Self-Sustainability

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

A Field Guide to Marine Life of the Protected Waters of the Salish Sea includes the most commonly observed species in the tide pools and protected waters of the Salish Sea—that intricate network of coastal waterways spanning southern BC and northwestern Washington. Covering invertebrates, fish and seaweeds, this guide includes key identification features, fun facts and habitat, as well as seventy colour photographs. Water-resistant and compact, this guide is easy to pack on any trip to the shore and perfect for curious minds of all ages.

Rick Harbo is one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading marine writers and photographers.

Additional Information
2 pages | 37.00" x 9.00" | 75 photographs | Pamphlet

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 

Groundswell is a collection of stirring and passionate essays from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers that eloquently present a compelling message about how traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices can and must be used to address climate change. The chapters interconnect, taking us from radical thinking to the gentleness of breath, and demonstrate that we are all in this together—everyone must understand what needs to be accomplished and participate in the care of Mother Earth.

Authors tap into religious and spiritual perspectives, explore the wisdom of youth, and share the insights of a nature-based philosophy. These collective writings give you a chance to contemplate and formulate your own direction. A moral revolution that can produce a groundswell of momentum toward a diverse society based on human rights, Indigenous rights, and the rights of Mother Earth.

Beautifully illustrated with photographs, Groundswell is augmented with video recordings from the authors and a short documentary film, available on the project’s website. Profits from the book will help support the videos, documentary, and future projects of The Call to Action for Climate Change. Visit www.envisionthebigpicture.com.

Reviews

"A beautifully illustrated and highly engaging read is Groundswell: Indigenous Knowledge and a Call to Action for Climate Change, edited by Joe Neidhardt and Nicole Neidhardt. Essays from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributors present a strong vision for how traditional knowledge can be used to fight climate change, as well as how we can work together toward a more balanced and harmonious relationship with nature." - Joan Elliott, Librarian/Manager, Stewart Resources Centre

“The most important environmental development of the last decade is the full emergence and full recognition of the Native leadership at the very front of every fight. One of the things that makes that leadership so powerful is its deep roots in tradition and thought; this book gives the reader some sense of that tradition, though of course it is so vast that it would take a thousand such books to capture it all!”— Bill McKibben; Author Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

“This book shares Indigenous knowledge that can teach us to listen to and be in relationship to the Earth in a way that honors the sacredness and interdependence of all life forms. A paradigm shift, informed by Indigenous ways of knowing and acting, is crucial in this time of climate change.”— Laura Stivers; Author of Disrupting Homelessness: Alternative Christian Approaches

“Groundswell: Indigenous Knowledge and a Call to Action for Climate Change... is a powerful text that introduces a much-needed perspective on the issue of climate change. Much has been said and written on the topic of climate change from a purely logical perspective, which is essential, but Groundswell introduces an equally important perspective, that of the spiritual implications of climate change. From the perspective of Native people, we start to unravel the complex emotions when learning of the negative effects of climate change through an entirely different lens than the lens supplied to us through westernized education. There is an aspect of spiritual connection that Native people have when approaching the topic of climate change and the destructive and corrosive actions taken against our Earth. I hate to use the phrase “spiritual connection,” because spirituality has been wrongly stripped down to a non-science, when in reality, it is something that just cannot be defined by science. One’s spirit is only one way of saying, one’s being, essence, one’s present energy, or one’s connection to all that is, beyond thought and logic. It is the core of us all, and it is a feeling that connects us all, and in my opinion, uniquely respected and understood by Native people. This is one reason I believe Native people feel an obligation to protect this Earth, because we hold this truth close culturally. We and everything are one, and the destruction of our planet is also the destruction of ourselves. When reading the chapter “Rooted: Staying Grounded Amidst a Changing Landscape” by Nicole Neidhardt, Teka Everstz, and Gina Mowatt, I was moved by the presence of youth voices. As a young, Indigenous person myself I felt a great power, understanding, and nuance to the voices emerging in the chapter. The writers spoke of the complexities and the duality of living as an Indigenous person in western society that I have myself experienced. They also addressed the modern paradox of social media, in that in as many ways as it is bringing people together, in many ways it is tearing us apart and allowing for non-accountability in our society. It is rare to find a text that so genuinely sums up the issues of living as an Indigenous youth in western culture and our struggle of being heard when voicing our truths. I believe that this text, in the hands of other young people like the writers will be moved by it like I was. Nicole Neidhardt, Teka Everstz, and Gina Mowatt asked for more than a challenge of the reader’s ideology, they screamed out for a call to action." — Forrest Goodluck; Award-winning youth filmmaker, appears opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

