Celebrated farming expert Eliot Coleman helped start this movement with "The New Organic Grower" published 20 years ago. He continues to lead the way, pushing the limits of the harvest season while working his world-renowned organic farm in Harborside, Maine.Now, with his long-awaited new book, "The Winter Harvest Handbook," anyone can have access to his hard-won experience. Gardeners and farmers can use the innovative, highly successful methods Coleman describes in this comprehensive handbook to raise crops throughout the coldest of winters.Building on the techniques that hundreds of thousands of farmers and gardeners adopted from "The New Organic Grower" and "Four-Season Harvest," this new book focuses on growing produce of unparalleled freshness and quality in customized unheated or, in some cases, minimally heated, movable plastic greenhouses.Coleman offers clear, concise details on greenhouse construction and maintenance, planting schedules, crop management, harvesting practices, and even marketing methods in this complete, meticulous, and illustrated guide. Readers have access to all the techniques that have proven to produce higher-quality crops on Coleman's own farm.His painstaking research and experimentation with more than 30 different crops will be valuable to small farmers, homesteaders, and experienced home gardeners who seek to expand their production seasons.A passionate advocate for the revival of small-scale sustainable farming, Coleman provides a practical model for supplying fresh, locally grown produce during the winter season, even in climates where conventional wisdom says it "just can't be done."

    Long before Whole Foods organic produce was available at your local supermarket, Berry was farming with the purity of food in mind. For the last five decades, Berry has embodied mindful eating through his land practices and his writing. In recognition of that influence, Michael Pollan here offers an introduction to this wonderful collection.Drawn from over thirty years of work, this collection joins bestsellers The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Pollan, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver, as essential reading for anyone who cares about what they eat. The essays address such concerns as: How does organic measure up against locally grown? What are the differences between small and large farms, and how does that affect what you put on your dinner table? What can you do to support sustainable agriculture?A progenitor of the Slow Food movement, Wendell Berry reminds us all to take the time to understand the basics of what we ingest. “Eating is an agriculture act,” he writes. Indeed, we are all players in the food economy.

    The World According to Monsanto tells the little-known yet shocking story of this agribusiness giant--the world's leading producer of GMOs (genetically modified organisms)--and how its new "green" face is no less troubling than its PCB (and Agent Orange) -soaked past.Robin reports that, following its long history of manufacturing hazardous chemicals and lethal herbicides, Monsanto is now marketing itself as a "life sciences" company, seemingly convinced about the virtues of sustainable development. However, Monsanto now controls the majority of the yield of the world's genetically modified corn and soy, ingredients found in more than 95 percent of American households, and its alarming legal and political tactics to maintain this monopoly are the subject of worldwide concern.Released to great acclaim and controversy in France, throughout Europe, and in Latin America, The World According to Monsanto is sure to change the way we think about food safety and the corporate control of our food supply.

    Women, too. What most people learn is a specific recipe: how to make this pasta sauce, or that loaf of bread. What about learning how to cook in general? And not just the 'how' but the 'how come?' That requires a technique book."What you'll find in this book is an alphabetical list of sixty-five recipe-driven, technique-centered explications that build out into hundreds of dishes."Armed with the knowledge of the simple mechanics of a dish, the five or so steps it takes to make it, you can walk into the market, find what's fresh (or on special), bring it home, and have dinner on the table without any worries, any overly romantic pretensions, or any cookbooks piled on the floor: fresh every time--and your way, too."--from the Introduction"The recipes are structured without being fussy and the majority are relatively easy. This is a welcome rarity, imparting a useful, innovative framework as well as the confidence to depart from it."--"Publishers Weekly"

    He and his wife moved to a seventy-five acre goat farm in a small southern Vermont town, where they planned to make a living raising goats and making cheese. They never looked back. Now Kessler adds to his numerous accomplishments (winner of the 2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, 2007 Whiting Award for Writers of Exceptional Promise, and a 2008 Rome Prize) an array of cheeses that have already been highly praised by Artisanal, the renowned cheese restaurant in New York City. In his transformation from staunch urbanite to countrified goat farmer, Kessler explores the rustic roots of so many aspects of Western culture, and how our diet, alphabet, reli- gions, poetry, and economy all grew out of a pastoral setting. With Goat Song, he demonstrates yet another dimension to his writing talent, showcasing his expertise as food writer, in a compelling, beautifully written account of living by nature?s rules.

