Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

Book Description

Bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver returns with her first nonfiction narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

"As the U.S. population made an unprecedented mad dash for the Sun Belt, one carload of us paddled against the tide, heading for the Promised Land where water falls from the sky and green stuff grows all around. We were about to begin the adventure of realigning our lives with our food chain.

"Naturally, our first stop was to buy junk food and fossil fuel. . . ."

Hang on for the ride: With characteristic poetry and pluck, Barbara Kingsolver and her family sweep readers along on their journey away from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in which they vow to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Their good-humored search yields surprising discoveries about turkey sex life and overly zealous zucchini plants, en route to a food culture that's better for the neighborhood and also better on the table. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.

"This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew . . . and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced from the same place where we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air."

Customer Reviews:

Completely Satisfied.......2007-10-12

My book arrived promptly and was in perfect condition. I would buy from this seller again.

Enjoyable, with Reservations.......2007-10-10

I was attracted to this book as a kindred spirit (of sorts) to the author. I have been growing much of my own food (plant-based, anyway) as I could for many years. I prefer to eat seasonal foods, and buy locally produced items whenever available.

So I was a little disappointed when I first began reading, as much of the first chapter or two is taken up by the author's berating us all for our ignorance and our eating habits, as well as a lot of good, but unfortunately not new to me, information on our food supply.

Thankfully though, I hung in there, and found it to be an enjoyable read overall. I was looking forward to hear someone else's experiences in the garden and the kitchen, and that I did get.
I found myself skipping some parts, the description of the poultry slaughtering for example.
The book also includes sidebars written by her husband, which were mainly summaries of reports one may have already read elsewhere; and essays written by her daughter, Camille. I didn't find these entries of interest, and so skipped them as well.

If you enjoy reading about food and or gardening, or you have been having second thoughts about your grocery habits lately, then I recommend this book.

Can I please live with the Kingsolver Family?.......2007-10-09

Barbara Kingsolver is my hero. Her life on the farm sounds perfect, and I want her to open a B&B so I can experience her cooking, gardening, and philosophy of life. And while I don't have enough land or expertise to sustain myself and my family -- I do appreciate the information in this book and have used what I can to eat more local foods. The recipes, links, and resources make the book worthwhile. But the book is also an entertaining read. I read it slowly to savor the deep commitment that Barbara and her family put into even the most simple eating pleasures. Thank you for this book, Barbara. It is a treasure. Eleanor Taylor, co-author of Feeding the Kids: The Flexbile, No-Battles, Healthy Eating System for the Whole Family. Feeding the Kids: The Flexible, No-Battles, Healthy Eating System for the Whole Family (Fork and Spoon Field Guides)

Thinking about your food.......2007-10-05

Ms Kingsolver writes smoothly and with passion about organic farming. Sidebars from her college age daughter cover practical personal concerns, complete with recipes to enjoy the seasonal bounty of the land; while ones from her husband give the political overview of how farming policies affect us all on a world level. All in my book group enjoyed the book as a whole. It was obviously edited tightly to be easy and fast to read while still introducing ideas that would be unusual to most people in North America. As one with a extensive backyard fruit and vegetable garden in California, I would have enjoyed more detailed planning information on how she decided what and how much to plant, why she did not try to raise more and different animals for food, (e.g., rabbits, sheep, or even guinea pigs)and what she could have done with a greenhouse and solar or wind power.

Powerful Read.......2007-10-04

I think this is an important book about our society, economy and values. While it can be a bit preachy at times, Barbara's humor is wonderfully dry. I highly recommend.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating Read
Too much information
Just buy this book.................
We are the world
human psychology in the garden

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
Michael Pollan
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0375760393
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Working in his garden one day, Michael Pollan hit pay dirt in the form of an idea: do plants, he wondered, use humans as much as we use them? While the question is not entirely original, the way Pollan examines this complex coevolution by looking at the natural world from the perspective of plants is unique. The result is a fascinating and engaging look at the true nature of domestication.

