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There are 20 million acres of lawns in North America. In their current form, these unproductive expanses of grass represent a significant financial and environmental cost. However, viewed through a different lens, they can also be seen as a tremendous source of opportunity. Access to land is a major barrier for many people who want to enter the agricultural sector, and urban and suburban yards have huge potential for would-be farmers wanting to become part of this growing movement.
Featuring profiles of 18 homesteaders and farmers who share stories of their own journeys toward a healthier, freer, more fulfilling lifestyle, this audiobook provides actionable ideas that you can use to achieve your dream of self-sufficiency. From how others got out of debt, to what to consider before buying land, to the steps to take when setting up a sustainable homestead or farmstead business, this book details the strategies that will save money, generate income, and put you on the path to self-sufficiency.
The problem of agriculture is as old as civilization. Throughout history, great societies that abused their land withered into poverty or disappeared entirely. Now we risk repeating this ancient story on a global scale due to ongoing soil degradation, a changing climate, and a rising population. But there is reason for hope. David R. Montgomery introduces us to farmers around the world at the heart of a brewing soil health revolution that could bring humanity's ailing soil back to life remarkably fast.
Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just a quarter acre - and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require.
From farmer Joel Salatin's point of view, life in the 21st century just ain't normal. In Folks, This Ain't Normal, he discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love.
Call it "Zen and the Art of Farming" or a "Little Green Book", Masanobu Fukuoka's manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book "is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical."
There are 20 million acres of lawns in North America. In their current form, these unproductive expanses of grass represent a significant financial and environmental cost. However, viewed through a different lens, they can also be seen as a tremendous source of opportunity. Access to land is a major barrier for many people who want to enter the agricultural sector, and urban and suburban yards have huge potential for would-be farmers wanting to become part of this growing movement.
Featuring profiles of 18 homesteaders and farmers who share stories of their own journeys toward a healthier, freer, more fulfilling lifestyle, this audiobook provides actionable ideas that you can use to achieve your dream of self-sufficiency. From how others got out of debt, to what to consider before buying land, to the steps to take when setting up a sustainable homestead or farmstead business, this book details the strategies that will save money, generate income, and put you on the path to self-sufficiency.
The problem of agriculture is as old as civilization. Throughout history, great societies that abused their land withered into poverty or disappeared entirely. Now we risk repeating this ancient story on a global scale due to ongoing soil degradation, a changing climate, and a rising population. But there is reason for hope. David R. Montgomery introduces us to farmers around the world at the heart of a brewing soil health revolution that could bring humanity's ailing soil back to life remarkably fast.
Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just a quarter acre - and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require.
From farmer Joel Salatin's point of view, life in the 21st century just ain't normal. In Folks, This Ain't Normal, he discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love.
Call it "Zen and the Art of Farming" or a "Little Green Book", Masanobu Fukuoka's manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book "is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical."
Joel Salatin is perhaps the nation's best known farmer, whose environmentally friendly, sustainable Polyface Farms has been featured in Food, Inc. and Time magazine. Now, in his first audiobook written for a faith audience, Salatin offers a deeply personal argument for earth stewardship and calls for fellow Christians to join him in looking to the Bible for a foodscape in line with spiritual truth.
When he purchased four acres of land on Vashon Island, Kurt Timmermeister was only looking for an affordable home near the restaurants he ran in Seattle. But as he slowly settled into his new property, he became awakened to the connection between what he ate and where it came from: a hive of bees provided honey, a young cow could give fresh milk, an apple orchard allowed him to make vinegar.
One fateful day in 1996, after discovering that five freight cars' worth of glittering corn have reaped a tiny profit of $18.16, young Forrest Pritchard vows to save his family's farm. What ensues-through hilarious encounters with all manner of livestock and colorful local characters-is a crash course in sustainable agriculture. Pritchard's biggest ally is his renegade father, who initially questions his son's career choice and rejects organic foods for sugary mainstream fare.
When Charles and Perrine Hervé-Gruyer set out to create their farm in an historic Normandy village, they had no idea just how much their lives would change. Neither one had ever farmed before. Charles had been circumnavigating the globe by sail, operating a floating school that taught students about ecology and indigenous cultures. Perrine had been an international lawyer in Japan. Each had returned to France to start a new life.
If you're ready to throw out the rule book and return as much as you can to the soil, Compost Everything is the book for you. It's time to quit fighting Mother Nature and start working with her to recycle organic matter and create lush and beautiful gardens with some of the most extreme composting techniques known to man!
When Lucie Amundsen had a rare night out with her husband, she never imagined what he'd tell her over dinner - that his dream was to quit his office job (with benefits!) and start a commercial-scale pasture-raised egg farm. His entire agricultural experience consisted of raising five backyard hens, none of whom had yet laid a single egg. To create this pastured poultry ranch, the couple scrambles to acquire nearly 2,000 chickens - all named Lola.
A Soil Owner's Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health is about restoring the capacity of your soil to perform all the functions it was intended to perform. This book is not another fanciful guide on how to continuously manipulate and amend your soil to try and keep it productive. This book will change the way you think about and manage your soil.
