This springy weather has me itching to get into the dirt. I have six more weeks to wait and then, Michigan, here I come! Instead of playing in the dirt I'm mostly just reading about it these days.
I just purchased a whole bunch of new books in the past few weeks. I've read three of them so far.
This Life Is In Your Hands by Melissa Coleman was fantastic. I was thoroughly captured by her story. She writes a beautiful and tragic memoir about her life as a child living as "back to the land folks" with her parents Susan and Eliot Coleman. Many of you have probably heard of Eliot Coleman as he is the author of The Winter Harvest Handbook, The Four Season Harvest and The New Organic Grower. This Life is In Your Hands had me smiling and imagining as I did as a child. It is also devastatingly sad. I was crying pretty hard Sunday morning, he he. I strongly encourage you to read it.
All The Dirt: Reflections on Organic Farming by Rachel Fisher, Heather Stretch and Robin Tunnicliffe was also really good. Each author gives an account of their journey into small scale farming. It's light, fun and easy to read. I gathered lots of useful tidbits from it so if you plan to farm, it's worth giving a read.
The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook by Richard Wiswall is great. I have always been mystified by the record keeping side of farming. He gives plenty of examples, charts, spreadsheets and instructions plus the books comes with a disk that includes all the spreadsheets in excel format. I have a much better understanding of the business end of farming now, yay!
I just started All Flesh Is Grass by Gene Logsdon. I love Genes books and this one is great as usual. If you raise or plan to raise animals on pasture, pick it up!
Next on deck are Crop Planning For Organic Vegetable Growers, Botany For Gardeners 3rd Ed, The Hoophouse Handbook, Market Farming Success, The Apple Grower, Specialty Cut Flowers, Living With Goats, and so many more. It's a never ending list of goodness. You can find them all on Amazon.
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