Saturday, August 11, 2012

Review: The Book of Draft Horses


As the name implies, "draft horses" are renowned for their size, strength and proficiency as beasts of burden - pulling wagons, plowing fields, hauling cargo. But the ancestors of today's Clydesdales, Percherons, Belgians were the expensive possessions of medieval royalty. They were more likely to be found in festivals and battles ridden by knights in armor than working on a farm.

It wasn't until the 1800s that the draught horse or dray horse found its calling in the fields, and the career was short-lived. The advent of trucks and tractors driven by internal compustion engines brought an end to the age of horsepower.

As freelance writer Donna Campbell Smith illustrates in this book,  the advent of the engine didn't mean an end to the heavy horse. They are still being used in many parts of the country for hauling and plowing, as well as for pleasure driving and county fair pulling contests.

The Gentle Giants That Built the World
by Donna Campbell Smith 
Lyons Press, 2007
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Friday, August 10, 2012

Review: Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners


From Abelia, those ornamental shrubs named after Dr.Clarke Abel (1780-1826), to the Zygopetalum of the orchid family, this thick reference provides the etymology of 6,000 botanical names. These are cross-referenced with about 3,000 vernacular plant names to provide a detailed guide to garden nomenclature.

The author, the late William T. Stearn, was a botanical scholar who served as a botanist at London's Natural History Museum.

This work, now reprinted in trade paperback, began as a revision of the late A. W. Smith's "A Gardener's Book of Plant Names" (1963). Originally published in 1972, it was greatly amended and expanded on 20 years before it appeared as "Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners" in 1992.

A Handbook on the Origin and Meaning of the Botanical Names of some Cultivated Plants 
by William T. Stearn
Timber Press, 2002 
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Review: Mountainman Crafts and Skills


Ever wondered what it was like to be a mountain man of the 19th century? Ever been tempted to test yourself in the wilderness, surviving by your wits?

Here's a helpful how-to guide for anyone interested in survival skills, camping out without electricity, or impressing friends at the next mountain man rendezvous.

Author and illustrator David Montgomery has compiled a manual for making the tools, clothing, traps and meals of the mountain men who roamed the Rocky Mountains nearly two centuries ago.

He offers patterns and step-by-step instructions for tanning hides, making buckskin shirts and leggings, building a rifle, constructing a tipi, sculpting a snow cave and much more.

Mountainman Crafts and Skills
A Fully lIlustrated Guide to Wilderness Living and Survival
by David R. Montgomery
Lyons Press, 2000

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Sunday, August 5, 2012

New Guides: Distilling Fruit Brandy


This comprehensive, technical guide offers the curious home distiller pretty much everything there is to know about distilling fruit brandies.

Raw materials, fermentation, mashing, alcohol determination, clarifying and filtering, and storage are all presented in great detail through text, diagrams, and photos.

Each and every aspect of distilling is presented, including timing, yields, detecting distillation errors, and more.

by Josef Pischl
Schiffer Publishing, 2012




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Monday, July 30, 2012

Review: Living with Chickens


Not everyone was meant to live with chickens. They can be noisy, messy and cantankerous creatures. They peck, they scratch and they move with a herky-jerky motion that is disturbingly reptilian.

But if you live in the country and have some space and time to devote them, chickens are an easy-entry, low-maintenance livestock option for small farmers, homesteaders and even backyard gardeners.

Living with Chickens: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Backyard Flock 
by Jay Rossier
Lyons Press, 2004
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Review: The Farmer's Market Guide


"This is a cookbook for people who are standing in the farmer's market wondering what to do with all this beautiful produce," writes Jennifer Loustau in the introduction to her collection of recipes and farm fresh ingredients.

The opening section of the book is an alphabetical guide to herbs and vegetables commonly available in North American farmers markets, from amaranth to zucchini, with brief descriptions and suggested preparation methods. An index to recipes for each plant follows its description.

The recipes follow a short chapter on Cooking Methods, from carmelizing and braising to steaming and boiling. Each recipe is pretty basic, with few ingredients and simple instructions. Most are complemented with color photographs.

With Identification Guide and Recipes
by Jennifer Loustau
Schiffer Publishing, 2012
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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Review: Splendid Soups


Originally published in 1993, this updated version of James Peterson's encyclopedic exploration of bisques, consommes, stocks and purees is even thicker and more impressive than the original.

In 10 chapters, Peterson surveys the full range of soup-making, from carefully crafted consommes to rough and hearty stews. Full histories of soups and their ingredients are included along with technical information, tips, and serving suggestions.

"No family of dishes surpasses the versatility of soup," Peterson states prior to proving his point with hundreds of recipes utilizing nearly every conceivable ingredient.

by James Peterson 
John Wiley & Sons, 2001
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