Innholdsfortegnelse for February-March 2014 i MOTHER EARTH NEWS

From soothing aloe to spicy horseradish, subtle-sweet marjoram to savory thyme, discover the exceptional flavors and gentle healing capabilities of more than 40 of the plant kingdom’s finest in our Directory of Culinary and Medicinal Herbs. This tour of the herb world is your one-stop shop for reliable information on cultivating, cooking and healing with these special plants. Herbs crown the cook’s glory, and each plant’s profile will show you how to harvest and store it for optimal quality, plus furnish you with recipes showcasing the ingredient’s knack for improving or complementing flavors, such as Rosemary-Almond Biscotti, Sage-Cheddar Bagels, and bundles more. Many herbs are also valuable in the medicine cabinet, whether you’re looking for natural relief for a cold or headache, or trying to ease more chronic ailments, such…

From Passion to Profession I have always loved MOTHER EARTH NEWS, but I feel compelled to tell you just how much I appreciated your December 2013/January 2014 issue. It was so packed with information and inspiration! The article “Herbal Antibiotics: An Effective Defense Against Drug-Resistant ‘Superbugs’” pointed out such a pressing health concern that I found myself considering a new career path: that of an herbalist. I’ve been circling around the idea for some time, and reading Stephen Harrod Buhner’s message about increasingly ineffective antibiotic drugs may be just the final push I need. Also, Publisher Bryan Welch’s piece about the new terrain being forged by inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk was magnificently presented (“Human Ingenuity: Never Underestimate Its Transformative Power”). Musk’s work is opening up new and hopeful horizons…

No plants give sweeter returns than fruit trees. From cold-hardy apples and cherries to semitropical citrus fruits, fruit trees grow in nearly every climate. Growing fruit trees requires a commitment to pruning and close monitoring of pests, and you must begin with a type of fruit tree known to grow well in your area. Choose varieties recommended by your local extension service, as some varieties need a certain level of chill hours (number of hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit). For complete details on planning and maintaining a home orchard, we recommend the book The Holistic Orchard by Michael Phillips (see Page 96 to order). Types to Try Even fruit trees described as self-fertile will set fruit better if grown near another variety known to be a compatible pollinator. Extension publications…

The great diversity we see today in wheat is the result of millions of years of evolution capped by 100 centuries of breeding by humans. Varieties originating throughout that history — modern types, heirloom varieties from past decades or centuries, and even wheat varieties we can date back to 9,000 B.C. — are still available today. Sorting through the types of wheat and flour to find the most nutritious or flavorful — or the best to use for a specific purpose — requires wading into a deep gene pool. Doing so, however, will give you better breads, more tender cakes and biscuits, and sturdier pastas. There are no “standard” types of wheat. The term “wheat” encompasses a sprawling family tree of species, and myriad varieties within those species (see “Wheat’s…

Even if you hate doing math, checking your vehicle’s gas mileage is easy. If you’ve avoided learning how to calculate miles per gallon for fear of complex equations, fear not — anyone can do this. Plus, there are several benefits to monitoring your vehicle’s exact mpg. First and foremost, knowing is half the battle. While it can be all too easy to assume your vehicle gets 30-something mpg — or whatever the sticker said when you bought the car — regularly calculating gas mileage is the best way to know how your vehicle is really performing versus what it could achieve. Think of checking your vehicle’s mpg as akin to listening to it with a stethoscope. Sustained declines in gas mileage without obvious explanations (driving habits, etc.) might point to…

In 1969, graduating senior Stephanie Mills made national headlines with a commencement address in which she declared that, in the face of impending ecological devastation, she would live childfree by choice. “I am terribly saddened by the fact that the most humane thing for me to do is to have no children at all,” she told her classmates. I come here before you today to make the same proclamation — with a twist. I’m thoroughly delighted by the fact that the most humane thing for me to do is to have no children at all. Making the green choice too often feels like a sacrifice, hassle or expense. In this case, it feels like a luxurious indulgence that just so happens to cost a lot less for me and weigh…

