Have you ever wondered what sets super successful farms apart from others? Julia Shanks knows (hint: it’s usually related to not fully understanding their finances). Today we asked her three burning questions that she addresses in The Farmer’s Office, The Second Edition.
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It’s Time for Cob Building to Come out of the Woods
I am probably the first person in history to have written or co-written three books on cob construction, an ancient method of earthen building that has been enjoying a revival of interest around the world since the 1990s. This somewhat dubious achievement demands justification. Why would anyone write three books on the same apparently marginal topic?
Understand What Makes Your Farm Money, and Why
Understanding the core revenue streams of your farm is vital for strategic planning and sustainability. It enables informed decision-making on resource allocation, investment, and diversification. By identifying profitable avenues, farmers can optimize operations, mitigate risks, and adapt to market fluctuations, ensuring long-term profitability and resilience in the agricultural sector.
Revolutionizing Fire: Indigenous Insights for Ecological Harmony
For many of us in North America, the thought of fire season is far away — a problem for the summer. However, for Osprey Orielle Lake, the memory of the 2018 Camp Fire is never far and it represents several of the overwhelming results of the much wider climate crisis
The Amazing Benefits and Performance of Cob Construction
Essential Cob Construction sets the new standard for cob construction by incorporating rigorous, up-to-date engineering and building science, along with decades of practical lessons learned.
Let’s explore the environmental benefits and the performance of cob-constructed buildings in this excerpt below.
What Do I Need to Know to Design a Rainwater Harvesting System?
Over the past few years, many people have been looking to rainwater harvesting systems to help ease the anxiety of unreliable weather. If this has been something you’ve been dreaming of adding to your property, Michelle and Rob Avis outline everything you need to get started in Essential Rainwater Harvesting: A Guide to Home-Scale System Design.
Ideas for At-Home Holiday Fun: Winter Scavenger Hunt for Kids
At one point, we all need to get up and take a break from reading. Even the most prolific readers eventually must stretch their legs. Why not learn while you exercise with this great activity from The Big Book of Nature Activities: A Year-Round Guide to Outdoor Learning?
The Easiest Recipe for Walnut Ricotta Ever!
Altering your favourite holiday dishes to make them dairy-free, vegan, or vegetarian might not be as difficult as you think. In The Art of Plant-Based Cheesemaking, Karen McAthy shares vegan recipes for many of your favourite (formerly dairy-based) cheeses. It doesn’t require a lot of preparation or effort, and will satisfy even the biggest cheese lovers. Don’t believe us? Try out her recipe for Walnut Ricotta and see for yourself.
Vegan Hot Cocoa with Whipped Cream and a Decadent Irish Cream
There is no better way to curl up with your next favourite book than with this recipe for hot cocoa. Taken from a few of our titles, we’ve created what can only be described as “the perfect vegan holiday hot drink” and trust us, that title doesn’t do it justice.
Have You Ever Dreamt of Having a Roof Capable of Producing Food?
While we move through our holiday sale, today we’re dreaming of a green roof that isn’t only beautiful and insulating but is also capable of growing food. Places such as Noble Rot Restaurant in Portland, Oregon (USA) and Ryerson Urban Farm in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) are already producing food on their roofs.
Capital-Labor Relationship
In an ever-evolving world, does it make sense to use a 200-year old theory of trickle-down economics as the primary instrument for our economic system? In the fifth edition of Toward Sustainable Communities, a new tool is introduced to measure the environmental, economic, and social benefits of complex community and regional decisions. Today’s excerpt looks at the relationship between labor and capital through that lens, and provides a glimpse of what a community might be like if we imagined a new tool to measure success.
Natural Plasters and Climate Change: Plastering in a New Paradigm
Tina Therrien, co-author of Essential Natural Plasters, has been working with natural plasters for decades. Today, Tina examines the role of natural plasters in adapting buildings within the context of global warming and climate change.
The Best Cast Iron Skillet Sourdough Cinnamon Buns Ever
Did you know there are tons more recipes you can use your sourdough starter with? Whether it’s a cold evening or a lazy weekend morning, cast-iron skillet cinnamon buns are a fun and delicious way to use your starter.
Let’s Fight the Fire, Not Each Other
There is so much that is heartbreaking, infuriating, depressing, about the latest gruesome turning of the knife in the ever more tangled story of Palestine/Israel. It feels like it could suck all the hope out of the world if we let it.
So, what do we do?
Why Is Wealth Important For Community Resilience?
Is there a secret to resilient systems? Laura Lengnick believes there are key behaviors and characteristics in resilient systems that help them operate. In Resilient Agriculture, Second Edition, she outlines these key elements into three rules.