In making his point, Pollan focuses on the relationship between humans and four specific plants: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. He uses the history of John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) to illustrate how both the apple's sweetness and its role in the production of alcoholic cider made it appealing to settlers moving west, thus greatly expanding the plant's range. He also explains how human manipulation of the plant has weakened it, so that "modern apples require more pesticide than any other food crop." The tulipomania of 17th-century Holland is a backdrop for his examination of the role the tulip's beauty played in wildly influencing human behavior to both the benefit and detriment of the plant (the markings that made the tulip so attractive to the Dutch were actually caused by a virus). His excellent discussion of the potato combines a history of the plant with a prime example of how biotechnology is changing our relationship to nature. As part of his research, Pollan visited the Monsanto company headquarters and planted some of their NewLeaf brand potatoes in his garden--seeds that had been genetically engineered to produce their own insecticide. Though they worked as advertised, he made some startling discoveries, primarily that the NewLeaf plants themselves are registered as a pesticide by the EPA and that federal law prohibits anyone from reaping more than one crop per seed packet. And in a interesting aside, he explains how a global desire for consistently perfect French fries contributes to both damaging monoculture and the genetic engineering necessary to support it.

Pollan has read widely on the subject and elegantly combines literary, historical, philosophical, and scientific references with engaging anecdotes, giving readers much to ponder while weeding their gardens. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom?

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Read.......2007-10-07

The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan challenges the notion that mankind can control the natural world, subjugating plants to the will of the gardener. Through a discussion of four plants closely associated with human cultivation: apple, tulip, marijuana, and potato, Pollan demonstrates that organisms which possess traits desirable to the gardener have been able manipulate humans to cultivate them. Each plant has a different strategy for assuring that humans will continue to include it in their gardens. The apple, for example, is an extremely diverse species whose seeds contain millions of possible variations of both the fruit produced and the tree itself. Whether one is looking to make hard cider or munch on a crisp green fruit, the apple tree has the genetic code to produce the fruit humans look for.
In The Botany of Desire, Pollan focuses on the four plants mentioned above, placing each plant in a category, and explains how plants within that category possess characteristics which make them desirable to humans. The apple and other fruits appeal to our sense of taste, and, if fermented, our desire for inebriation. The tulip appeals to mankind's sense of beauty; marijuana, our desire to achieve an altered state of mind; the potato our need for nourishment and desire to genetically engineer crops. In short, each of these plants is successful in an evolutionary sense because it causes us to cultivate it.
Although Pollan's book is an intriguing read, I found it unsettling that he often rattles off facts and figures without citing a direct source, such as the assertion on page 219: "a potato farmer in Idaho spends roughly $1,950 an acre (mainly on chemicals, electricity and water)." Pollan does include a few pages of sources in the back of his book, but he could make a stronger argument that would stand up to academic scrutiny with the addition of endnotes.
In addition to a vast amount of research and traveling prior to writing this book, Pollan makes The Botany of Desire a quality literary work by using recurring themes to tie the four parts of the book together. Through returning to his garden at many points over the course of the book, Pollan is able to tie all four of his subjects into a common space. Approaching the reader as a fellow gardener gives him or her a sense of connection to Pollan and his garden. By the end of the book, I felt as though I knew Michael Pollan and his garden intimately. Another example of this continuity is Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. Dionysus appears in both chapters one and three, were Pollan relates him to cider, Johnny Appleseed, and mind-altering substances.
Overall, Pollan's clear style and journalistic narrative flows easily and keeps the reader entertained throughout the book. He makes effective use of descriptive details and personal experiences to relate to the reader as he argues his theme of plants manipulating humans to include them in their gardens. The Botany of Desire is a must read for anyone interested in how plants we encounter on a daily basis cause us to cultivate them around the globe.

Too much information.......2007-09-16

Started out liking the chapter on Apples, less the next and so on. It seemed like I was getting the same story in each chapter only more elaborate and wordy.

Just buy this book........................2007-09-05

I am not a botanist.Yet. But the study of evolution is quite an exciting journey, made more exciting by the mind melting,eloquent ideas posed by Mr. Pollan. Bought the audio book version, and I can't stop listining to it. From the story of Johnyy Appleseed, to Holland in search of the history of Tulips, the Amazing Marijuana Plant, and the control of the Potato. Seemed random to me. Not any more. Incredible book.

We are the world.......2007-08-31

Pollan's book is a vivid reminder of how intricately human society is woven into the ecological framework of the planet and in particular that of plants. His descriptions of how our societies have affected and been affected by just four plants opens up a series of thought-provoking questions to mull over the next time you find yourself in a garden, at the dinner table, or taking a walk outdoors. It's written with sensitivity towards those he disagrees with, and this gentle touch makes the story he's relating much more effective at prompting you as reader to engage. The weakest part of the book is the chapter on Tulips, but that is hard to criticize since the chapters on apples, marijuana and potatoes are so good.

