Thursday, October 4, 2012

Farm and Garden Picks: Organic Gardener's Companion


Lifelong gardener Jane Shellenberger brings us this comprehensive, hands-on guide to growing organic produce in the Rocky Mountain and western region, including Colorado, parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and eastern Oregon.

The text covers soil cultivation, plant selection, water, microclimates, and other concerns specific to semiarid and high-altitude climates.

Growing Vegetables in the West
by Jane Shellenberger
Fulcrum, 2012



Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Now exploring Tales of a River Rat


Kenny Salwey is the last of a breed of men whose lifestyle has all but disappeared in this fast-paced, high-tech digital world. For thirty years, this weathered woodsman eked out a living on the Mississippi River, running a trapline, hiring out as a river guide, digging and selling roots and herbs, and eating the food he hunted and fished.

In Tales of a River Rat,  Salwey informs and entertains readers as he weaves his life story on the Mississippi River.

Adventures Along the Wild Mississippi
by Kenny Salwey
Fulcrum, 2012



Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Review: The Dreaded Broccoli Cookbook



Packed with vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber, broccoli is obviously a nutritious vegetable. Rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants, broccoli certainly deserves a prominent place in any diet.

Barbara and Tamar Haspel, a mother-daughter team of food writers, became very interested in broccoli and other healthful foods after their husband-father suffered a heart attack and had to make some radical changes in his diet. Determined to find ways of making low-fat meals full of flavor, they experimented with techniques and ingredients, documenting their recipes and ideas in a light-hearted and fact-filled newsletter called "Dreaded Broccoli."

The title of this book, and the newsletter, comes from a recurring joke that Barbara and her husband shared about vegetables served in restaurants. "The broccoli of the title isn't the actual broccoli of our old marital joke," Barbara explains. "It's the stuff that's good for you, that you know you should be eating, and that you haven't a clue how to get into your diet. It's all those vegetables and whole grains you keep hearing about."

A Good-Natured Guide to Healthful
Eating with 100 Recipes
by Barbara and Tamar Haspel
Scribner, 1999
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Sunday, September 23, 2012

Review: Little Old Lady Recipes


This is a collection of simple recipes culled from writer and comedian Meg Favrea's friends and neighbors as well as old out-of-print cookbooks. All are the nostalgic favorites of mothers and grandmothers who prepared daily meals for families and special dishes for church potlucks.

A nostalgic return to the kitchen of June Cleaver with casseroles, pot roasts, canned goods and comfort foods, the book is illustrated with wonderful portraits of ladies who may or may not have contributed recipes (none are identified) and spiced with quotes like: "Club soda is a wonderful thing. You can use it to remove any stain, or mix it with gin and drink until you don't care about the stain anymore" by 72-year-old Chastity, a deli clerk.

Comfort Food and Kitchen Table Wisdom
by Meg Favreau
Quirk Books, 2011
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Monday, September 17, 2012

New Guides: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Facebook Marketing


Millions of people use Facebook every day, and many of them could be your future customers. Facebook makes it easy for you to expand your customer base and nurture existing relationships with such tools as Marketplace, Places, and Deals. This book shows you how.

Covers all aspects including Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Places, and Facebook Deals.

by John Wayne Zimmerman
ALPHA, 2012


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Farm and Garden Picks: The Timber Press Encyclopedia of Flowering Shrubs


Rich attributes including vibrant color, fragrance, and sheer variety of form make flowering shrubs the most rewarding of garden plants, but this vast group with its scores of tempting plants — including abutilons,camellias, viburnums, and witch hazels — requires careful navigation.

Leading expert on woody plants Jim Gardiner has distilled several decades of knowledge and experience into The Timber Press Encyclopedia of Flowering Shrubs, an incomparable pictorial reference of hardy shrubs that excel in temperate-zone gardens.

by James M. Gardiner
Timber Press, 2012



Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Farm and Garden Picks: Organic Meat Production and Processing


Consumers purchase organic meats for what they perceive as superior taste, better nutritional value, long-term health benefits, or enhanced product freshness. Many consumers also believe organic meat is safer than conventional, perhaps containing lesser amounts of pesticides or foodborne human pathogens. Organic livestock farming, which is reputed to be environmentally friendly and sustains animals in good health resulting in high quality products, has a defined standard with a greater attention to animal welfare and requiring at least 80 percent of feed grown without pesticides or artificial fertilizers. The higher guarantee of the absence of residue is certain, but the effect of organic farming on qualitative characteristics of the products is unknown. Substantial growth in organic food sales of all categories has occurred in recent years and certified organic food production has evolved into a highly regulated industry in the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan and many other countries.

Organic Meat Production and Processing examines in detail the challenges of production, processing and food safety of organic meat.

edited by Steven C. Ricke, et al.
Wiley-Blackwell, 2012