DIG IN
The latest articles from Chelsea Green and our authors: offering tips and techniques about how you can bring our books to life in your kitchen, backyard, or community.
How Did the Lanternfly Become the Enemy?
We’ve been told to destroy any lanternflies because they’re “invasive and destructive” to our environment. In reality, these small pests are simply living like any other insect would — so why is the lanternfly under attack? The following is an excerpt from Love, Nature, Magic by Maria Rodale. It has been adapted for the web.…
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A Nourishing Recipe to Boost Seedling Growth
You don’t need to use chemicals or other unnatural ingredients to give your seedlings a boost. Just use a combination of seaweed, apple cider vinegar, and other nontoxic ingredients create the perfect blend. Each recipe can be modified to complement the soil and climate for the best-producing crops. The following is an excerpt from No-Till Intensive…
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Mulching 101: Why Mulch Matters
Mulch is essential to soil health because it acts as a barrier against water loss and heat, reduces weeds, improves soil structure, and provides a habitat for animals. Once you’ve found the right method for your garden or homestead, mulching is an easy way to boost your soil’s health. Plus, it’s fairly inexpensive if you collect…
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10 Types of Farm Waste: Making and Maintaining a Lean Farm
Just like homes, farms require some cleaning and waste removal every now and then. How do you decide what to get rid of and what to keep?When it comes to a lean farm in particular, farm waste is defined as any activity that doesn’t add value. Before throwing something away, it’s important to consider the function of…
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Raw Fermentation: How to Make Apple Scraps Vinegar
The vinegar used in a dish can make or break the flavor altogether. With this simple raw fermentation recipe for apple scraps vinegar, you’ll have all the tools you need to create a crisp concoction that serves as the perfect addition to almost any condiment or dish. Hungry for more? Add a little of your…
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A Brief History of Agriculture: The Science Behind Farming
What do you think of when you think of the history of agriculture? Plants, vegetables, maybe some livestock? The basis of farming is actually much more complicated and intricate. Agricultural processes have been taking place right under our noses since the beginning of time — and they occur in the most unlikely and unexpected of…
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Are You Eating Weed-Killer?
Summer is here, which means gardening season is in full swing! It’s time to weed, plant, and dig in the dirt. If you are relying on herbicides to keep weeds out of your lawn and garden, it’s to time to reconsider your weed management methods. Glyphosate, an ingredient in most weed-killer products and a nonselective…
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A Good Stock Takes Time: Setting Up Your Kitchen for Making Stocks and Broths
A good stock takes time. This is part of the pleasure — making stocks is meditative and meaningful, if you allow yourself the occasion. Making stocks often happens in the background of most kitchens — a smell that permeates a residence, a gentle warmth that radiates from the kitchen. Mastering Stocks and Broths is the definitive…
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The Soil Of A Nation: How To Save Our Soil
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all.” —Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace Humans, animals, and plants all rely on healthy soil when it comes to the food they eat and the environment they live in. But what happens when soil quality starts deteriorating? And what can…
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5 Uses for the Mighty Woodchip
Very often, the best things come in small packages, and the humble woodchip is no exception. We’re all familiar with the use of woodchips in mulch, and while they are an excellent mulching material, woodchips have many other uses. Think mushroom growing material and animal bedding; think plant propagation and soil amendments — the list goes…
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How to Design Your Own Container Garden
Want to create your own garden, but don’t think you’d have the room for it? Think again. According to Mark Ridsdill Smith, author of The Vertical Veg to Container Gardening and creator of the Vertical Veg website, almost any small space can transform into a garden with a little bit of soil, seeds, and inspiration. In…
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Learning to Work With Nature: Finding Common Ground
When Sandra Baer and Lynn Cassells founded Lynbreck Croft in Scotland, they had no money, no plan, and no experience in farming. But they did have a goal: to produce wonderful food for themselves and the people around them by learning to work with nature. Through their efforts over the past several years, Sandra and Lynn…
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Vermicast 101: Good for Soil and Plants
