Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world
This podcast celebrates the stories of women farmers around the world who are engaged in food production, ornamentals, and agritourism. Join us for some honest farm talk--and lots of laughter--about the unique challenges faced by female farmers as they try to balance their farm and personal lives, support their mental health and well-being, and sustain healthy relationships on and off the farm.
The first season’s guests include a cassava grower from Cameroon, an agroforester from North Carolina, a ”chicken midwife” from California, the Grass Whisperer, and many, many more. You won’t want to miss an episode!
Your host, Kristen ”K” Castrataro, is a fifth-generation farm kid from Rhode Island. She has a rich agricultural background as a producer, Extension Agent, and farm consultant. She is driven by the conviction that the people feeding our bodies and souls should NOT be starving themselves. K is the founder of Pen Light for Farmers, a business that helps farmers (especially farm women) build a farm life and relationships that meet their deepest needs and values. You can find her at www.penlightfarmers.com.
Listen on:
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
Recording date: December 16, 2025
Episode twenty-two of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features farmer, writer, and foodie Sandra Miller of Painted Hand Farm as we discuss:
Deciding what kind of crops to produce
Raising niche meats
Familiarizing yourself with agricultural law
Exercising your mind
Much, much more!
You will love this bold and honest farmer!
About Sandra:
Born and raised in the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania, Sandra struck out for California straight out of high school. Formally educated in geology and anthropology, she also rolled up her sleeves and dug her hands into what was to become the birth of the farm-to-table, support your local farmers movement. Along the way, she did some time digitalizing offshore oil rigs and networking and securing international companies' communication systems through emerging technologies. Eventually she broke out of her cubicle and cast off her cables to follow her passion for great meals by digging in the dirt, raising and writing about food, and inspiring others to follow in her boot tracks.
Connect with Sandra at:
Website: https://paintedhandfarm.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skmpaintedhandfarm/
Instagram: @paintedhandfarm ; @sandrakaymiller ; @paintedhandwoven
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaintedHandFarm
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
7 days ago
7 days ago
Recording date: December 8, 2025
Episode twenty-one of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features farmer, composter, and podcaster Jayne Merner of Earth Care Farm, Golden Root Gardening, and “The Composter” podcast as we discuss:
Delegating responsibility
Bartering for services
Eliminating waste
Finding fun in finding balance
Much, much more!
You will love this entrepreneurial and progressive farmer-composter!
About Jayne:
Jayne Merner began operating a CSA at age nineteen, growing produce and flowers for her community. Farmer’s market customers remarked at the high quality of the produce grown and asked Merner to garden at their homes. This flowed into a side business tending gardens off the farm. In 2015, Jayne took over the family compost operation when her father retired. She is currently in the process of developing the first commercial composting operation in Connecticut.
Connect with Jayne at:
Website: https://www.earthcarefarm.com/ ; https://www.goldenrootgardening.com/ ;
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-merner-bb29a4221/
Instagram: @goldenrootgardening ; @earthcarefarmcompost
Facebook: @earthcarefarm ; @GoldenRootGardening
The Composter Podcast: https://www.earthcarefarm.com/composter-podcast.html
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Recording date: December 8, 2025
Episode twenty-one of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features farmer, composter, and podcaster Jayne Merner of Earth Care Farm, Golden Root Gardening, and “The Composter” podcast as we discuss:
Delegating responsibility
Bartering for services
Eliminating waste
Finding fun in finding balance
Much, much more!
You will love this entrepreneurial and progressive farmer-composter!
About Jayne:
Jayne Merner began operating a CSA at age nineteen, growing produce and flowers for her community. Farmer’s market customers remarked at the high quality of the produce grown and asked Merner to garden at their homes. This flowed into a side business tending gardens off the farm. In 2015, Jayne took over the family compost operation when her father retired. She is currently in the process of developing the first commercial composting operation in Connecticut.
Connect with Jayne at:
Website: https://www.earthcarefarm.com/ ; https://www.goldenrootgardening.com/ ;
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-merner-bb29a4221/
Instagram: @goldenrootgardening ; @earthcarefarmcompost
Facebook: @earthcarefarm ; @GoldenRootGardening
The Composter Podcast: https://www.earthcarefarm.com/composter-podcast.html
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Friday Dec 12, 2025
Friday Dec 12, 2025
Recording date: December 5, 2025
Episode twenty of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features fifth-generation rancher Rachel Lohof Larsen of Grounded Life Soil Consulting as we discuss:
Living off the grid
Farming as a profession
Managing livestock by managing our emotions
Repairing relationships
Much, much more!
You will love this bold and grounded rancher!
About Rachel:
A fifth-generation Montana rancher, Rachel has spent more than twenty years studying landscapes of the Mountain West on horseback while wiping her nose on her sleeve. Riding the range has provided her with an unparalleled relationship with the land.
As a result, she started Grounded Life Soil Consulting LLC to share her on-the-land experience of keen observation skills and deep ecological literacy to connect her clients to their living landscape. When Rachel isn’t working with clients, you can find her riding among the vast sagebrush steppes keeping cattle on the move to adaptively graze.
