permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

From the Permaculture Media Facebook Page:
==========================================
Fwd: The Essential Gardening and Food Resilience Library - Sent using 
Google Toolbar
=====================================================================

The Resilient Gardener
Food Production and Self Reliance In Uncertain Times
Carol Deppe
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_resilient_gardener:paperback
The Resilient Gardener
Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times
by Carol Deppe
    "The Resilient Gardener gives concrete examples of how to deal with 
diet, climate, and economic changes before the need arises. Deppe 
challenges us to experiment with and practice all aspects of gardening, 
seed saving and food storage, and advises on the growing need to meet 
special food and climate requirements in the face of our food system's 
fragility. This book is an invaluable tool for gardeners and farmers as 
we experience more and more volatility in our food systems. "
    —Suzanne Ashworth, author of Seed to Seed
Selected by Amazon.com as one of the Top 10 Books of 2010 in the Home 
and Gardening Category!
Visit the author's website at www.CarolDeppe.com.
Scientist/gardener Carol Deppe combines her passion for gardening with 
newly emerging scientific information from many fields — resilience 
science, climatology, climate change, ecology, anthropology, 
paleontology, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, health, and medicine. 
In the last half of The Resilient Gardener, Deppe extends and 
illustrates these principles with detailed information about growing and 
using five key crops: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and eggs.
In this book you’ll learn how to:
    * Garden in an era of unpredictable weather and climate change
    * Grow, store, and use more of your own staple crops
    * Garden efficiently and comfortably (even if you have a bad back)
    * Grow, store, and cook different varieties of potatoes and save 
your own potato seed
    * Grow the right varieties of corn to make your own gourmet-quality 
fast-cooking polenta, cornbread, parched corn, corn cakes, pancakes and 
even savory corn gravy
    * Make whole-grain, corn-based breads and cakes using the author’s 
original gluten-free recipes involving no other grains, artificial 
binders, or dairy products
    * Grow and use popbeans and other grain legumes
    * Grow, store, and use summer, winter, and drying squash
    * Keep a home laying flock of ducks or chickens; integrate them 
with your gardening, and grow most of their feed.
The Resilient Gardener is both a conceptual and a hands-on gardening 
book, and is suitable for gardeners at all levels of experience. 
Resilience here is broadly conceived and encompasses a full range of 
problems, from personal hard times such as injuries, family crises, 
financial problems, health problems, and special dietary needs (gluten 
intolerance, food allergies, carbohydrate sensitivity, and a need for 
weight control) to serious regional and global disasters and climate 
change. It is a supremely optimistic as well as realistic book about how 
resilient gardeners and their gardens can flourish even in challenging 
times and help their communities to survive and thrive through 
everything that comes their way — from tomorrow through the next 
thousand years.
About the Author
Carol Deppe
Oregon plant breeder Carol Deppe has a BS in zoology from the University 
of Florida, a PhD in biology from Harvard University, and specializes in 
developing public-domain crops for organic growing conditions, 
sustainable agriculture, and human survival for the next thousand years. 
She is author of Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardener's and 
Farmer's Guide to Plant Breeding and Seed Saving (Chelsea Green, 2000) 
and Tao Te Ching: A Window to the Tao through the Words of Lao Tzu. See 
www.caroldeppe.com for news and further adventures. Deppe lives in 
Corvallis, Oregon.
Visit Carol's website at www.CarolDeppe.com. ...

<>

Homegrown Whole Grains
Grow, Harvest, and Cook Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rice, Corn and More
Sara Pitzer
http://www.amazon.com/Homegrown-Whole-Grains-Harvest-Barley/dp/160342153X
Google E-Book
A resource that has everything gardeners need to know to grow, harvest, 
store, grind, and cook small crops of nine types of whole grains
http://books.google.com/books?id=qeqhpKRKsB4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Homegrown+Whole+Grains&source=bl&ots=BtaQj57Pk9&sig=VeCGzIbPYBwwKmqAF-zMQoMRqgg&hl=en&ei=IEwTTffEI4T78Abp-I3nDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBA

<>

Kingsolver, Barbara; Kingsolver, Camille; Hopp, Steven L. (2007).
/Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life./ New York, London,
Toronto, Sydney, New Delhi, Auckland: HarperPerennial. ISBN:
978-1-55468-188-4
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060852569?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060852569>
How does one family begin the journey to a more sustainable future?
Barbara Kingsolver and her family detail the triumphs and challenges of
their search. The book also features visits with proponents of organic
farming and sustainable living such as Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm.
Like many of the books in this bibliography, Kingsolver’s book sounds a
hopeful note that people committed to living a better life can do so.
It’s not a textbook of “how we did it” but a story about living it. Very
readable.
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805087222?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0805087222>

