Chelsea Green

daisy

Oxeye Daisy: A Plant for the Pollinators

By Chelsea Green / April 14, 2025 / Comments Off on Oxeye Daisy: A Plant for the Pollinators

Oxeye daisies are one of the most important plants for pollinators including beetles, ants, and moths that use oxeye daisies as a source of pollen and nectar. Instead of thinking about removing a plant like oxeye daisy, consider how you can improve the fertility and diversity of habitat resources in your home landscape, garden, or…

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Sprouted Amaranth Alegria Energy Bars

By Chelsea Green / April 9, 2025 / Comments Off on Sprouted Amaranth Alegria Energy Bars

One simple and healthy way to breathe life back into your diet is by sprouting your own seeds. You can make nutrient-rich sprouts from all kinds of edible seeds right in your own kitchen. Sprouts are incredibly versatile too! You can make chickpea sprout hummus, salads, or in this case: energy bars! The following is…

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oyster mushrooms

A Guide to Growing Oyster Mushrooms Indoors

By Chelsea Green / March 26, 2025 / Comments Off on A Guide to Growing Oyster Mushrooms Indoors

What’s so great about oyster mushrooms? First, you can add them to the list of foods that can be grown indoors! They are tasty, easy to grow, multiply fast, and they love a variety of substrates, making oyster mushrooms the premium choice. The following is an excerpt from Fresh Food from Small Spaces by R. J.…

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deep litter

Managing Chicken Manure: The Joys of Deep Litter

By Chelsea Green / March 24, 2025 / Comments Off on Managing Chicken Manure: The Joys of Deep Litter

Ever heard the phrase, “always follow your nose?” As it turns out, this is a good rule of thumb when it comes to chicken manure. Composting chicken manure in deep litter helps build better chicken health, reduce labor, and retain most of the nutrients for your garden. The following is an excerpt from The Small-Scale Poultry…

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Good Grazing Makes for Healthy Pastures, People, and Planet

By Chelsea Green / March 17, 2025 / Comments Off on Good Grazing Makes for Healthy Pastures, People, and Planet

In her book, The Art of Science and Grazing, nationally known grazing consultant Sarah Flack identifies the key principles and practices necessary for farmers to design, and manage, successful grazing systems. This book is an essential guide for ruminant farmers who want to crate grazing systems that meet the needs of their livestock, pasture plants,…

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Abundant Kudzu: Uncovering the Many Uses

By Chelsea Green / March 12, 2025 / Comments Off on Abundant Kudzu: Uncovering the Many Uses

This long-lived perennial legume is used for forage and erosion control. Kudzu is edible with many medicinal uses and other applications. Pollinators of all kinds love its prodigious lavender blooms!

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salad

How to Grow a Year-Round Indoor Salad Garden

By Chelsea Green / March 7, 2025 / Comments Off on How to Grow a Year-Round Indoor Salad Garden

Does the cold weather have you dreaming about fresh greens and colorful salad? Grow and harvest sprouts indoors to make those dreams a reality! Follow this quick start guide to year-round greens for fresh salad greens in just a couple of weeks! The following is an excerpt from Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke. It…

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cold frame

How to Start Seedlings in a Cold Frame: Gardening Tips from Eliot Coleman

By Chelsea Green / March 5, 2025 / Comments Off on How to Start Seedlings in a Cold Frame: Gardening Tips from Eliot Coleman

Are you ready to get a jump-start on the gardening season? With a cold frame, you can get started now. A cold frame harnesses the sun’s heat before it’s warm enough to let unprotected seedlings growing outside. Essentially, it consists of a garden bed surrounded by an angled frame and covered with a pane of…

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modern wheat

Why Modern Wheat Is Making Us Sick

By Chelsea Green / February 24, 2025 / Comments Off on Why Modern Wheat Is Making Us Sick

Why is modern wheat making us sick?  That’s the question posed by author Eli Rogosa in Restoring Heritage Grains. Wheat is the most widely grown crop on our planet, yet industrial breeders have transformed this ancient staff of life into a commodity of yield and profit—witness the increase in gluten intolerance and ‘wheat belly’.  Modern…

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agricultural seed

A Short History of Agricultural Seed

By Chelsea Green / February 7, 2025 / Comments Off on A Short History of Agricultural Seed

Seeds are the foundation of agriculture. As John Navazio describes in this excerpt, America was once home to hundreds of small-scale agricultural seed producers, each of which developed seeds adapted to grow best in the surrounding region. Today, following the trend of most businesses, just a few large companies provide seed for farmers everywhere. With…

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Leeks: The Ultimate Winter Crop

By Chelsea Green / January 29, 2025 / Comments Off on Leeks: The Ultimate Winter Crop

Looking for a veggie to grow and harvest through winter? Try leeks! With some careful planning, a bit of elbow grease, and some insight from Eliot Coleman, you’ll enjoy leeks from your garden all year long.   The following is an excerpt fromThe Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman. It has been adapted for the…

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Understanding The Etymology of Stocks and Broths

By Chelsea Green / January 27, 2025 / Comments Off on Understanding The Etymology of Stocks and Broths

The importance of a good stock has been overshadowed by convenience. Now you have a better chance of finding quality ready-made stocks from a trusted source.

