Gardening

Find connection with the land and feed your family locally, seasonally, and sustainably

Nourish your family from nature's pantry. Foraging as a Way of Life documents twelve months of wildcrafting, featuring five different plants each month for a full year of abundant local and seasonal eating. Enhance your sense of self-sufficiency while increasing food security, protecting habitat, and connecting with the land.

This lavishly illustrated, accessibly written, in-depth resource features:

• Accurate and detailed descriptions of herbs, mushrooms, berries, and other wild plants to avoid confusion and inspire confidence when determining plant identification.
• Foraging recipes for remedies, tonics, syrups, and handcrafted unique dishes incorporating wild ingredients—feast on rosehip soup with pan-fried dandelion flowers, followed by birch-bark cookies or chicory chocolate bars.
• Extensive guidance for safe use or consumption of each species, including cautions, lookalikes, and tips for sustainable harvesting.

Drawing on the author's own lived experience and her study of herbalism and ethnobotany, Foraging as a Way of Life is designed to inspire readers to share the exuberance and joy of wild foods while finding nourishment and connection in their local fields or forests. A must for every gardener who would like to gather dinner while weeding, for those wishing to learn sustainable harvesting while hiking, or for anyone who wants to create healthy, foraged meals while living lightly on the planet.

Reviews
"Mikayla Cannon's passion for harvesting nature's abundance has yielded a comprehensive guide to foraging throughout the year. Beautiful photographs, detailed profiles, and numerous recipes make this book an exciting guide to reclaiming a naturally healthful diet." -Darrell E. Frey, Three Sisters Farm, and author, Bioshelter Market Garden and The Food Forest Handbook

"Foraging truly is a way of life for Mikaela Cannon, and this book captures her meticulously researched knowledge, practical experimentation, and deep respect for the earth and its Indigenous knowledge-keepers. It is beautifully illustrated, and includes recipes, medicinal uses, personal stories, detailed plant descriptions, and wise precautions."-Remy Rodden, biologist, award-winning envirosinger, and environmental educator

Additional Information
288 pages | 7.50" x 9.00" | 450 Colour Illustrations | Paperback

Have Indigenous plant knowledge at your fingertips with this gorgeously illustrated card deck from Leigh Joseph, an ethnobotanist and a member of the Squamish Nation.

Plants can be a great source of healing as well as nourishment, and the practice of growing and harvesting from trees, flowering herbs, and other plants is a powerful way to become more connected to the land. The Indigenous Peoples of North America have long traditions of using native plants as medicine as well as for food. Held by the Land Deck includes 45 cards of indigenous plants and their properties and a 48-page booklet to guide you along the way. Here are some of the things you will find:

• Tips to build your own home apothecary
• Notes on how to mindfully harvest and connect to the land you’re on
• Recipes for infused oils and salves
• A botanical glossary to help out with some of the more technical language
• Checklists for safe and sustainable harvesting

This beautifully illustrated card deck includes plants that are culturally significant to the Pacific Northwest, including Western Red Cedar, Devil’s Club, Broad-Leaved Plantain, Camas, Wapato, and Red Laver. Special features in the booklet include recipes for food and beauty products along with stories and traditions around the plants.

This elegant, full-color card deck and booklet is your go-to guide for Indigenous plants and will give you new insights into the power of everyday nature.

Additional Information
48 pages | 4.50" x 5.90" | 45 Cards and 48-Page Booklet

Improve your well-being with Native American herbal medicine

Native American herbal medicine offers a powerful way to connect with the earth and heal naturally—and with this handbook of Native American herbs, you can learn all about herb uses and their restorative effects. Written by an Indigenous herbalist, this guide shows you how to responsibly use traditional plants to treat anxiety, colds, inflammation, and more.

This standout among books about herbs and healing will help you:
- Learn about a time-honored practice—Discover the origins and healing secrets of Native American herbalism, its traditional and modern uses, and how tools like the medicine wheel teach us about our relationship with the natural world.

- Identify the essential herbs—Explore the healing properties of medicinal herbs for wellness, from anise hyssop to yerba santa.