     Bill Benenson, producer The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson is an important, passionate story that needed to be told and hopefully never forgotten. It is a fascinating, moving story, masterly written, about one of the great heroines of the 20th century. Cheryl DuBois, producer, novelist Mr. Portugés and I have worked on several projects together - including one about the Sandinistas, another about racism against Latinos. His scripts are always politically and socially important, a celebration of the human spirit struggling against ignorance and injustice, deeply moving, fascinating stories that should be seen by all. Edward James Olmos, actor, producer, director The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson is intelligent, compassionate, and entertaining--something you have a hard time saying about most scripts these days. And a rare chance for a meaningful performance by someone like Meryl Streep or Susan Saradon, not to mention a good kick in the pants to the men(!) who tried to stop Rachel Carson, that little old lady from Maine. J.F. Friedman, novelist, director, screenwriter Mr. Portugés is one of those writers we wish we had more of in Hollywood - smart, dedicated, and a real craftsman - not to mention he can tell a damn good story that entertains, moves you deep down, and stays with you for a long, long time. Jeffrey Selznick, producer Portugés adapted an impossible story (Behind the Veil) for me, and unlike all the others writers who tried it before him, turned it into a beautiful screenplay that should not only make you cry but get you off your backside and do something about the plight of abused women around the world. Paul Cox, screenwriter, director, producer Paul Portugés is one of the most talented writers I have had the pleasure of working with - a gifted, intelligent, master storyteller. Ray Villalobos, cinematographer

    More than 250 recipes--each with a taste-tempting color photo--will inspire home chefs to treat family and guests with truly extraordinary desserts. The kitchen-proven recipes are categorized as follows:Custards and Creams: chilled lemon souffl�, chocolate and hazelnut pots de cr�me, layered coconut and mango mousse, and many more Trifles and Charlottes: raspberry and peach trifle, strawberry charlotte, apricot and ginger parfait, almond crunch with raspberry compote, and many more Frozen Desserts: chocolate cherry ice cream bombe, chocolate spumoni, frozen raspberry liqueur cake, strawberry ice cream pie, and many more Fruit Desserts: champagne strawberries, fresh fruit salad with lemon syrup, melon salad with mint and ginger syrup, and many more Meringues: meringues with raspberry filling, chocolate pavlovas, meringue baskets with strawberries and mascarpone, and many more Layer Cakes and Rolls: chocolate sponge with chantilly, chocolate cake with ricotta filling, jelly roll dessert cake, and many more Pies and Tarts: peach and coconut pie, chocolate meringue pie, plum pie, golden macadamia tart, pear and almond tart, and many more Crisps, Puddings, and Souffl�s: blackberry clafoutis, Austrian apple delight, peach and cherry crisp, orange and lemon souffl�s, and many more Cr�pes, Waffles, and Fritters: crepes suzette, waffles with baked plums, rice and apple fritters, and many more Pastries: pecan baklava, apple turnovers, hazelnut cream puffs with chocolate sauce, ice cream profiteroles, and many more Savarins and Brioches: raspberry cream savarin, rum babas with cinnamon cream, filled raspberry brioche, and many more Basic Recipes: vanilla cr�me anglaise, Italian sponge cake, vanilla pastry cream, and many moreRecipes are graded on a scale of 1, 2, and 3 to indicate level of difficulty. Most recipes fall into categories 1 and 2, but adventurous home chefs will want to impress guests with creations from category 3. The book's introduction includes practical suggestions regarding ingredients, preparation methods, and baking equipment. This handsome volume features a ribbon place marker, gold-tipped page edges, and more than 250 color photos.

