Crafts and Skills

Denesųłiné Elders Lawrence and Lena Adam have been tanning hides and sharing their knowledge with others for more than four decades. Woodland Cree knowledge carrier Tommy Bird helped his family tan hides on the trapline as a young boy. Together they share their lifetime of experience to guide a new generation of hide tanners to keep the tradition alive. The trouble-shooting tips and hands-on advice in this book will help you to make your own bone tools and turn raw moosehides into smoke-tanned hides soft enough to sew into mitts or moccasins. Combining traditional knowledge with easy-to-follow instructions and detailed colour photos, Tanning Moosehides the Northern Saskatchewan Trapline Way is a practical guide you will refer to again and again.

Educator Information
The publisher recommends this resource for ages 10+ 

Recommended in the Indigenous Books for Schools catalogue as a valuable resource for Art, Science, and Social Studies in grades 5 to 12.

Themes: Animals, Arts and Culture, Cultural Teachings, Fashion, Traditional Knowledge.

Additional Information
64 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | Spiral Bound

asowacikanisa: A Guide to Small Métis Bags is a continuation in the series of “how to” books on Métis material culture. This resource will guide you in the step-by-step process on how to create two different bags, a tobacco pouch and a sash bag, which were traditional utilitarian items used by the Metis. These bags are used today to carry traditional medicines and other treasured items. Complete with historical information, easy to follow instructions, detailed photos and accompanying DVD, this resource provides everything you need to know to make your own traditional bags. (Materials not included).

Educator Information
Grade Level: Secondary / Post Secondary / Adult 

Additional Information
8" x 10" | 46 Pages

The recipes and traditions found in this book reflect the culture and the knowledge of the Medicine Wheel, featuring 26 edible and medicinal plants that you can gather in nature as Carrie and her grandmother did.

Create a luxurious and natural beauty regime by crafting your own lotions, soaps and teas from all-natural ingredients. From stress-busting teas and bath bombs to skin-smoothing lotions and creams, get vibrant skin and a healthy glow with Carrie’s creations based on her grandmother’s traditional teachings.

"I remember gathering plants and berries with my grandmother while she shared her stories and her deep understanding of traditional plants and their uses. My grandmother healed us with her medicinal plants—everything from pink eye, sore throats, stomach ailments, aches and pains, and infections. She’d make us these beautiful, healing teas." –Carrie

Additional Information
144 pages | 6.00" x 7.75"

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

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 

The devil is in the details-the science and art of designing and building durable, efficient, straw bale buildings.

Straw-bale buildings promise superior insulation and flexibility across a range of design aesthetics, while using a typically local and abundant low-embodied energy material that sequesters carbon--an important part of mitigating climate change.

However, some early strawbale designs and construction methods resulted in buildings that failed to meet design goals for energy efficiency and durability. This led to improved building practices and a deeper understanding of the building science underlying this building system.

Distilling two decades of site-built straw bale design and construction experience, Straw Bale Building Details is an illustrated guide that covers:

• Principles and process of straw bale design and building, options, and alternatives
• Building science of straw bale wall systems
• How design impacts cost, building efficiency, and durability
• Avoiding costly mistakes and increasing construction efficiency
• Dozens of time-tested detailed drawings for straw bale wall assemblies, including foundations, windows and doors, and roofs.

Whether you're an architect, engineer, contractor, or owner-builder interested in making informed choices, Straw Bale Building Details is the indispensable guide to current practice in straw bale design and construction.

Additional Information
288 Pages | 8.60" x 11.00"

"Kami McBride provides everything you need to amaze your friends and family with a seasonal bounty of delicious herbal drinks, smoothies, cordials, pestos and more." - Rosalee de la Forêt, author of Alchemy of Herbs

Herbs are a gift from nature. They not only help to create aromatic and delicious food, they also support overall health and wellness on a daily basis. Using dried and fresh herbs in your cooking boosts your intake of vitamins and minerals, improves digestion, strengthens immunity, and increases energy. Using plants as medicine is an ancient and powerful tradition that connects you to the earth, helps treat common ailments, promote restful sleep, relaxation, and more.

The Herbal Kitchen will help you recognize the extraordinary pharmacy that probably already exists in your own kitchen. With 50 easy-to-find herbs and spices, information and tips for preparing, storing, and using them, and over 250 simple, flavorful recipes, it will empower you to care for your health.

Whether you are already familiar with herbs or are just starting out on the herbal path, Kami McBride offers recipes for everyone. Mix up refreshing drinks, infuse oil, vinegar and honey, learn how to make tinctures and cordials, salts, sprinkles, and more.