Read this Book!

human psychology in the garden.......2007-08-02

Human psychology from the plant's perspective? Yep. That's precisely the topic of this book. When our ancestors began breeding plants to serve our desires they inevitably laid those desires bare in the phenotypes in their gardens. Pollan is impressively aware of many current themes in evolutionary biology (e.g., the function of sexual reproduction), and admirably willing to tell a story with the patience and breadth it deserves (hence four 100-page chapters instead of the usual one hundred, A.D.D. 4-page chapters). This book is not for everyone, but if you have intellectual curiosity about why some plants have come to dominate our world, this book will give you many answers and even more tools. There's nothing better I can say about a book.

How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine: A Primer on the Life-Giving Biodynamic/French Intensiv

Average customer rating:

A good book with surplus pages
It's not easy, but it's brilliant and could save the world
Are you into numbers?
This is a great book
California Vegetarians

How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine: A Primer on the Life-Giving Biodynamic/French Intensiv
John Jeavons
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0898154154

Book Description

A classic in the field of sustainable gardening, HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES shows how to produce a beautiful organic garden with minimal watering and care, whether it's just a few tomatoes in a tiny backyard or enough food to feed a family of four on less than half an acre. Updated with the latest biointensive tips and techniques, this is an essential reference for gardeners of all skill levels seeking to grow some or all of their own food.

Customer Reviews:

A good book with surplus pages.......2007-08-16

This is a definitive guide to the Bio- Intensive method of growing vegetables. It is well written, and you can see that a lot of time and effort are behind the concepts presented here.
Two things bother me; There`s an almost 100- page bibliography included in the book!? Couldn`t it have been put up on a website or something, instead of just making the book (look) bigger and thicker? The second issue is that I find it always a bit irritating when a lot of equipment or systems get mentioned in a book, but to get their specifics or plans you must buy another book. Maybe the plans for the U- bar or for the mini- greenhouse could have fitted on those bibliography pages?
Anyways, the four stars is for the part where the actual system gets described.

It's not easy, but it's brilliant and could save the world.......2007-05-22

I am impressed at how many people misunderstand the purpose of this book. It's not just a gardening book. It lays out a comprehensive guide to growing the most food you can on the least amount of land in the most sustainable way -- meaning the way that is, on an ongoing basis into perpetuity, most healthy both for your family, your land, and the wider world. All those things are connected, and maintaining the connection is part of what the book and authors are all about.

The title means what it says, and they tell you exactly how to do it, basing their recommendations on the work of the organization that publishes the book, Ecology Action. They have been growing experimental gardens and conducting detailed research over the past 35 years. In succeeding editions of "How to Grow More Vegetables" they summarize their continuing research for those interested in personally benefiting from their methods and discoveries.

Some may object to the excruciatingly detailed charts and plans. Some of us find them a godsend. Regardless of what we think of them, they are the outgrowth of years of research and are intended to help, not just backyard gardeners in the US, but people in Kenya, India, Russia, Mexico, and other places around the world, whose lives and livelihoods, not to mention the health of their environment, may depend on maximizing their yields while minimizing their purchased inputs and water usage.

The central fact underlying this method is this: the only way to achieve the highest sustainable yields is to build and feed your soil, and the only way to build your soil without taking away fertility from someone else's soil (through purchased inputs such as compost, fertilizer, etc.) is to make and use your own compost. This book explains why, and shows you how. It works.

Though we are still shielded from it in the US, the world is facing a potentially devastating loss of agricultural fertility due to a combination of squandered topsoil (lost through both development and abuse by chemicals and poor tillage practices), water shortages, and soaring prices and reduced availability of fossil fuels (which power the farm equipment, get it to market, and form the basis of most chemical fertilizers). Years ago, Ecology Action set out to discover in a rational and scientific way, just how much land and labor it would take to grow the amount of food, properly balanced for calories and nutrition, required by one person for one year. Could a family of four truly feed itself from a 1200 square foot garden if it had to, or wanted to? How much work and water would it take? How much fertilizer would they have to buy? Could they grow their own fertilizer? What tools would they need? What about fiber for clothing? Building materials? Animal feed?

The "How to Grow More Vegetables" books answer those questions, and much, much more. As the years go by, (and with each succeeding food contamination scandal) more of us, even in the US, are realizing just how important those questions are. You may not need or want all the information in this book. But it is all there, and nowhere else that I am aware of, for those who do want it.

This book could save the world, if only the world would pay attention. But it will also show you how to grow fabulous, tasty vegetables with less water, less work, less weeding, less money.

