Esisode 48: Denzel Mitchell talks urban farming in Baltimore, heirloom Baltimore Fish peppers and more!

Esisode 48: Denzel Mitchell talks urban farming in Baltimore, heirloom Baltimore Fish peppers and more!

Author: Hobby Farms February 22, 2023 Duration: 44:49

Denzel Mitchell talks about urban farming in Baltimore, bringing up new farmers, the heirloom Baltimore Fish pepper and more.

Hear about how food and farming have been part of Denzel's whole life, from his extended family's 600-acre homestead in Oklahoma to his college English professor's homestead. His experience running farms in Baltimore—the city and the county—helped to prepare him for his current role of co-executive director of Farm Alliance of Baltimore.

You'll learn about Farm Alliance of Baltimore's many programs, including a cooperative farmers market, food assistance doubling, mobile cooking demonstrations, technical assistance, soil testing and nutrient management research, compost coaching, and—the newest and largest program—the Black Butterfly Urban Farm Academy. Two years in, 20 farmers have trained in a 9-month intensive with mentorship, coursework, field days at urban and peri-urban farms, and work days at the teaching and demonstration farm with the intention of getting into their own farming business. Hear about an exciting, brand-new aspect of this program, a 7-acre teaching and demonstration farm that will allow the organization to offer farm-business incubator space for academy graduates.

Have you heard of the Baltimore Fish pepper? Listen to Denzel's history of this heirloom, how he started growing it, and how you can grow it, too.

Denzel talks about his natural inclination toward being a connector and educator and how this has helped him in his farming journey and has served his vision of seeing more people farming.

Follow along with Denzel as he talks about what it looks like for small-scale farmers to truly have support from their customers and communities, and how farmers can come out and ask for that support.


At the heart of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good are the conversations that happen over a fence line or at a farmers market, translated into audio. This podcast lives in the space where a personal passion meets practical purpose, featuring the voices of those who cultivate small plots, raise a few animals, or run a sustainable micro-farm. Host Lisa Munniksma doesn’t just interview her guests; she gets into the dirt with them, uncovering the personal journeys that led to a life rooted in the land. You’ll hear how a simple hobby evolved into a thriving side business, how families connect through daily chores, and how these growers are building resilience within their local communities far beyond the harvest. The discussions are grounded in real experience, tackling the challenges of soil health, animal husbandry, and market creativity alongside the profound satisfactions of self-reliance and stewardship. It’s a series for anyone who has ever felt the pull to grow something, whether that’s a backyard tomato plant or a fledgling farmstead business, offering relatable stories and tangible insights from people who are actually doing the work. Tune in for honest talk about the failures, the triumphs, and the quiet motivations that keep this community planting seeds season after season.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 88

Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good
Podcast Episodes
Episode 17: Celize Christy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:08
Celize Christy talks poultry keeping with Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good host Lisa Munniksma. Listen in for her tips for homeopathic care for our home flocks and the secret to the brightest egg yolks. Hear about her…
Episode 15: Tara Rodríguez Besosa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:59
How does a farming community recover after a disaster? By coming together. Tara Rodríguez Besosa talks about Puerto Rico's agricultural and economic situation, including the role that the U.S. plays and, more importantly…
Episode 14: Nathan Harben [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
Nathan Harben is a farmer at Local Forage Farm in Glenora, British Columbia, a 2-acre homestead that grows ethically raised livestock, fruits and vegetables. He also works with the food recovery team of Cowichan Green Co…
Episode 13: Anita Ashok Adalja [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:37
Listen as farmer Anita Ashok Adalja lets us in on what it's like to grow okra in the Southwest, including how to "convince" neighbors to try a new-to-them vegetable. Learn about the Not Our Farm farmworker visibility pro…
Episode 12: Sinéad Fortune [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:41
Listen in as Sinéad Fortune, living in Scotland, explains how Brexit—Great Britain's exit from the European Union—has left farmers in the United Kingdom in a precarious place. Imagine not being able to purchase French ch…
Episode 11: Ariana Taylor-Stanley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:14
You asked, and we found your answer! Everyone is looking for funding for farm projects, and this episode's guest explains the ins and outs of popular and less-known USDA and NRCS grant programs. Ariana Taylor-Stanley tal…
Episode 10: Garth Kahl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:25
What's it like to go from knowing nothing about farming to traveling around the world as a consultant to farmers? In this episode, organic farmer and farm consultant Garth Kahl tells us how that path unfolded in his life…
Episode 9: Nate Kleinman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:00
Farmer, seed developer and activist Nate Kleinman talks with Growing Good host Lisa Munniksma about his work in the food system and advice for growing some unusual perennial crops. Hear about Experimental Farm Network's…
Episode 8: Bonnetta Adeeb [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:33
This episode's guest, Bonnetta Adeeb, calls herself "an extended mom" as the advisor for youth programs and farmer support programs. As the director of Steam Onward and the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, she foster…