Worms aren’t just the squiggly, pink creatures found on the sidewalk after it rains. They are so much more than that. These highly regarded specimens play a vital role in enhancing our soils and revitalizing the health of the plants we need to survive. But how do we get them to work their magic? Through…
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The Process of Growing Grain: Dealing With Weeds
Want to grow grains this spring, but weeds keep getting in the way? With the right tools and practices, you can keep weeds from affecting your grains and handle them without hurting the environment. In the passage below, farming expert Jack Lazor explains the characteristics of the weeds that might appear along the way and offers…
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An Eggcellent Idea: The Egg Club at Lynbreck Croft
Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer left their friends, family, and jobs in England to travel north to Scotland to find a bit of land that they could call their own. They had in mind keeping a few chickens, a kitchen garden, and renting out some camping space; instead, they fell in love with Lynbreck Croft—150…
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Microbes: The Internet of Living Things
Believe it or not, the Internet wasn’t exactly a human invention. The World’s First Internet was created by microbes, the tiny organisms that are responsible for all life on Earth. Before humans were even close to existing, microbes were hard at work creating their very own Internet of Things — and today, our very own…
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Goats Gone Wild: The World’s First Farm Animal
Looking for advice on maintaining a happy herd? These tips will help you care for your goats in ways that will keep them healthy, safe, and productive. The following is an excerpt from Holistic Goat Care by Gianaclis Caldwell. It has been adapted for the web. Understanding Goats Understanding an animal’s complete needs—including mental and…
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Grass: Nothing Can Grow Without Love
If you take a walk around your neighborhood in the spring and summertime, chances are you’ll catch someone mowing their lawn or treating their grass with chemicals. Homeowners around the country are fixated on ensuring that their lawn looks clean and maintained at all times — but the process of beautifying a lawn may just…
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Why You Should Try Container Gardening
There are countless reasons to grow at home, from eating more healthily to saving money on your grocery bills. We can’t list them all here, but we can outline three very good reasons to try container gardening. (If you’d like more, take a look at The Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardening. Mark Ridsdill Smith…
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In Search of Wild Yeast: Using Foraged Yeast to Create Your Own Brews
Since the dawn of humanity, people have enjoyed a deep relationship with yeasts. You may not realize it, but yeast spores are present everywhere. They’re in the air we breathe; in plants, flowers, fruits, and soil; and even on our skin. And, perhaps more importantly, yeast is a key ingredient used in making alcoholic drinks. More…
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About Time: What Makes Time Such A Valuable Resource
We’ve all heard of the phrases “time flies” and “time heals all wounds,” but what really is time, and how does it impact our lives? The concept of time may be even more powerful than we think, especially when it comes to the money we save and spend. The following is an excerpt from The…
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Say Goodbye to Mowing! Turn Your Lawn Into a Meadow
Living sustainably and ecologically requires less work than you may think; in fact, it may involve less work than you’re currently doing. Saying goodbye to your lawn mower and converting your lawn into a meadow allows you to create a space to help pollinators and natural plant species! The following is an excerpt from The Ecological…
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PB & J Remix: Kick Peanut Butter and Jelly Up a Notch
You don’t need us to tell you how to make a PB & J sandwich, but we can teach you how to go the extra mile with your ingredients. Here are a couple of our favorite recipes that use those timeless ingredients: peanut butter and jelly. RECIPE: New World Grape Jam From The Fruit Foragers…
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How to Pick Land: Good Enough is Perfect
There is a lot to consider when getting ready to pick land for farming— location, size, price, soil quality, water access, etc. When considering such factors, it is important to look beyond what a plot of land has at face value and consider its potential. Land quality is not stagnant, but can be shaped over…
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A Year of Global Birdwatching: The Thrill Of the Chase
When Arjan Dwarshuis first heard of the “Big Year,” the legendary record for birdwatching, he was twenty years old and he was sitting on the roof of a truck in the Andean Mountains. In that moment he promised himself that, someday, somehow, he would become a world-record-holding birder. Ten years later, he embarked on an incredible…
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