Compact Farms is an illustrated guide for anyone dreaming of starting, expanding, or perfecting a profitable farming enterprise on five acres or less. The farm plans explain how to harness an area’s water supply, orientation, and geography in order to maximize efficiency and productivity while minimizing effort. Profiles of well-known farmers such as Eliot Coleman and Jean-Martin Fortier show that farming on a small scale in any region, in both urban and rural settings, can provide enough income to turn the endeavor from hobby to career. These real-life plans and down-and-dirty advice will equip you with everything you need to actually realize your farm dreams.

     You’ll learn about the most effective natural fertilizers, drought-resistant cultivation methods, pest-repellent companion plantings, trends in heirloom herb and vegetable varieties, and raised-bed techniques for achieving maximum productivity in a limited space. You can even add a cutting garden so you’ll always have fresh flowers on a kitchen table that’s groaning under the weight of incomparably fresh vegetables seasoned with a variety of home-grown herbs.  Whether you’re filling a 10’ x 10’ sandbox or digging up your 3,000-square-foot tennis court, any yard has the potential to produce a multi-crop bonanza. And anyone with a little soil and a lot of heart can do it!

     The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Beekeeping has all the information a begin­ning beekeeper needs to know to start a hive and keep it buzzing. Expert beekeepers Dean Stiglitz and Laurie Herboldsheimer, owners of Golden Rule Honey, take readers step by step through the entire process-from information on the inhabitants of a hive and how it works to collecting bees, keeping them healthy, raising a queen, harvesting honey and wax, and stor­ing hives for the off- season.

    In the sequel to The Essential Earthman, the Washington Post columnist offers a harvest of sharp observations and humorous adventures gathered during a year in his garden, along with much down-to-earth advice on horticulture.

    Now, with The French Don’t Diet Plan, you can, too! In his groundbreaking book, The Fat Fallacy, Dr. Will Clower was the first to present a theory of how the French maintain low obesity and heart disease rates despite their seemingly “unhealthy” lifestyle. Dr. Clower learned that the French don’t worry about dieting but rather are more concerned with how they eat. That means paying attention to the taste, pacing, and enjoyment of meals, instead of counting calories, cutting fat and carbs, or taking guilt trips to the gym. With The PATH, his revolutionary weight-loss plan, Dr. Clower has helped thousands of people lose weight, lower cholesterol, and increase energy. Now, in The French Don’t Diet Plan, Dr. Clower shows how easy it is to incorporate his remarkably effective techniques and the French lifestyle into a busy American day.Dr. Clower has found that natural foods have overwhelmingly been pushed out of the American diet by what he calls “faux foods”: processed, additive-filled convenience products, often marketed as healthy with buzzwords like low fat and low carb. In addition, mealtimes should be a slow, sensual break for the body and mind—not a face-stuffing frenzy while standing up in the kitchen or sitting behind the wheel. As a result of such habits, Dr. Clower says, we are not eating what our bodies need, and we’re eating in a way that is not conducive to proper digestion. Science shows this precise combination of factors causes weight gain.The French approach is about taking the time to enjoy real food without guilt or deprivation. Not only a successful path to becoming thin for life, The French Don’t Diet Plan will help you put joie de vivre back into your relationship with food.The Most Delicious and Decadent Way to Lose Weight• Formerly forbidden foods, welcome back! Learn why butter, cheese, bread, and chocolate are health foods that keep hunger at bay. . . . See Step 2.• Spend more time eating! Discover why you should plan on having seconds and make meals last longer. . . . See Step 5.• Hate to work out? Find out why you don’t have to exercise to lose pounds—and how relaxation can help keep weight off for good. . . . See Step 10.• Now you’re cooking. Enjoy dozens of easy recipes for satisfying comfort foods, from Hot Artichoke-Cheese Dip to Creamy Alfredo Sauce, and Double-Almond Biscotti to Practically Flourless Chocolate Cake. . . . See Easy Recipes for Fabulous Foods.From the Hardcover edition.

