Raw Foods for Busy People: Simple and Machine Free Recipes for Every Day Review

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(More customer reviews)I've read over 10 books on raw food lifestyle, and for the size of this one, it is one of the best I've read so far.
simple, easy, delicious, quick. what more could you ask for??
great as a gift for someone new to or considering eating raw/living food


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Enjoy and prepare simple raw foods, the healthiest foods nature has to offer, while living a busy lifestyle. This book is perfect for raw food beginners, busy people, health-conscious slackers, and those on temporary cleansing programs. It makes a great gift for the raw-curious as well, since it is the simplest and least intimidating raw food recipe book on the market. It includes over 120 recipes, almost half of which are or include machine-free options. The 2nd edition includes a weekly organization chart, 3 new recipes, and updated references.

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Growing Herbs: For the Maritime Northwest Gardener (Cascadia Gardening Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been growing plants and herbs (and using them also) since before I can remember, but, still living in the Northwest there are a few problems when herbs and such are involved, and trying to grow them successfully. I also have a ton of books on growing cultivating etc. But in my opinion, and this is just personal mind you from being up in the foothills of the Cascade Moutains and experiencing the climatic buggaboos that you will get here, this book is the best I have found. If you live in the Northwest specificly on the western side of the Cascades you HAVE to get this book.

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This comprehensive guide is all you need to successfully cultivate, harvest, and preserve culinary herbs in the maritime Northwest. Plan your own herb garden or choose one of seven designs, from a coloful basket of edible flowers to a fragrant landscape of twenty-four kitchen herbs.

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How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency Review

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(More customer reviews)Piers Warren starts off with basic instructions for storage methods: clamping (storing large quantities of roots outside) and other methods of dry storage, freezing, drying (from oven to dehydrator), vacuum-packing, salting, bottling/canning, pickling, relishes & sauces, jams & jellies, and fermenting. This volume isn't meant as a full-blown wine-making or jam-making resource, so these are only the most basic instructions.
The rest of the book covers individual types of produce in alphabetical order. Since the focus of this book is supporting yourself on your own produce, Warren discusses some topics you might not expect. For instance, how best to harvest a vegetable so as to encourage further harvest throughout the season. He discusses varieties that will have longer harvest times, or that will produce during different times of the year. He talks about how some plants can be started at different times so as to result in a longer harvest period as well.
One potentially useful feature is the section of recommended varieties. For example, the apples section lists out two good varieties of cooking apples, a crab apple, and a handful of eating apples, noting which ones keep particularly well or work best for wine-making or the like. However, in some cases this won't be as useful outside of Britain (the book was written & published in Britain but is also being distributed in other countries). For instance, I don't recognize many of the apple or tomato varieties. However, I do recognize a number of the carrot and chard varieties. It just depends on whether a particular type is available & grows well where you are.
The one other small potential snag is a couple of terminology issues. Most of them aren't a big deal (what US readers call canning, Brits call bottling, but the author notes this). One or two types of produce might be listed under a name unfamiliar to you (plenty of people have heard eggplants called aubergines, but not everyone in the US knows them by that term). Don't let this deter you from buying this book if you're in the US, however---the information is incredibly useful, and in most cases there are enough informative notes included that you can substitute varieties as appropriate or easily figure out the terminology differences. Also, all measurements for recipes and such are given in both metric and English measurements.
If you want to become more self-sufficient, or you just want to make better and less wasteful use of your garden produce, I definitely recommend this book.

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How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency has been completely revised and is the modern guide to storing and preserving your garden produce, enabling you to eat home-grown goodness all year round. The easy-to-use reference section provides applicable storage and preservation techniques for the majority of plant produce grown commonly in home gardens. Why is storing your garden produce the key to self-sufficiency? Because with less than an acre of garden you can grow enough produce to feed a family of four for a year. But without proper storage, most of it will go to waste since much of the produce ripens simultaneously in the summer. Learn simple and enjoyable techniques for storing your produce and embrace the wonderful world of self-sufficiency. In the A-Z list of produce, each entry includes recommended varieties, suggested methods of storage, and a number of recipes. Everything from how to make your own cider and pickled gherkins to how to string onions and dry your own apple rings. You will know where your food has come from, you will save money, there will be no packaging, and you'll be eating tasty local food while feeling very good about it!

