Homegrown City Life – serie

Fertilize your garden naturally--a guide to growing your plants in healthy, happy soil People want to know where their food comes from, who grows it and how it is grown. Interest in permaculture, backyard composting, and gardening in general, is growing. So how does the budding gardener ensure that his soil is healthy and nutrient-rich enough to support all the produce he intends to grow? Here's a hint--think worms! Vermiculture is the healthiest and most cost-effective way to ensure that your soil receives the nourishment that it needs. A simple vermicompost bin can produce the completely natural , nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be used to boost soil health and, in turn, increase your crop yield. In true Crystal Stevens' fashion, Worms at Work is a practical, easy-to-implement guide to fertilizing your garden naturally. It discusses the vital role worms play in boosting soil health, and the reasons why every gardener should use vermicompost in order to decrease reliance on toxic synthetic fertilizers. Coverage includes: Simple designs to build your own vermicompost bin Caring for your worms Garden applications for your worm castings Lesson plans to incorporate vermicomposting into the school science curriculum Whether you're tending to a small backyard garden or managing a large farm, Worms at Work can show you how to start vermicomposting today in order to grow healthy plants in healthy, happy soil. Crystal Stevens is the author of Grow Create Inspire and has been co-manager of La Vista CSA Farm for the past 7 years. She teaches regular Vermiculture 101 workshops.

"Combines the worlds of ethical meat production with innovative ingredients and techniques . . . a must-own for amateur and professional butchers alike."—Chef Clark Barlowe, Heirloom Restaurant, Charlotte, NCCured meat products arose from the need for preservation, in a time when cooking and refrigeration were not always available. Today, charcuterie is an embodiment of art in the kitchen, combining precision, balance, patience, and creativity; an economy of ingredients, as poetry is an economy of words. The confluence of these elements, along with the purest of ingredients, can enable anyone to craft cured meats in their home.Pure Charcuterie is a practical and artistic look at the techniques for curing meat at home both as a creative hands-on craft and as a fantastic and sustainable way to preserve highly valuable food. This accessible, beautiful, visual guide walks the reader through the process of making charcuterie, including:Sourcing ingredientsClear explanations of charcuterie techniqueCreative recipes balancing tradition and inventionSmoking meats and building your own smokerThe analogies drawn between art and food, along with creative and accessible photographic discussions of charcuterie technique, make this book an essential primer on the basics of charcuterie: the mystery, the science, the art, and the technique. Ideal for home cooks working in small spaces, Pure Charcuterie is a must-have for experienced and new cooks alike—and any home artisan."I don't know of anyone that can make a description of making mortadella sound poetic, funny, emotionally engaging and most importantly, to the point."—Rey Tagle, home charcuterie master"Takes the reader on a meaty, and yet artistic journey into the wonderful world of curing meats."—Hank Will, editorial director, Mother Earth News

Create refreshing, healthier drinks, from kombucha to herbal sodas and more, in your own kitchen. Since the relatively recent introduction of kombucha onto North American supermarket shelves, this healthy sparkling beverage has exploded in popularity. But can it be brewed at home, with the same tasty, healthy results?With this straightforward, accessible, and highly visual how-to guide, author Andrea Potter does away with specialist jargon and expensive or hard-to-find equipment, showing how sparkling homebrews from kombucha to water kefir are definitely possible for just about anyone to make, and have fun doing it. Coverage includes:Basic fermentation scienceControlling fizz, acidity, and alcohol contentSecondary fermentation and adding flavours to the brewWild-fermented sodas, using a ginger bug (a wild yeast culture)Recipes for kombucha's honey-fed relative, Jun, as well as for water kefir.Answering key questions including "where does all that sugar go?", "do I need to get a sitter for it when I go on holiday?", and "does this SCOBY look normal?", and including a comprehensive troubleshooting guide to help you keep brewing confidently and consistently, DIY Kombucha is ideal for foodies, urban and rural homesteaders, and health-motivated people - it's an essential addition to your DIY toolkit!