- Make 75 natural remedies—Ease physical and emotional ailments with Native American remedies, like Memory Support Tea, Stress-Induced Headache Tincture, and Antibacterial Healing Herb Liniment.

Tap into traditional wisdom with this Native American herbal medicine book for health and well-being.

Reviews
"A beautiful jumping-off point for anyone who is interested in practical herbalism. Angela organizes the wisdom of Native American herbalism in a way that is accessible for anyone to pick up and fold into their everyday life." —Kathleen Lee, acupuncturist, herbalist, and spiritual business mentor

"Angela is a wise and fierce protector of plant medicine and traditions of healing. Her first book, A Beginner's Guide to Native American Herbal Medicine, is a meaningful, accessible resource for readers who seek to ground themselves in understanding and build an herbal practice of integrity." —Graham Wesley

Additional Information
165 pages | 7.50" x 9.25" | full-colour photographs throughout | Paperback

Author Leigh Joseph, an ethnobotanist and a member of the Squamish Nation, provides a beautifully illustrated essential introduction to Indigenous plant knowledge.

Plants can be a great source of healing as well as nourishment, and the practice of growing and harvesting from trees, flowering herbs, and other plants is a powerful way to become more connected to the land. The Indigenous Peoples of North America have long traditions of using native plants as medicine as well as for food. Held by the Land honors and shares some of these traditions, offering a guide to:

• Harvesting herbs and other plants and using them topically
• North American plants that can treat common ailments, add nutrition to your diet, become part of your beauty regime, and more
• Stories and traditions about native plants from the author's Squamish culture
• Using plant knowledge to strengthen your connection to the land you live on

Early chapters will introduce you to responsible ways to identify and harvest plants in your area and teach you how to grow a deeper connection with the land you live on through plants. In the plant profiles section, common plants are introduced with illustrations and information on their characteristics, range, how to grow and/or harvest them, and how to use them topically and as food. Special features offer recipes for food and beauty products along with stories and traditions around the plants.

This beautiful, full-color guide to Indigenous plants will give you new insights into the power of everyday plants.

Additional Informaiton
192 pages | 8.00" x 9.25" | Hardcover 

A compact, full-colour field guide to the growing number of invasive plant species spreading across coastal BC and the Pacific Northwest, highlighting their hazards and uses.

The spread of invasive plant species is a growing concern across the coastal Pacific Northwest. Invasive plants compete for space with native plants, alter the natural habitat, and even interfere with the diets of local wildlife. Hundreds of these species are so commonly seen in our backyards, forests, and roadsides, that many people do not even realize that these plants are not native to this region.

Designed for amateur naturalists, gardeners, and foragers, Invasive Flora of the West Coast is a clear, concise, full-colour guide to identifying and demystifying more than 170 invasive plant species in our midst, from Evening primrose to Scotch broom. Featuring colour photography, origin and etymology, safety tips and warnings, as well as historical uses, this book is practical, user-friendly, and portable for easy, on-the-go identification.

Reviews
“Varner’s latest contribution reveals the astonishing diversity of plants, vines, shrubs, and trees that crossed continents and oceans to take root in our backyard. Like the teeming collection of uninvited guests it describes, this guide would be appalling if it weren’t so wondrous. A concise and vivid gem.”—Arno Kopecky, author of The Environmentalist's Dilemma

Additional Information
224 pages | Paperback

With more species of fungi than any other region in Canada, British Columbia is a rich playground for mushroom hunters. Now there’s Mushrooms of British Columbia, the newest handbook from the Royal BC Museum. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to know more about BC mushrooms—whether for study, harvest, photography or appreciation.

Authors and mushroom experts Andy MacKinnon and Kem Luther bring a practical and playful approach to helping people quickly and confidently identify the mushrooms of British Columbia. Common names trump technical terminology, fungi are grouped by overall shape, and written descriptions of more than 350 common species are reinforced with carefully curated diagnostic images.

This is the go-to guidebook for anyone, amateur or expert, who loves to study, draw, photograph and eat BC mushrooms.

