Chelsea Green Blog
Farming & Homesteading
How to Cook the Perfect, Tender Grass-Fed Steak
Summertime is here, which means it’s officially grilling season! Whip up a delicious grass-fed steak at your next BBQ to support small-scale farmers, help protect the environment, and give your guests a meal they’re going to be talking about all summer. The following is a collection of recipes from cookbooks by Shannon Hayes, author of…
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Harvesting and Storing Cucumbers: Capturing the Crunch
As the weather heats up, now’s the perfect time to grow and pick cucumbers! With these easy tips and tricks, you’ll be prepared to successfully harvest and store the cucumbers you grow until they’re ready to eat. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs copyright © 2017 by Andrew Mefferd. The following is an excerpt from The Greenhouse and…
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Natural Queen Bee Rearing: Make Way For the Queen!
Queen Bees are essential for a hive. No colony can truly “bee” successful without one. How do you get this almighty queen? It’s all in the honeycomb. Below is a formula for natural queen bee rearing that will help you run a productive hive. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs copyright © 2023 by Eric and…
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Farm the Woods: Grow Food and Medicinals in Forests
Contrary to popular belief, forestry and farming are NOT mutually exclusive. Growing food, medicinals, and other non-timber products like mushrooms and ginseng in the woods helps increase self-sufficiency and allows you to maintain a healthy forest. The following is an excerpt from Farming the Woods by Steve Gabriel and Ken Mudge. It has been adapted for the web.…
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9 Things to Consider When Building Your Own Greenhouse
Daydreaming of extending your growing season and building your own greenhouse? After considering the following factors and making a few additional preparations, you’ll be all set to grow food for you and your family in your backyard greenhouse for years to come. The following is an excerpt from The Forest Garden Greenhouse by Jerome Osentowski.…
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The Cost of Manufactured Food: Land & Energy
It’s no secret that overly manufactured food isn’t good for our health. The production of these foods is also extremely harmful for agriculture and the environment. The end result of manufactured foods lead to the elimination of many small farms. We must change the way we grow and purchase food to stay healthy and keep…
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A Home Worth Buzzing About: How to Create the Perfect Bee Hive
For all the beekeepers and future beekeepers out there, this one is for you! Your journey to successful beekeeping begins with the bee hive. The beekeeper’s responsibility—which begins long before the first flower of the season unfolds—is to ensure the hive is composed of materials suitable for the surrounding climate. Get ready to create a…
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Soil Remediation: Restore Your Soil With Woodchip
If you’re in need of some soil remediation, give woodchip a try! One of woodchip’s secret superpowers is its ability to restore soil. From bioremediation to erosion to soil compaction and more, woodchip is here to save the day. The following is an excerpt from The Woodchip Handbook by Ben Raskin. It has been adapted for the web.…
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Plant Spotlight: The Joyful Juneberry
All hail the joyful juneberry! While these rich and sweet berries taste wonderful when they’re fresh, you can also preserve them, use them as a substitute for blueberries in dessert recipes, and even create beverages like beer and cider with them. To create these delicious dishes, you first need to find and harvest juneberries. Get ready to…
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A Long-Term Plan: Regenerative Farming
Small farms are being held back. It’s time for a new vision. It’s time for bold new regenerative farming policies that restore both ecosystems and rural communities. We must avoid or eliminate policies that can be exploited by industrial producers at the expense of small or midsize farmers. “As it stands now, it is not…
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A Nourishing Recipe to Boost Seedling Growth
You don’t need to use chemicals or other unnatural ingredients to give your seedlings a boost. Just use a combination of seaweed, apple cider vinegar, and other nontoxic ingredients create the perfect blend. Each recipe can be modified to complement the soil and climate for the best-producing crops. The following is an excerpt from No-Till Intensive…
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How to Grow and Maintain Fruit Trees: General Fruit Tree Management
Thinking of growing fruit trees? While it’s no small undertaking, fruit trees are much more forgiving than annual crops once established. Fruits like apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, pears, pluots, and plums can easily be grown on trees in your backyard — you just need to know the correct management practices before you get started.…
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Mulching 101: Why Mulch Matters