What does the “Certified Organic” label mean? The “Certified Organic” label is, at its core, a consumer protection law. It’s the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) assurance that you’re buying food that has been produced and processed according to its National Organic Program (NOP) standards: Vegetables and fruits have not been produced using irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides or genetically modified organisms (GMOs); livestock have been fed 100 percent organic feed without antibiotics or growth hormones, and were raised with at least some access to the outdoors; and multi-ingredient processed foods must contain at least 95 percent Certified Organic ingredients. The Certified Organic label is backed by regulations developed by the USDA and the National Organic Standards Board, an advisory committee of consumers, environmentalists, farmers and scientists. Part…

Have you longed to meet likeminded homesteaders and wiser-living advocates in your area? Have you wanted to find out about neighborhood seed swaps and harvest parties, read local environmental action alerts, and seek or share gardening advice? Maybe you’ve pondered how to sell your surplus garlic or hope to find a new home for that tractor you no longer use? Good news: Now you can do all of those things in one place, via the 60 state and province Facebook pages Mother Earth News has created for you, our readers. Minnesotans can strike up chats with other Minnesotans, Alabamians with Alabamians. Beginners can ask questions; local experts can offer answers. Expect humor and, sometimes, spirited debate. We invite you to join the fun! To find your area’s page, go to…

To draw out difficult-to-access reserves of gas, crews drill thousands of feet into the earth and pump in highly pressurized, chemical-laden fracking fluids. This allows them to get the gas out — but the process leaves a mess in its wake. Fracking wastewater contains acetaldehyde, ammonium chloride, arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, lead, mercury, radium and hundreds of other chemicals. The controversial practice pollutes water supplies and land with these toxins — which are so substantial that, in the most affected areas, household tap water can sometimes be set afire as if the water were gasoline. (Check out the 2010 documentary film Gasland for footage of this.) In addition to reportedly making people sick from polluted water supplies, fracking may now be tainting our food supply. Because of the presence of chemicals…

Throughout the years, MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers have proved to be a clever lot. You’ve shown time and again that you can save a bundle when you apply resourcefulness and a little elbow grease to home economics. Frankly, our consumer culture pressures many of us to live above our means. The good news is that making a personal and household commitment to a more frugal lifestyle can be a fulfilling, healthy choice — and the following tips to save money can start you on that journey. Imagine what your life will be like when you slash your grocery or utility bills in half, or when you’re able to pay down your mortgage. We’ve assembled the following tips from you, our readers, and from our Amazin’ Archive — 44 years’ worth…

Jim Gerritsen and family have been growing seed potatoes for 37 years at Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, Maine. Gerritsen, a potato farmer whom many consider the No. 1 organic potato expert in North America, has a lot to say about the benefits of homegrown spuds. “If you do a good job, you can harvest about 70 to 90 pounds per 100 square feet — that’s a lot of calories and a lot of nutrition,” he says. Gerritsen agreed to share his potato wisdom with Mother Earth News, and his tips are sure to raise your potato-growing IQ. Let’s dig in! What’s the most important key to organic potato-growing success? It’s the seed. Certified seed potatoes are what gardeners plant to get more potatoes, and high-quality seed will always do…

Gardeners know that the key to beautiful, bountiful beds is to nourish them with compost. This rich “super soil” can defend plants against disease and drought, help supply them with essential nutrients, balance soil pH and more. According to a recent survey of our Gardening Advisory Group, more than 95 percent of nearly 2,000 respondents already make compost, and 70 percent have at least two piles going. While big, open heaps are the most popular method, more than a third of our readers prepare some of their “black gold” in store-bought composting bins to keep out animals or tidy up their yards. To help you choose the best compost bin for your home, we talked with readers who have tried one or more models. (To join any of our advisory…