    But recent ecological theory shows that the nature of these fragments is not nearly as important for conservation as is the nature of the matrix of agriculture that surrounds them. Local extinctions from conservation fragments are inevitable and must be balanced by migrations if massive extinction is to be avoided. High migration rates only occur in what the authors refer to as 'high quality' matrices, which are created by alternative agroecological techniques, as opposed to the industrial monocultural model of agriculture. The authors argue that the only way to promote such high quality matrices is to work with rural social movements. Their ideas are at odds with the major trends of some of the large conservation organizations that emphasize targeted land purchases of protected areas. They argue that recent advances in ecological research make such a general approach anachronistic and call, rather, for solidarity with the small farmers around the world who are currently struggling to attain food sovereignty.Nature's Matrix proposes a radically new approach to the conservation of biodiversity based on recent advances in the science of ecology plus political realities, particularly in the world's tropical regions.

    

    While there is a wealth of information on animal behaviour, ethics and factors effecting welfare, there is little to guide veterinarians and managers in evaluating animal welfare and improving it. This textbook aims to help those working with animals to apply practical methods for improving welfare, bridging the gap between scientific research and practical application. Drawing on the editor's extensive experience in teaching and auditing, and contributions from international experts, this book provides a guide to practical evaluation and auditing of welfare problems, emphasizing the importance of measuring conditions that compromise welfare.An essential text for welfare auditing or welfare officer training, and broader animal welfare topics, helping students to apply their knowledge in the field.

    Miles Irving makes his living out of foraging - in this unique, authentic guide, he reveals the how, why, what and where of this lost art, a way of life that is becoming increasingly popular as more and more of us pursue an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. This ground-breaking handbook tells you how to recognise the rich variety of wild food that surround us, whether in the city or countryside. From wasteground to woodland, from clifftop to coastland, edible plants flourish year in, year out. Spring is when wild garlic flourishes in shady woodlands; summer is the time for marsh samphire in the salt-marshes; autumn heralds an abundance of fruits and nuts. Many of these plants - nettles, dandelions, fat hen, sorrel - grow so profusely they are considered a nuisance. Yet they offer fantastic food possibilities and are rich in nutrients. Assiduously researched, packed with information and enlivened with anecdotes and more than 330 photographs, The Forager Handbook is a milestone publication marking the way forward for the future of British food. And for each plant family, Miles gives ideas for using foraged ingredients in the kitchen. With recipes from some of the most exciting chefs working in Britain today, including Sam and Sam Clark, Mark Hix and Richard Corrigan, and coverage of techniques like drying, pickling and making cordials, this book will take readers on a voyage of discovery. Foraging was something our ancestors did instinctively - this book truly connects us with our past and our future. Discover a secret world of edible possibilities - all freely available.

    America's most serious social tragedy, slavery and its legacy, spread only where cotton could be grown. Both before and after the Civil War, blacks were assigned to the cotton fields while a pervasive racial animosity and fear of a black migratory invasion caused white Northerners to contain blacks in the South. Gene Dattel's pioneering study explores the historical roots of these most central social issues. In telling detail Mr. Dattel shows why the vastly underappreciated story of cotton is a key to understanding America's rise to economic power. When cotton production exploded to satiate the nineteenth-century textile industry's enormous appetite, it became the first truly complex global business and thereby a major driving force in U.S. territorial expansion and sectional economic integration. It propelled New York City to commercial preeminence and fostered independent trade between Europe and the United States, providing export capital for the new nation to gain its financial "sea legs" in the world economy. Without slave-produced cotton, the South could never have initiated the Civil War, America's bloodiest conflict at home. Mr. Dattel's skillful historical analysis identifies the commercial forces that cotton unleashed and the pervasive nature of racial antipathy it produced. This is a story that has never been told in quite the same way before, related here with the authority of a historian with a profound knowledge of the history of international finance. With 23 black-and-white illustrations.