Are you into numbers?.......2007-05-12

I like John Jeavons and his book is very useful. However, I'm not into calculating and figuring every square inch in the garden with tables/charts. I enjoy growing for the freedom of spirit it provides. This book although very useful, feels very constrictive. Not to mention EVERY page has at least 5 mentions of "Grow Biointensive". I felt like a was reading a long drawn out advertisement. Enough John, say it in the intro and then leave us alone to enjoy the book. If we weren't interested in your method we wouldn't be reading your book.

This is a great book.......2007-05-04

I had an earlier edition of this book that I used as an introduction to high intensity gardening. I love the book because gives technical information on such things as soil pH, soil preparation, plant spacing, and crop yields. It probably is not a book for people that do not enjoy the technical aspects of gardening; those wanting only a quick fix approach. I have ordered the 7th edition.

California Vegetarians .......2007-03-05

I have gardened organically for over 30 years, and always love to read good gardening books hoping to learn more. Unfortunately this book is so very focused on being totally vegetarian that they do not even recommend animal manures to be used in compost. I feel that they have totally ignored the natural cycles of birth - death - decomposition - and rebirth. A quote that says it all is, "Everything that eats is in turn eaten". That includes plants that feed on the remains of other plants, insects, or algae and bacteria. The author overlooks the fact that there are no total vegetarians in nature. Even grazers, gorillas, and great whales ingest insects or micro-fauna along with their grass, leaves, and plankton.

The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It

Average customer rating:

Learn to live without fossil fuel
A well organized and complete guide
A Fun Coffee-Table Book
Extremely informative - Great reference
Great Information

The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It
John Seymour
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789493322

Book Description

The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the only book that teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more. This new edition includes 150 new full color illustrations and a special section in which John Seymour the father of the back to basics movement explains the philosophy of self-sufficiency and its power to transform lives and create communities. More relevant than ever in our high-tech world, The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the ultimate practical guide for realists and dreamers alike.

Customer Reviews:

Learn to live without fossil fuel.......2007-09-08

Great book for learning the basics of farm life. If you are getting started into the subject of sustainable living this is the perfect reference guide for you. You may require a companion book for plants more native to your climate (this book's perspective is in the UK). Insightful pictures and well written commentary make this book excel.

A well organized and complete guide.......2007-08-02

I was surprised to discover it is written sort of like a textbook. The more I look through it the more I like it. It's very practical and informative.

A Fun Coffee-Table Book.......2007-03-04

This book is great for just flipping through, day-dreaming about owning your own farm some day. Even for the current non-farmer, this book provides some practical tips on things almost anyone can do to be more self-sufficient. This book would be especially great for those who are intensive gardeners. But mostly this book provides ideas about certain aspects of self-sufficiency that the reader can then take and mold to their particular situation.

I'd like to address one point that some other reviewers have made in criticism of this book, namely that Seymour doesn't go into enough detail. Well, this is a coffee-table book that covers a fairly wide range of material. As such it can't (and shouldn't) go into deep detail. What Seymour does is get your imagination going. If you want to seriously implement some of Seymour's ideas you'll need to supplement this book with others that deal with the particular topic you're working on. To criticize Seymour for not going into detail on things is, I think, unfair.

This book would make a great gift for anyone who is interested in the self-sufficient lifestyle. I love flipping through the book whenever I feel like daydreaming about the fun work I hope to do some day on my own farm.

Extremely informative - Great reference.......2007-02-02

This book is an absolute necessity if you are going to be taking the plunge into self-sufficiency. It offers encouragement and guidance. It is realistic and full of traditional methods. It is a very handsome book, with lots of graphics and well written verse.

Simply cannot beat the price either. Simple, affordable, functional, and elegant - what self-sufficiency is all about.

Great Information.......2007-01-19

This book has a lot of information about self-sufficiency. It is great of anyone who is interested in becoming self-sufficient.

Average customer rating:

Good Stories, but Too Disconnected
Inspiring Seedfolks
A Garden of Love
A Book for Building Community
Good reading for children

Seedfolks (Joanna Colter Books)
Paul Fleischman
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0064472078
Release Date: 2004-12-14

Amazon.com

Sometimes, even in the middle of ugliness and neglect, a little bit of beauty will bloom. Award-winning writer Paul Fleischman dazzles us with this truth in Seedfolks--a slim novel that bursts with hope. Wasting not a single word, Fleischman unfolds a story of a blighted neighborhood transformed when a young girl plants a few lima beans in an abandoned lot. Slowly, one by one, neighbors are touched and stirred to action as they see tendrils poke through the dirt. Hispanics, Haitians, Koreans, young, and old begin to turn the littered lot into a garden for the whole community. A gift for hearts of all ages, this gentle, timeless story will delight anyone in need of a sprig of inspiration.

