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Wednesday at 11:00 am - 11:45 am

Jupiter's Almanac

Generations of Farming Wisdom

Jupiter’s Almanac is a podcast about growing and producing the food we eat, featuring the hard-earned wisdom of chef and farmer Matthew Raiford. Matthew is the great-great-great grandson of Jupiter Gilliard, who bought farmland in Coastal Georgia in 1874, following his emancipation. Matthew and his family still farm that land today, nearly 150 years later, while promoting organic practices and sharing their Gullah-Geechee heritage through food.

In this series, Matthew is sharing what he’s learned from his inheritance, plus he’s inviting other farmers from Georgia and across the country to share their tips and stories, too. Jupiter’s Almanac is a show for everyone who is interested in growing their own food and reconnecting with the land – whether you are just starting out with a square foot garden or a seasoned farmer.

Matthew Raiford headshot by Alex Boerner

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Matthew Raiford

Matthew Raiford grew up breaking the dirt and trading crookneck squash for sweet potatoes, raising hogs and chickens, and only going to the grocery store for sundries. After a military career then graduation from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Raiford returned to the farm in 2011 to continue the traditions of his Gullah-Geechee heritage and to create an authentic farm-to-fork experience for locals. He received certification as an ecological horticulturalist from the University of California’s Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. He served until recently as the program coordinator and associate professor of culinary arts at the College of Coastal Georgia. In 2015, Raiford, the former executive chef at Little St. Simon’s Resort, and his partner, Jovan Sage, a food alchemist, opened The Farmer and the Larder on Newcastle Street, helping jumpstart the revival of Brunswick’s historic downtown. Raiford has appeared in Southern Living, Golden Isles, Paprika Southern, and Savannah magazines, and is a frequent presenter at food and wine festivals throughout the country.

Latest Episodes

The Power of WayGreen Market's Food Oasis

Episode 11, Aired: December 23, 2020
Matthew welcomes Connie Oliver of WayGreen Market in Waycross, Georgia. They take a look back at 2020 and what it’s been like for WayGreen and the local farmers they work with. This year marked the revival of WayGreen’s online market and Connie provides insight into the digital tools Wa...

Rice Bread and Regional Grains

Episode 10, Aired: December 9, 2020
This week’s episode dives into regional bread and grains. The show was inspired by a listener question about whether there is a history of salt rising bread in Gullah Geechee culture. The closest thing Matthew knows of is rice bread, calling it salt rising bread’s “country cousin.” He s...

The Applied Alchemy of Lead to Life

Episode 9, Aired: December 2, 2020
This week, Matthew is sharing his conversation with brontë velez, the creative director of Lead to Life, an Oakland-based collective dedicated to racial and environmental justice led by Black and queer artists, healers and ecologists. Matthew learned about the organization through this ...

Reducing Waste This Thanksgiving

Episode 8, Aired: November 25, 2020
Many people are planning smaller meals for Thanksgiving this year and may be wondering how to pare down their typical dishes to avoid waste. Matthew shares his Thanksgiving menu and talks through his prepping process, which includes starting early to enjoy Thanksgiving Day as much as po...

A Very Gilliard Thanksgiving

Episode 7, Aired: November 19, 2020
This week, Matthew shares one of his favorite Thanksgiving recipes: oyster dressing. You can’t make great oyster dressing, without great oysters. In the first half of the show, hear an interview with Thomas Bliss, the Director of The Shellfish Research Laboratory in Brunswick. He talks ...

Veterans Day with Cattleman Marvin Frink

Episode 6, Aired: November 11, 2020
This week Jupiter’s Almanac falls on Veterans Day, so Matthew catches up with his old friend, fellow veteran, and cattle farmer, Marvin Frink of Briarwood Cattle Farm in Red Springs, North Carolina. Their conversation touches on Marvin’s transition from the military into farming, why fo...