    What's required is farming smarter, not harder. In The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook , Richard Wiswall shares advice on how to make your vegetable production more efficient, better manage your employees and finances, and turn a profit. From his twenty-seven years of experience at Cate Farm in Vermont, Wiswall knows firsthand the joys of starting and operating an organic farm-as well as the challenges of making a living from one. Farming offers fundamental satisfaction from producing food, working outdoors, being one's own boss, and working intimately with nature. But, unfortunately, many farmers avoid learning about the business end of farming; because of this, they often work harder than they need to, or quit farming altogether because of frustrating-and often avoidable-losses. In this comprehensive business kit, Wiswall covers: Step-by-step procedures to make your crop production more efficient Advice on managing employees, farm operations, and office systems Novel marketing strategies What to do with your profits: business spending, investing, and planning for retirement A companion CD offers valuable business tools, including easy-to-use spreadsheets for projecting cash flow, a payroll calculator, comprehensive crop budgets for twenty-four different crops, and tax planners. About The Author: Richard Wiswall started Cate Farm in East Montpelier, Vermont, where he has farmed since 1981. Known for his work on farm profitability and appropriate business tools, Wiswall consults with other farmers, and writes and speaks frequently on organic-farm business issues. To learn more about Wiswall and Cate Farm, visit catefarm.com.

    With biographical essays and photographs, Walker and Walsh illuminate the work these food producers do, why they do it, and the difference it makes in their lives and in their communities.

    Originally published in 1947, these pages describe, in intimate and compelling detail, the plantation life he found upon his return. In the simple and lyrical language that has become the hallmark of the first poet laureate of South Carolina, Rutledge eloquently portrays the black men and women who labored alongside him in the marshes of the Santee. From his beloved companion Prince Alston to the master carpenter Lewis Colleton to Mobile The Hunterman, who saved his infant from the talons of an eagle with a single musket shot, the people of the plantation come to life in the hands of this southern literary legend."

    An intuitive follow-up to The Backyard Beekeeper, this book will presume beekeeping experience but reintroduce the basics. It is an insight into the practical, back-to-the-earth beekeeping lifestyle and well as the artisan cultivation of honey varieties.Supplementary support for this book lay in the fact that interest in tapping honey’s holistic and whole-health potential dovetails nicely into the natural health and green movements. Also, honey as natural, lower-calorie sweetener has garnered positive PR by those working against the obesity epidemic.

    Sustainable agriculture is a discipline that addresses current issues such as climate change, increasing food and fuel prices, poor-nation starvation, rich-nation obesity, water pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, pest control, and biodiversity depletion. Novel, environmentally-friendly solutions are proposed based on integrated knowledge from sciences as diverse as agronomy, soil science, molecular biology, chemistry, toxicology, ecology, economy, and social sciences. Indeed, sustainable agriculture decipher mechanisms of processes that occur from the molecular level to the farming system to the global level at time scales ranging from seconds to centuries. For that, scientists use the system approach that involves studying components and interactions of a whole system to address scientific, economic and social issues. In that respect, sustainable agriculture is not a classical, narrow science. Instead of solving problems using the classical painkiller approach that treats only negative impacts, sustainable agriculture treats problem sources. Because most actual society issues are now intertwined, global, and fast-developing, sustainable agriculture will bring solutions to build a safer world. This book series gathers review articles that analyze current agricultural issues and knowledge, then propose alternative solutions. It will therefore help all scientists, decision-makers, professors, farmers and politicians who wish to build a safe agriculture, energy and food system for future generations.

    Planting Wetlands and Dams is a step-by-step, plain language guide to the creation of conditions in which wetland plants will thrive, from design and construction to collecting plants, seeds and propagation. Completely revised and expanded, this new edition includes comprehensive information for around 200 genera of wetland plants from Tasmania to the tropics, complemented by more than 60 new colour photographs. It discusses the modification and improvement of existing dams, new lining materials available, and planning for plant and animal habitat needs. It provides updated information on legal requirements as well as significant exotic weeds, and examines the pros and cons of establishing new wetlands in dry climates. This book is a complete manual for planting wetlands and dams, from design and construction to collecting plants, seeds and propagation, and with comprehensive generic information lists for all Australian aquatic and wetland plants used in re-vegetation.