Book Description

A vacant lot, rat-infested and filled with garbage, looked like no place for a garden. Especially to a neighborhood of strangers where no one seems to care. Until one day, a young girl clears a small space and digs into the hard-packed soil to plant her precious bean seeds. Suddenly, the soil holds promise: To Curtis, who believes he can win back Lateesha's heart with a harvest of tomatoes; to Virgil's dad, who sees a fortune to be made from growing lettuce; and even to Maricela, sixteen and pregnant, wishing she were dead.

Thirteen very different voices -- old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful -- tell one amazing story about a garden that transforms a neighborhood.

Chosen as a state and citywide read in communities across the country:
Vermont
Racine, WI
Tampa, FL
Newburgh, NY
Boca Raton, FL

Customer Reviews:

Good Stories, but Too Disconnected.......2007-05-31

It all started with one little girl. Kim's father died before she was even born, and she is afraid that he might not know her as he looks down from heaven. So she decides to do something to make him recognize her and to make him proud. He was a farmer back in Vietnam, so she takes a handful of bean seeds to a trash-covered vacant lot near her inner-city apartment and plants them. When he looks down and sees them, he will know she is his daughter.

Someone looks down from a window and is intrigued by this girl who keeps visiting the vacant lot in secret. Upon investigation she sees what is going on and decides to clear a little patch of land for a tiny garden of her own. Others observe and like the idea, and soon the vacant lot is covered with a patchwork of gardens from all sorts of people living nearby. Someone is able to bully the city into moving the trash off of this land. People who usually avoid eye contact at all cost are suddenly meeting neighbors and relating to one another. Through this garden project, a neighborhood of strangers becomes a real community.

I liked the characters in this story. They were all very vivid and their stories were well thought out. I also liked being able to see the different perspectives on this garden, and the different reasons people decided to plant things here.

I didn't like that each person's story was just dropped after it was told. I wanted the author to go back and write what the people were thinking. What did Kim think when her garden idea caught on? Was Sam able to stop the segregation he saw developing in the garden? I wanted some followup to each story.

Inspiring Seedfolks.......2007-04-25

Seedfolks is a book about a vacant city lot in Cleveland, Ohio that is abandoned until one day a Vietnamese girl decides to plant some beans as a way to become connected to her father who died before she was born. It tells the story of 13 different people who come together by this garden. They are all different ages and have different ethnic backgrounds and jobs. Somehow this garden brings them all together and means something different to each of them. The individual stories are interesting and touching.

My favorite part of the book is Gonzolo's Tio Juan story. He came to the U.S. with Gonzolo's mother and brother. Because he didn't speak English and couldn't work he would wonder around all day long with nothing to do and had to be baby sat by Gonzolo who who referred to him as a baby. One day he went off on his own in the neighborhood and came across the garden. The next day he went back and started working in the garden and planting seeds. Back in Guatemala he used to be a farmer and this gave him life again and he went from being a baby back to a man again.

I would recommend that you read Seedfolks. I think you will be touched by the 13 different people who are brought together through this community garden. In Reading Gonzolo's story it made me think about my Mom's parents who are immigrants from Portugal and how they too must of felt like Gonzolo's Tio Juan when they first arrived in the U.S., like they were babies and didn't know anything.

A Garden of Love.......2006-05-11

Seedfolks is a 69 page book, an easy read. Seedfolks is a book that shows that all different races, religions, cultures, and ages can come together to make something nice and beautiful and have meaning. They took a dump-like place and made it into something beautiful.
Some things I liked about this book were, that you can see how the author makes it so everyone of different backgrounds and stuff come together and do something together as one whole. Another thing that I liked about the book was that the author demonstrates how you can except people for who they are. In this story it seems like everyone is the equal and stuff like that. Like for example there was thing young girl who was pregnant and when this book was written it was like a big deal if you were pregnant at an early age but when she went to the garden no one judged her or anything like that. Another good thing about the book is that there is like no anger or anything bad in it, it seems like when everyone goes to the garden all there problems go away and most people go there to relax and just have fun.
Some things I didn't like about the book were that you cant really get to know one character because the character only has like 3 or 4 pages and there is 13 characters in the book so there really isn't one main character. Also in this book there was no plot, climax and there wasn't that big of a problem I mean there was a little one but it really didn't have a lot to do with what was going on in the book. Another bad thing about the book is it wasn't very interesting I'm the type of person who likes to read a book that you cant put down that you get really into but with this book I didn't feel that way. Overall I think Seedfolks was a decent book.