<>

McKibben, Bill. (2007). /Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the
Durable Future./
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805087222?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0805087222> 

New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-8722-2
Many people looking into the immediate future say that growing healthy,
vibrant, supportive communities is as important as growing healthy food.
Nicole Foss (writing as Stoneleigh at The Automatic Earth) also
emphasizes this point on the blog at
http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com
<http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/>.

As the cost of energy for transport of goods rises, Bill McKibben
predicts regional shortages and rising prices for products that have to
be brought in from elsewhere.  That’s no surprise; most people “get
it.”  McKibben makes the case for developing regional communities
again.  Food and energy production, even cultural production, should
diversify.
McKibben is a strong voice against the central production and
energy-intensive distribution of everything from bread to energy to
books.  Growth, he argues, is not the first thing we should consider as
a measure of economic health.   The goal is “The Durable Future” –
sustainable, smaller, yet convivial. Like Kingsolver and Pollan,
McKibben shares stories from his travels.  Case studies of a sort, they
help the reader to imagine possible solutions.

<http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2010/11/in-defense-of-food-eaters-manifesto-by.html>
Pollan, Michael. (2008). /In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto./ New
York: The Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-59420-145-5
<http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2010/11/in-defense-of-food-eaters-manifesto-by.html>
Pollan’s book can be summed up in his introductory statement: “Eat Food.
Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.”  Pollan explores the roots of the current
American food system and details how government regulation of the food
industry has been affected by pressure from agriculture interest groups
and corporations.  Agencies intended to protect consumers now protect
producers.  Concentration of the ownership of the food production chain
into fewer and fewer hands affects not only what is available to
consumers, but enables the wide distribution of food-borne pathogens
from central processing plants, which now proceeds without any
accountability in sight.  This book will give you a good understanding
of /how/ things got the way they are in America’s food supply, and
suggest some alternatives you can act on immediately to effect change.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580085792?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1580085792>Stamets, 

Paul. (2005). /Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World./
Berkeley, Toronto: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-58008-579-3
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580085792?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1580085792>
Stamets loves fungi.  His company, Fungi Perfecti (http://www.fungi.com
<http://www.fungi.com/>) is a major driver in the research and
development of mushroom-based extracts, supplements and
pharmaceuticals.  This book will help you understand the place of fungi
in a healthy ecosystem – including managed ecosystems such as gardens.
Gardeners can now purchase potting soils inoculated with beneficial
fungi from several companies, and Stamets’ company also sells soil
supplements that will put fungi into your garden where they will benefit
the growth of many vegetable crops, working symbiotically with the
plants to break down soil nutrients and transport them to the plants’
roots.  While the topic and treatment of the book may place it into the
intermediate or advanced knowledge categories, even a beginning reader
will find useful foundational knowledge to work with.  There is much we
are only beginning to discover about the “fifth kingdom” – the fungal
world – and Stamets’ work is on the leading edge.  A permanent mushroom
patch on your property can supply you with all the mushrooms you need,
every year.


    Grow It

In this section, you’ll find books that help you get food out of your
soil.  These books address the complete cycle of growing food, from
buying and starting the seed to growing and harvesting the crop, to
saving seed and stock for the next planting.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086571553X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=086571553X>
  You have two choices for starting points: Either Steve Solomon’s
/Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086571553X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=086571553X> 

or Carol Deppe’s /The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and
Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times
<http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2010/11/resilient-gardener-food-production-and.html>./ 

Start with whichever one you can find first, and read them both. You
will find yourself returning to each of them over and over. Sara
Pitzer’s Homegrown Whole Grains
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160342153X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=160342153X> 

book should be your next step, because she introduces the ease of
growing grains at home (you will find Carol Deppe’s insights very
helpful here, as well). Deppe and Solomon both emphasize that the most
important part of gardening is the soil.  Not the seeds, not the organic
fertilizer, the work, or the rain or sunshine.  You’ll learn how to site
your garden and how to prepare the earth for production.  All the books
in this section contain websites and seed catalogues for finding the
best seeds in your area.  Don’t buy seeds from the rack in the grocery
store or local nursery!  As Steve Solomon says, those are “sweepings
from the seedroom floor.”

