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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/themes/site_themes/images/IPM_i.png http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/calendar-clock-compendium 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/calendar-clock-compendium Wed, 08 May 2013 15:40:36 -0500 farmers almanac, greenhorns, conner prairie, farming -- AgricultureBooks and ReadingGardening and HorticultureHistory http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/food-connection-part-three 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/food-connection-part-three Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:22:17 -0500 farming, food, love, prairie fruits farm, champaign, champaign county, cheese -- AgricultureBusinessFood http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/feed-me 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/feed-me Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:43:23 -0500 food, local food, agritourism, agriculture, economic development -- BusinessFood http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/food-connection-part-two 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/food-connection-part-two Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:32:29 -0500 -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/come-and-get-it 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/come-and-get-it Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:37:09 -0600 -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/food-connection-part-one 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/food-connection-part-one Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:22:29 -0600 food, romance, partnership -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/2012-quite-a-year In My Backyard's Lisa Bralts looks back at what turned out to be a very, very good year for food in Central Illinois. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/2012-quite-a-year Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:22:38 -0600 2012, year in review, food -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/see-food-diet 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/see-food-diet Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:22:30 -0600 imby, photography, foodstagram, food Commentary AgricultureArt and CultureFood http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/on-the-cusp 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. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/on-the-cusp Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:22:02 -0600 food, in my backyard, smorrebrod, cusp -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/chuckwagonesque In the mid-to-late 1800s - the days of cattle-driving and people-moving across the frontier - chuckwagons kept the cowboys and pioneers on these trips fed. In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts, explores a similar concept locally, with a new millennial twist. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/chuckwagonesque Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:22:44 -0600 food, food trucks, mobile cuisine Agriculture Agriculture Lisa Bralts http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/chicken-wranglers-urban-style Two and a half years ago, one of the first In My Backyard pieces was about keeping chickens in the city. WILL’s Lisa Bralts follows up with both new and, uh, seasoned chicken owners, and learns what happens when girl chickens crow (they don’t), that raccoons and possums aren’t chickens’ only potential enemies, and that people give their chickens really strange names. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/chicken-wranglers-urban-style Thu, 25 Oct 2012 14:22:04 -0500 chickens, poultry, urban agriculture Agriculture Agriculture Lisa Bralts http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/zesty-peppers In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts gets a taste of what some say is the BEST hot pepper in the world…and it’s locally grown. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/zesty-peppers Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:22:25 -0500 hot peppers, gardening and horticulture, urbana -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/whats-an-aigre-doux We’re lucky indeed here in central Illinois - our local specialty crop farmers grow gorgeous produce that lends itself for preservation so we can enjoy it year-round. In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts talks pickles, preserves, and aigre-doux with Vie Restaurant’s Paul Virant - also known as "The Jarring Chef". http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/whats-an-aigre-doux Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:22:10 -0500 food preservation, tomatoes, paul virant -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/in-the-pumpkin-patch True autumn is just a couple of weeks away, and the cool nights mean the earth is about to offer up its bounty of cucurbits - pumpkins, squash, and gourds - for our eating and decorating pleasure. In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts heads south to Arthur, Illinois, and learns that there’s a lot more to a pumpkin patch than prizewinner pumpkins and jack o’ lanterns. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/in-the-pumpkin-patch Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:22:29 -0500 squash, pumpkins, arthur, IL, mac condill -- Agriculture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/in-the-market-for-something-to-do New to town? Wondering a) what the heck there is to eat around here, and b) if there’s any place that’s recognizable to you that can make you feel a little more at home? Try one of our local farmers markets. In this segment of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts talks to a farmers market fan who literally wrote the book on Midwestern markets, and ponders how new residents from anywhere can help create our ever-evolving local food culture right here. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/in-the-market-for-something-to-do Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:22:14 -0500 food, local food, farmers markets, books, urbana -- AgricultureBooks and ReadingCommunityFoodGardening and Horticulture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/in-my-backyard While the natural world can make a huge impression on people of all ages, there’s something about being a kid that makes even the simplest things in the yard interesting and even magical. In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts takes some of the small set on a neighborhood tour, starting… in HER backyard. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/in-my-backyard Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:22:39 -0500 kids, gardens, education, neighborhoods -- AgricultureChildren and ParentingEducationEnvironmentGardening and Horticulture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/pedal-power Fresh produce usually travels from farm to market in a van or truck. Agriculture and architecture usually seem worlds apart. In this episode of In My Backyard, Lisa Bralts learns about a way urban farmers can get produce to market with a smaller carbon footprint, thanks to a collaboration between the U of I’s Sustainable Student Farm and a group of Architecture graduate students. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/pedal-power Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:22:28 -0500 food, sustainability, farming, university of illinois, college of aces -- AgricultureArchitectureEnvironmentFoodGardening and Horticulture http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/fear-and-poaching-in-urbana In this episode of In My Backyard, decidedly amateur egg-poacher Lisa Bralts gets a lesson from cook/author Millicent Souris that starts at a local farm and ends in the kitchen. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/fear-and-poaching-in-urbana Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:22:45 -0500 eggs, cooking, farms, local food -- AgricultureAnimalsFoodHow-to http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/horseshoes-and-haystacks For many of us, “eating local” means buying locally-grown produce and supporting local producers. But what about eating? Locally-developed cuisine - especially the comfort foods from last century that are specific to a region or sometimes just a town - is making a bit of a comeback, but with a bit of a twist. Lisa Bralts investigates one of Central Illinois’ specialties on this episode of In My Backyard. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/horseshoes-and-haystacks Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:22:15 -0500 food, central illinois, history, horseshoe sandwich -- AgricultureFoodHistory http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/crooked-and-uneven-the-new-black After seeing a photo of a friend’s DIY garden in Sweden and refusing to let a broken hose get her down, Lisa Bralts became re-inspired to stay away from the garden store, get back into the yard, and take some serious gardening inventory. In this segment of In My Backyard, she heads into the garage to make do with what she has - which, as it turns out, is more than she thought. http://will.illinois.edu/inmybackyard/program/crooked-and-uneven-the-new-black Thu, 24 May 2012 14:22:57 -0500 gardens, DIY, backyards -- AgricultureGardening and HorticultureHow-toRecreation