A Book for Building Community.......2006-04-25

This small book (69 pages) contains thirteen vignettes, each written from the point of view of a different person. Although the people begin as strangers from various ethnic backgrounds, they become acquainted as each cultivates a part of a vacant lot. As the lot becomes a place of beauty, individual lives are transformed as well -- and a community is created.

_Seedfolks_ is an excellent tool for building community among people with diverse backgrounds -- perhaps especially among educators, parents, and students.

Good reading for children.......2006-04-25

This is a good book for children who does not understand the meaning of working together. Also, this book was structured very intelligently; so that any reader can follow the same story but from other people point of views. In addition; the way the author painted colorful pictures of the city was very unique.

American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants

Average customer rating:

American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants
Christopher Brickell
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0789419432

Amazon.com

Collecting contributions from 100 distinguished horticulturists, the handsome and lavishly illustrated American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants is a truly definitive gardening reference. With its 1,092 tiny-print pages, this may not be the book to tuck into your pocket as you weed and mulch, but what this encyclopedia lacks in portability, it certainly makes up for in scope. Hardy and tender plants, heirloom varieties and the latest hybrids--they're all accounted for here, with growing tips and background information about native habitats and ornamental features. You'll also find a fascinating section about botany, as well as information about basic gardening techniques such as mulching, staking, pruning, propagating, and protecting plants for winter. But the encyclopedia's main attraction is the individual plant entries--more than 15,000 of them, embellished with 6,000 full-color photographs and illustrations. From the visual glossary of leaves to the map of growing regions, The American Horticultural Society A-Z of Garden Plants provides an unsurpassed wealth of botanical information, making it the yardstick by which all other gardening references must be measured.

Book Description

More than 15,000 plants in 6,000 photographs and illustrations.

Book Description

Revised with the most up-to-date chemical and nonchemical solutions for plant problems encountered throughout North America.

References to banned chemicals such as Dursban and Diazinon have been eliminated.

Colorful, detailed photos and brief analysis help gardeners diagnose each problem.

Problem, analysis, and solution descriptions allow gardeners to quickly identify methods and products to treat their plants, lawn, or garden.

Thumbnail maps show North American locations where problems are likely to occur.

Detailed chemical and non-chemical solutions.

Customer Reviews:

Problem Solver.......2007-07-30

The Ortho Problem Solver, Sixth Edition (Ortho Problem Solver)
The most-used gardening manual I own. Sure, they are going to promote their products, but the general information and the pictures are first rate.

Best Gardening problem solver you will every get........2006-07-19

From amateur to pro, this text of gardening problems, from the most delicate plant and flowers to the most complicated forms of trees and shrubs, this book covers all. Also as a hardbound, it is an excellent additon to any library.
I have yet to find a better book for all around use for pros and amateurs.
joerx

Great reference book.......2005-08-02

I have a chemical lawn/tree & shrub business, and I use it. The only negative I can see is that the Home Gardener's Problem Solver covers most of this book for $30. That said, I gave my techs the home gardener's version and kept this one for myself.

Comprehensive except for lack of Organic control methods.......2002-08-14

"The Ortho Problem Solver" is a wonderful reference book on pests, fungus', etc and controlling them with inorganic methods. Of course, Ortho is not known for organic pest control, but I still feel that maybe they should include this information considering that many that wish to control certain pests also live in wildlife areas--such as areas where there are birds, or are environmentalists or oriented towards this area when it comes to certain issues such as vegetables and fruit.

Environmentally correct methods do often work. Some will do nothing about pests no matter what because they fear any interruption in the wildlife.

I purchased the book because of the information it has in a variety of other areas--soil PH, lists of pests/fungus/other and photos of the damage they do, and overall general information. It is a very interesting and comprehensive reference book. It has a good layout with several sections.

This book is the "missing link" to solving garden problems........2001-07-26

Having just completed training in the Master Gardener program in our state, I found that I still needed a better visual reference to correctly identify garden problems. Recently, while shopping for a pesticide, I was able to pinpoint my exact problem because the store had prominently displayed a copy of "The Ortho Problem Solver" by Michael D. Smith! Its brilliant photographs and easy to understand narratives were surpassed only by its explicit and wonderfully cross-referenced index feature. I was unable to tear myself away - and kept calling my husband over to help me remember photos for later diagnosis at home.