Connect with Rachel at:
Website: https://groundedlifesoil.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-larsen-8044b168/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundedlifesoil/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rllarsen1
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Monday Dec 08, 2025
Monday Dec 08, 2025
Recording date: December 5, 2025
Episode twenty of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features fifth-generation rancher Rachel Lohof Larsen of Grounded Life Soil Consulting as we discuss:
Living off the grid
Farming as a profession
Managing livestock by managing our emotions
Repairing relationships
Much, much more!
You will love this bold and grounded rancher!
About Rachel:
A fifth-generation Montana rancher, Rachel has spent more than twenty years studying landscapes of the Mountain West on horseback while wiping her nose on her sleeve. Riding the range has provided her with an unparalleled relationship with the land.
As a result, she started Grounded Life Soil Consulting LLC to share her on-the-land experience of keen observation skills and deep ecological literacy to connect her clients to their living landscape. When Rachel isn’t working with clients, you can find her riding among the vast sagebrush steppes keeping cattle on the move to adaptively graze.
Connect with Rachel at:
Website: https://groundedlifesoil.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-larsen-8044b168/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundedlifesoil/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rllarsen1
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Friday Dec 05, 2025
Friday Dec 05, 2025
Episode nineteen of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features Zeke Miller of Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. as we discuss:
Solving problems
Reimagining farmers as customers
Taking the kid off the farm without taking the farm out of the kid
Embracing and redefining agricultural experiences
Much, much more!
You will love this fun and playful customer experience expert!
About Zeke:
Zeke grew up on a family farm in New York and currently works in Customer Experience for Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. He remains connected to his agricultural roots by growing heritage grains, guest writing for agricultural periodicals, and passing on the stories of the equipment and people who farm our land.
Connect with Zeke at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeke-miller-b1308229/
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Monday Dec 01, 2025
Monday Dec 01, 2025
Episode nineteen of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women (and others!) from around the world features Zeke Miller of Preferred Mutual Insurance Company as we discuss:
Solving problems
Reimagining farmers as customers
Taking the kid off the farm without taking the farm out of the kid
Embracing and redefining agricultural experiences
Much, much more!
You will love this fun and playful customer experience expert!
About Zeke:
Zeke grew up on a family farm in New York and currently works in Customer Experience for Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. He remains connected to his agricultural roots by growing heritage grains, guest writing for agricultural periodicals, and passing on the stories of the equipment and people who farm our land.
Connect with Zeke at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeke-miller-b1308229/
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Friday Nov 28, 2025
Friday Nov 28, 2025
Episode eighteen of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features Elizabeth Collins of Graceful Acres Farm Stay at Otter Creek Farm as we discuss:
Navigating farm family dynamics
Starting a farmstay
Investing in yourself
Staying true to yourself
Much, much more!
You will love this curious and purposeful farmer!
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth is passionate about animals, food and farming. After years of searching for local, “clean”, healthy food and working with struggling farmers, she decided to grow her own food and create the life she envisioned: a simple, grateful life surrounded by abundance.
Connect with Elizabeth at:
Website: https://ottercreekfarmny.com/page/graceful-acres-farmstay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracefulacresfarmstay/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079204614079
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Monday Nov 24, 2025
Monday Nov 24, 2025
Episode eighteen of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features Elizabeth Collins of Graceful Acres Farm Stay at Otter Creek Farm as we discuss:
Navigating farm family dynamics
Starting a farmstay
Investing in yourself
Staying true to yourself
Much, much more!
You will love this curious and purposeful farmer!
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth is passionate about animals, food and farming. After years of searching for local, “clean”, healthy food and working with struggling farmers, she decided to grow her own food and create the life she envisioned: a simple, grateful life surrounded by abundance.
Connect with Elizabeth at:
Website: https://ottercreekfarmny.com/page/graceful-acres-farmstay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracefulacresfarmstay/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079204614079
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x
Friday Nov 21, 2025
Friday Nov 21, 2025
Episode seventeen of Food, Flowers, & Fun: Visits with farm women from around the world features Elizabeth Collins of Graceful Acres Farm Stay at Otter Creek Farm as we discuss:
Eating as a source of joy
Growing up and wising up
Working on the “right side” of the computer
Being true to yourself
Much, much more!
You will love this curious and purposeful farmer!
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth is passionate about animals, food and farming. After years of searching for local, “clean”, healthy food and working with struggling farmers, she decided to grow her own food and create the life she envisioned: a simple, grateful life surrounded by abundance.
Connect with Elizabeth at:
Website: https://ottercreekfarmny.com/page/graceful-acres-farmstay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracefulacresfarmstay/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079204614079
Connect with K at:
Website: https://www.penlightfarmers.com
YouTube: @k.castrataro3466
Facebook and Instagram: @penlightfarmers
Podcast (audio): https://www.penlightfarmers.com/podcast
Podcast (video): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVBn53rrIsTwS4ag6hH4DHnxG_Lxqt7x