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.
What Does a Sustainable Future Look Like?
In a time of looming uncertainties, what would a truly resilient society look like? Farmer and social scientist Chris Smaje argues that organizing society around small-scale farming offers the soundest, most sustainable, and most reasonable response to climate change and other crises of civilization—and will yield humanity’s best chance at survival. The following excerpt is…
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All Hail the Beaver, Mighty Linchpin of the Natural World
Ben Goldfarb and Derek Gow have the conversation you didn’t know you needed. This interview originally appeared on Literary Hub. The beaver — yes, really, the beaver — is Animalia’s most generous member. By building woody dams and engineering ponds, beavers furnish habitat for just about every creature that flies, walks, and swims in North…
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A Man, a Mission, and a Grumpy Beaver
Derek Gow knows a thing or two about beavers; as a farmer-turned-ecologist, he has spent close to 20 years reintroducing beavers to the wilds of Britain. Rewilding is no easy task, a large part of the process includes importing, quarantining, and assisting in the beavers’ reestablishment. And after so many years, Gow has met quite…
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Break Up Boring Dinners with Lamb and Hummus!
Have you been cooking the same handful of meals over, and over, and over again? We’ve all been there– life gets busy and your creativity in the kitchen is one of the first things to go. Well, we’re here to break you out of that boring dinner rut with this tasty recipe for Crispy Lamb…
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The Power of Fermentation: A Bubbling Transformation
Fermentation revivalist Sandor Ellix Katz has spent a lot of time thinking about fermentation. Stemming from his personal obsession with all things fermented, in his newest book, Katz meditates on his art and work, drawing connections between microbial communities and aspects of human culture: politics, religion, social and cultural movements, art, music, sexuality, identity, and…
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Coronavirus: Facts and Figures
There are a lot of questions flying around about the current coronavirus; How does Covid-19 compare with previous coronaviruses and the flu virus? What do infection numbers and the death rate tell us? Does the race for vaccine development make sense? What are the chances of success? Will the vaccine be safe? It is only…
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RECIPE: It’s The Perfect Time For Rosehip Jam
All good things must come to an end– and that includes warm summer nights. But with the close of summer comes overnight frosts, the ideal time to gather plump, ripe rosehips. A rosehip’s sweet, unique flavor is perfect on morning toast. There are endless variations on ingredients and many ways to make rosehip jam. Here are…
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Fermentation as Metaphor
If you’re a foodie, then you’re probably familiar with fermentation; sauerkraut, kimchi, cheese, and beer are just a few of the delicious foods that rely on it. Now, what if you thought about fermentation not just as a physical process, but as a metaphorical one? The following is an excerpt from Fermentation as Metaphor by…
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Discovering John Addington Symonds
In 1861, John Addington Symonds, a twenty-one-year-old student at Oxford who already knew he loved and was attracted to men, hastily wrote out a seeming renunciation of the long love poem he’d written to another young man. In her book Outrages, Naomi Wolf chronicles the struggle and eventual triumph of Symonds—who would become a poet,…
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A Realm of One’s Own
There’s nothing more exciting than discovering a hidden gem, which is precisely how many people describe Towpath. If you were strolling down the Regent’s Canal in Hackney during the winter months, you’d never suspect a restaurant sat behind Towpath’s shutters. To add to its intrigue, this unassuming little eatery is advertised exclusively by word of…
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Chronic Skin Conditions: A New Approach to Treatment
A drug that is simultaneously affordable, devoid of severe side effects, and applicable to a wide range of diseases is not often found in the modern pharmaceutical landscape. But as medical professionals and researchers alike continue to discover, Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) boasts this remarkable combination. LDN, originally prescribed in higher doses as a treatment…
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Beavers: A Short History
If you’re not already a “Beaver Nut”, Derek Gow has a couple of reasons you should be: Firstly, land that housed beavers was historically preferred by British settlers for its natural abundance. Secondly, beavers show a lot of love and attention to their very cute babies. Finally, they’re crucial to the well being of our…
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Okra Marshmallow Delights
