Saturday, April 25, 2015

Exploring the Nature of... Four Fields.

In this book, Tim Dee tells the story of four green fields spread around the world: their grasses, their hedges, their birds, their skies, and both their natural and human histories. These four fields—walkable, mappable, man-made, mowable, knowable, but also secretive, mysterious, wild, contested, and changing—play central roles in the sweeping panorama of world history and in the lives of individuals.

In Dee’s telling, a field is never just a setting for great battles or natural disasters, though it is often this as well. A field is the oldest and simplest and truest measure of what a man needs in life, especially when looked at, contemplated, worked in, lived with, and written about.

by Tim Dee
Counterpoint, 2015
The Nature Pages
Nature Writing and Natural Histories
Book Notes Wild

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Farm and Garden Picks: The Illustrated Guide to Cows

Keeping cattle as a smallholder can be a rewarding enterprise, supplying you with food and milk and helping with the management of grassland on your property. This delightfully illustrated and informative book is ideal for anyone interested in keeping a cow or two, who would like to choose the best breed for their circumstances.

The Illustrated Guide to Cows by Celia Lewis covers the 58 most familiar breeds of cattle in Europe and North America.

How to Choose Them, How to Keep Them
by Celia Lewis
Bloomsbury USA, 2014

Animal Husbandry Books
Husbandry
Outrider Reading Group

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

A New Guide To... Artisanal Foods.

Artisanal foods are making a comeback as more and more people seek to stock their pantries, and their bellies, with handcrafted or locally grown and made foods. Specialty markets and sections at grocery stores are catering to this new desire for the special, the unique, the carefully made foods.

This book colorfully details the landscape of the newest wave of the artisanal food revolution by looking at four foods that whet our appetites for specialty.

Pickles, Cheese, Chocolate, Spirits, and the Return of Artisanal Foods
by Suzanne Cope
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014

Outrider Reading Group
Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Specialty Foods
Farm Kitchen


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Book Stall Review: The Five Seasons

This is a self-help guide to achieving an enlightened, enjoyable life by establishing balance with nature in your mind, body and spirit. Based on the idea that each season has its own unique natural energy, it offers holistic techniques for balancing your emotions, creativity, productivity, decision making and more.

The holistic and non-pharmaceutical techniques, are familiar: using music, meditation and breathing exercises, positive thinking, walking outside.

Tap Into Nature's Secrets for Health, Happiness, and Harmony
by Joseph Cardillo
New Page Books, 2013

continued in The Book Stall

Reviews Archive
Outrider Reading Group
How To Do It Books

Monday, December 15, 2014

Book Stall Review: Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry


Preserving the foods of summer to enjoy in winter saves a household money, especially during the cold months when the fresh pickings are slim and local produce almost impossible to find. There's also the advantage of knowing where your food came from and how it was prepared; and there's the satisfaction of doing it yourself, taking control of your food supply.

This book explains four types of preserving: water-bath canning, pressure canning, curing meats and making cheese. A separate chapter is devoted to each type of preservation and the instructions are organized seasonally, from spring to winter, and from the easiest to the most difficult. Dozens of canning, smoking, curing and cheesemaking recipes are complemented by "bonus recipes" that make use of what's been preserved.

Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving
by Cathy Barrow
W. W. Norton & Company, 2014

continued in The Book Stall

Reviews Archive
Cookbooks
Outrider Reading Group

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Good Old Books: Ski Touring


This timely panoramic introduction to the joys of ski touring enhances the overall winter recreation prospect for downhill skiers and beckons to the fireside winter "sportsman" to leave the nest and join the flock. All the dos and don'ts that can make a saunter on skis out into the winter wonderland an exhilarating and memorable experience are authoritatively and sometimes humorously set forth.

Chapter One sets the scene, and the ensuing chapters consecutively cover the essentials of the planning stage, paraphernalia, basic skiing techniques, safety and first aid, and the setting up of a winter camp if an overnight tour is planned.

An Introductory Guide
by William E. Osgood and Leslie J. Hurley
Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1969
Book List
Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Book Search

Monday, December 1, 2014

Book Stall Review: Wild Rice Goose.


A hundred years ago, the kitchens of the Upper Midwest swelled with fresh-caught fish and locally harvested game. The woods were thick with deer and cottontails, the lakes were rich in whitefish and other wildfoods.

Changes in culture and population altered  that scene, but today's Midwesterners have retained and revived their appreciation of venison and other wild game. Wildfoods are back in many eateries as well as home kitchens. Game farms and commercial fisheries are making these delicacies more accessible to appreciative palates.