Reviews
"Thank you Kami, for bringing back the value of herbs and spices in The Herbal Kitchen. An inspiration for both new and advanced herbalists alike, this book combines herbalism with nutrition in a user-friendly, inexpensive way. What better way to take a culinary trip around the world, play with flavor, and bring us back home to growing our own fresh herbs?" —DeAnna Batdorff, Founder of the dhyana Center

"The Herbal Kitchen is written by a practicing herbalist, seasoned gardener, and medicine maker (no armchair herbalist here!) Kami has imbued this book with a sense of joy, practical knowledge and deep wisdom and with her guidance, you will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the many healing herbs and foods found in your kitchen." —Candis Cantin, Author of The Herbal Tarot and Pocket Guide to Ayurvedic Healing

"Plants have long been humanity's powerful and generous allies, providing us with daily nourishment, wellness, support, and joy. The more we commune with these botanical friends, the more they enrich our lives, and The Herbal Kitchen inspires us to invite them to each and every meal. If you long for food filled with nature's color, vitality, and love, this is the guide you seek." —Julie Bailey, herbalist, gardener, and co-owner of Mountain Rose Herbs

"A joyful celebration of practical, sensual herbal recipes! Kami's beautiful new book brims with delicious recipes that help budding herbalists and gardeners discover the bounty in their backyard. The recipes are simple and practical yet creative - the unique combinations of flavors excite the senses and teach you how to better enjoy herbs and spices. Together, they indulge you in the herbal lifestyle - not just for medicine, but plants and recipes that perk up your senses and make life more pleasurable." —Maria Noël Groves, herbalist and author of Body into Balance and Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies

"Kami McBride provides everything you need to amaze your friends and family with a seasonal bounty of delicious herbal drinks, smoothies, cordials, pestos and more." —Rosalee de la Forêt, author of Alchemy of Herbs

"Kami McBride has created an essential, comprehensive, and beautifully written book. It shows us the way to weave the practical magic of herbal remedies - cooking, gathering, making medicine - into the strands of our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Illuminated with personal anecdotes, it is easily accessible to beginners and inspiring to seasoned herbalists. The Herbal Kitchen is a beautiful recipe for self - empowerment and reconnection to the natural world." —Donna Chesner, Southwest School of Botanical Studies

Additional Information
304 pages | 7.00" x 9.00" | spot art throughout

Grow more food, with less work, in any yard – now completely revised and expanded!

Are you itching to start your own garden or grow more in the one you have, but feel that gardening is too challenging or time-consuming for your busy schedule?

Now completely updated and expanded, Backyard Bounty will demystify gardening, bringing it back to the down-to-earth, environmentally practical activity that anyone can enjoy.

Author and master gardener Linda Gilkeson covers everything you'll need to grow a successful garden, including:

• Planning your garden and preparing the soil
• Organic fertilizers and simplified composting
• Planting for winter harvests and intensive planting schedules
• Comprehensive information on pests, diseases, and working with an unstable climate
• Greenhouses, tunnels and containers
• Organic pest management.

Packed with a wealth of information specific to the Pacific Northwest, this complete guide emphasizes low-maintenance methods, covers problems related to common pests and climate concerns, includes a monthly garden schedule for year-round planting and harvesting, and features plant profiles for everything from apples to zucchini.

Perfect for novice and experienced gardeners alike, Backyard Bounty shows how even the smallest garden can produce a surprising amount of food twelve months of the year.

Reviews
"Backyard Bounty is very likely the best book ever written on growing food in the Pacific Northwest, and it sets a whole new standard for garden writing. By acknowledging the impacts of climate change on our gardens, Gilkeson further elevates the literature. This is the first “real time” gardening book. It is fresh and timely, and every page courses with practical advice and revelations. All growers should own this amazing and insightful book, and we should refer back to it often." —Mark Macdonald, West Coast Seeds

"Ideal for both new and seasoned gardeners, this new edition adds more listings to the detailed fruit and vegetable profiles, updates variety choices, and supplies practical information on dealing with common pests and diseases, including new ones to our region. Tips on adapting gardening practices to changing weather patterns are eminently helpful, as is a focus on the soil as a life force that fosters health in plants." —Helen Chesnut, Garden columnist, Times Colonist

"Whether you have a small or large lot, little or plenty of time, this book shows you how to grow your own toxic-free fruit and vegetables the whole year-round. From preparing the ground to harvesting and storing the ripened produce, all is clearly explained. An invaluable book for novices and experienced gardeners". —Barry Roberts, Past-President, Master Gardeners Association of BC

Additional Information
384 pages | 7.50" x 9.00" | 120 b&w illustrations and photographs 

Sanikiluaq, a small Inuit community in the Belcher Islands region of the Far North, has a long history of artistic output. But as the demand for stone carvings grew, grass basket sewing—once a traditional skill for Inuit women—faded from the community consciousness. That was until a group of women, including educator and artist Margaret Lawrence, came together to renew the lost art of basket sewing.