Additional Information
504 pages | 5.25" x 8.50" | Paperback

Some of the most vibrant colors and patterns in the Animal Kingdom are found among butterflies. Gawdy swallowtails, exquisite gossamer-wings, and a multitude of eye-catching brushfoots are particular standouts, though plenty of whites, sulphurs, metalmarks, and skippers are also adorned with splendid markings. Flowering plants across North America attract some 700 butterfly species as well as thousands of moths, bees, wasps, flies, and beetles, not to mention some hummingbirds and bats. This portable reference is a handy tool for those wishing to deepen their understanding of butterflies and other colorful pollinators. It features beautiful illustrations of 70 familiar butterflies and moths as well as some especially common larvae and pupae. Also included are notes on life cycles and other common pollinators. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, 12-panel folding pocket guide is a terrific resource for educators, learners, naturalists, and gardeners. 

Additional Information
12 pages | 4.10" x 8.35"

Part garden guide, part manifesto, this is an invitation to preserve our dynamic, sustainable food supply -- one seed at a time.

Much of our food comes from seeds. But where do our seeds come from? And where are they going? For much of human history, farmers saved their own seed stocks to ensure a good harvest from year to year. In the mid-twentieth century, governments became involved in seed saving, creating massive seed libraries cataloguing thousands of varieties. This biodiversity has come under attack in recent decades, as corporations have replaced heirloom varieties with genetic engineering and costly trademarks. In such an agricultural climate, saving seeds becomes both a practical act of preservation and powerful act of protest.

Over half of Canadian households grow fruits, herbs, vegetables or flowers for personal use, according to Statistics Canada. And each of these home gardens has the potential to preserve vital biodiversity, if only we would let plants go to seed, harvest and preserve them. Saving Seeds is a clear and winsome introduction to the essentials of seed saving, from seed selection criteria to harvest and storage tips. It also addresses the role of seed-saving communities: local swaps, seed companies, friends and neighbours and even how the Internet can support this time-honoured practice.

In an era of community gardens, farmers markets and renewed interest in heirloom species, Saving Seeds is a timely call to ensure a more secure future for our seeds and ourselves.

Additional Information
96 pages | 5.00" x 7.00" | b&w illustrations

How home gardeners with little time or space can reclaim the joy and independence of seed saving.

Many home gardeners refuse to eat a grocery store tomato, but routinely obtain seeds commercially, sometimes from thousands of miles away. And while seed saving can appear mysterious and intimidating, even home gardeners with limited time and space can experience the joy and independence it brings, freeing them from industry and the annual commercial seed order.

Beginning Seed Saving for the Home Gardener explores how seed saving is not only easier than we think, but that it is essential for vibrant, independent, and bountiful gardens. Coverage includes:

• Why seed saving belongs in the home garden
• Principles of vegetative and sexual reproduction
• Easy inbreeding plants, including legumes, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers
• Plants with a few more challenges, including squash, spinach, onions, and parsley
• Brief discussion of more difficult crops, including corn, carrots, and cabbage.

Written by a home seed saver for the home seed saver, Beginning Seed Saving for the Home Gardener is a comprehensive guide for those who want to reclaim our seed heritage, highlighting the importance of saving seeds for you, your neighbors, and most importantly, subsequent generations.

Additional Information
96 pages | 7.50" x 9.00" | 58 illustrations

Wildflowers are all around us!

Whether on a hike, in the backyard or in the living room, readers will be inspired by the stunning photography and informative text in this new guidebook.

The guide includes more than 130 wildflower species, arranged by family so readers can find and identify similar species nearby. A concise color guide to wildflowers features photos arranged by flower color so readers can quickly find and identify species.

For each floral gem, biologist and photographer Duane Sept provides a striking full-color photograph, along with a clear description. Notes on habitat, natural history and similar species are included, along with a clear glossary of terms.

Attractive enough to keep on your coffee table, and small enough to travel with you on long or short hikes, this guide will enhance your appreciation of the magnificent wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest.

