Chelsea Green Blog
Farming & Homesteading
The Ins and Outs of Growing Raspberries: Bramble On
Fresh, ripe raspberries picked straight from the garden in the morning. What could be a better start to your day? According to Michael Phillips, author of The Holistic Orchard, growing your own berries is entirely possible for anyone with a bit of space and a passion for the fruit. Brambles grow from the north to…
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Growing Food in the Face of a Hotter, Drier Land
Climatic uncertainty has become “the new normal,” and many farmers, gardeners and orchard-keepers in North America are desperately seeking ways to adapt their food production to become more resilient in the face of such “global weirding.” The following is an excerpt from Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land by Gary Paul Nabhan. It has…
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To Garden is to be Resilient
Our gardens provide many things; food for our tables, flowers for our loved ones, even a pleasant way to spend sunny afternoons—but there’s so much more we can gain from our gardens. While we’re planting, weeding, and watering, we’re doing so much more than growing. We are building resilience, from the ground up. The following…
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Becoming Farmers
In Our Wild Farming Life, Lynn and Sandra recount their experiences as they rebuild their new home and work out what kind of farmers they want to be. They learn how to work with Highland cattle, become part of the crofting community and begin to truly understand how they can farm in harmony with nature…
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An Era of Climate Chaos: Finding Hope
Scientists maintain that a mere 2 percent increase in the carbon content of the planet’s soils could offset 100 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere. But how could this be accomplished? What would it cost? Is it even possible? The following is an excerpt from Grass, Soil, Hope by Courtney White. It has been…
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How-To Turn Sap and Syrup into Beer, Wine, and Liquor
As much as we love to drizzle (or drown, let’s be honest) our pancakes in maple syrup, you may be surprised to learn that a variety of drinks are made with tree sap, with results that will far surpass your typical sugar buzz. Several companies have ventured into the world of sap related alcoholic beverages.…
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The Road to Lynbreck Croft
Lynn and Sandra 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 acres of…
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So What Exactly IS a Croft?
If you’re an American, you may have never heard of a “croft.” Before we published Our Wild Farming Life, a number of our employees didn’t know what a croft was either. Thankfully, Sandra Baer and Lynn Cassells give us a rundown of what exactly a croft is, and a brief history of crofting, too. The following is…
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The Phases of Composting
Although the stages of composting are very closely intertwined, each separate one has its own value and needs to be nurtured accordingly. The materials used go through several transformations: physical, biological, and chemical. Understanding each phase of this process is the first step in creating the best nutrients for your plants. The following is an…
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Growing Cold-Hardy Cranberries
Cranberries! These hardy little berries are great to grow if you live in a colder climate. Authors Scott and Allyson say “It’s pretty amazing that this small fruit, which is too sour to eat out of hand, was seen as a profitable pomological fruit considering that it not only lives but thrives in some of…
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Tree Sap: Nature’s Energy Drink
There’s nothing better than kicking back after a long day with a nice cool glass of tree sap. Sounds sticky, but you might be surprised to hear that sap from maple, birch, or walnut trees is comprised mostly of water with 2 percent or less sugar and loaded with minerals, nutrients, enzymes, antioxidants, and more—an…
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A Checklist for Broiler Chicks
Thinking about raising broiler chicks? There’s a lot to know! Thankfully, Joel Salatin knows A LOT about homesteading and raising poultry. Check out his list below to gauge if you’re ready to jump into the chicken-raising life. The following is an excerpt from Polyface Micro: Success with Livestock on a Homestead Scale by Joel Salatin. It…
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Draft Power: The Life-Affirming Alternative to “Big Ag”
Farmers young and old are seeking new ways to shrink their carbon footprint and promote more ecologically friendly ways of getting chores done. So, what’s a modern farmer to do? For some, the centuries old approach of using draft animals—especially horses—is offering a very 21st century solution. Here’s an overview of draft power and its…
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Presenting the Four-Season Harvest
For most gardeners, a typical season begins with planting in the spring and ends with a big harvest in the fall – one that the frugal home-gardener hopes lasts through until spring sprouts again. And if it doesn’t, well, then it’s off to the store to pick up whatever measly, unfresh produce is available. But…
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Who Are We as Farmers?
Recently, farmers have been making the headlines because of the hardships they’re facing to sustain their farms. With larger, corporate farms running smaller, privately-owned farms out of business, it seems like many farmers are fighting an uphill battle. But, despite the small amount of money, long hours, and constant threats from the “big guys” farmers…
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How Do You Like Them Apples?
Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy apple-focused food & drinks and reflect on this staple of the American diet. Here are some Chelsea Green books that embrace the biodiversity of apples in all forms! The New Cider Maker’s Handbook by Claude Jolicoeur To make the very best cider—whether for yourself, your family, and friends…
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Wild Apples, Real Cider, and the Complicated Art of Making a Living
“Loving apples or cider is not a prerequisite for loving this book. All that is needed is the willingness to follow a vibrant narrative voice driven by the pursuit of dreams.”—Alice Feiring Andy Brennan owns Aaron Burr Cider in New York’s Catskills region. Since its founding in 2011, Aaron Burr Cider has become well known…
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Hemp History 101
The historical prominence of hemp can be seen in dozens of American towns that still bear its name, including Hempfield, PA, Hemphill, KY, Hempstead, NY, Hempfork, VA, and more. How did humanity’s longest utilized plant, that has more than 25,000 uses and so many towns named after it, end up nearly extinct in the U.S.?…
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The Five Keys to Photosynthesis: Caring For Your Plants
There is more to growing than just the basics of sunlight and water. In fact, there are five important factors in determining how well your plants or crops will do: sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, soil organisms, and nutrients. Luckily it is easy to maintain healthy plants, healthy food, and healthy living soil. The following is…
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Reestablishing Balance: Nature’s Cure
In No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture, renowned organic grower Bryan O’Hara describes the methods he developed during a multi-year transition of his Connecticut vegetable farm to a no-till system. His resilient crops are testaments to the value of letting the inherent biological functions in soil do their work. The following excerpt discusses reestablishing balance among microbes,…
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A Taoist Approach to Gardening
In her book The Tao of Vegetable Gardening, Carol Deppe introduces her innovative “Eat-All Greens Garden” which could be the easiest, most space-saving, and labor-efficient way of growing greens. With this method, a family can raise all their summer greens as well as freeze and dry enough for the winter months with even a tiny garden—a perfect…
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From the Homemade Hooch Files: How to Make Dandelion Wine
Heads up: you definitely don’t want to be spraying weed killer on your dandelions. If your lawn is a total dandelion breeding ground, you are so close to having some delicious wine! Get out there and pick some so you can get started on fermenting a batch of flower wine. This drink is not only…
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Pinching Flowers to Prolong Bloom: When and How
This time of year, flowers are in full bloom! To get the most out of them, try pinching flowers to prolong the bloom. This may sound simple enough, but there’s more to this trick than you might think. The following gardening tip is from The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski. Pinching Flowers to Prolong Bloom…
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Learning from Our Arboreal Allies
Akiva Silver owns and operates Twisted Tree Farm, a homestead, nut orchard, and nursery located in Spencer, New York, where he grows around 20,000 trees per year using practices that go beyond organic. His background is in foraging, wilderness survival, and primitive skills. He has been observing nature intensively for the last 20 years, cultivating…
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Inheriting the Earth
Farmland covers 38 percent of the land area of the Earth and is a major contributor to climate change. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Soil and plants have the capacity to store huge amounts of carbon in the ground, thus how we grow food can be one of the key solutions to…
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