Whether you raise them for fun or frugality, ducks and geese are great additions to a homestead. They forage for much of their own food, need only a simple shelter and fencing for protection, and convert insects and weeds into healthy proteins. So, aside from the charms of honking, waddling, quacking and splashing, what can ducks and geese offer your family? Eggs. Some duck breeds will actually lay more eggs than chickens will. Duck eggs are not much different in flavor from chicken eggs. In general, small duck breeds, such as Campbells and Runners, lay more eggs than bigger breeds. (Find more information on breed selection in the breed profile charts on Page 86.) None of the goose breeds lays as prolifically as a duck, although a single goose egg…

You are growing, and we are growing, too. Last year — in fact, for the past 10 years — Mother Earth News has been the fastest-growing major magazine in the country. Thank you for supporting what we do. We’re proud to serve you for many different reasons. A company called Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) measures magazine audiences for the advertising industry. They confirm that, among the 211 largest magazine audiences in the country, none has grown faster than the Mother Earth News audience — that’s you — over the past 10 years. During that period, our total audience has quadrupled. Overall, magazine audiences have been shrinking lately. But not at Mother Earth News. Over the past six years, total magazine newsstand revenues across the country were down 37 percent.…

You’ve likely heard how healthy the Mediterranean diet is, replete with fish, vegetables, whole grains and legumes — all dressed with olive oil. But you may not have heard the complete truth about how to use olive oil. First, realize there are differences in how to use olive oil if you’re choosing it for flavor rather than cooking with it for health. Extra-virgin olive oil is expensive, but fresh-pressed, unfiltered extra-virgin olive oils can contain at least 30 beneficial phenolic compounds. These strong antioxidant phenols neutralize dangerous free radicals in your body. You can tell an extra-virgin olive oil is rich in phenols if it’s slightly bitter and astringent, peppery, and has a “bite.” The most healthful extravirgin olive oils taste this way. Light, heat and oxidation damage phenols, however,…

Whether you grow food on a spacious homestead or are digging into your first urban garden, ditching the plant-by-rows approach and instead adopting intensive gardening techniques can help you grow a more productive garden that’s also more efficient to manage. These methods will open up a new world when it comes to small-space gardening, which can be so much more than just a few lone pots on a balcony. If you do it right, you can grow more food in less space and put an impressive dent in your household’s fresh-food needs. Comparing 2 Popular Methods Two gardening authors and their systems of intensive vegetable gardening have been highly influential in North America for more than 30 years. Mel Bartholomew’s book on “squarefoot” gardening was first published in 1981, while…

Not long ago, most farms and households in the United States played host to at least a small flock of chickens. Chores such as collecting eggs and butchering birds were a part of daily life for all but the most urban residents. In many cases, the household’s flock consisted of a multipurpose breed suitable for egg production and of sufficient size to fill a frying pan when young, or to roast when mature. Humans have fancied the flock for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and early breeding efforts gave rise to a number of specialized meat-and egg-producing varieties as well as ornamental chicken breeds. Industrial Production Today, chickens born of pinpoint-focused genetics are raised by the millions in factory farms. The industrial frying chicken is physiologically adapted to gain…

Somewhat glumly, I celebrated my 61st birthday this past July. In the back of my mind, I’ve been sure for 45 years that God would make an exception to my normal and natural biodegrading process, thus allowing me to remain 35 years old well into my 90s. Somehow, it escaped the Universe’s notice that some fine print in my birth contract negates, in my case, the aging process. A failing I am trying to get across, without success (so far). In general, however, I am very healthy and I do have one very special thing going for me: I don’t use any pharmaceuticals, unlike nearly everyone I know in my age group. On the rare occasion I do visit a physician, that statement always generates a great deal of surprise.…

When I wanted to come up with a creative, inexpensive light fixture for our dining room, my mind was drawn toward common kitchen objects: We spend a lot of time each summer canning food from our garden, and we also collect old fruit jars. It was only natural that jars be incorporated into the theme of our dining room décor. Before tackling the project, we scoured thrift and consignment shops until we found a wooden crate for $10. We used this crate as the base of the light fixture. We drilled six holes to run the electrical wires through to create “pendant” lighting. We then drilled holes through the zinc jar lids (not the common two-piece metal lids) and attached bulb hardware to the lids. We used six blue Ball…