Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021/January 2022 i MOTHER EARTH NEWS

If you’re young and you love the idea of gardening or farming, but you feel you lack the time, drive, or competence, this article is for you! We’re the Kapples — an eccentric, sustainability-loving couple in our 20s, living in Oregon. Kelly grew up on 6 acres in the country, riding horses, traversing mountains on foot, and bottle-feeding bummer lambs from a nearby farm. Nick grew up on a working organic farm, where he learned how to milk cows by hand, raise a plethora of fruits and vegetables, and can and preserve food. We spent the first several years of our marriage saving toward a down payment on a home. With our hearts set on acreage and creating our own farm for our future family to enjoy, we were rather…

This article is available online in audio form at MotherEarthNews.com Coffee is one of the most heavily traded export commodities in the world. It grows in about 70 countries, within a relatively narrow area just north and south of the equator. Broadly speaking, two species of coffee are commercially cultivated: Coffea arabica (Arabica) and C. canephora (robusta). Arabica represents approximately 60 percent of the world’s coffee production, and it also represents most of the coffee used in the specialty coffee industry. Coffee’s ripe cherry-like fruits have to go through a series of steps to get to the seeds (what we see as raw green coffee) that are shipped later. Three different methods are used to take coffee from the fruit to the exportable green coffee: the wet process, the dry…

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could heat your home free of charge? Whether you use gas or electric, heat is one of the most expensive utilities. So, naturally, finding a way to cut heating costs is ideal. As a landscaper who doesn’t have full-time work in winter, cutting my winter expenses is crucial. This year, I was able to heat my home with free wood from storm-downed trees. I finally have a woodstove, but there isn’t much wood on the property where I live, on a tiny plot of land that’s less than 1⁄2 acre in eastern North Carolina. I stack and burn through the little bit of wood that’s here early in the year. Yet, after Hurricane Dorian came through, piles of wood and downed trees were all…

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Schools in the United States are huge consumers of energy; according to Energy Star, K-12 schools spend more than $6 billion annually on energy, far surpassing the amount spent on other resources, and at least 30 percent of this energy is used inefficiently or needlessly. So, schools can start to save energy in several ways, from low-cost adjustments, such as turning off lights in unused rooms, to large-scale projects, such as adding insulation. And as solar becomes a more financially viable option for powering buildings, more schools are making the move toward renewables and installing panels on their rooftops or property. According to online solar marketplace EnergySage, schools have a unique opportunity to implement solar, because they often have the kind of spacious, level locations that are ideal for hosting…

Every gardener has a dream garden, a destination they long to visit. For many vegetable gardeners, that place is Monticello. To stroll through Thomas Jefferson’s garden terrace and gaze south across the orchard and vineyard is a dream come true. Monticello, where Pat Brodowski was the head vegetable gardener until recently, has been restored to Thomas Jefferson’s original design for the property. The grounds owe their current splendor to the efforts of modern staff, as well as the enslaved people who laid the foundations and did most of the work during Jefferson’s day. Every year, half a million people walk the grounds of Monticello outside Charlottesville, Virginia. They include famous people, such as renowned British gardener Monty Don, host of the long-running BBC program “Gardeners’ World.” Guests travel to this…

Until the early 20th century, roasting coffee, like baking bread, was one of many common weekly household tasks folks did themselves. Much of the coffee was roasted in an open pan on top of a hot stove. The green coffee beans would be stirred as they popped and crackled, until they reached the desired degree of color and flavor. Later, as the nation recovered from the Great Depression, roasted coffee became more readily available, and home coffee roasting quickly faded away. But now, roasting coffee at home has been making a comeback as people strive to become more self-reliant and learn to appreciate a truly fresh cup of joe. As in years past, home coffee roasting can be as simple as stirring beans in a pan over a heat source.…

When we first announced to our kids that we’d be making handmade holiday gifts for each other, their reactions were less than enthusiastic. But as the shock wore off and the ideas started flowing, our children soon discovered the ancient proverb, “‘Tis more blessed to give than to receive.” For the next few weeks, they got lost in a world of toymaking, sourcing materials from scrap lumber piles and forest floors. Kids can be remarkably creative when under the influence of their own imaginations. Mom and Dad got into the act as well — after all, it was our idea in the first place! Here’s one of our favorite gifts from our handmade holiday experiment. Many scarves have been knitted on this homemade loom! It’s perfect for making small knits,…

MIXES IN A JAR Mixes In A Jar is a culmination of author Renee Pottle’s years-long search for the perfect convenience food. In Renee’s collection of 106 mix recipes, you’ll find the perfect spice blend for a pot of award-winning chili or a delicious minestrone; recipes for meals as diverse as Mulligatawny Soup and Creamy Ravioletti Salad; breakfast favorites such as Buckwheat Pancakes; breads for every meal, including Mulled Wine Muffins; and desserts for every sweet tooth. #11145 $24.95 Member: $19.96 THE COMPLETE ROOT CELLAR BOOK This book takes a fresh look at the art, science and romance of building and stocking a root cellar. There are detailed, illustrated construction guides for making four different kinds of root cellars that are functional and attractive. These include never-before-seen models for apartment…