<http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2010/11/resilient-gardener-food-production-and.html>
  Looking ahead to planting season, Mike and Nancy Bubel’s book on
starting seeds, and Suzanne Ashworth’s book on saving seeds should be
next.  Starting a garden with healthy plants is essential when it
counts, and saving seed for next year helps you keep some control of
your food security.  Saving your own seeds is not as difficult as it
might first appear.
Finally, Paul Stamets’ gourmet and medicinal mushroom grower’s guide
should be considered advanced reading.  You will find that he tackles
growing fungi with the same passion and insight the other authors engage
with fruit, vegetable and grain growing.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1882424581?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1882424581>
  Ashworth, Suzanne. (2002). /Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing
Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners/ Decorah, IA: Seed Savers Exchange.
ISBN 978-1-882424-58-0
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1882424581?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1882424581>
This is the encyclopaedia of food plants for North America. It has
information about each type of food plant in alphabetical order,
including breeding instructions, growing instructions and harvesting
instructions. In addition, there is information at the end of each entry
regarding the specifics of growing each plant in different regions of
the U.S. Absolutely indispensable. We refer to it many times each season.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0878577521?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0878577521>
  Bubel, Mike & Nancy. (1988). /The New Seed-Starters Handbook./ Emmaus,
PA: Rodale Press. ISBN 0-87857-752-1
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0878577521?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0878577521>
Good information about starting the seeds you’ve saved, specific
information that other books do not cover. Mike and Nancy Bubel have
many years of first-hand experience and the information they provide is
readable and practical on a household scale.
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160342153X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=160342153X>
Pitzer, Sara. (2009). /Homegrown Whole Grains: Grow Harvest and Cook
Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rice, Corn & More./ North Adams, MA: Storey
Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60342-153-9
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160342153X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=160342153X>
Can you grow enough grain in your backyard to make bread for a year?
The answer is “yes,” and this is the book to show you how.  Read about
corn, rye, wheat, quinoa, amaranth, oats, barley, and other grains.
Pitzer will teach you how to plant, grow, and harvest grains.  She will
also teach you how to dry them and store them, and offer some recipes to
use them.
If you have a half acre or more to use for growing wheat or rye, you’ll
need a foot powered thresher:
http://www.backtotheland.com/html/wheat_thrasher.html (Note that the
website’s author refers to the process of “threshing” by the archaic
name “thrashing.”)
Gluten intolerant or simply love cornbread?  Here’s a dry corn sheller:
http://www.backtotheland.com/html/grain_mills.html .
We’ve read that perennial grains are on the horizon, but you can’t buy
seed just yet. Here’s an article about them:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624144111.htm Stay tuned.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086571553X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=086571553X>
Solomon, Steve. (2005). /Gardening When it Counts: Growing Food in Hard
Times./ Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. ISBN
978-0-86571-553-0
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086571553X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=086571553X>
Steve Solomon started Territorial Seed Company in Oregon many years ago
and has lived and gardened in other parts of the Pacific Northwest. He
now lives in Tasmania and knows that difficult times are coming. To that
end, he has written this book about producing food in hard times. We
have heard him criticized as “idealistic” and “a perfectionist” but this
book collects a vast store of information in one spot. Yes, this book is
complex, and he makes no apologies for the detailed information in here.
He sugar-coats nothing. He gives you the straight goods on the
difficulties of growing onions, for example. We’ve read it many times
now and get more out of it each time. Each chapter will give you a case
of “information overload” and it will take you years to put into
practice all of the stuff in here. It’s worth reading and re-reading to
soak up all of this knowledge. Even if you only put into practice a tiny
bit at a time, you will be miles ahead of anyone else. This book should
definitely sit on your shelf next to Carol Deppe’s /The Resilient
Gardener
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160358031X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=160358031X>./