Book Description

This is the book for anyone who wants to become more self-reliant, from suburbanites with 1/4 of an acre to country homesteaders with several. The information is easily understood and readily applicable.

More than 150 of Storey's expert authors in gardening, building, animal raising, and homesteading share their specialized knowledge and experience in this ultimate guide to living a more independent, satisfying life.

Readers will find step-by-step, illustrated instructions for every aspect of country living including:

Finding country land

Buying, building, and renovating a home

Developing water sources and systems

Understanding wiring, plumbing, and heating

Using alternative heating and energy sources

Vegetable, flower, and herb gardening

Traditional cooking skills such as baking bread and making maple syrup

Preparing and preserving meat, fruits, and vegetables

Building and maintaining barns, sheds, and outbuildings

Caring for common farm and ranch animals, and pets

Customer Reviews:

Dissapointing lack of detail.......2007-08-08

I bought this book because of the high review rating, and for the first time was very let down by a highly rated book. I already have a whole bookshelf of books dedicated to small farming/homesteading/sustainable living and thought this would be a comprehensive addition. Unfortunately, this would be an excellent book for someone who has grown up in the city, never been to a working ranch/homestead, and has absolutely no knowledge of the subject. If you already have such knowledge and/or experience you will find this book woefully deviod of useful information. It has a WIDE range of topics (most of which I was not interested in, such as how to install hardwood floor and how to build a treehouse) and each topic is only touched on in the most superficial way. For example, the chapter on treehouses only shows you how to build one kind, assuming that's the only kind you would want to build, and the whole chapter is 4 pages. I suppose the best use for this book would be for a novice to purchase in order to BEGIN a library on the subject, and then use this book to decide what topics to invest in more books on so as to get better information and more detail. If you are looking for real information on specifics such as how to keep a healthy and productive meat flock of chickens, or detailed food preservation techniques, find a specific book on the subject.

A SUPER BOOK!.......2007-06-09

Book is full of great information and advice for the farmer, rancher, homesteader, backyard adventurer and camper. The only thing I did not like about it was that it is a paperback and is so big. While I will continue to refer to it, I will have to be careful. The book is not hardy for the homesteading home, farm or ranch. I would gladly pay more for this book if it was hard bound and had more durable pages. It should be broken up into several books. Other than that, it is a fabulous book and has everything you need to know.

everything you need to know in one book.......2007-05-21

I bought this book after reading Gregg Perry's review of the book (read review below mine). I have to say he was right on the money. This book has way more in it than I thought it would. How to raise goats, chickens/chicken problems, ducks, geese, how to buy the right land, home maintanence, septic systems, composting, how to store grains, and how to farm to to cover the tip of the ice berg. I own a lot of other Storey books, and this book takes a lot of the information from those books and just gets down to the nuts and bolts. My review simply can't help but fall short of just was useful, and how much information is in this book. This is one of the best book purchases I have ever made, and this is coming from a guy who owns multiple books on these subjects. Had I found this book first I could have saved myself a lot of time and money. Do yourself a favor buy this book you won't regret it.

Storey's Basic Country Skills.......2007-05-18

I bought this book in conjunction with Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living. I highly recommend both of them. What one doesn't cover, the other one does. Storey's probably goes into more detail than the average homesteader needs. Also, I was raised on a farm in NC by my grandparents, and some of the ways they suggest doing things seems more complicated and unnecessary (such as the procedure for killing a chicken for meat), but if you've never been exposed to some of this stuff, the advice is invaluable. Also, the info in the back of the book is great. It lists websites and magazines that cater to country living.
This book was well worth the money spent and I would recommend it to everyone!

excellent seller and product.......2007-02-13

Item as described and received in a timely manner... an excellent buying experience!

Average customer rating:

very helpful
fantastic beginner book
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Weeds.....
Identifying Weeds
Northeast Weed Bible

Weeds of the Northeast (Comstock Books)
Richard H. Uva , Joseph C. Neal , and Joseph M. Ditomaso
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801483344

Customer Reviews:

very helpful.......2007-07-16

As a Master Gardener it is very helpful in identifying weeds. So many times I know the weed as one thing and someone else calls it something else.

fantastic beginner book.......2007-05-14

This is a fantastic book for the beginner botanist and gardener. Though it doesn't mention every weedy plant you may run into (and if it did, the book would likely be two inches thick), it does include most weeds that you will run into. What I really love about this book is that for each species mentioned, there are usually two or three accompanying photos, making a quick ID unusually easy. Like most identification guides, this book works best when accompanied by a more comprehensive guide for those species that a quick reference guide can't provide.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Weeds............2007-03-23

This is the BEST book on the subject......and coming from the experts at Cornell, it is to be expected. Fine photography, making identification a breeze. A great addition to the home library!

