To sum up the lyrics, this girl is living a pretty crummy existence, and the only thing that makes it better is starting a garden. If we get to the point in the next 40 years where we grow all the produce and maybe some of the meat that we eat, that will...
It's not often that I laugh out loud while reading the books I cover here on “Plowing Through,” but this one made me do so on multiple occasions. We never forget that without them, we'd be just another bunch of jerks selling pork chops.” The lack...
He offers commercial purchasing options for most of the necessary supplies, including the fermenting vessel and bokashi bran, but he also provides DIY solutions wherever possible. I know what you're thinking: You have way too many garden beds or plots...
If you plan to rely on an apprentice for help with your season, take time to vet all applicants thoroughly. Consider building a small room onto a barn or a separate “apprentice housing” structure altogether if communal living isn't one of your goals.
My back really hurts.” The pain intensified over the proceeding days, and an emergency room visit revealed why: herniated disc, nerve damage, probable paralysis if surgery didn't happen immediately.
While students may focus on a specific track, their course work encourages constant collaboration with peers in other fields. Determined to demonstrate that a large campus (82 acres) could have a small carbon footprint, Fayette County's school board asked...
But in reality, I was ready in the sense that I was eager to do it, not in the sense that I was at all prepared to run my own farming business. I get that—I had it. But at the end of our first CSA , which was extremely stressful and not particularly...
Rachael Dupree Days are going to get longer, the bugs are going to get buggier and the air is going to get muggier, but for now, we're enjoying the seasonal revival of color and using this time to ease back into the work and way of life that brought us...
The brown landscape is now turning lush and vibrant, and as I wait for my plant babies in the sunroom to mature and chip away at getting my garden plot into workable order, there's still space to soak in the beauty that's unfolding all around.
I will definitely get around to trimming the roof shingles one of these days, and it could use a bit of leveling, but pretty is as pretty does, and not having to bend over is a downright beautiful thing.
He was one of the first 10 recipients of the James F. He helped convene and continues to be active in Agriculture of the Middle, a multi-state task force that focuses on research and markets for mid-sized American farms.
New York From small-scale urban farms in The Big Apple to rolling pasturelands upstate, New York is a popular place for new farmers to get their start. In addition, a host of organizations is available to provide resources to beginning farmers.
Rachael Brugger If I never plant a crop ever again, I'll be completely satisfied because our property is covered—I mean covered —with wild blackberries and black raspberries. One thing we absolutely fell in love with at our property is the diversity...
Hang the laundry out to dry more often. Yeah, I'm a believer in human-caused global warming. Reduce, reuse, recycle – more! Grow more of our own food organically. I'm terrible at arguing politics; instead I'd like to share five steps we're taking to...
Looking at the business side of things, there is so much to think about: land acquisition, capital investment, finding the markets , et cetera. Maybe there's a way it can operate continuously so you don't run the risk of the chickens getting dehydrated.
You see, when you buy or inherit a farm, you're getting a lot more than just the land and some buildings. The spring-cleaning bug has definitely bitten. And admittedly, our piles of stuff are doing us no good at this point.
My life's dream became to one day have my own farm with a pond to raise vegetables, fruit and fish. Early one morning, Kit and I marveled as one sat eating a bluegill as if it were a hotdog.
Truman) “It isn't compost when it's still steaming.” —Susan Younger “Never put eggs in your coat pocket! No matter what, you will crush them and have a gooey mess.” —Andrea Bergdoll “Use some type of sunscreen when out weeding! I didn't...
“One of the most difficult barriers facing women in rural areas regarding breast-cancer diagnosis and treatment is [the lack of] access to healthcare services,” Williams explains.
For starters, we finally tied the knot last week, which was a beautiful time of celebration with our friends and family, and included, of course, good food and farm-raised flowers.
It's almost time to get outside, but not yet. I have four flats of seeds planted—a mixture of medicinal herbs and edible-garden staples—and I have a few more things, namely beans and radishes , that I want to direct-seed.
And all of this, along with millions of other things we can't possibly predict, will affect our farms. Renewable energy, for instance, may be the energy of 2050. The oceans will be higher.
One thing it's also allowed me to do for the first time is make bread—something I'd argue requires a great deal of presence in order to accomplish it well. I've also been hanging on to a cracker recipe that I'll try when I can give it a full day's attention.
Before hives lived at my house, there were always a lot of honeybees in and around The Fortress Garden . I still approach with caution, but I think they sense my good intent and my unswatty attitude.
Anyway, the letters N-P-K match those mysterious numbers on the front of fertilizer packages, corresponding to the ratio of the nutrients in the package. Mostly, plants do OK with potassium, it's the nitrogen and phosphorous you have to watch.
However, no conventional farm is going to change this on a notion of ethics. And many farmers I've run into even see chemicals as completely innocuous. These farmers are not ill-intended—they're just savvy businesspeople trying to make a living.
Can small scale farming survive if farm-to-table isn't cool anymore? We've watched documentaries. Or is it possible that all will be forgotten and we will be right back where we started, with a heavily industrialized food system that has been taken from...