“Reading the reflections of three young Indigenous activists (Rooted: Staying Grounded Amidst a Changing Landscape) is special and something I’ve admittedly never experienced before. What I thought about while reading this was my own decades' long growing pains, not just in body, but rather identity. My own insecurities has led me down dark walkways toward depression and anxiety. For years—and still to this day—I am petrified of the inescapable uncertainty the universe’s laws present me. I had zero doubts about three Cosmic proclamations: death, taxes and thermodynamics. Their stories are a sharp, buoyant reminder of elation and advocacy in a world of overwhelming and seemingly unlimited power: colonialism, imperialism and industrial capitalism. These narratives bring me moral conviction and faith as we all walk hand-in-hand into our carbon wrought future.” — Kalen Goodluck; A freelance documentary photographer, photojournalist, and journalist

“Groundswell is about helping one another through the threat of death we experience on this increasingly traumatized planet—in the air, on the land and in the water—and nurturing it back to life. Neidhardt and his kindred spirits offer us new, yet familiar, resources for a creative participation in that gracious process. “New” for us who are not yet listening attentively to Indigenous instructions voiced in their “Older Testament.” “Familiar” insofar as we are given to see, truly see, our relatedness and belonging to all things, great and small, in this created world, our “common home” (Pope Francis). One message powerfully conveyed throughout this book is that planetary health is primary, whereas human well-being is derivative (Thomas Berry). This message turns the infamous “Doctrine of Discovery” upside down, inviting us, all of us together, into fresh discoveries of healing wisdom in ancient treasures still alive and well for us. Again, “together”: “A little trickle of water that goes alone goes crookedly” (Gbaya proverb). Together we may pray for vibrant faith and spiritual rootedness to yield justice: equilibrium throughout creation and among all people. Such faith is indeed a “renewable energy” (Larry Rasmussen)!” — Thomas G. Christensen; Author of An African Tree of Life

Educator Information
Recommended Resource for Grades 11-12 and College/University Students.

Social Studies/B.C. First Peoples/Comparative Cultures/Contemporary Indigenous Studies Curricular Concepts Explored in the Text:

• Interactions between cultures and the natural environment.
• The role of value systems and belief systems in the development of cultures.
• Varied identities and worldviews of Indigenous peoples, and the importance of the interconnection of family, relationships, language, culture, and the land.
• Factors that sustain and challenge the identities and worldviews of Indigenous peoples.

Science/Environmental Science Curricular Concepts Explored in the Text:

• First Peoples knowledge and other traditional ecological knowledge in sustaining biodiversity.
• Human actions and their impact on ecosystem integrity.
• First Peoples ways of knowing and doing.
• Resource stewardship.

