To be honest, I didn’t read much when we were out west— I was too focused on experiencing things rather than reading about them. However, since we’ve gotten home, I’ve been devouring book after book. Here’s a sampling of my favorites:
Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation by Tradd Cotter
We bought Cotter’s book after seeing two of his presentations at the Mother Earth News Fair. His passion and creativity are clear to see, both in person and in this jam-packed manual/manifesto. He covers the basic growing techniques for different mushrooms, and profiles the varieties with ratings of how easy or hard they are to grow. There’s a lot of good basic information in it, but he also addresses sophisticated scientific growing techniques that made my head spin, and delves a lot into different uses for mushrooms beyond food. Definitely worth the read if you’re interested in growing mushrooms, or simply want to learn about how mushrooms can save the world.
Practical Permaculture: for Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth by Jessi Bloom and David Boehnlein
This book gives a clear overview of permaculture concepts and how they affect our everyday lives, particularly in the way we design our surroundings, grow food and animals, and engage in commerce. It’s designed mostly for people with larger plots of land, although there was a lot of value for me as a small landholder, too. This would be a good follow-up to Gaia’s Garden in a deeper study of permaculture.
Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard by Jessi Bloom
This book discusses how to keep chickens in a garden without them destroying everything. With beautiful photography and a lot of practical tips, it was well worth the read, although sometimes I wished she would elaborate more on her points.
Gardening with Less Water: Low-Tech, Low-Cost Techniques by David Bainbridge
This is a pithy, no-nonsense guide to cutting your garden water usage by a significant amount, no fancy mechanisms required! Each chapter discusses a different methods, from clay pots to porous capsules and hoses to deep pipes and swales. I know I’ll definitely check it out from the library again as we continue to design our yard.
Homemade for Sale: How to Set Up and Market a Food Business from Your Home Kitchen by John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist
What is cottage food, and how do you sell it? This book is a definitive guide to getting started with a small-scale food business. Although reading this book convinced me that Zach and I are not in a place to run a viable cottage-food enterprise, it’s good information to keep tucked away for future reference. And if you have any interest in selling your homemade jam, fresh tomatoes, or specialty cakes from your home, this is a must-read.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Why yes, I have read these books approximately eight bazillion times. No, I am still not tired of them. If you haven’t read them, you should (just be sure to start with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, no matter what Harper Collins tell you)!
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