The New Farmer’s Almanac, Volume 3 contains 360 pages of original agrarian content, essays, cartoons, imagery, and historical snippets, ?harnessed from more than 120 contributors to the Greenhorns (a nontraditional grassroots organization made up of young farmers and ranchers). Farmers hold space in many interwoven commons, and possibilities for our shared future rests on how these intersecting commons are governed?particularly at the juncture of humanity and ecology, where farmers make their workplace. In re-visiting the almanac format, this volume asserts a version of Americana and addresses how to equip ourselves for the challenges of rebuilding the food system and restoring a more democratic, more diverse, and more resilient foundation for society. In the face of a dystopian future where the weather is unpredictable, the fossil fuel economy is on the point of collapse, monopolies are endlessly consolidating, and the country is, for the first time in our history, majority urban, this publication provides a utopian voice. It reminds today’s farmers about the foundational concepts of an agrarian democracy?concepts that are themselves utopian. This almanac also rejects the self-propelling logic of techno-utopia?dependent upon extraction economies and enclosure of common resources. Instead, the book orients itself toward the words of Ursula Le Guin, who reminds us that the intent in utopian thinking should not be “reactionary, nor even conservative, but simply subversive. It seems that the utopian imagination is trapped, like capitalism and industrialism and the human population, in a one-way future consisting only of growth.” This tidy volume holds a civil, lived testimony from people whose work, lifeworld, and behavior patterns beamingly subvert the normative values of the macro economy called America.

The Organic Seed Grower is a comprehensive manual for the serious vegetable grower who is interested in growing high-quality seeds using organic farming practices. It is written for both home seed savers and diversified small-scale farmers who want to learn the necessary steps involved in successfully producing a commercial seed crop organically.

Detailed profiles for each of the major vegetables provide users with practical, in-depth knowledge about growing, harvesting and processing seed for a wide range of common and specialty vegetable crops, from Asian greens to zucchini.

In addition, readers will find extensive and critical information on topics including: o The reproductive biology of crop plants o Annual vs. biennial seed crops o Isolation distances needed to ensure varietal purity o Maintaining adequate population size for genetic integrity o Seed crop climates o Seed-borne diseases o Seed cleaning basics o Seed storage for farmers o And more ...

This book can serve as a bridge to lead skilled gardeners, who are already saving their own seed, into the idea of growing seed commercially. And for diversified vegetable farmers who are growing a seed crop for sale for the first time, it will provide details on many of the tricks of the trade that are used by professional seed growers. This manual will help the budding seed farmer become more knowledgeable, efficient and effective in producing a commercially viable seed crop.

With the strong demand for certified organic produce, many regional seed companies are increasingly seeking out dedicated seed growers to ensure a reliable source of organically grown seeds for their farmer and gardener customers. This trend represents a great business opportunity for small-scale commercial growers who wish to raise and sell vegetable seeds as a profitable part of their diversified small-farm operation. Written by well-known plant breeder and organic seed expert John Navazio, The Organic Seed Grower is the most up-to-date and useful guide to best practices in this exciting and important field.

Save more, spend less, and get prepared for any disaster. This book contains cost-saving strategies for stockpiling emergency supplies and becoming fully prepared, without breaking the bank! Survival is expensive. Water, food, medication, and shelter are just the beginning of what a family needs to safely make it through a catastrophic event. How is it possible to prepare for a hurricane or blizzard when it’s already a challenge to keep the bills paid? The Penny-Pinching Preppershows readers how to get ready for the worst-case scenario tomorrow without going broke today.

This guide provides a complete step-by-step plan for the entire family to prepare for, survive, and thrive after a catastrophic collapse. Hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, earthquakes: Disaster can strike suddenly, leaving a wake of chaos much too big for emergency responders to handle. The action plan presented in The Prepper’s Complete Book of Disaster Readiness is the key to riding out the aftermath of a crisis when the power grid is down, supplies are running short, and anarchy is the rule of the day.

With detailed information on storing food, securing and strengthening a house, drafting emergency contingency plans, preparing children, packing bug-out bags, and even performing minor surgeries

Permaculture is a low cost, environmental and creative approach to living. The Permaculture Book of DIY presents over 20 practical projects that show you how to cleverly recycle materials into useful and unique objects at low financial and environmental cost. Some projects can even be completed for free. Want to spend more time enjoying your home and garden? With this diverse range of projects you could be growing vegetables in your own geodesic growdome, relaxing on a recycled wooden pallet garden bench whilst enjoying a cider from your very own cider press, or generating your own power with a self-installed solar panel! Each project has been carefully tried and tested and is clearly laid out with step-by-step instructions and supporting photography and diagrams. It is suitable for anyone who wants to learn DIY skills, have fun and involve their kids too. Learn how to make your own: Solar food dryer Self-watering raised bed Pallet furniture Wood-fired pizza oven Rocket stove hot tub and much more!

This guide contains 101 easy things you can do to ready your home for a disaster. The simple yet smart projects ensure that any household is prepared for that inevitable day when disaster strikes. From California earthquakes and Rocky Mountain wildfires to Midwest floods and Atlantic hurricanes, millions of people face life-threatening emergencies each year. This handy and helpful book shows readers how easy it is to prepare their home and family for any disaster. By breaking down the many facets of prepping into straightforward steps, this book transforms a seemingly daunting task into easy-to-do, manageable projects. Author Bernie Carr’s unique “survivalist lite” approach requires readers to dedicate little time, money, or space, but provides a big payoff: being fully prepared and self-sufficient.

No source is left untapped in this all-encompassing guide to supplying lifesaving water after a disaster. Of all the resources needed after a catastrophe strikes (food, heat, electricity, communication, and transportation) none are as important as water! While a substantial supply should be stored, the size and weight of water make storage impractical for long-term survival. Therefore it’s critical to know how to acquire and purify additional water supplies over time. This guide addresses all of these factors and more with straightforward instruction.

Suitable for novice and expert preppers alike, this book’s laser-sharp focus on water allows for a depth of information not found in any other guide.

The Renewable Energy Home Handbook is biased toward the practical, and covers the installation of all leading types of alternative domestic energy sources: from ground- and air-source heat pumps, photovoltaic solar electricity generation and solar water heating, to bio-mass domestic heating systems and wind turbines.

This is the key reference to living off the land. Packed with practical information and tried-and-tested tips, author John Seymour's visionary handbook explains how to reap the harvest, respect the land, stay healthy and waste nothing.

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It teaches all the skills needed to live independently: harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more.

This new expanded edition includes 150 new full-color illustrations and a special section in which Seymour, the father of the back-to-basics movement, explains the philosophy of self-sufficiency and its power to transform lives and create communities. More relevant than ever in our high-tech world, The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the ultimate practical guide for realists and dreamers alike.

Recommended Product for Wiser Living: Today, more than ever before, our society is seeking ways to live more conscientiously. To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, MOTHER EARTH NEWS is recommending books to readers. For 40 years, MOTHER EARTH NEWS has been North America’s “Original Guide to Living Wisely,” creating books and magazines for people with a passion for self-reliance and a desire to live in harmony with nature.

RVs are great for taking vacations, but today more and more people are discovering the advantages of living in an RV full time. Author and entrepreneur Gary Collins has found freedom and fulfillment in life on the road. His mile-by-mile guide shows how you, too, can liberate yourself and find lasting joy through simplicity.