Additional Information
96 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"

Bring mushrooms into your life as you dive into the practice of home-scale mushroom cultivation.

With applications in permaculture, urban farming, cooking, natural medicine, and the arts, interest in home-scale mushroom cultivation is exploding. Yet many beginners remain daunted by the perceived complexity of working with fungi.

DIY Mushroom Cultivation is the remedy, presenting proven, reliable, low-cost techniques for home-scale cultivation that eliminate the need for a clean-air lab space to grow various mushrooms and their mycelium.

Beautiful full-color photos and step-by-step instructions accompany a foundation of mushroom biology and ecology to support a holistic understanding of the practice. Growing techniques are applicable year-round, for any space from house to apartment, and for any climate, budget, or goal. Techniques include:

• Setting up a home growing space
• Inexpensive, simple DIY equipment
• Culture creation from mushroom tissue or spores
• Growing and using liquid cultures and grain spawn
• Growing mushrooms on waste streams
• Indoor fruiting
• Outdoor mushroom gardens and logs
• Harvesting, processing, tinctures, and cooking.

Whether you hunt mushrooms or dream about growing and working with them but feel constrained by a small living space, DIY Mushroom Cultivation is the ideal guide for getting started in the fascinating and delicious world of fungiculture.

Series Information
This book is part of the Homegrown City Life Series:

You’d like to be self-sufficient, but the space you have available is tighter than your budget. If this sounds familiar, the Homegrown City Life series was created just for you! Authors of this series will help you navigate the wide world of homesteading, regardless of how big (or small!) your space and budget may be. Topics range from cheesemaking to gardening and composting—everything the budding urban homesteader needs to succeed!

Increase your self-reliance:

• Take back DIY skills
• Work with the space you have, apartment balcony or suburban backyard
• Learn about fermenting, crafting, growing, preserving, and other skills for the urban homesteader.

Additional Information
208 pages | 7.50" x 9.00"

This concise pocketguide helps you discover and identify the most common plants and animals in Canada's Maritime provinces. Compiled by species and type, this guide makes it easy to find information on our natural heritage.

Features include:

• Full-colour illustrations
• Detailed information and descriptions
• Visual guide for size
• Symbols and legend.

Additional information
128 pages | 5.51" x 8.03" | 100+ Colour Illustrations 

This beautiful pocket guide helps you learn about and identify many common and rare wildflowers in Canada's Maritime provinces.

Features include:

• Full-colour photographs
• Detailed information and descriptions
• Organized by season
• Grouped by colour for quick identification.

Additional information
96 pages | 5.51" x 8.03" | 80+ Colour Photographs

FARM + LAND'S Back to the Land: A Modern Guide to Outdoor Life is a collection of stories about slow living, sustainability, and the value of doing things with your own two hands.

This gorgeous book features remarkable narratives, essential how-tos, and hundreds of breathtaking photographs from people who have embraced lives of adventure in wild places.

With gorgeous photography, engaging stories, practical tips, and useful illustrations, this book offers an escape into a world of simple pleasures, contentment, and a rural way of life.

• Focuses on the back-to-the-land movement
• A visually driven celebration of cozy homes and wild landscapes
• Embraces life's simple and enduring pleasures

FARM + LAND'S Back to the Land: A Modern Guide to Outdoor Life features places like a spectacular treehouse suspended above a lush forest, a cozy cabin perched on a mountainside, and a small farm growing heirloom vegetables in the high desert.

This book is a must-have for outdoor enthusiasts and anyone who has ever dreamed of escaping to a simpler way of life.

• Delivered in a highly giftable and handsome volume that inspires feelings of wanderlust.
• The perfect gift for Father's Day and the holidays, as well as for outdoors enthusiasts, travel lovers, camping fans, and readers of Dwell, Modern Farmer, and Kinfolk.
• Includes information on homesteading and outdoor skills such as how to build a desert vegetable garden; how to cut, split, and stack firewood; how to build a wood-fired hot tub; how to raise chickens and honeybees; how to make essential oils; and more!

Additional Information
272 pages | 7.65" x 9.60" | 350 full-colour photographs