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stew

How to Make Groundnut Sweet Potato Stew

By Chelsea Green / January 22, 2025 / Comments Off on How to Make Groundnut Sweet Potato Stew

It’s officially stew season! Warm yourself up from the inside out by making groundnut sweet potato stew, a favorite of fermentation revivalist Sandor Katz. The following is an excerpt from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. It has been adapted for the web. Fermenting Sweet Potatoes for Stew MaxZine, who lives down the road at IDA,…

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Build Your Own Cold Frame: Get a Jump on the Planting Season

By Chelsea Green / January 14, 2025 / Comments Off on Build Your Own Cold Frame: Get a Jump on the Planting Season

Extend your planting season with a cold frame! Building your own cold frame is a simple way to keep growing plants all winter long. The following is an excerpt from Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. It has been adapted for the web. What Is A Cold Frame? Gardeners should dedicate a monument to the cold…

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potpie

Winter Root Veggie Potpie: A Seasonal Recipe

By Chelsea Green / January 13, 2025 / Comments Off on Winter Root Veggie Potpie: A Seasonal Recipe

Looking for new ways to use those winter root veggies throughout the season? Put your cooking skills to the test with this Root Veggie Potpie recipe! The following is an excerpt from Black Trumpet by Evan Mallett. It has been adapted for the web. RECIPE: Winter Root Veggie Potpie When I was born, my mother…

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sourdough

How to Make and Maintain Your Own Sourdough Starter

By Chelsea Green / December 26, 2024 / Comments Off on How to Make and Maintain Your Own Sourdough Starter

Sourdough is a simple wild ferment made from nothing but flour and water. You can start a batch today, use it in a few days, and keep it alive and bubbling … well …  forever. If you have the patience, enjoy the flavor of sourdough, and can commit to feeding your quiet new “pet” frequently,…

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mushrooms

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms in a Garage or Yard

By Chelsea Green / October 30, 2024 / Comments Off on Growing Shiitake Mushrooms in a Garage or Yard

Learn how to grow shiitake mushrooms in almost any environment, including your yard and even your garage!

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arugula

The Endless Arugula Bed

By Chelsea Green / October 23, 2024 / Comments Off on The Endless Arugula Bed

What if we told you that there was a way to extend your growing season and save time & money? The answer is all in arugula. With quick hoops and greenhouse film, you’ll be on your way to harvesting sweet & flavorful arugula in no time.  The following excerpt is from The Resilient Farm and…

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pumpkin seeds

Tasty Ways to Use Pumpkin Seeds

By Chelsea Green / October 9, 2024 / Comments Off on Tasty Ways to Use Pumpkin Seeds

Wondering what to do with pumpkin seeds? Instead of roasting them, try these alternative ways to prepare & use seeds! Plus a must-try pumpkin granola recipe.

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mushrooms

Brew Outside the Box: Making Mushroom-Infused Beer

By Chelsea Green / September 24, 2024 / Comments Off on Brew Outside the Box: Making Mushroom-Infused Beer

For the adventurous brewer infusing mushrooms into brews is a great way to combine the medicinal benefits of fungi with one of the world’s most consumed drinks.

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acorn harvesting

Move Over Squirrels, It’s Acorn Harvesting Time!

By Chelsea Green / September 19, 2024 / Comments Off on Move Over Squirrels, It’s Acorn Harvesting Time!

These small fruits are a delicious source of nutrients that you can find almost anywhere. Get started on acorn harvesting with help from these simple tips!

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root cellar

Building Your Own Root Cellar for the Fall Harvest

By Chelsea Green / September 3, 2024 / Comments Off on Building Your Own Root Cellar for the Fall Harvest

Building a root cellar is a great way to keep your harvest fresh through the cold months. With protection from weather and animals, these cellars can be just as good as a regular refrigerator. They can be built into a wall in your basement, dug into the ground, or simply buried.  The following excerpt is…

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pickles in a jar

How To Make Sour Pickles

By Chelsea Green / August 28, 2024 / Comments Off on How To Make Sour Pickles

Sour pickles have a deep, robust taste. They are wonderfully sour and crisp with a flavor that’s guaranteed to make you smile.

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drying prune plums

Drying Prune Plums (Plus Figs, Apricots, Peaches and Nectarines)

By Chelsea Green / August 21, 2024 / Comments Off on Drying Prune Plums (Plus Figs, Apricots, Peaches and Nectarines)

Learn the ropes on drying prune plums! Whether you’re a pro at preserving or you’ve never tried it out before, anyone can make these delicious snacks.

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cows grazing

All About Cows: What has Four Legs, Says “Moo,” and Could Save the Planet?

By Chelsea Green / August 7, 2024 / Comments Off on All About Cows: What has Four Legs, Says “Moo,” and Could Save the Planet?

Cows can help rebuild soil and restore land to its rightful state—improving carbon sequestration, natural water cycles, and soil fertility and nutrient density.

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