Clicker training is a great option, because it involves the recognition and rewarding of positive behavior. You’re helping your animal note the moment they did something right and then treating them for it, most often with food. The process begins by helping them learn to associate a sound with a reward, regardless of behavior. While the sound usually comes from a hand-held clicker with a button, some people choose to mark the animal’s action with a verbal cue, such as a cluck, or the word “good!” The click must be immediately followed by the reward to be effective, so the animals associate the sound with the reward. Once you’ve repeated this step and the animal clearly starts looking for a treat when it hears the sound, move on to marking…

As coffee consumers, we have the opportunity to invest in companies that sustainably produce coffee and support farmers with living wages and humane working conditions. But how can you determine if the coffee you buy is rooted in the ethical practices you wish to support? One important way is to look for legitimate certifications on coffee products. These labels mean that coffee production has met strict governmental and organizational requirements. Here are a few of these labels and brief summaries of what they mean: Certified Organic. Overseen and verified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this certification means the product is produced in a way that minimizes synthetic material usage, conserves biodiversity, maintains and improves soil and water quality, and promotes ecological balance, among other requirements. Fair Trade Certified.…

“I wanted to be a farmer when I grew up,” Elizabeth Hoover, associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, says. “But my guidance counselor — this was the ’90s — said it wasn’t a good idea. So I went to college for a very long time to become a professor who hangs out with farmers and writes about farmers instead.” Hoover is of Mohawk ancestry and is an expert in Native American environmental health and food sovereignty. She notes that Native Americans often have a complex relationship with agriculture. “Many Indigenous communities farmed for generations, and then got interrupted by authorities who push methods that are not only abusive to the environment, but also to the people involved,” she says. “[Conventional farming] is not only bad for the climate,…

This article is available online in audio form at MotherEarthNews.com Growing up in southern Louisiana, it wasn’t unusual to hear the older adults in my family speaking French. My mom would bellow from the back door, “Viens manger,” imploring me and my two older brothers to come inside to eat dinner. My grandparents, who all grew up with French as a first language, still use it to communicate with younger generations, myself included, who learned it in immersion programs. Intertwined with this region’s rich linguistic heritage is an enduring adherence — and wide acceptance — of age-old Creole practices practically forgotten in many other parts of the country. Once-isolated and rural communities still engage in medieval customs, such as Courir de Mardi Gras, and eat regional food staples, such as…

If you were a farmer during the Viking era in Norway (from approximately 793 to 1066), this is the season in which you’d be serving up the year’s juleøl, or “Yule ale.” A few months ago, you would’ve brought a large bundle of fresh juniper branches into your storehouse. You’d have barrels of malted barley and oats, and, if your farm was far enough south, perhaps some malted wheat. And with Christmas approaching, you’d be ready to brew the Christmas beer. Mandatory Brewing Although beer brewing had long been associated with Norwegian festivals and celebrations, laws officially mandating the brewing of a Christmas beer were established in the early 900s. These laws, which lasted until 1275, were part of the attempt to Christianize Scandinavia, and intended to associate Christmas with…

THE YEAR-ROUND HOOPHOUSE Growing in hoophouses (also known as high tunnels or polytunnels) reduces the impact of an increasingly unpredictable climate on crops, mitigates soil erosion, extends the growing season and keeps leafy greens alive through the winter, and enables growers to supply more regional food needs. This book shows that with the right hoophouse or polytunnel, you’ll be able to grow abundant produce all year long, in any climate! Also available as an Ebook in Epub and PDF formats. #9229 $32.99 Member: $28.04 TERAKASHI BOKASHI 2 LBS TeraKashi is a certified-organic bokashi fertilizer that introduces antioxidants and minerals into your soil and your compost. Enriched with EM® (effective microorganisms) that prevent the development of unpleasant odors. Whether used in composting or directly added to your garden's soil, TeraKashi replaces…

Energy-storage technology has existed for quite some time, but the use of solar batteries in residential energy systems is a relatively new development. Although home energy-storage prices have fallen significantly in recent years, solar batteries still have a hefty price tag and don’t make economic sense for every homeowner. However, a solar-plus-storage system can be beneficial in some situations. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether solar battery storage is the right fit for you and your home. Are you required to pay time-of-use electricity rates? If your utility company charges time-of-use rates, this means the amount you pay for electricity will vary depending on the time of day. During hours when electricity demand is high, typically in the evening and at night, you’ll pay more for power than…