A sportsman and forager as well as a writer, author John Motoviloff conducts wildfoods cooking workshops throughout the region. In this volume, he shares his knowledge of how to harvest and prepare the wildfoods of his homeland.

and Other Dishes of the Upper Midwest
by John G. Motoviloff
University of Wisconsin Press, 2014
continued in The Book Stall

Reviews Archive
Kitchen Supply
Cookbooks
Outrider Reading Group

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

A New Guide To... Preserving.


Food preserving expert Cathy Barrow presents a beautiful collection of essential preserving techniques for turning the fleeting abundance of the farmers’ market into a well-stocked pantry full of canned fruits and vegetables, jams, stocks, soups, and more.

Beyond the core techniques of water-bath canning, advanced techniques for pressure canning, salt-curing meats and fish, smoking, and even air-curing pancetta are broken down into easy-to-digest, confidence-building instructions.

Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry shows you how to create a fresh, delectable, and lasting pantry—a grocery store in your own home.

Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving
by Cathy Barrow
W. W. Norton & Company, 2014
Outrider Reading Group
Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Cookbooks
Farm Kitchen

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A New Guide To... Pickles, Cheese, Chocolate, Spirits.

Artisanal foods are making a comeback as more and more people seek to stock their pantries, and their bellies, with handcrafted or locally grown and made foods. Specialty markets and sections at grocery stores are catering to this new desire for the special, the unique, the carefully made foods.

Small Batch: Pickles, Cheese, Chocolate, Spirits and the Return of Artisanal Foods colorfully details the landscape of the newest wave of the artisanal food revolution by looking at four foods that whet our appetites for specialty..

Pickles, Cheese, Chocolate, Spirits, and the Return of Artisanal Foods
by Suzanne Cope
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014

Outrider Reading Group
Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Cookbooks

Monday, November 17, 2014

Book Stall Review: The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening.


The science of fruit ripening has advanced greatly in recent years, from investigations of single genes and enzymatic reactions to complex studies of the regulatory networks controlling the process. This volume covers these advances and presents them in context with general fruit biology.

Herein the molecular and biochemical basis for the ways colour, flavour and texture are effected in ripening fruit is explained.

The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening
by Graham B. Seymour, et al
Wiley-Blackwell, 2013

continued in The Book Stall

Reviews Archive
Outrider Reading Group
Science Writing

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Book Stall Review: Drink More Whiskey.

This guide to whiskey is for a new generation of drinkers venturing far beyond the staid whiskey sours and Manhattans of their grandfather's day.  It is a book for urbanite men and women eager to experiment, try new things, and play with their taste buds.  

"The 1970s and 1980s were marked by a surge of vodka consumption because people didn't want to taste their alcohol," claims author Daniel Yaffe. "Things are changing."

Today, the universe of flavored liquors - including vodkas and whiskeys - is exploding. The Big Bang of fine spirits is circling the globe and seeping into nightclubs, bars and private homes everywhere.

Everything You Need to Know About Your New Favorite Drink
by Daniel Yaffe
Chronicle Books, 2013

continued in The Book Stall
Reviews Archive
Good Spirits Online
Whiskey

Friday, November 14, 2014

Good Old Books: Christmas Make-It Book

Here is a new book about an old holiday, glowing with ideas for family fun and family savings.

Step-by-step illustrations and clear directions show how to make hundreds of unusual decorations, gifts, and ornaments.

You will delight your family, impress your friends, and enjoy Yuletide more than ever with this gay book to help. And the things you make with the Christmas Make-It Book will save its purchase price many times over!

by Barbara Baer
Hearthside Press, 1954

Book Search
Guidebooks and How-To Titles
Outrider Reading Group
Christmas Ornaments, Stockings and Decorations

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Farm and Garden Picks: Apples of Uncommon Character

While supermarkets limit their offerings to a few waxy options, apple trees with lives spanning human generations are producing characterful varieties—and now they are in the midst of a rediscovery. From heirlooms to new designer breeds, a delicious diversity of apples is out there for the eating.

With more than 150 art-quality color photographs, Apples of Uncommon Character shows us the fruit in all its glory.

Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders
by Rowan Jacobsen
Bloomsbury USA, 2014
Farm and Garden Books
Growth Spurts
Home Grown
Outrider Reading Group

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Book Stall Review: Canning, Pickling, and Freezing with Irma Harding

Created by farm equipment manufacturer International Harvester (IH) to peddle home appliances to rural women, Irma Harding was an iconic figure of the 1950s - much like Betty Crocker - who taught women how to can, pickle, and store foodstuffs in newly available freezers and refrigerators.

From their base in Evasnville, Illinois, a sales force of young educated women armed with pamphlets and recipes traveled throughout the Midwest as Irma Harding (IH) deputies, educating rural housewives on the advantages of freezing and refrigerating.

This book republishes some of those Irma Harding recipes, along wth several IH advertisements and period photographs, but the bulk of the volume's how-to information has been updated and complemented by fresh and time-saving approaches to retro cooking techniques.

Recipes to Preserve Food, Family and the American Way
by Marilyn McCray and Michael Perry
Octane Press, 2014
continued in The Book Stall
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Outrider Reading Group
Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Here's How To...

Monday, September 29, 2014

Now Cooking with Brazilian Barbecue & Beyond

Bem vindo — welcome to the Brazilian table, filled with tropical açai, banana, and coconut; tasty snacks like pão de queijo (cheesy dough balls); new-style twists on traditional favorites like the meat-and-bean stew feijoada and the shrimp and lobster curry moqueca, plus other unique culinary delights.

From fruit-packed breakfasts to classic barbecue, cachaça-based cocktails, colorful sides, and luscious desserts, this cookbook presents modern Brazilian food as you've never seen it before.

by David Ponte, et al
Sterling Epicure, 2014
Cookbooks
Outrider Reading Group
Barbecue Sauce
Books & Publications

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Farm and Garden Picks: Apples of Uncommon Character


While supermarkets limit their offerings to a few waxy options, apple trees with lives spanning human generations are producing characterful varieties—and now they are in the midst of a rediscovery. From heirlooms to new designer breeds, a delicious diversity of apples is out there for the eating.

With more than 150 art-quality color photographs, Apples of Uncommon Character shows us the fruit in all its glory.

Rowan Jacobsen collected specimens both common and rare from all over North America, selecting 120 to feature, including the best varieties for eating, baking, and hard-cider making. Each is accompanied by a photograph, history, lore, and a list of characteristics.

Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders
by Rowan Jacobsen
Bloomsbury USA, 2014
Farm and Garden Books
Growth Spurts
Home Grown
Outrider Reading Group

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Exploring the Nature of... The Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

September 1, 2014 marked the centenary of one of the best-documented extinctions in history—the demise of the Passenger Pigeon. From being the commonest bird on the planet 50 years earlier, the species became extinct when Martha, the last of her kind, died at the Cincinnati Zoo.

This book marks the centenary of that tragic event. Built around the framework of a visit to Cincinnati and the pigeon’s former haunts in North America's east coast, by author Mark Avery, it tells the tale of the pigeon, and of Martha, and explores the largely untold story of the ecological annihilation of this part of America in the years between the end of the US Civil War and 1900—an unprecedented loss of natural beauty and richness, as the prairies were ploughed, swiftly to be replaced by a dustbowl, while the population of Bison plummeted from around 30 million to just 1,000, the victim of habitat destruction and indiscriminate slaughter.

The Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and Its Relevance Today 
by Mark Avery
University Of Chicago Press, 2013

The Nature Pages
Nature Writing and Natural Histories
Book Notes Wild
Outrider Reading Group

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Book Stall Review: The Yew Tree

Claudius, the 1st century Roman Emperor, believed that the juices of the yew tree could be used as an antidote for snake venom. Germans of the Middle Ages were conivinced that yew pitch mixed with butter could cure tuberculosis.

Members of the Cowlitz tribe of Native Americans used to crush yew needles into a paste to put on wounds. These are just a few of the dozens of historic uses recorded in The Yew Tree, an impressive biography of the species written by an Oregon treeplanter, Hal Hartzell, Jr.

A Thousand Whispers
by Hal Hartzell, Jr
Hulogosi Books, 1991

continued in The Book Stall
Reviews Archive
Outrider Reading Group
The Nature Pages
Nature Writing and Natural Histories

Friday, August 29, 2014

Exploring the Nature of... Paradise

When Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller and her family land in a house with a hundred-year-old Japanese garden, she uses the paradise in her backyard to glean the living wisdom of our natural world. Through her eyes, rocks convey faith, ponds preach stillness, flowers give love, and leaves express the effortless ease of letting go.