"Offering clear and comprehensive instructions for low-tech growing for a range of budgets, interests, and scales, this book offers practical inspiration and a sense that "hey, I can do this!" –— DANIELLE STEVENSON, owner, DIY FungiDIY Mushroom Cultivation is full of proven, reliable, low-cost techniques for home-scale cultivation that eliminate the need for a clean-air lab space to grow various mushrooms and their mycelium.Beautiful full-color photos and step-by-step instructions accompany a foundation of mushroom biology and ecology to support a holistic understanding of the practice. Growing techniques are applicable year-round, for any space from house to apartment, and for any climate, budget, or goal. Techniques include:Setting up a home growing spaceInexpensive, simple DIY equipmentCulture creation from mushroom tissue or sporesGrowing and using liquid cultures and grain spawnGrowing mushrooms on waste streams Indoor fruitingOutdoor mushroom gardens and logsHarvesting, processing, tinctures, and cooking.Whether you hunt mushrooms or dream about growing and working with them but feel constrained by a small living space, DIY Mushroom Cultivation is the ideal guide for getting started in the fascinating and delicious world of fungiculture.

A totally new category of plants — as easy to grow as tomatoes, perfect for gardenersCannabis prohibition is ending around the world, and there’s a new bud in town — auto-flowering cannabis. As easy to grow as tomatoes, auto-flowering cannabis is the perfect new plant for the home gardener who has limited time and space. Unlike commercially grown cannabis, auto-flowering cannabis plants are small, container-grown, day-neutral, require no special lights or equipment, and grow incredibly fast – from seed to harvest in as little as seven weeks. Written by gardening authority Jeff Lowenfels, DIY Auto-flowering Cannabis is a full-color, illustrated guide for everyone wanting to grow their own. It covers: The history and benefits of auto-flowering cannabisIts origins, chemistry, and growing habits Step-by-step growing methods, including tips, tricks, supplies, and seed sourcing How to harvest, process, and breed your new plants. If you are a home gardener or already grow cannabis, you too can learn how to grow this new plant with ease, all while reaping its many benefits, such as harvesting it for medical use, recreational use, or simply as a decorative, sweet-smelling flower to enjoy. If you like to grow tomatoes, you will love growing auto-flowering cannabis.

Grow, harvest, and preserve elderberries for immune support, culinary delights, and natural wellness. Complete guide to cultivating this superfood berry, with recipes for syrups, wines, and medicinal preparations that support family health naturally.Why Elderberries Are Called Nature's Medicine Cabinet:Elderberries contain higher antioxidant levels than blueberries and have been used for immune support for centuries. Commercial elderberry supplements cost $15-25 per bottle, but homegrown elderberries provide the same benefits for pennies.What You'll Master:Cultivation techniques for maximum berry production in various climatesHarvesting and processing methods that preserve nutritional and medicinal valueTraditional recipes for syrups, jellies, and wines with modern safety updatesMedicinal preparations including immune-supporting extracts and tincturesYear-round preservation techniques for continuous family health supportHealth and Savings Benefits:Families growing elderberries report significant savings on immune supplements while enjoying fresh, chemical-free berries for cooking and wellness applications.Grow your family's natural pharmacy in your backyard. Perfect for health-conscious families wanting to combine gardening with natural wellness approaches.

Create healing teas, tinctures, and oils at home using traditional methods and modern safety knowledge. Complete guide to growing, harvesting, and preparing medicinal herbs for family health and wellness, with safety protocols for effective, safe herbal medicine.Why DIY Herbal Medicine Makes Sense:Quality herbal preparations cost $20-50 per ounce commercially but can be made at home for $2-5 per ounce using fresh, organic herbs grown in your own garden or sourced from trusted suppliers.What You'll Master:Herb cultivation for medicinal potency and organic purityHarvesting and drying techniques that preserve therapeutic compoundsPreparation methods for teas, tinctures, salves, and oils with consistent potencySafety protocols for proper identification, dosing, and contraindicationsFamily health applications for common wellness support and minor ailmentsHealth and Economic Benefits:Home herbalists report 70-80% savings on natural health products while having complete control over ingredient quality and preparation methods.Take control of your family's natural health toolkit. Essential for wellness enthusiasts wanting to reduce dependence on commercial products through traditional skills.