<http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2010/11/resilient-gardener-food-production-and.html>
Deppe, Carol. (2010). /The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and
Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times./ White River Junction, VT: Chelsea
Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60358-031-1
<http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2010/11/resilient-gardener-food-production-and.html>
The subtitle of this book is “Including the Five Crops You Need to
Survive and Thrive – Potatoes, Corn, Beans, Squash, and Eggs.” Deppe
believes passionately that every gardener should also be a plant
breeder. In her introductory comments, she points out that during hard
times in the past, communities usually had a store of preserved food and
the accumulated knowledge of growing more. She writes for a culture
where now only two percent of people use that knowledge to survive. No
matter the source of the uncertainty in the times, Deppe’s book will
teach you how to be a “resilient gardener” who can respond to economic,
environmental, physical and social challenges with a varied and
nutritious spectrum of produce. For example, Carol makes a strong case
for keeping ducks for eggs and meat instead of chickens. She lives and
writes in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, but her advice works
anywhere. She joins others in noting the importance of social cohesion
in the difficult times ahead. As noted above, also read Steve Solomon’s
<http://www.blogger.com/goog_2039055028>/Gardening When It Counts
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086571553X?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=086571553X>./ 

Carol Deppe and Steve Solomon are friends, but you may note some
inconsistencies in their approach to developing new varieties for your
area, for example. This is not a problem – take what you need and leave
the rest.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580081754?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1580081754>
  Stamets, Paul. (2000). /Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, 3^rd
Edition./ Berkeley, Toronto: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-58008-175-7
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580081754?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1580081754>
Like his other book referenced above, this one is for the more advanced
grower. Also like Stamets’ other book, even beginning gardeners will get
something out of it. Growing fungi requires a different mindset and more
patience than growing many vegetables. While this book may not help
develop more patience, it will open up the world of gourmet and
medicinal fungi to you. We learned about mushrooms from growing
beautiful white oyster mushrooms in a pail half full of espresso
grounds. When it seemed to be tapped out, we threw the residue under a
Douglas Fir tree. Next spring – more mushrooms!


    Save It

It’s no good growing enough food to feed your family for a year if you
can’t keep it for a year or longer, against tough times. These books
will show you how to save the harvest by canning, freezing, drying,
pickling, cellaring, or fermenting it.
Mike and Nancy Bubel return in this section with /Root Cellaring/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0882667033?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0882667033>. 

It’s very comforting to have a safe spot to store more than just root
crops. (Our root cellar holds canning, pickling, the beer and wine,
kraut, and sealed buckets of various grains as well as potatoes, onions,
carrots and other harvested root crops.) It’s a good book to start with.
After reading this, we went out and bought a 20’ shipping container and
put it into the mountain behind our house (see some photos on Penny’s
blog <http://environment.blog.mytru.ca/?s=root+cellar>).
/Putting Food By/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452268990?ie=UTF8&tag=chrismartenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0452268990> 

and the /Ball Blue Book of Preserving/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972753702?ie=UTF8&tag=chrismartenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0972753702>both 

give you very clear directions for canning, freezing and drying a wide
variety of foods. You should plan to diversify your food-storage
portfolio just as you would an investment portfolio. Frozen food may
taste fresher than canned food, but canned food doesn’t need electricity
to stay canned. Another preservation strategy is pickling, and Linda
Ziedrich’s book covers it in loving detail. All three of these books
would be good after reading about root cellaring. Keep them handy for
reference.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0882667033?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0882667033>
  Bubel, Mike & Nancy. (1991). /Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of
Fruits and Vegetables./ North Adams, MA: Storey Books. ISBN
0-88266-703-3
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0882667033?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0882667033>
“Highly recommended” by Steve Solomon, this book will teach you how to
store fruits and vegetables and nuts without using any energy
whatsoever. Very easy to understand, lots of pictures of root cellars,
and lots of alternatives that can be used by anyone. Build a root
cellar. It becomes indispensable immediately. There’s no need to spend a
lot of money or dig up your entire backyard to begin an experiment in
root cellaring, just to see if you can do it. There are pictures and
stories in this book about many different small ways to store food.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452268990?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0452268990>
Greene, Janet; Hertzberg, Ruth; Vaughan, Beatrice. (1988). /Putting Food
By./ New York, Toronto: Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-26899-9
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452268990?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0452268990>
This is the third edition of the book. We use this one for intriguing
recipes for storing fruits you may not have ever heard of, such as
“beach plums.” This one and the /Ball Blue Book/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972753702?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0972753702> 