The book welcomes readers into the garden for Zen lessons in fearlessness, forgiveness, presence, acceptance, and contentment.

Lessons from a Zen Garden
by Karen Maezen Miller
New World Library, 2014
Nature Writing and Natural Histories
Farm and Garden Books
Book Notes Wild
Outrider Reading Group

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Review: Timber Framing for the Rest of Us

This book describes and explains the basic principles of framing a structure with heavy timbers using "non-traditional" methods such as metal fasteners like truss plates, screws, bolts and pole barn nails -- about which little has been previously published.

"Traditional" timber framers employed wood-on-wood joinery using mortise-and-tenon, scarf and rabbet joints to create wonderfully strong and aesthetically pleasing buildings.

As this guide points out, the use of metal fasteners can make timber framing more accessible to farmers and owner-builders without sacrificing strength or beauty.

A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction
by Rob Roy
New Society Publishers, 2004.

continued in The Book Stall

Reviews Archive
Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Outrider Reading Group
Here's How To...

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Drink the Harvest

A New Guide To...
Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas, and Ciders.

Preserving the harvest doesn't have to stop with jam and pickles. Many fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be made into delicious beverages to drink fresh or preserve for later -- a healthy and inexpensive alternative to store-bought drinks.

Drink the Harvest shows you how to create juices, ciders, wines, meads, teas, and syrups to savor any time of year.

Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas, and Ciders
by Nan K. Chace and DeNeice C. Guest
Storey Publishing, 2014
Here's How To...
How To Do It
Distilling Supplies
Outrider Reading Group




Sunday, July 27, 2014

New Guide to Artwork of the Modern American Beer Can

This volume provides a close look at the original artwork on 600 different modern beer cans from 40 states.

Get to know the story behind your favorite beer’s name and can design, with examples from breweries such as Sierra Nevada, Ska, Midnight Sun, Maui, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, and nearly 200 others. The craft breweries featured in this book turned canning beer into an art form!

Artwork of the Modern American Beer Can
by Russ Phillips
Schiffer Publishing, 2014
Artwork
Guidebooks and How-to Titles
Outrider Reading Group
Good Spirits Online

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

A New Guide To... Sustainable Homebrewing

Amelia Slayton Loftus shares her expert knowledge in this comprehensive guide that includes everything homebrewers of all levels need to know to brew delicious, organic beer.

She covers the whys and hows of organic brewing, things to consider when buying equipment, and everything you need to know about organic ingredients (what makes them different, how to get them, and how to make substitutions).

An All-Organic Approach to Crafting Great Beer
by Amelia Slayton Loftus
Storey Publishing, 2014

Here's How To...
How To Do It
Distilling Supplies
Outrider Reading Group




Friday, July 11, 2014

Farm and Garden Picks: Coffee for Roses

Word-of-mouth may be a great way to learn about some products, but word-of-mouth gardening tips can be a very bad idea. The age-old practice of passing along gardening tips and tricks is no guarantee you will get a good result...it might even do the opposite.

In her new book, garden expert C. L. Fornari looks at 71 common garden practices and uncovers the truth behind the lore.

...and 70 Other Misleading Myths About Backyard Gardening
by C. L. Fornari
St. Lynn's Press, 2014
Outrider Reading Group
Farm and Garden Books
Home Grown

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Now Investigating... The Chemistry of Food

This advanced textbook covers all the main macro- and micronutrients and the essential nutritional factors that determine the nutritional and energy value of foods and raw food material. It includes chapters devoted to amino acids, peptides and proteins, fats and other lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral substances and water, and additional chapters devoted to antinutritional, toxic and other biologically active substances, food additives and contaminants.

Each chapter addresses one of the main individual components of food, reviewing its important properties and functions. Detailed descriptions and explanations of the changes and chemical/biochemical reactions that occur under different conditions are also covered.

by Jan Velisek
Wiley-Blackwell, 2014
Science Writing
Outrider Reading Group
Out There
Science Writing

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Farm and Garden Picks: Coffee for Roses

Word-of-mouth may be a great way to learn about some products, but word-of-mouth gardening tips can be a very bad idea. The age-old practice of passing along gardening tips and tricks is no guarantee you will get a good result...it might even do the opposite.

In her new book, garden expert C. L. Fornari looks at 71 common garden practices and uncovers the truth behind the lore.

...and 70 Other Misleading Myths About Backyard Gardening
by C. L. Fornari
St. Lynn's Press, 2014
Outrider Reading Group
Farm and Garden Books
Home Grown