helpful at setting up and taking down and they know all about the mushrooms and can talk about 'em with customers too, So yeah, it's a family operation. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1517.2">25:17</a>): That's really neat. That's really neat. If our listeners wanted to connect with you more, follow you online, where are they gonna find you? Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1523.66">25:23</a>): We're on Facebook and Instagram and you could of course check out my website, which is ClassicCityGourmetMushroom.com. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1533.04">25:33</a>): Well, Dr. Sara Skinner, it has been awesome hearing your story. Dr. Sara Skinner (Classic City Gourmet Mushrooms) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1536.53">25:36</a>): Awesome. It was good to meet you, Nick Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (<a href= "https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0sZWMaYn-aY9t-kNR9obRrauVkCIZncPuXuqYnL5__pybJDYNtiSjISLnYNsvjwL4tzN5_f8T04DZwUTKdiXsTI8GiU?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=1538.05">25:38</a>): You as well. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for listening to this episode of More Than a Mile. Be sure to sign up for Market Wagon at MarketWagon.com or after downloading the Market Wagon app for iOS or Android. Follow us @MarketWagon on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for stories, recipes, special announcements, news, and just digital handshakes from our friendly farming community. If you enjoyed More Than A Mile, please rate the podcast and write a review on iTunes, castbox, podchaser or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Thank you for continuing to support local food.

18 total episodes available

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What is More Than A Mile?: More Than A Mile is hosted by Nick Carter, an Indiana farmer, and the CEO/co-founder of Market Wagon, an online farmers market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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