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The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times Review

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(More customer reviews)Incredibly this book does it! It goes into understanding what is going on and why you are doing things...
it's NOT a cookbook recipe but instead covers what it's all about and what makes it work (or not). Most garden books tell you to plant so deep, so far apart, and when. Deppe explores the "why" you plant at a particular depth (how you could alter it depending on your particular set of environmental constraints). Here you learn the intelligent approach to working within your food growing set-up.
Deppe expands the "how and why" depending on the particular planting style you utilized. Do you use a rototiller, a sm tractor, or hand tools?
The creme-de-la creme, is that she discusses growing methods, using the products, and appropriate storage techniques without it being boring and dry.
I'm so tired of the usual: take potatoes and store them. Hmm, how, and what makes a difference on getting a potato to store one month vrs 6 months.
How do I get them out of the ground without damaging them, what does light actually do to them, what can I do with potatoes that start to sprout, etc. are all questions that are covered in her topic discussion. What are the nutrient values, why would I grow this vrs another crop in terms of protein and calorie count. What about water needs: when, why, and how, instead of " water as needed".
Deppe, in essence (AND in a very readable format), brings her depth of knowledge and experience to the table, sharing it so that I have the informational tools to make intelligent decisions. I am able to fine-tune my food production, as needed, to my particular setting. That builds in the resilience that makes my process adaptable to changing conditions... some people would label it as "increased food security"!
This is one book that will fill a huge hole in my gardening library, productively speaking (pun intended)!

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CREATIVE, PRODUCTIVE GARDENING FOR GOOD TIMES AND BAD.
In an age of erratic weather and instability, people's interest in growing their own food is skyrocketing. The Resilient Gardener presents gardening techniques that stand up to challenges ranging from health problems, financial problems, and special dietary needs to serious disasters and climate change.
Scientist and expert gardener Carol Deppe draws from emerging science in many fields to develop the general principles of gardening for resilience. Gardeners will learn through Deppe's detailed instructions on growing, storing, and using the five crops central to self-reliance: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and eggs.
Learn how to:
Grow food in an era of wild weather and climate change
Garden with little to no irrigation or "store-bought" inputs
Garden efficiently and comfortably (even with a bad back)
Customize your garden to deal with special dietary needs or a need for weight control
Make breads and cakes from home-grown corn using original gluten-free recipes (with no other grains, artificial binders, or dairy products)
Keep a laying flock of ducks or chickens, integrate them with your gardening, and grow most of their feed
And more . . .
The Resilient Gardener is both a conceptual and a hands-on gardening book for all levels of experience. Optimistic as well as realistic, Deppe offers invaluable advice for gardeners (and their communities) to flourish.

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Solar Gardening: Growing Vegetables Year-Round the American Intensive Way (Real Goods Independent Living Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book has awesome information for anyone wanting to grow all their own food and become self sufficient.
Also lots of tips for extending the season even if you only grow a few favorites.
Includes growing information on different vegetables, organized into short and long season heat-loving or cold-hardy. Also building instructions for their solar appliances and even the difficulties and learning from their decades of experience growing all their own food.

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How to Dry Foods Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a fantastic reference for drying food.
The author takes the time to explain in detail the different methods of preparing food for dehydrating food. She discusses sulfiting, steaming, no prep. etc. The author also explains the various methods of drying food (oven, dehydrator etc.) The pictures only enhance the text. Further more, the author provides several charts (one for fruit, one for vegies, one for meat, one for herbs) regarding how well certain foods dry, how long each food will save when dried. I particularly liked the recipes that used dried foods.
This is a great book to have if you are interested in drying foods. I constantly refer to this book every time I dry the extra food we have on hand.

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A kitchen favorite for more than two decades-revised and expanded. Includes more than 100 irresistible recipes. When you dry food, you're saving everything: energy, nutrients, money, and, best of all, taste. This step-by-step guide to drying all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and nuts is also the most comprehensive reference available for methods of drying and home dehydrating equipment. The only book needed to master this age-old culinary tradition, How to Dry Foods includes: - Step-by-step instructions on how to dry a wide variety of foods - Updated information about equipment and drying techniques - More than 100 delicious recipes, from main courses to desserts and more - Helpful charts and tables for at-a-glance reference - Food safety tips - Clever crafts that are made from dried foods

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