Did you know you can make marshmallows out of this peculiar plant? Anything is possible when it comes to okra! Whether it’s a treat you’re creating at home with your family or an on-the-go snack, okra marshmallows will certainly become one of your favorites. Check out this amazing recipe by Katrina Blair. The following is…
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The Story Tools Tell
For such a materialistic world, we spend very little time considering the story objects hold. To most of us, a tool is just that, a tool – an object to help us complete a task. Master-craftsperson Nick Kary sees so much more in his tools, though. He sees the heritage of his craft, his own…
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Becoming a Maker: A Material Connection
In our present age of computer-assisted design, mass production and machine precision, the traditional skills of the maker or craftsperson are hard to find. Yet the desire for well-made and beautiful objects from the hands (and mind) of a skilled artisan is just as present today as it ever has been. Many of us harbor…
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Abolishing Debt
In May 2019, in the shadow of London’s financial district, Canary Wharf, a golden Ford transit van explodes. After years of planning, this is the final act that cancels $1.5 million of high interest ‘toxic debt’ for one London community. This ‘Big Bang 2’ was the culmination of an art project by filmmaker and artist…
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Saving the Soil, Saving Ourselves
The soil undeniably sustains us, without it there would be no gardens, no farms, no livestock– nothing. As we continue to overuse and undernourish the soil, we are shorting both the earth and ourselves. These three books map out different approaches to revitalizing our soil through regenerative agriculture. “In healthy, living soils covered with green plants…
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Seeding the Future
Widespread poverty and malnutrition, an alarming refugee crisis, social unrest, and economic polarization have become our lived reality as the top 1% of the world’s seven-billion-plus population pushes the planet—and all its people—to the social and ecological brink. In Oneness vs. the 1%, Vandana Shiva takes on the Billionaires Club of Gates, Buffet, and Zuckerberg,…
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Mesquite: Where There’s Smoke
Gary Paul Nabhan is an internationally celebrated nature writer, food and farming activist, and proponent of conserving the links between biodiversity and cultural diversity. He holds the W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Arizona Southwest Center, where he works with students, faculty, and non-profits to build a more just,…
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Let’s Talk About Hemp
The hemp industry is booming, and with roots stretching throughout human history, it’s not going away any time soon. Here are some of our favorite articles and videos about this booming business. Hemp Can Do That: The Forgotten History of Hemp Cultivation The stat sheet on hemp sounds almost too good to be true: its…
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Growing Year-Round: Profitability & Tips
The growing season can feel much too short this time of year; it seems like spring just got here, but we’re already preparing to harvest the fruits of our labor. Growing year-round is a challenge, but it’s not impossible. Follow these growing tips, and you’ll be well on your way to growing year-round! The following…
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The Money Machine of the 1% — How to Break Free
“Breaking free of the 1% and their constructs is not just possible, it has become necessary. It is a human necessity because participating in a world of limitless greed, profit, violence and power robs us of our humanity.” —VANDANA SHIVA We can seed another future when we deepen our democracies, reclaim our commons and regenerate…
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Honoring the Cider Making Process
Cider making seems like a lot of work (and it is) but it makes itself more than you may know. With the addition of yeast, the apple juice ferments into cider after a few days. Andy Brennan, cider-enthusiast, advises to trust this process and not to interfere. Leaving nature to do its work yields a…
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Lessons From a Small Country
People say good things sometimes come in small packages, and the little country of Whales is an example of just that. As Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales, Jane Davidson proposed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015—the first piece of legislation on Earth to place regenerative and sustainable practice at the…
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Owning Livestock: 7 Reads To Get You Started
Owning livestock is no small task, but the work certainly pays off. To help you out, we’ve rounded up 7 books that are sure to help you become a livestock guru in no time! The Small-Scale Dairy The Small-Scale Dairy includes everything you need to know in order to successfully produce nourishing, healthy, farm-fresh milk. Whether…
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