Chelsea Green Blog
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Cheesemaking: An All-Natural, Traditional Approach
Get ready to change the way you look at cheese. David Asher, author of The Art of Natural Cheesemaking, practices and preaches a traditional, but increasingly countercultural, way of cheesemaking —one that is natural and intuitive, grounded in ecological principles and biological science. Most DIY cheesemaking books are hard to follow and call for the…
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Recipe: Barbecued Eggplant Stacks with Coyote Mint Sauce and Chèvre
With summer in full swing, many are making good use of their outdoor grills. Tender grass fed steaks or free range chicken are often the go-to options, but the possibilities for a grilled meal are endless. At the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, a summer favorite is Barbecued Eggplant Stacks with Coyote Mint sauce and…
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Permaculture Q&A: Perennial Plants for Temperate Climates
Our award winning author Eric Toensmeier (Perennial Vegetables, Paradise Lot), and two authors from our UK publishing partner Permanent Publications, Anni Kelsey (Edible Perennial Gardening) and Stephen Barstow (Around the World in 80 Plants), unanimously agree that perennial plants are perfect for cold weather climates. Perennials require less maintenance than typical annual crops and are…
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Solar Cooker & Dehydrator: How to Design Your Own
In today’s world, nearly everything we use, from phones and computers to cars and kitchen appliances, requires energy derived from fossil fuels. Wouldn’t it be nice to offset some of that energy use by harnessing the renewable power of the sun? Josh Trought, founder of D Acres—an educational center in New Hampshire that researches, applies,…
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A Mini-Festo for Earth Day – Rebuild the Foodshed
For the days leading up to Earth Day in years past, author Philip Ackerman-Leist runs a Twitter MiniFesto campaign – each day sending out a new tweet designed to spark conversation and pass along some lessons he learned whilst working on his book, Rebuilding the Foodshed. You might also know Philip as the author of…
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Winter Reads: 10 Books to Curl Up With This Winter
William Wordsworth was right when he said, “Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.” Nevertheless, the cold, dark days of winter can still get the best of even Nature’s most tenderhearted admirer. What’s one to do? We here at Chelsea Green have concocted the perfect cabin fever remedy with our suggested winter reading…
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Replacing Windows? Understand Your New Glass Options
Having been in my passive solar home for 35 years, my original Alcoa windows were showing their age. The time had come to upgrade. My current experience of selecting which window and glass type to purchase turned out to be more formidable than I anticipated even as a professional in solar home design. There now…
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Make Your Own Fruit Wine
Have an excess harvest of a favorite fruit that you don’t know what to do with? Look no further—making your own fruit wine is easy, safe, and it’s as delicious as homemade pie or jam without the expiration date! All you need is an abundance of the fruit of your choosing, orange juice, wine yeast,…
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How to Save Tomato Seeds
As your favorite variety of home grown tomatoes start ripening on the vine this summer, be sure to save those seeds for next year’s planting. It takes a bit of care to get the seeds out of the gelatinous tomato goo they’re suspended in, but once you’ve done it you can use those seeds to…
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A Trip on A Unicycle: One Man, One Wheel, and the Open Road
Mark Schimmoeller’s Slowspoke: A Unicyclist’s Guide to America is about more than a cross-country trip on a unicycle; it’s a meditation on a way of life that Americans find increasingly rare: one that practices a playful, recalcitrant slowness. Award-winning author Janisse Ray (The Seed Underground) identifies with this pace. “Schimmoeller’s narrative—of his slow and deliberate journey…
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"Marijuana is Safer” Authors Influence The New York Times
The New York Times has launched a seven-part editorial campaign urging a repeal of the nation’s prohibition on marijuana, making the case that “marijuana is safer” than alcohol. In fact, the bold quote at the center of their editorial stated even more bluntly: “Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol.” Chelsea Green authors, and nationally…
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Stop Inviting Bears to Dinner
As conflicts between humans and black bears continue, it seems the message “Don’t feed the bears” bears repeating. Just this month, a man in Montgomery, VT was charged by the Fish & Wildlife Department for allegedly feeding bears. It was the first time that a person has been charged under a new law in Vermont that…
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Grilled Asparagus & Scallions