    Succulent squash. Plump cucumbers." Growing vegetables is a rewarding?and cost-effective?way to eat better for less. Yet many don?t know where to start. Author and farmer Catherine Abbott answers questions like: What is the best way to maximize my garden space? How do I get started growing food to sustain my family? Can I grow vegetables inside my house? How can I tell if my vegetables are primed for eating? Will I really save money by growing my own? You will find affordable tips on how to plant and harvest more than thirty common vegetables, from spinach and eggplant to corn and beans. Abbott's expertise shines on planting, fertilizing, watering, weeding, and troubleshooting. This book has "everything" you need to grow fresh, delicious veggies in any climate, any time of year

    Born of necessity and ingenuity and honed through years of “trowel and error,” these helpful hints include environmentally friendly ammunition against weeds and pests, shortcuts for cultivation and propagation, and clever uses for curious household items. And every page is charmingly illustrated with Sharon Lovejoy's watercolor art.Find tips such as:Take a shower with your houseplantsCure plant viruses with milkRecycle an old wheelbarrow into a movable flower bedUse empty citrus fruit rinds as seedling pots

    They cover it all--from choosing your site and designing your garden to improving your soil, choosing and caring for your plants, and fighting pests and disease. Create the flower garden of your dreams with this comprehensive reference.

    The beautiful animals immortalized in Disney 's "Bambi" are also the garden 's biggest pests. Increased hunting regulations have caused the deer population to swell to more than 30 million. At the same time, suburban expansion has led to a loss of natural habitat. The result? Deer are looking for food and finding it in gardens all across the country."50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants" makes keeping deer away as simple as choosing the appropriate plant. Instead of the typical barriers and fencing, expert plantswoman Ruth Rogers Clausen has chosen the 50 most beautiful (and least palatable) annuals, bulbs, ferns, grasses, herbs, perennials, and shrubs. Whether it 's the charming snow crocuses that bloom each spring or the vibrant, long-blooming Texas Sage, these 50 plants provide gardeners a chance to design a deer-proof garden without sacrificing style. Each plant profile includes a deer-resistance scale, tips on growth and care, zone recommendations, and gorgeous color photos showing the plant up close and in the garden setting. Also includes dozens of companion planting ideas. With the helpful and trusted advice in "50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants," gardeners can finally garden without fear of deer.

    Get the most from your cast-iron cookware with 40 fabulous recipes especially designed for cast iron, from a full English breakfast to chilaquiles, pan pizza, cheesy beer fondue, Korean fried chicken, vegetarian chili, mango curry, party nuts, two kinds of cornbread, baked apples, gingerbread — and the perfect grilled cheese sandwich! You’ll also learn how to buy the cast-iron pots and pans that are right for you and how to care for them successfully.

    Coverage of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter including best times to beat the crowds, the best places to buy Butterbeer, and the scoop on all the shops in the village of Hogsmeade. Walt Disney World Resort theme parks are rated best in the world. earning high marks for things outside of the traditional theme park experience. Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival, which takes place for six weeks every fall and showcases food from twenty-five countries, was rated by Forbes Traveler as one of the Best U.S. Food and Wine Festivals. In 2011, Disney not only launched its new cruise ship, the Disney Dream, it also announced plans of a complete overhaul of Pleasure Island set to begin construction and reopen as Hyperion Wharf

    In The New Shade Garden, Ken Druse provides this generation with a comprehensive guide to creating a shade garden with an emphasis on the adjustments necessary for our changing climate. Druse offers advice for common problems facing today’s gardeners, from addressing the deer situation to watering plants without stressing limited resources. Detailing all aspects of the gardening process, the book covers basic topics such as designing your own garden, pruning trees, preparing soil for planting, and the vast array of flowers and greenery that grow best in the shade. Perfect for new and seasoned gardeners alike, this wide-ranging encyclopedic manual provides all the information you need to start or improve upon your own shade garden.

    If you're yearning to get out of the rut you're in and cultivate more meaning and connection in your life, you'll find the encouragement and tools to make it happen in Digging Deep.Overflowing with tips, exercises, and resources, Fran Sorin's empowering guide offers much-needed inspiration in today's technology-obsessed and often nature-deprived culture. This new edition features a foreword by Larry Dossey and a new introduction, where Sorin encourages us to discover the magic that takes place every day―in the garden and in life―as we engage in a playful type of creating. In her acclaimed classic, Sorin, who is a coach, speaker, writer, trainer, the CBS radio news gardening correspondent, Huffington Post contributor, and co-founder of the award-winning blog GardeningGoneWild.com, shows you how to apply her Seven Stages of Creative Awakening to unearth and connect with your own creative essence in every area of your life. You can learn more about Fran and receive free tools to help you improve your life at: fransorin.com

    Covering every aspect of vegetable gardening from preparing soil to manures, composts and fertilizers, from growing techniques to protection, pests, from diseases and weeds to making good use of space, this is a comprehensive guide to ensuring the best results from your garden or allotment. With cultivation information for over 100 vegetables, including site and soil requirements, cultivation, pests and diseases, and cultivars, this illustrated handbook is a must for vegetable gardeners of all levels and experience.

    The most complete reference catalog of nature's herbs ever published.