Shows
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.25- Dandelion WhineHi. I'm Magda. I’m a farmer. This is my fifth year farming and my first year farming for myself, on rented land. This is Scrap Farm, the newsletter/podcast where I document starting a farm and all of the intricacies and problems that come with it.This episode is called Dandelion Whine, because I'm being funny and also because I quite recently finished reading Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. When I started Dandelion Wine, it was in April, the book had this delicious sense of summer. Of bottling beautiful, glorious, sunshiny days. It was so...2025-05-1910 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.24- Budgeting in the ApocalypseMy partner and I were out celebrating a friend’s birthday, and of course, collapse came up. Something about us having 5 years tops left on democracy. And Zach, my partner, made a joke about our budgeting. That really it won’t matter if we spend a little over the budget on food, if in a few years’ time society as we know it will fall.Which honestly, vibes.Welcome to Scrap Farm, the newsletter/podcast where I document starting a farm in the midst of all this *gestures wildly*. I would like to point...2025-04-3008 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.23- Solidarity Economy and Calling your damn senatorsHello and welcome to Scrap Farm, the newsletter/podcast where I document starting an agroecological farm in Michigan. If you’re new here or are not sure if this is something you would be interested in, then here’s a rundown of some things I have talked about over the past year or so:* The UK VISA process and our unsuccessful attempt to move to the UK* The death of a mentor* Burnout and coopratition (cooperation + competition)* Petro-masculinity* Settler colonialismAnd so much more. All wrapped up in t...2025-04-0709 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchSupport your local farmer; grown your own greens (I'm serious, it helps)Hello again. Here’s some unscheduled chatter, which I am endeavouring to do more of this year. Not just week-by-week reporting of starting a regenerative agriculture business with my partner, but also the thoughts that come up from it.This particular piece is inspired by a recent (but also recycled) post from Kollibri terre Sonnenblume about feeding ourselves out of our vegetable gardens. It’s well worth a read.What this piece brought up for me, and lead to a lively discussion with my partner, is how much farmers want you to grow your own food...2025-03-2110 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.22- Michigan movesHello again. Welcome, or indeed, welcome back.Scrap Farm is the newsletter/podcast where I detail how my partner and I are starting an agroecological farm. I’ve had an influx of new subscribers over the past few weeks, which has been wonderful. But I thought I would re-introduce myself and what I’m trying to do here.Hi, I’m Magda. I spent the past 4 years learning to farm. The most recent two involved my partner and I managing a farm (and a team of 6, and volunteers and U-Pickers) in Ann Arbor, Michig...2025-03-1705 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.22- On lineageWelcome to Scrap Farm, the newsletter/podcast where I discuss starting a farm, its realities, and the work towards a fairer and more just food system. I’m Magda and this one is going to be a difficult one.I’ve had a bit of an influx of followers recently which, if anything, has made it harder to write. This is coupled with the fact that I have no news, nothing, nada. No job. For those of you unaware of the situation I need a job that pays £29k annually to get my partner into the UK. And b...2025-02-1708 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.21- ConvocationWelcome to Scrap Farm, the newsletter/podcast where I discuss living seasonally, adapting to climate chaos and whatever else, all in the context of trying to start a farm in the UK (probably, maybe).If you’re new here, hello, hi. To those returning, welcome back!I report to you live from the trenches of job applications. For those of you unaware of my current situation, I need to get a job that pays £29k annually for my partner to be allowed into the country. During the Visa process, it took us just a little too...2025-01-1311 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.20- Old Frames, Old FruitsWelcome to Scrap Farm, the newsletter/podcast where I discuss living seasonally, adapting to climate chaos and how to make jam, all in the context of trying to start a farm (possibly in the UK but at this point who knows?).If you’re new here, hello, hi, welcome. The next few weeks are likely to be less farm-centric and will harken back to my older writings for this newsletter. Writings on ‘weeds’ and foragables, on pagan festivals and the ever-turning wheel of the year. To those returning, also Hi. When it comes to farm update...2024-12-2308 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.19- Decisions DecisionsHello all,In the vein of thanking people instead of apologising, thank you for your patience. It has been, what some people are calling, one hell of a month.For those of you who are new here, welcome to Scrap Farm, the newsletter/podcast where I discuss running a farm while setting up a farm. But now, dear listener/readers, we are no longer even running a farm. And we don’t quite know what country we will be starting our own farm in. But I’ll get to that in a bit.Sinc...2024-12-0911 