English/English First Peoples Curricular Concepts Explored in the Text: 

• First Peoples languages and texts reflect their cultures, knowledge, histories, and worldviews.
• Critically, creatively, and reflectively explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
• Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world.
• The diversity within and across First Peoples societies as represented in texts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface 
Invocation: Using Contemplative Meditation to Foster Change 
Introduction: This Is the Moral Revolution
Climate Change Snapshots by Kristen Dey 
Rooted: Staying Grounded Amidst a Changing Landscape by Nicole Neidhardt, Teka Everstz, and Gina Mowatt 
What You Need to Know Is Not in a Book: Indigenous Education by Larry Emerson 
Illuminating the Path Forward by Erin Brillon 
Stories from Our Elders by Andy Everson 
Religions for the Earth by Karenna Gore 
How We Can Work Together by Merle Lefkoff 
Essential Elements of Change by Mary Hasbah Roessel 
The Radical Vision of Indigenous Resurgence by Taiaiake Alfred 
Sharing the Wealth: Bending Toward Justice by Rod Dobell 
The Commonwealth of Breath by David Abram 
Science, Spirituality, Justice by Larry Rasmussen 
The Moral Revolution, Weaving All the Parts by Joe Neidhardt
Acknowledgements 
Further References 
Further Readings 
Contributors

Contributors: David Abram, Taiaiake Alfred, Erin Brillon, Kristen Dey, Rod Dobell, Larry Emerson, Andy Everson, Teka Everstz, Karenna Gore, Merle Lefkoff, Gina Mowatt, Joe Neidhardt, Nicole Neidhardt, Larry Rasmussen, Mary Hasbah Roessel.

Additional Information
208 Pages | 8.5" x 9" | ISBN: 9781771743440 | Hardcover 

Eating sustainable seafood is about opening your mind (and fridge) to a vast array of fish and shellfish that you might not have considered before - and the Pacific Coast is blessed with an abundance of wild species. With Lure, readers embark on a wild Pacific adventure and discover the benefits of healthy oils and rich nutrients that seafood delivers. This stunning cookbook, authored by chef and seafood advocate Ned Bell, features simple techniques and straightforward sustainability guidelines around Pacific species as well as 80 delicious recipes to make at home. You'll find tacos, fish burgers, chowders, and sandwiches- the types of dishes that fill bellies, soothe souls and get happy dinner table conversation flowing on a weekday night - as well as elegant (albeit still simple-to-execute) dinner party options, such as crudo, ceviche, and caviar butter.

Reviews
“Ned’s first cookbook Lure features a set of sustainable seafood recipes that are accessible, well considered and, most importantly, delicious.” – Michael Cimarusti, Michelin-starred chef of Providence

“Ned Bell is one of that laudable cadre of young chefs who has taken the trouble to learn not only the names of his farmers but also his fishers.  If, like me, you’re committed to sustaining the health of the oceans, you’ll grab this book that shows you how to cook all the responsibly-harvested gifts of the sea.” – Tom Douglas, American executive chef, restaurateur, author, and radio talk show host.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Lure is the most important cookbook of the year, if not the decade.” – Tim Pawsey, Hired Belly

“Lure is at once a cookbook, coffee table showpiece, and educational manual. With straightforward recipes and a digestible approach to ocean sustainability, Lure is a beautiful and accessible guide for the conscientious cook.” – NUVO Magazine

“It should come as no surprise that Lure, his first cookbook, co-written with ace writer Valerie Howes, is just wonderful too. It’s a beauty of book—bright, full of gorgeous imagery and laid out in an attractive easy-to-understand style” – BC Living

Additional Information
304 pages | 9.14" x 9.99"

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"

Your go-to guide for everything from cultivation to wine-making with one of humanity's oldest plant friends

Once a staple in homes across the world, and found along every highland, highway, and hedgerow, the forgotten elderberry is making a comeback. Its popularity as medicine is surging, its choice as an edible landscaping plant is growing, and its use for wine-making and crafts is being rediscovered.

Spanning history and geography, The Elderberry Book takes you on an adventure, deepening your appreciation of a plant that has played a crucial role across the world for thousands of years. Through this fun, inspirational, and educational resource, discover:

• Elderberry's amazing history
• Cultivating and foraging, from the balcony to the backyard
• Various traditional food and medicine preparations
• Simple wine-making techniques
• Traditional crafts and tools.