are our resource books for canning. They are tattered and folded and
splattered, but we use them every year. Also includes techniques for
brining, freezing and drying.
To see what Carol Deppe calls the best food dehydrator in the world, the
Excalibur, go here: http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/product.php
Ready to grind your grain into flour? Check out the Lehman’s catalogue:
http://www.lehmans.com/ and search for grain grinders. We have the
Diamant. Also check out their gas refrigerators and wood stoves.
Lehman’s also has a very good selection of human-powered tools because
the company was originally created to supply the Amish of Ohio.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972753702?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0972753702>
  Various. (2008). /Ball Blue Book of Preserving./ Daleville, IN:
Ball/Jarden Home Brands. ISBN 0-9727537-0-2
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972753702?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0972753702>
A favourite go-to for us. It retails for about ten dollars and is worth
far more. Because it is frequently revised and updated, it’s wise to
check every year to see if there’s a new edition. For example,
guidelines for safely canning low-acid foods have changed in recent
years. For the price of a new edition, it’s important to have some peace
of mind when you’re planning to eat through the winter on what you’ve
put by in the fall. A wide variety of recipes are included for
preserving meats, fish, vegetables, and fruits by canning, freezing, and
drying. Also includes very fancy recipes that can be used as gifts.
Need a pressure canner? Here’s the biggest one you can find; it holds
two levels of U.S. quarts and does not require a rubber seal:
http://www.allamericancanner.com/allamericanpressurecanner.htm .They
make smaller ones, too.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558323759?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1558323759>
  Ziedrich, Linda. (2009). /The Joy of Pickling./ Boston: The Harvard
Common Press. ISBN 978-155832375-9
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558323759?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1558323759>
Absolutely the best book on pickling any food that you could ever think
of, including recipes from all over the world. Many of our favourites
are in here. You will not believe there are so many different recipes
for sauerkraut, and for pickling fruits and vegetables that you never
guessed could be pickled. We learn more every year we use it. Make
sauerkraut, miso pickles, whole brined apples, and even pickles made in
the sun, ready in three days! All kinds of pickles and all kinds of ways
of pickling. Ziedrich teaches techniques for brining, fermenting and
pickling from many cultures. If some in your family insist that they
don’t like pickles, there will be something in this book that will
change their mind.


    Use It

Many of the books above contain recipes and ideas for using your
harvest. It’s nice to stand back and look at it at the end of harvest
season, but the real reason for doing all the work is to gain some
security and control over the food your family eats. The books in this
section cover points not encountered in the other books.

Two of those points are brewing and cheese-making. Using your own grain
to make beer “from the ground up” combines a large number of fairly
advanced topics. For that reason, it’s left out of this list, though if
you’re interested you’ll be ready for more advanced learning after
digesting the books below. There’s yet another way of saving some of
your harvest – as long as your harvest includes dairy products – and
that’s making your own cheeses. Ricki Carroll gently demystifies the
process of turning milk into cheese, whether you have a cow, a milking
sheep, or a goat. Although some techniques are advanced, simple cheese
is, well, /simple./

The /New Complete Joy of Homebrewing/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380763664?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0380763664> 

is a good starting point, with the /Home Brewer’s Companion/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380772876?ie=UTF8&tag=chrismartenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0380772876> 

as both a ready reference and some more advanced learning. Good beer and
good cheese just seem made for each other.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380763664?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0380763664>
  Papazian, Charlie. (1991). /The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing./ New
York: Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-76366-4
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380763664?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0380763664>
The original version of this book may have been responsible for the
popularity of home brewing in the U.S. in the mid-‘80s. While the older
version still has good information, this newer edition adds an index
that will help you find quick reference topics. Papazian launched a
trend among homebrewers to name their brews in quirky, comedic ways
(/Toad Spit Stout/ is one example). While some have decried the use of
overly cutesy names, it’s all in good fun. What is more important is
that the book gathers a tremendous amount of brewing science into a fun
read. Like cheese-making, it’s not a strictly gardening activity, but if
you use Sara Pitzer’s book on growing grain, you may find the skills of
brewing handy. Even if you just buy beer kits and ferment them, Papazian
will give you good tips on how to make better beer.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380772876?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0380772876>
  Papazian, Charlie. (1994). /The Home Brewer’s Companion./ New York:
Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-77287-6
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380772876?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0380772876>
Even more of a good thing, in a more advanced read. Intended as a
companion volume to /The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380763664?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0380763664>, 

this book will give you deeper insight into more advanced brewing
concepts. There are many other books and online publications dealing
with home brewing, but these two books will give you most of what you
need to know. If you choose to go further in other directions, other
information is easy to find.


