Food and neighborhood DIY (do-it-yourself) projects go hand in hand for Lisa Bralts, who lives in an east Urbana neighborhood with her family and is surrounded by great neighbors and several gardens, including her own. She's amazed at the possibilities and practices that exist just underneath the surface here in Central Illinois - you just have to poke around a little. She keeps a Tumblr for the show - check it out.
Listen to In My Backyard live on WILL-AM the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 2:22 p.m.
Cities and towns are in a constant state of re-envisioning their downtown areas. In this episode of In My Backyard - the second in her Food Enterprise as Economic Development (FEED) series - Lisa Bralts examines how one local downtown is finding itself at the center of a food renaissance of sorts.
Why are almanacs still produced today in spite of the web? Why are they so compelling? In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts uses modern technology to research some answers. She also talks to a young woman working with many others to reclaim and redistribute old farming knowledge by publishing an analog farmers almanac... but with some current-day touches.
What began as a desire for a fresh peach and a penchant for French-style goat cheese has become an award-winning farmstead creamery, among other things. Many other things. Business - and life - partners Wes Jarrell and Leslie Cooperband talk about their work at Prairie Fruits Farm with Lisa Bralts for this episode of In My Backyard.
For In My Backyard's Lisa Bralts, part of the fun of going on vacation is checking out what and where people in other parts of the country are eating. In this episode, she does some comparing, discovers that the home location can learn from the vacation destination (and vice versa), and ponders the concept of FEED: Food Enterprise as Economic Development.
Man or woman cannot live by bread alone, the saying goes. Taking that to heart, Dusan and Carissa Katic of Katic Breads combine their passion for baking bread and farmers markets into a business that nourishes on multiple levels.
Much ado is being made about dinner – particularly our habits when it comes to getting together around the table. In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts ponders what, exactly, makes up a quality dinner experience, and realizes that it depends on the family… and the food.
We're all familiar with the idea of romance blossoming over a fancy meal. In My Backyard's Lisa Bralts kicks off the 2013 season with the first in a three-part series about romantic partnerships that have become life partnerships... with food as a major focus.
In My Backyard's Lisa Bralts looks back at what turned out to be a very, very good year for food in Central Illinois.
Some people eat their food and share their appreciation with others at the table. Others like to write about their food and share it with their readers. Still others prefer to take photos of their food and share the photos with, well, everyone. In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts takes photos of her lunch and discusses the recent food photography phenomenon with professional photographer Justine Bursoni.
A married couple that cooks, their fascination with Danish open-faced sandwiches, and their desire to give back to the community by connecting eaters with interesting food are all the subject of this week’s episode of In My Backyard.
