Doug Bierend’s “In Search of Mycotopia: Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms” was completed during the pandemic and takes the reader on a comprehensive, largely present-day tour of fungal enterprises, applications and subcultures, with well-placed backstories. I loved reading about the eventual discovery of halophilic fungi in Utah’s Great Salt Lake
I have to admit that I was a little taken back when I first glanced at “Build Your Own Farm Tools.” For some time now I have followed, with great interest, articles posted by Jeff Volk online, and yet here was something different. What I first failed to see was that this is a book
Acadia Tucker is a market farmer turned container grower. After helping to manage 2 acres of regeneratively grown produce in Point Roberts, Washington, Tucker returned to her home state of Maine. A plastic-potted basil accompanied her for part of her cross-country journey and, with it, her love of growing plants in pots was ignited. The
Sherri Brooks Vinton is an expert on all methods of food preservation. The author of “Put ‘em Up!” and Put ‘em Up! Fruit,” she has toured and taught innumerable classes on the topics. This book is inspired by all the questions she has answered from her audiences. I do not gravitate to single topic how-to
One of my favorite things to do is hop in my car and travel around Maine, not to the popular beaches or parks, or busy restaurants, but to homesteads and farms in remote areas. I pull in the driveway or wind my way up a dirt road until it ends, walk around a garden plot
“In the Garden” is a flap-tastic and boldly illustrated oversized children’s book that follows a brother and sister duo as they work in their garden from the end of one winter until the start of the next. Using the seasonal movements and garden habits of Plum and Robin, author and illustrator Emma Giuliani shares a
In 2010, when Kristin Kimball’s “The Dirty Life” came out, I was at the beginning of my farming life. With two summers of field work and dreams of owning my own farm taking root inside me, her memoir of falling in love with the land and her husband propelled me on my own journey. “Good
Erin Benzakein is a well-known flower grower, floral designer and award-winning author from Mt. Vernon, Washington. For years she has shared her vast knowledge of flowers through her workshops, books, very accessible and no-cost online videos, and online courses. Her latest book, “Floret Farm‘s Discovering Dahlias,” is a treat from beginning to end. The
Everyone needs more than one book on herbal medicine. Some books focus on how to grow each plant and the healing properties they offer or how to make medicine in many forms; some delve into the deep science and teach exact ratios. Each approach broadens our knowledge and builds our resources. I thought owning books
For anyone who has taken more than a cursory look at the industrialized system that feeds much of the world, there is plenty to be concerned about. Chris Smaje, a social scientist turned farmer turned food activist, is one of those people. For the last 20 years he has been peering deeply into the food