Mulch is essential to soil health because it acts as a barrier against water loss and heat, reduces weeds, improves soil structure, and provides a habitat for animals. Once you’ve found the right method for your garden or homestead, mulching is an easy way to boost your soil’s health. Plus, it’s fairly inexpensive if you collect…
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10 Types of Farm Waste: Making and Maintaining a Lean Farm
Just like homes, farms require some cleaning and waste removal every now and then. How do you decide what to get rid of and what to keep?When it comes to a lean farm in particular, farm waste is defined as any activity that doesn’t add value. Before throwing something away, it’s important to consider the function of…
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A Brief History of Agriculture: The Science Behind Farming
What do you think of when you think of the history of agriculture? Plants, vegetables, maybe some livestock? The basis of farming is actually much more complicated and intricate. Agricultural processes have been taking place right under our noses since the beginning of time — and they occur in the most unlikely and unexpected of…
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The Soil Of A Nation: How To Save Our Soil
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all.” —Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace Humans, animals, and plants all rely on healthy soil when it comes to the food they eat and the environment they live in. But what happens when soil quality starts deteriorating? And what can…
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Food for Your Garden: Starting a Traditional Compost Pile in Your Yard
As a society, we make a lot of waste, especially in this culture of on-the-go single-serve disposables. What can we do to reduce our waste? Use less, recycle and reuse packaging materials, and compost your organic waste. And if you’re a gardener, there’s no reason to throw away this beneficial (and cheap!) source of nourishment…
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5 Uses for the Mighty Woodchip
Very often, the best things come in small packages, and the humble woodchip is no exception. We’re all familiar with the use of woodchips in mulch, and while they are an excellent mulching material, woodchips have many other uses. Think mushroom growing material and animal bedding; think plant propagation and soil amendments — the list goes…
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Learning to Work With Nature: Finding Common Ground
When Sandra Baer and Lynn Cassells founded Lynbreck Croft in Scotland, they had no money, no plan, and no experience in farming. But they did have a goal: to produce wonderful food for themselves and the people around them by learning to work with nature. Through their efforts over the past several years, Sandra and Lynn…
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Weeding: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Weeds are the bane of every farmer and gardener’s existence. But before you go crusading against the weeds in your garden this year, take a moment to read what author Bryan O’Hara has to say about dealing with these pesky plants. The following is an excerpt from No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture by Bryan O’Hara. It…
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How to Grow Healthy Plants: Strengthening Your Farm or Garden’s Immune System
Searching for tips on how to grow healthy plants? Look no further. The Ecological Farm is the go-to guide for ecological growing, with a unique focus on reduced tillage, minimizing farm and garden inputs, and pest control. The excerpt below offers advice on how to improve your farm or garden’s immune system through providing optimal…
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Vermicast 101: Good for Soil and Plants
Worms aren’t just the squiggly, pink creatures found on the sidewalk after it rains. They are so much more than that. These highly regarded specimens play a vital role in enhancing our soils and revitalizing the health of the plants we need to survive. But how do we get them to work their magic? Through…
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The Process of Growing Grain: Dealing With Weeds
Want to grow grains this spring, but weeds keep getting in the way? With the right tools and practices, you can keep weeds from affecting your grains and handle them without hurting the environment. In the passage below, farming expert Jack Lazor explains the characteristics of the weeds that might appear along the way and offers…
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An Eggcellent Idea: The Egg Club at Lynbreck Croft
Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer left their friends, family, and jobs in England to travel north to Scotland to find a bit of land that they could call their own. They had in mind keeping a few chickens, a kitchen garden, and renting out some camping space; instead, they fell in love with Lynbreck Croft—150…
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How to Use Lambsquarter from Root to Plant to Seed
Before yanking out the next patch of lambsquarter you find in your yard or garden, consider the different edible and medicinal uses of this “super weed.” From green juices to soaps, lambsquarter can be used to create and enhance plenty of health-boosting meals and products. The following is an excerpt from The Wild Wisdom of Weeds…
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