<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580174647?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1580174647>
  Carroll, Ricki. (2002). /Home Cheese Making./ North Adams, MA: Storey
Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58017-464-0
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580174647?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1580174647>
While cheese making isn’t strictly a /gardening/ activity, it is very
much part of a comprehensive approach to small agriculture. Whether you
want to preserve a sudden surplus of milk, barter for dairy products
with a neighbour, prepare yourself with another skill against hard
times, or explore artisan cheese this book will give you the inside
story, even if you simply march right down to the local mega grocery
store and buy the milk to do it. Carroll includes profiles of pioneering
home and small-business cheese makers as well as abundant cautions about
cleanliness and how to achieve it. If you don’t think you’ll be able to
use the entire milk production of a cow (or don’t know how you’d store
hay for her for a whole winter) consider a milking sheep or a goat.
Carroll tells us that sheep milk tastes much closer to cow’s milk than
does milk from goats. Plus sheep are easier to handle and eat a lot
less. This shift is on our “to do” list.


    Supporting Technology

In this section are some books that don’t fit in other areas, but which
represent some valuable skill-sets. At the very least, they’ll help you
answer some of your questions about how you can be more resilient and
sustainable. Grinding your own grain, as Tamara Dean discusses, will
make you wonder how a loaf of bread could be so cheap in the store when
it involves so much energy and time input. At the same time, that loaf
of bread is worth any price when you’re hungry. The books below will
give you the information you need to take the steps you feel are right
for you – and will still have things to teach you when you’ve mastered
the basics and are ready to move up.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865716013?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0865716013>
  Dean, Tamara. (2008). /The Human-Powered Home: Choosing Muscles Over
Motors./ Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. ISBN
978-0-86571-601-8
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865716013?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0865716013>
Flip the switch and nothing happens.  What next?  In this book you will
find a collection of ideas, profiles of builders, and instructions for
building your own human-powered machines: small electrical generation to
recharge batteries, food processing equipment like blenders and coffee
or grain grinders, tools for the home like treadle-powered sewing
machines, water pumps, machine tools like grinders, drill presses, and
lathes – even pedal-powered lawn mowers and a pedal-powered clothes
washer.  Many groups and NGOs are providing human-powered machines to
people in developing nations.  This is a good idea book that will help
you find workable solutions.

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967984602?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0967984602>
  Denzer, Kiko. (2004). /Build Your Own Earth Oven./ Blodgett, OR: Hand
Print Press. ISBN 0-9679846-0-2
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967984602?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0967984602>
You’ve grown and harvested the grain, ground it into flour, and it’s
time to bake bread.  If you can’t use an electric or gas oven, or choose
not to use one, Denzer’s book will help you build another option.
Building a wood-fired earth oven is not an easy task.  It’s best done as
a communal project, but is well within the modest skills of most
people.  Denzer teaches workshops in building ovens, and his focus is on
/how to/ build one, not on /why not/ to build one.
At one workshop, he helped a young girl build a small oven just large
enough for a small sheet of chocolate-chip cookies.  He believes
everyone should approach this project on their own terms, which lends a
can-do feeling to the book.  There are other books about earth or brick
ovens, but this one is a good, inexpensive, and comprehensive look at
planning, building, and using a wonderful alternative.


    Other Useful Publications and Websites

As we troll the Internet and read more books, we come across all kinds
of good information. This bibliography is intended to get you started.
On your own, you’ll find resources that lead you in new and interesting
directions. You’ll learn about techniques that work where you live, and
fit your unique situation.

We’ve found, in general, that just about anything published by Storey
Publishing will help develop needed skills in a hurry.  From building to
baking, brewing to gardening to beekeeping and building bat houses,
there’s probably an inexpensive and informative Storey pamphlet or book
to show you the basics.  They have an extensive catalogue online and are
always on the hunt for new authors with something to teach.  Find them
at http://www.storey.com <http://www.storey.com/>