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.18- Get SlowWelcome back to Scrap Farm, the podcast/newsletter where I talk about starting a farm, while running a farm, amid a climate in crisis.First off, Happy Birthday to my Father. Here’s a cute picture of him and my baby sister next to some Dahlias that were definitely never smuggled. I have very fond memories of being on the allotment with him, too small to understand the magnitude of plants but big enough to eat a whole artichoke head on the reg.Housekeeping (not that my father turning 49 for the 19th time is housekeeping, of...2024-10-0908 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.17-Real Autumn?Hello all,Welcome to Scrap Farm, formerly Scrap Kitchen, where I talk about starting a farm while also running a farm. Why the name change you ask? Or maybe you didn’t. Mostly because, while I love the kitchen, hell I’ve spent most of today there making salves and Paprika, I am actually trying to make a farm. As wonderful as the kitchen is, I’m sure it’s pretty confusing to pretty much anyone trying to find info on farming to see something labelled ‘Kitchen’ that’s actually about ‘Farm’.Justifications aside, it’s once a...2024-09-2505 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.16-False AutumnHi all,I’m back on schedule. And more importantly, I can speak again (to read this out). I had my final wisdom tooth out last Thursday and can only just eat toast and stand up. Both of which I do pretty slowly. Oop, getting ahead of myself.Welcome to Scrap Kitchen, the newsletter/podcast where I detail the running of a farm (in the US), the starting of a farm (in the UK) and all the mess in between.If I’m being honest, which I try to be, I have...2024-09-1108 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.15- SwitchbacksHello, I’m here. I’m fine. I’m tired.Welcome to Scrap Kitchen, the Podcast/Newsletter where I (intermittently) talk about running a farm, starting a farm and growing good food in this mixed-up climate.For a moment there, as my partner and I ventured North to drink wine and swim in lakes and not work for 4 days, it felt like Autumn. The air chilled, the leaves began their tantalising dance of changing colours and I got a glimpse of rest.And now it’s 32°C. Will there ever be a newslet...2024-08-2808 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.14-Heat shookHi y’all,Welcome back to Scrap Kitchen the newsletter/podcast where I chat to you about my endeavours to run a farm, start a farm and stay sane in the process.You may have noticed, eagle-eyed followers, that it has been nearly 3 weeks since my last update. If you haven’t noticed, or you’re new here, welcome. And now you know. My reasons for this absence are multiple and various; the heat, an anniversary, big projects and more heat.Last Monday my partner and I (with whom I am running the curren...2024-06-2609 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.13-War and PeasHi All,Welcome to Scrap Kitchen. The newsletter/podcast where I document managing a farm in the US, while trying to find a future farm in the UK. Where I find joy in the privilege of getting paid to work outside while the planet burns around us. Sounds a bit dire, doesn’t it? And at times it feels a bit dire. With temperatures reaching over 50°C in India (reminiscent of the horrific opening chapter of Ministry for the Future), 14,000 acres of current wildfires in California and the ongoing genocide in both the Congo and Pal...2024-06-0508 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.12- Crunch TimeHello all,It’s been a moment. Well, honestly it’s only been two weeks. But they certainly feel like a long while.This is Scrap Kitchen, the podcast/newsletter where I detail the managing of a farm while planning for next year’s farm (one of our very own).I feel it important to say, because I am not an island and also because interconnectivity keeps us alive, that I am not doing this alone. My beloved and I are working towards both these goals. Towards the growing of food, and managing of a t...2024-05-2208 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.11-Asparagus on my mindHi all,We’re trying something a little different this week. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to tell. But we’re trying it anyways. Instead of me stream of consciousness-ing into a voice note and transcribing, I’m flipping the script. Or more accurately I’m writing one. Whether or not I can read this well is another matter. Yikes.Anyhow, welcome to Scrap Kitchen. The Podcast/Newsletter where I detail the process of managing a farm (with my beloved) while we plan for next year’s farm (in the UK), and how in the...2024-05-0809 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.10- April RainsHi Everyone.Welcome to Scrap Kitchen, the podcast/newsletter where I start a farm while managing a farm (while thinking about farms all the time). And then I tell you about it.I'm not doing this alone, I'm doing this with my partner. With a farm team and supportive family and friends and boss/mentor. It's not just me. I needed to state that straight up.This episode is the 10th, I wanted to call it April Rains. For the people listening, I hope that you can hear the bird song out my...2024-04-2908 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.9- SolarpunkHello and welcome back to another episode of Scrap Kitchen.This is the podcast/newsletter where I talk about running a farm while starting one, while navigating climate chaos. It's pretty fun if you're interested in any of those things and if