Podcasts Culture Harrowsmith Radio Growing Up, and Growing Strong

Growing Up, and Growing Strong

Published: July 1, 2019, 4:30 a.m.

The Rundown

When Ken Dam was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma he started getting really serious about the food he was putting in his body. Ken\u2019s fine now, but his quest to eat healthy propelled he and his wife Clare into an adventure of homesteading near Copetown, Ontario. It didn\u2019t go as planned. But, the Dams are still at it, eight years later. They\u2019ve learned a lot, learned what they don\u2019t like and discovered what they\u2019ve come to love. I spoke with Clare about their journey.

Aquaponics isn\u2019t a new idea, but it\u2019s one that improving technology has made more and more practical. The idea is simple, take the symboitic relationship between plants and animals on a farm, in soil, and bring it indoors. Now replace the soil with nutrient rich water, cows and pigs with fish and root vegetables with microgreens. That\u2019s aquaponics. Catalina Margulis wrote about the process in Harrowsmith. We chatted about how going wet and vertical might be a life saver where local matters and space is at a premium.

End Notes
Want more Harrowsmith? No problem. Visit our website. And, you can read Vanessa's story on ticks in the Spring issue of Harrowsmith Magazine. It's on selected newsstands across Canada or you can order subscriptions online at harrowsmithmag.com.

By the way, the music in the podcast? It's by good ol' Canadian singer, composer and friend of the 'cast, \xa0David Archibald. You can find more of his music at his website, davidarchibald.com.

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