<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964425831?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0964425831>
  For over 40 years /Mother Earth News/ has been publishing stories and
pictures from, by, and about people who are living sustainably.  While
the stories have changed over the years, they’re still about people
working within the restrictions of the place where they live to achieve
a dream.  From basic to advanced, “Mother” always has an answer.  Each
issue has an extensive library of recommended books advertised in the
back.  Every issue ever published is available on a CD-ROM library, and
the magazine’s website has an archival search function that will lead
you to the right article to get the skills or information you need.  Get
in touch with Mother at http://www.motherearthnews.com
<http://www.motherearthnews.com/>
If you’re going to garden with maximum sustainability, you need to
return nutrients to the soil.  Composting and fallowing are two ways,
but many people throw perfectly good fertilizer down the drain several
times a day. /The Humanure Handbook/
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964425831?ie=UTF8&tag=permacmedia-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0964425831> 

will take you gently through a very successful technique used around the
world for capturing this valuable growing material.  Collecting and
composting human feces may seem strange, but the author has been doing
it safely and successfully for over 30 years.  You’ll have seen the idea
presented by Steve Solomon and Carol Deppe among others, who also use
diluted urine as a ready source of nitrogen.  This book will teach you
what you need to know.  From the book’s website
(http://humanurehandbook.com <http://humanurehandbook.com/>), click on
the link to “Humanure Contents” and you can download PDF copies of the
chapters for free.  If you prefer a well-bound book version or an
E-book, you may purchase them from the site.

Compost worms can be your best friends, whether you live in Florida or
Yukon.  They will eat your kitchen waste, garden debris, or even your
humanure.  Learn about how to make use of their enormous appetites here:
http://www.allthingsorganic.com/How_To/01.asp and then make your own
bin: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Worm-Compost-System or buy one
already assembled: http://www.allthingsorganic.com/Products/ .

At some point you may cross the line between “gardener” and “farmer” –
either by accident or intent.  A long-standing publication for farmers
is /Farm Show/.  The magazine is all about innovation and solving
problems on the farm, whether animal, vegetable, or mechanical.  All of
the solutions are presented by farmers, ranchers, and mechanical
tinkerers of all stripes from around the world.  Contact information for
each source is provided. /Farm Show/ also publishes a CD-ROM archive of
all past issues, and provides search and real-human archival advice from
its website at http://farmshow.com <http://farmshow.com/>.  Quarterly
publications and special editions will give you ideas and show you
solutions to a wide variety of problems.  Each issue also includes
on-farm small-business advice, customer reviews of farm equipment, and
no advertising.

Finally, make sure everyone in your house owns a bicycle.  At least one
of these should be a cargo bike
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freight_bicycle), and all should have
super-heavy locks for whenever you leave them to go into a store.

The information in this bibliography is extensive, and you won’t be able
to put it all into practice in one year.  It will take a long time to
fine tune the insights you receive into practical working rules for your
unique situation.  The most important point, as Chris says, is to do
something.  Now.  Click on one of these links and read.  Go buy a book.
Stand in the backyard and look at it differently.  Could a potato patch
go there?  Some raspberry bushes here?  Where might we put an apple
tree?  Once you begin, you’ll be rewarded, no matter how small the
effort.  Your great-great-grandparents would be proud.
- Charles Hays and Penny Powers

------------------------------------------------------------------------
This new /What Should I Do?/ blog series is intended to surface
knowledge and perspective useful to preparing for a future defined by
Peak Oil. The content is written by CM.com readers and is based in their
own experiences in putting into practice many of the ideas exchanged on
this site.  If there are topics you'd like to see featured here, or if
you have interest in contributing a post in a relevant area of your
expertise, please indicate so in our/What Should I Do?/ Feedback forum
<http://www.chrismartenson.com/forum/input-what-should-i-do-series/47531>.
If you have not yet seen the other articles in this series, you can find
them here:

    * A Case Study in Creating Community (SagerXX)
      <http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/building-community/47502>
    * Peak Certainty, Food Resilience, and Aquaponics (Farmer Brown)

<http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/peak-certainty-food-resilience-and-aquaponics/47507>
    * Creating Healthy Snacks from Your Garden (EndGamePlayer)

<http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/creating-healthy-snacks-your-garden/48067>
    * The Essential Gardening and Food Resilience Library (Old Hippie)

<http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/essential-gardening-and-food-resilience-library/48424>
    * Installing A Solar Energy System (rhare)
      <http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/solar-insanity/48643>
    * The Keys to Transitioning Healthcare: Empowerment, Education, &
      Prevention (suziegruber)

<http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/keys-transitioning-healthcare-empowerment-education-prevention/48902>

This series is a companion to this site's free /What Should I Do?/ Guide
<http://www.chrismartenson.com/page/what-should-i-do>, which provides
guidance from Chris and the CM.com staff on specific strategies,
products, and services that individuals should consider in their
preparations.

*Source:
*http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/essential-gardening-and-food-resilience-library/48424