you're not, it's probably quite boring.This episode is the ninth so far and I'm going to be calling it Solarpunk.The reason I didn't record an episode last week was that my partner and I (along with some colleagues) went south to Ohio to see the solar eclipse. That took...2024-04-1510 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.8-OstaraDear b*****s, hello all, I'm back.This is Scrap Kitchen.I was off last week. Not really on purpose, but because I was doing a lot of things last Sunday (which is when I record these) and I just couldn't get around to it.This week I am getting around to it! Thank goodness. I'm gonna do a bumper update since it's been a while.This is Episode 8, I think I'm calling it Ostara, which is pagan-ish Easter. To an extent, there are no written records of traditional British celebrations.2024-04-0105 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.7-Little ShootsHi all, Welcome back to Scrap Kitchen where I, Magda, take you through the process of my partner and I managing a farm while also trying to get a future farm sorted out. I’ll take you through the farming season; what we're getting up to and thinking about.This episode is the seventh (I'm pretty sure) and I'm calling it Little Shoots (because I am soppy and it's spring).I thought I'd start this episode with a bit of gratitude. One of my friends and I send a lot of voice notes ba...2024-03-1807 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.6- Snow FallHello and welcome back to Scrap Kitchen.This is episode 6 and I think I'm gonna call it Snow Fall. Or maybe Slow Fall.For those of you in the United Kingdom, a Happy Mother's Day (especially mine)! I'm about to go on a call with my mother so I have half an hour to type this s**t out and get it ready.So I'm gonna do a short one this week mainly because it is our final week before the staff start a farm. This means we've been rushing around a lot...2024-03-1104 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.5- NeedfulHello, and welcome back to Scrap Kitchen.This is episode five, I'm calling it Needful.Right now I'm recording/writing this in the sunny back garden of the house that I'm house-sitting. So if you hear some wind or some rustling leaves that's because they're are.Recently I've been thinking about the poem A Small Needful Fact by Ross Gay which talks about the murder of Eric Garner at the hands of the police. It came up, just popped into my psyche, before I remembered that I'd actually seen Ross Gay recently at...2024-03-0407 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.4- CoopetitionHi, all. It's me. I'm back. I just came back from the farm, and since it's Sunday, I'm going to be recording one of these little voice notes for you. This one I'm calling Coopetition, named after the concept that was introduced to me by our mentors/bosses on Broadfork Farm, Janet and Dan. The idea of Coopetition is that it includes both cooperation and competition. It's an interesting way of thinking about farming, feeding people, and just in general. It will come up later when I give you a little update on...2024-02-2607 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.3-Commons and the myth of burnoutHi, welcome back to Scrap Kitchen. This is my third episode so far. I think I'm going to call this one Commons and the myth of burnout.Previously I have had some things to say about burnout. I have previously written about avoiding it, but I had an interesting reframing recently. Please note I don’t want to be all click-bait-y but more share what was presented to me. Im going to hopefully rationalize it. Housekeeping: my interview with Iona from the cherry log is now out!So I just came ba...2024-02-1908 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.2-SnowmeltHello, all. Welcome to Scrap Kitchen, where I start a farm from scratch and tell you about it. This episode is called Snowmelt. It was a name I came up with when I was planning this out, and that was before the snow all melted. I’m keeping the name because it fits in with what I want to talk about. But know that the snow has melted. It’s gone, it’s been gone for a while. Technically, the name is very accurate. Right now, I'm drinking Dandelion tea, which has a...2024-02-1208 min
Scrap Farm- Starting an agroecological farm from scratchEp.1-The Lay of the LandHello, welcome to Scrap Kitchen.This is my attempt at a podcast, or not really a podcast but voice notes.I have been sending voice notes to one of my friends as we live in separate countries. I thought it would be a good way of charting how we go from, we; my partner and I, go from having no land, to maybe having land, to maybe starting a farm. And maybe I should take those maybes out and make it a little bit more clear. Hi, I’m Magda. I wr...2024-02-0511 min
The Catmaste Chronicles PodcastMagda Nawrocka-Weekes 'Climate Change, Seed Saving, Food Waste, Poetry and Animals'This week Michelle speaks with Magda Nawrocka-Weekes from London about climate change, seed saving, and food security. Magda is a former biochemist who is passionate about saving the environment, issues of food waste, and protesting for rights. She is also an avid gardener who grows, shares, and educates others about how to grow their own food and eliminate unnecessary food waste. She is a passionate writer and poet, she frequently writes interesting and thought-provoking pieces for Refresh magazine online. A recent article that Magda wrote was about her experience of depression and anxiety, she tells us how much gardening...2020-10-2853 min