Here’s the scenario: You decide to start selling the goods from your farm so that your community can enjoy fresh, unprocessed food from a local source. Somehow, the government finds out. How do they respond? Do they…

A)  Applaud you for your entrepreneurial spirit? B)  Ask you to help them spread the word about other cow shares and co-ops in the area? C)  Tell you that you could face jail time for privately selling food to local consumers? D)  Take you away in handcuffs?

If you guessed A or B, wrong! If you’re Rawesome Foods, ...

The following recipe is an excerpt from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. “Wine made from flowers preserves the exquisite flavors and benevolent properties of the blossoms from which it is made. It also preserves the memories of fine, clear, sunshiny days—alone or with Someone Else—in woods, meadows, and hills, picking millions of tiny flowers for hours until they become etched on the insides of the eyelids.” These wise words were written by my friend and neighbor Merril Harris, in an article, “Nipping in the Bud: How to Make Wine from Flowers,” ...

In his new book, Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land, author Gary Paul Nabhan draws on the knowledge and expertise of traditional and visionary desert farmers, compiling stories of resilience and adaptation that urge readers to plan for uncertainty, acquire knowledge, and take action. The following exchange between Nabhan and Chelsea Green Senior Editor Ben Watson—who worked with Nabhan on Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land —covers a variety of topics, including how this book is for farmers and gardeners of all sizes and regions, and why there’s hope in a ...

High energy bills got you down? Worried about the future of planet Earth? Fear not! Green building expert Jeff Wilson is here to help you save money and the environment this Father’s Day, and beyond.

“Weatherization on steroids” is how Wilson describes the deep energy retrofits (DERs) outlined in his book, The Greened House Effect. Drawing on 25 years of construction experience and the DER of his family’s own 1942 home, Wilson goes beyond the low-hanging fruit such as recycling and changing light bulbs, and instead presents a green renovation plan for homeowners that ...

Want to grow rice in your backyard? How about warming up in your very own compost-heated hot tub?

Imagine if where you lived was not simply a passive landscape, but a living, growing habitat. That’s the reality for Ben Falk and his team at Whole Systems Research Farm in Vermont’s Mad River Valley.

Falk is a land designer and site developer at Whole Systems Design, LLC where, by imitating natural systems and utilizing regenerative techniques, his land can adapt to the challenges presented by climate change.

...