This is the definitive guide to the many uses of elderberry; no matter where you are, one of humankind's oldest plant friends can provide you with anything from syrup to wine to dyes, and more.

This book will be of interest to homesteaders, gardeners, herbalists, and people interested in folk history and crafts.

Educator & Series Information
Elderberries trees are widespread and naturalized in temperate Canadian regions including the Maritimes, British Columbia, and Ontario.

Useful, fun, inspirational and educational book that covers history, cultivation, foraging, traditional use, medicines, herbal remedies and tools from the elderberry tree.

Includes:

• Recipes
• Plans for crafts made from elderberry wood including a flute, a pencil, and even a bug hotel.
• Professional illustrations and full-colour photographs.

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
128 pages | 7.50" x 9.00"

"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

The Skillful Forager is the ultimate forager’s guide to working with any wild plant in the field, kitchen, or pantry.

From harvesting skills that will allow you to gather from the same plant again and again to highlighting how to get the most out of each and every type of wild edible, trusted expert Leda Meredith explores the most effective ways to harvest, preserve, and prepare all of your foraged foods. Featuring detailed identification information for over forty wild edibles commonly found across North America, the plant profiles in this book focus on sustainable harvesting techniques that can be applied to hundreds of other plants. This indispensable reference also provides simple recipes that can help you make the most of your harvest each season.

Reviews
"This is a book that needed to be written—an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to be more than an armchair forager." —Hank Shaw, author of Hunt, Gather, Cook

"Identification is the first task of the forager, but what comes next? It turns out, almost everything. How does one select the best berries, the tenderest greens, the freshest mushrooms, and gather them in an ecologically responsible manner? What is the most practical way to clean, crack, or pit them? How can they be stored? In The Skillful Forager, Leda Meredith answers just these questions, laying out the basic skills that she has perfected through decades of gathering wild plants and using them in the kitchen. She leaves readers with a set of practical, simple, healthy, and delicious recipes that can be adapted to a variety of ingredients, wild or domestic—just the way that real home cooks cook everyday food. Because to Leda, that’s what foraged food is." —Samuel Thayer, author of The Forager’s Harvest

"In The Skillful Forager, Leda Meredith doesn’t just describe some of her favorite wild edibles, she lays the groundwork for you to become a better forager. Leda covers recommended plants and mushrooms, safe and mindful harvesting, and wraps it all up by describing multiple cooking and preservation techniques we all can use to make the most of our harvests. The Skillful Forager takes you from field to table with excellent information, inspiring ideas, and lots of fabulous flavor." —Ellen Zachos, author of Backyard Foraging

Additional Information
296 pages | 6.51" x 8.98" 

Unleash the potential of your yard by transforming it into a beautiful and vibrant space offering a continuous supply of food

Journey into the good food movement by unleashing the potential of your yard, transforming it into a beautiful and vibrant space that offers a continuous supply of food.

Using dozens of beautiful color photographs and watercolor planting charts, infographics, and landscaping designs, Your Edible Yard is the comprehensive how-to guide you need to turn your yard into a bountiful feast.

It features:

• Practical gardening methods and maintenance from weeding to wintering, including foodscaping, container gardening, and saving seeds
• Permaculture principles including soil building techniques, garden preparation, raised beds, and natural/non-toxic DIY pesticide alternatives
• How to integrate culinary and medicinal herbs, edible flowers, mushrooms, fruits, vegetables, and wild edibles
• Gardening resources: where to go for help, buy seeds, and source supplies on a budget
• Instructions on preserving, fermenting, freezing, drying, and making simple medicines
• General tips, such as how to find loopholes in laws preventing edible front yards.

Whether you're a beginner or experienced gardener in the city, the suburbs, or the country, this manual is the A-Z guide for how to make use of the space you have, highlighting the colorful and abundant array that edible landscapes promise.

Additional Information
208 pages | 7.50" x 9.00"