Identifying Weeds.......2007-03-13

Nice book and I think it will be very helpful this summer to understand which plants are weeds and how to deal with them. Book was recommended by a plant expert as a very helpful tool.

Northeast Weed Bible.......2006-09-13

This book is absolutely the best on weeds of the Northeast. This is a must for the library of every gardener or landscaper. It is easily readable, yet has the depth for those who need greater information about the subject. Easily, the most practical format, and it has a detailed index for cross referencing between the common and taxonomic. It also includes a chart on grasses.

Modern Roses XI: The World Encyclopedia of Roses

Average customer rating:

Dry as Sawdust & a Paucity of Photos
Book needs more pics; CD needs better search capabilities
The ultimate reference work on roses
Review of Modern Roses XI and CD-Rom

Modern Roses XI: The World Encyclopedia of Roses

Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0121550532

Book Description

This work, published previously by the American Rose Society (ARS), represents a listing of all officially registered rose cultivars globally. It will supersede the previous edition, Modern Roses X, published in 1993. Modern Roses XI contains descriptions for more than 25,000 roses. The book features 28 color plates and includes a CD-ROM of the entire work which makes searching easy.

Key Features
* Updates the only official registry of all rose cultivars around the workd
* Describes over 25,000 roses
* Includes a comprehensive list of roses with historical and botanical importance, including all modern international rose registrations
* Features "Old Garden Roses at Sangerhausen" together with an article on this unique rose repository
* Includes unregistered roses commonly used in commerce
* Incorporates a report on classification of roses and a report on the registration process of roses

Customer Reviews:

Dry as Sawdust & a Paucity of Photos.......2006-09-01

This 638-pages work, published previously by the American Rose Society (ARS), is THE nitty-gritty dig for serious rose growers, plant science researchers; those involved with academic and industrial settings, horticultural nurseries, botanical gardens, and informed amateur enthusiasts. There are descriptions for more than 25,000 roses along with a sparsely populated (28) group of token photographs. The current edition is list priced at $130.00 and includes a CD.

Book needs more pics; CD needs better search capabilities.......2002-07-03

I bought this book and CD in the hopes of being able to identify several rose plants that my husband had rescued from the city's bulldozers. It is not designed for an amateur like me who needs pictures and drawings. I am less interested in the parentage of roses than I am in what the terms "semi-double, reverse, exhibition form, cupped" mean. Some roses did not even have the color of the bloom listed. The CD is great if you know the name of the rose you wish to search for, but cumbersome if you do not. Yes, you can search based on characteristics of a rose, but it's not easy. For example, there are no drop-down menus for options on search criteria. A search for a red rose with a "strong" fragrance yielded no results; "intense" fragrance did. When the results are shown, there is no number count on how many roses fit the criteria, and when you select one rose from the results to view, you must re-perform the search to look at another one. It's extremely frustrating. There are pictures of roses on the CD, but the search result listing does not show you which ones have pictures and which do not. Help is limited to FAQ's (with only two questions listed) and an email address. There is no online method for updating the program so there is no hope of this version becoming any better. ...

The ultimate reference work on roses.......2001-09-05

If you love roses and if you want to know about the full range of rose varieties that you may encounter at your local nursery or in mail order catalogues, this volume is essential. The expense is justified in part by the CD-ROM, which gives you the ability to search the underlying database at will. I enjoyed the pictures (although they don't match other works like Botannica) as well as the articles on famous European rose gardens. In any work of this magnitude there are bound to be errors (e.g., Meilland's Michelangelo is yellow, not pink), but the overall accuracy is very impressive. If you are only dabbling in rose growing, this encyclopedic work is probably more than you need. But if you are crazy about roses, you will be crazy about this book.

Review of Modern Roses XI and CD-Rom.......2000-05-16

This edition of Modern Roses takes a giant step up from the last one! (MR10) By including *all* roses that could be reasonably well-documented, the usefulness of this reference has increased dramatically. In addition, the inclusion of a CD-ROM with great search capabilities is FANTASTIC.

Of course... as with any book of this nature... there are still a few errors in description, etc. However, this is very minor, compared to the volume of information contained.

Indispensable reference work for serious rose lovers.

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