Our favorite resident gardener is back with a new project. And while Toni Farmer won’t be getting into the dirt with SJ Mag’s Marianne Aleardi just yet (look for the 7th season of “The Goal is to Become a Gardener” this spring!), she will be digging through the secrets of our food system with experts on her podcast “Toni Farmer’s Garden: The Podcast.” Each week, Toni talks with an expert to help you understand what you’re eating, how your food gets to the store and so much more about what we use to fuel ourselves.

1. Trusting Toni

In addition to her gardening know-how, Toni is also well known for her hard-core understanding of the scientific research surrounding our food systems and the political policies affecting those systems. (Just ask her 198,000 Instagram followers!) The podcast is a mix of all her knowledge – it’s information that directly affects you and your family, and the food you eat. The topics can sometimes be complex, but Toni has a calming voice and a skillful way of making the most complicated concepts easy to digest. (There’s also her fun personality, genius questions and sometimes a guest appearance by the sweetest 4-legged friends.) 

2. Deep dives

We’ve always said we could talk to Toni about gardening and food for hours – so this is your chance! Each episode of “Toni Farmer’s Garden: The Podcast” is at least 30 minutes long, giving Toni and her guests – who range from food scientists and policy professors to organic farming experts – the chance to dive into the intricacies of different aspects of our food. 

That could mean talking about what is required to earn a USDA Organic label in the grocery store or how Campbell’s Soup made their chicken noodle soup taste more like chicken. But regardless of the topic, you’ll get answers to questions you didn’t even know you had. 

3. What’s in your food?

Speaking of questions you didn’t know you had – let’s talk about the questions you do have. Like, where does my food come from? And how does it get to my grocery store? Well, it turns out there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that most of us know nothing about – like apples that are kept for a year before hitting shelves thanks to a waxy coating. And wheat that gets sprayed directly with pesticides before hitting the road to the store. 

If you care at all about what you’re putting in your body (and you probably should), it can be hard to decipher what’s safe and what’s hurting. Luckily, Toni’s offering some help.

4. Klein’s there too

You may have caught a glimpse of Klein Aleardi behind the cameras for “The Goal is To Become A Gardener” or in front of the cameras for “It’s a South Jersey Summer.” Now’s your chance to catch up with her as Toni’s podcast producer. Keep an eye out for her guest question at the end of each episode.

3 Favorite Episodes

Can’t Stop Eating Doritos? That’s Science.
Guest: Mark Hines, Global R&D Director at MAFCO Worldwide (MAFCO is a global leader in licorice products.)

Is this organic label real?
Guest: Maria Rodale, former CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc.

Am I eating Round-up?
Guest: Elisa Jazan, PhD, Environmental Health Researcher at Tufts University