In his articles and in best-selling books such as The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan has established himself as one of our most important and beloved writers on modern man's place in the natural world. A new literary classic, Second Nature has become a manifesto not just for gardeners but for environmentalists everywhere.
A riveting exploration of how microbes are transforming the way we see nature and ourselves - and could revolutionize agriculture and medicine. Prepare to set aside what you think you know about yourself and microbes. Good health - for people and for plants - depends on Earth's smallest creatures. The Hidden Half of Nature tells the story of our tangled relationship with microbes and their potential to revolutionize agriculture and medicine, from garden to gut.
This audiobook is the personal memoir of an urban couple's journey to farming rather than a how-to guide and is sure to delight those interested in moving to the country or simply learning more about the struggles of sustainable farming. When Tim and Liz Young decided to leave their comfortable suburban life and become first-time farmers in rural Georgia, they embarked on a journey that would change their lives.
In The Soil Will Save Us, journalist and bestselling author Kristin Ohlson makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for "our great green hope"—a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon—and potentially reverse global warming. Her discoveries and vivid storytelling will revolutionize the way we think about our food, our landscapes, our plants, and our relationship to Earth.
The Art of Fermentation is the most comprehensive guide to do-it-yourself home fermentation ever published. Sandor Ellix Katz presents the concepts and processes behind fermentation in ways that are simple enough to guide listeners through their first experience making sauerkraut, and in-depth enough to provide greater understanding for experienced practitioners. While Katz contextualizes fermentation in terms of biological and cultural evolution, nutrition, and even economics, this is primarily a compendium of practical information.
Growing on just one and a half acres, owners Jean-Martin and Maude-Helène feed more than 200 families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands and supply their signature mesclun salad mix to dozens of local establishments. The secret of their success is the low-tech, high-yield production methods they've developed by focusing on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process.
The Market Gardener is a compendium of proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. This complete guide is packed with practical information on:
Inspired by the French intensive tradition of maraichage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin shows by example how to start a market garden and make it both very productive and profitable. Making a living wage farming without big capital outlay or acreages may be closer than you think.
Jean-Martin Fortier is a passionate advocate of strong local food systems and founder of Les Jardins de la Grelinette, an internationally recognized model for successful bio-intensive micro-farming.
Awesome book for any gardener! Definitely will change the way my family gardens after listening to this book. Very helpful to have the printed version as well. I will be going back to this book for years to come!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I have listened to this book multiple times and have heard something new and useful each time.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
A lot of other reviewers said that this book would be great even if you are not a market gardener. Although there are some definitely meaningful things to learn in the book (I think the best part is actually the appendix) it is not really as applicable to the home Gardener as some other people have stated. I have a very large home Garden where I'm trying to grow virtually all of my produce for my family for the entire year. For this reason, I thought that many things in the book would be applicable for me. I realize after reading it that there's way too many things that are not practical or useful for a home gardener. That being said I still enjoyed the book and learned quite a bit.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
so much detail and great tips for anyone who's never farmed at that scale and with such limitations.
I loved the book, but the narrator reads words in a certain way which was a bit annoying along with pronouncing the name of Jean-Martin's farm incorrectly! Les Jardin is not pronounced Le Hardin!
I wish the author read it, because he actually has a nice voice.
seriously if you only read to books to start your market garden this has to be one of them!!!!!!
could be better like he says. the how to instruction for nearly every situation is priceless.
I really enjoyed the details of such a market garden. if I learned nothing else it is that row covers are not optional! I have no harvest because of stink bugs/squash bugs. They kill everything and I am not willing to use any posion. Great solution..
I really loved the science shared on each faze of development. where the venture started how it's progressd and the step by step layout of how a novice Gardener can make a living farming with continued education and a little hard work. I've been studying this subject off an on for years, this book gave me some great information and ideas for my own operation.
My only criticism was it's a little bit like a text book. I think if it we're written a little more like a story of success and narrated by the right voice, it would inspire millions of people.
I completely agree with the part in the beginning about the need for the return of the small family farm operation and how it really is possible. In the last year I've started a small home grown beef operation and before long it will be my lively hood.
For the reader. If your interested in starting any small farm/garden operation and need solid information on how to, you found it. this book is a great guide.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Where does The Market Gardener rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is an amazing book - a must read for anyone interested in organic farming. However, the butchering of the French words and place names was a real distraction from the content.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Diego Footer?
The narration really detracted from my enjoyment of this book. The author is French-Canadian. I would have appreciated the narrator being cast with that in mind. Someone who has a working knowledge of french pronunciation would have better suited to this task.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful
You lost me at factory farm blood meal, bone meal, feather meal and chicken manure pellets. No way is that organic fertilizer. I would like to test this soil for antibiotics.
Second, lost me with the customer will pay a ton of money for this pretend organic food.
I really can't stand the fact that people are copying this model. people pay money for food they believe is healthy. This farm uses any and all practices to make money, pesticides, fungicides, antibiotic tainted manure, it's all about the money. This type of permaculture is just another type of factory farm.
Become rich on a half an acre. Only until the customers find out how you do it.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful
Really great. Quite long and drawn out but detailed and helpful knowledge, giving you the overview. probably the most successful in the biz.