Switch up your side dishes this grilling season! Next time you fire up your grill, whip up a wonderfully fresh (and easy-to-make) plate of grilled asparagus and scallions. The following excerpt is from The Permaculture Kitchen by Carl Legge. It has been adapted for the web. RECIPE: Grilled Asparagus and Scallions This dish is wonderfully fresh, takes…
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RECIPE: Back to Basics Tomato Sauce
Knowing how to make a few simple and basic recipes is key to staying flexible in the kitchen. You can easily prepare tasty meals with just the seasonal ingredients you have on hand. This hearty tomato sauce recipe (excerpted below) is perfect for pizza, pastas, soup stocks, and more, whether you use tomatoes from the…
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RECIPE: Maple Mushroom Martini
Permaculture designer and author Michael Judd gets really excited about mushrooms. So when he found this recipe for a mushroom infused cocktail, he was barely able to contain himself. It may sound strange, but Judd swears this sweet mushroomy cocktail is magically delicious. The following is an excerpt from Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist by…
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Food Justice: What it Means and Why We Need it
What does true food justice look like? Elizabeth Henderson, longtime sustainable activist, Chelsea Green author (Sharing the Harvest), Farmer at Peacework Organic Farm, and co-Founder of the Agriculture Justice Project explores and explains what food justice means. I come to my understanding of Food Justice from the perspective of my life as an organic farmer…
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Losing Mineral Treasures: Can We Afford to Keep Plundering the Planet?
Mineral treasures that took millions, even billions of years to form are now being squandered in just centuries—even decades. A central question that has been vigorously debated for the last two centuries is simple: Are we going to run out? Ugo Bardi, author of Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth is Plundering the Planet…
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Growing Your Own Herbs in 6 Easy Steps
Author Didi Emmons understands it’s intimidating to work with unfamiliar herbs. In her book, Wild Flavors: One Chef’s Transformative Year Cooking From Eva’s Farm, she takes the simple approach that herbs, like any other plant, need good soil, water, sun, and air to thrive. Just vary the amounts of these four life-giving resources for each…
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How To Make An Herb Spiral: The Ultimate Raised Bed
The herb spiral: A beautiful year-round focal point for your garden that is easy and fun to build and saves both space and water. In Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist, author Michael Judd walks readers through step-by-step instructions on how to create this edibles-producing superstar. In addition to herb spirals, Edible Landscaping covers food forests, raised-bed gardens, earthen…
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A Guide to Great Compost From Eliot Coleman
Compost is the key to a lush, abundant garden. Do you know how to turn kitchen scraps and yard waste into fragrant, crumbly, plant food? If not, your garden is missing out, and you are missing out on one of the most exciting and profound lessons organic gardening has to teach: the simple fact that…
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Butchery: Reclaiming the Lost Culinary Art
Do you know a butcher? Chances are, the answer is “no.” True butchery has become a lost art, and many people have no idea how an animal gets from the pasture to their plate. In The Gourmet Butcher’s Guide to Meat, master butcher Cole Ward aims to revive this traditional culinary art that is an…
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RECIPE: The Simplest Pot Roast Ever
Beat winter’s chill with this warm and hearty pot roast recipe from Shannon Hayes’ book Long Way on a Little: An Earth Lover’s Companion for Enjoying Meats, Pinching Pennies, and Living Deliciously. The simple secret to this recipe is a good sear, followed by time in the slow cooker with very little liquid, resulting in…
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Got Pie?
Thanksgiving is just days away and your pie-loving friends here at Chelsea Green thought we’d share with you one of our favorite fruit pie recipes. The following apple pie recipe was adapted from Michael Phillips’ book The Apple Grower by the foodies over at The Washington Post and is named for Michael’s farm in northern…
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Red Delicious: Ester’s Apple Strips
Need the perfect companion to your afternoon cup of joe? Hanne Risgaard’s Home Baked: Nordic Recipes and Techniques for Organic Bread and Pastry has just the thing. Cozy up and use your fall apple harvest to make Ester’s Apple Strips! These strips use sweet-tart apples as the filling for a delicious baked treat.
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Can’t Find the Perfect Garden Tools? Make Your Own
Is hoeing hurting your back? Is your trowel cramping your wrist? Are the tools at your local hardware store just not cutting it? Gardening can be such laborious work, but what you put into your garden is what you get back. With a few simple do-it-yourself modifications you can find and alter your tools to…
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