In Our Hands Remember: Recovering Sanikiluaq Basket Sewing, Lawrence guides readers through creating their own grass baskets in the unique style of the Sanikiluaq region with step-by-step instructions and photographs. From tips on preparing the grass and forming even coils to the different types of embellishments, this book is accessible to all skill levels.

Additional Information
120 pages | 9.00" x 8.50" | Colour Photographs

Food recalls, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils.

Author Deborah Niemann offers healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet.

In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade, Deborah shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life.

Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, it's packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more.

This comprehensive guide to food and fiber from scratch proves that attitude and knowledge is more important than acreage. Written from the perspective of a successful, self-taught modern homesteader, this well-illustrated, practical, and accessible manual will appeal to anyone who dreams of a more empowered life.

Additional Information
336 pages | 7.50" x 9.00" | 2nd Edition

Fertilize your garden naturally--a guide to growing your plants in healthy, happy soil

People want to know where their food comes from, who grows it and how it is grown. Interest in permaculture, backyard composting, and gardening in general, is growing. So how does the budding gardener ensure that his soil is healthy and nutrient-rich enough to support all the produce he intends to grow? Here's a hint--think worms! Vermiculture is the healthiest and most cost-effective way to ensure that your soil receives the nourishment that it needs. A simple vermicompost bin can produce the completely natural , nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be used to boost soil health and, in turn, increase your crop yield.

In true Crystal Stevens' fashion, Worms at Work is a practical, easy-to-implement guide to fertilizing your garden naturally. It discusses the vital role worms play in boosting soil health, and the reasons why every gardener should use vermicompost in order to decrease reliance on toxic synthetic fertilizers. Coverage includes:

• Simple designs to build your own vermicompost bin
• Caring for your worms
• Garden applications for your worm castings
• Lesson plans to incorporate vermicomposting into the school science curriculum
• Whether you're tending to a small backyard garden or managing a large farm, Worms at Work can show you how to start vermicomposting today in order to grow healthy plants in healthy, happy soil.

Educator & Series Information
Useful for incorporating vermicomposting into the school science curriculum and school gardens.

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
224 pages | 7.50" x 9.00"

This easy-to-use handbook offers information about common mushrooms from Alaska and northwestern Canada to Saskatchewan in the east and south to the US states of the Pacific northwest. Using crisp, colourful images, Duane Sept illustrates more than 130 species of edible, poisonous and other interesting mushrooms. Inside you’ll find:

~ In depth descriptions for 130 species
~ Details on edible, poisonous, hallucinogenic and other fascinating fungi
~ More than 150 fascinating fungi
~ More that 150 spectacular photographs
~ Tips and techniques for freezing, canning and drying mushrooms
~ Additional information about mushroom ecology, making spore prints and more
~ New edition includes updated scientific names and new species

Welcome to the secret world of tracks, sign and the animals that made them. Signs of the who, what and where of wildlife are all around us, even when their makers are too shy to come closer. This new guide is the key to unlocking the natural world that shares our environment, by day and by night. All we have to do is take the time to observe and interpret the signs.

The book features nearly 50 species with photos of tracks, scat and other signs, as well as drawings of tracks, track patterns, distribution maps and interesting details on the appearance, habitat and behavior of each species. Information on 20 additional species is also included, to help identify other species in the area and to distinguish one animal from another. There is even a ruler on the back cover. Tracking is detective work—fun, stimulating and very inspiring for anyone who is ready to “meet” the animals that share our landscape, by studying the fascinating clues they leave behind.

Crafts and Skills of Native Americans is a fascinating, practical guide to the skills that have made Native Americans famous worldwide as artisans and craftsmen. Readers can replicate traditional Native American living by trying a hand at brain tanning, identifying animal tracks, or constructing a horse saddle. Readers can even make distinctive Native American beaded jewelry, a variety of moccasins, headdresses, and gourd rattles. Native American style is unique and popular, especially among young people, historians, and those with a special interest in the American West.

Additional Information
240 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"