Cooking with the Sun: How to Build and Use Solar Cookers

Author(s): Beth and Dan Halcy

Publisher: Morning Sun Press; Rep Sub edition (May 1992)

Paperback: 114 pages

ISBN-10: 0962906921

ISBN-13: 978-0962906923

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Cooking with the Sun, How to build and use solar cookers. by Beth and Dan Halcy.

A simple oven that reaches 400°F can be built for $20. in materials, and this book shows how to design a solar hotplate to reach 600°F, plus 100 recipes designed especially for solar cooking: solar stew, Texas biscuits, enchilada casserole and more!

7×10 , 116 pages , 27 b&w photographs

The Permaculture Book of Ferment and Human Nutrition

Author(s): Bill Mollison

Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Paperback: 288 pages

ISBN: 0908228066

ISBN-13: 978-0908228065

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Emphasizing the enhancement of nutrition, this is one of the most comprehensive books available today on the subject of storing and preserving foods. Recipes and processing methods have been collected from indigenous people worldwide. These practical and traditional techniques , many of which were nearly lost forever, have been collated and set out in a well-defined and easy to follow manual which is of value to anyone interested in processing and storing food. Chapters are set out under the following headings:

Storing – Preserving – Cooking Foods

The Fungi – Yeasts – Mushrooms, Lichens

The Grains

The Legumes

Roots – Bulbs – Rhizomes

Fruits – Flowers – Nuts – Oils – Olives

Leaf and Stem – Aguamiels

Marine and Freshwater Products

Fish – Molluscs – Algae Meats – Birds – Insects

Dairy Products

Beers – Wines – Beverages

Condiments – Spices – Sauces

Agricultural Composts – Silages – Liquid Manures

Nutrition and Environmental Health

“A truly fabulous book, a quirky gem, a classic. Mollison has written a comprehensive monograph on the international use of microbial fermentation in food and beverage production, from a cross-cultural, anthropological, and biological perspective.” Dr. Marion Nestle, Dept, of Nutrition and Food Studies, New York University

Introduction to Permaculture

Author(s): Bill Mollison, Reny Mia Slay

Publisher: Ten Speed

ISBN: 0908228082

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Revised Paperback, 224 pages

This is a great introduction and overview of permaculture concepts. The book covers a lot of material for initiates to permaculture. It’s sets the foundation for further reading and studies for those who want to get serious though one could take the principles learned just from this book alone and be quite successful in my opinion. You learn how the sun, wind and rain, all play an important role in siting structures like homes, sheds, barns, green and shade houses and also in garden and plant selection and placement. The book also covers designing for temperate, tropical and dry-land environments. It explains how interconnected relationships between the land, climate, soils, water, structures, flora and fauna can be fostered to the benefit of all. There are just so many creative ideas and diagrams in this book that it is worth it for those alone. The book is 8 1/4 X 11 inches with small print that fills the pages with valuable information. I want to live in the sub-tropics of Hawaii and enjoyed the coverage in this regard but, the book also left me day dreaming about living the permaculture lifestyle in other areas like the High Desert of New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest of Oregon. This book touches on all the possibilities, from the home garden with a few animals to commercial orchards, forests, animal farms, aquaculture, urban gardens and more. But don’t get me wrong, it does not cover these topics in depth, it gives a thorough introduction to these topics and an understanding that one would likely not gain by reading just one book. Also each chapter ends with a list of references for further reading. In addition there are appendices listing useful permaculture plants, such as nitrogen fixing plants. One appendix even breaks it down into useful categories, such as fruit plants and trees for temperate, topical/sub-tropical and dry areas,pest control plants and finally appendices which list hundreds of the plants mentioned in the text by common, Latin, and by species names. The book ends with a glossary of key terms used in the book and few pages about Bill Mollison (One of the founders of permaculture) and the permaculture institute including info on their 72 hour PC Design Certificate Course.

The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming

Author: Masanobu Fukuoka

Paperback: 200 pages

Publisher: NYRB Classics (June 2, 2009)

ISBN-10: 1590173139

ISBN-13: 978-1590173138

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“The One-Straw Revolution is one of the founding documents of the alternative food movement, and indispensable to anyone hoping to understand the future of food and agriculture.”—Michael Pollan
“Only the ignorant could write off Fukuoka, who died two years ago at the age of 95, as a deluded or nostalgic dreamer…Fukuoka developed ideas that went against the conventional grain….Long before the American Michael Pollan, he was making the connections between intensive agriculture, unhealthy eating habits and a whole destructive economy based on oil.” –Harry Eyres, The Financial Times

“Fukuoka’s do-nothing approach to farming is not only revolutionary in terms of growing food, but it is also applicable to other aspects of living, (creativity, child-rearing, activism, career, etc.) His holistic message is needed now more than ever as we search for new ways of approaching the environment, our community and life. It is time for us all to join his ‘non-movement.'”—Keri Smith author of How to be an Explorer of the World

“Japan’s most celebrated alternative farmer…Fukuoka’s vision offers a beacon, a goal, an ideal to strive for.” —Tom Philpott, Grist

“The One-Straw Revolution shows the critical role of locally based agroecological knowledge in developing sustainable farming systems.” —Sustainable Architecture

“With no ploughing, weeding, fertilizers, external compost, pruning or chemicals, his minimalist approach reduces labour time to a fifth of more conventional practices. Yet his success in yields is comparable to more resource-intensive methods…The method is now being widely adopted to vegetate arid areas. His books, such as The One-Straw Revolution, have been inspirational to cultivators the world over.” —New Internationalist

Product Description

Call it “Zen and the Art of Farming” or a “Little Green Book,” Masanobu Fukuoka’s manifesto about farming, eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his preface, the book “is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring, necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture.”

Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice, deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature’s own laws. Over the next three decades he perfected his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort.

Whether you’re a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a healthier life, you will find something here—you may even be moved to start a revolution of your own.

Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual

Author(s): Bill Mollison

Publisher: Ten Speed

ISBN: 0908228015

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For those of us searching for an ecologically responsible lifestyle amid urban and suburban insanity, Bill Mollison has a real and exciting answer. This book is full of helpful advice presented in a very readable way. (The only problem might be getting stuck in the chapters on climates that don’t concern you; just skip them until later!) The groundwork philosophy of permaculture is laid first, and the book moves from there to the practical business of actually designing one. The emphasis is on letting various plant and animal species work together as much as possible, to form a basically self-sustaining system from which people can reap a continual harvest, not only of food, but of interest and self-respect. What a prospect! It is certainly a very different one from what we young people have been taught to expect from life! This volume is much more complete in both the philosophy and the practice than were the original “Permaculture One” and “Permaculture Two.” It is also much less focused on the Southern Hemisphere, which is helpful for North Americans trying to visualize their own permaculture. I can only hope that more people happen upon this book as I did and are themselves inspired to create a fulfilling life for themselves and their children.

— Wendell Berry

This is the permaculture bible, written by the great guru of permaculture. Site design issues are interwoven throughout the text.

Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture

Author(s): Rosemary Morrow, Rob Allsop (Illustrator)

Publisher: Seven Hills Book Distributors

Paperback: 144 pages

ISBN: 0864175140

ISBN-13: 978-0864175144

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The principle for permaculture is simple: provide back to the earth what we take from it to create a sustainable environment. The three principle aims are: Care for people; Care for the earth; and Redistributing everything surplus to one’s needs.

This completely revised and updated edition of Rosemary Morrow’s highly successful Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture is a straight-forward manual of practical permaculture. Fundamentally, permaculture is design science and in this new edition design is emphasised. This book will be most beneficial if you apply it to the space where you live and work. The same principles apply for becoming more sustainable and living lightly whether you live in a small city apartment with a balcony, in a house with a garden in the suburbs, or on acreage in the country.Included in this new edition are chapters on seed-saving, permaculture at work, integrated pest management, information about domestic as well as rural water usage, a non-destructive approach towards dealing with weeds and wildlife, and designing to withstand a disaster.Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture is suitable for beginners as well as experienced permaculture practitioners looking for new ideas in moving towards greater self-reliance and sustainable living.

Roof Gardens: History, Design, and Construction

Author(s): Theodore Osmundson

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (November 1997)

Hardcover: 320 pages

ISBN: 0393730123

ISBN-13: 978-0393730128

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Sometimes called “green roofs” by promoters of sustainable architecture, roof gardens have stimulated much discussion among architects and urban planners. A great many roof gardens, from intimate private enclaves to enormous public spaces have been built in the last fifty years. But there has been little formal research into the systems that support successful roof gardens, the technical requirements of a long-lived, healthy roof garden — nor about the costly failures that can result when such requirements are ignored.

In the first comprehensive study published in English, respected landscape architect Theodore Osmundson provides the practical information professionals need to be able to include well-designed and well-constructed roof gardens in their projects. Roof Gardens covers site considerations, construction, design elements, and maintenance, as well as useful data and sources of supply and information. It presents a wealth of material, including typical sections and details of raised planters, walls, paving, drainage and lighting. It also discusses planting soils and root-proofing. New construction techniques — largely unknown in the United States are also reviewed.

In addition, Roof Gardens offers a richly illustrated tour of roof gardens around the world and through history.

“This should become the guidebook on the subject of roof gardens, acquired by every landscape architect employed in the task of greening cities and buildings.”-Ian McHarg, FASLA

“This long-awaited treatise on rooftop landscape architecture is . . . an authoritative work . . . a practical, creative, and stimulating book that is bound to make a difference.”-John Ormsbee Simonds, FASLA

1999, 320 pages, 100 in color, Hardcover

The Green Kitchen Handbook: Practical Advice, References, & Sources for Transforming the Center of Your Home into a Healthy, Livable Place

Author(s): Annie Berthold-Bond, Mothers for a Livable Planet, Meryl Streep

Publisher: HarperCollins (paper)

ISBN: 0060951869

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The Green Kitchen Handbook: Practical Advice, References, and Sources for Transforming the Center of Your Home into a Healthy, Livable Place

Paperback, 304 pages
Publication date: March 1997

From Booklist , 03/15/97:
Berthold-Bond’s practical guide answers dozens of questions environmentally conscientious and curious cooks have wondered about for years, such as the geographic origin of common healthful foods, their processing or production, and what makes them healthful or not. High points are the detailed discussion of oils and their uses, fatty acid profiles, and smoke points; the microbiology and biochemistry of food preservation in lay language, along with step-by-step procedures for freezing, drying, canning, and preparing a root cellar; a survey of organic agriculture and its standards; and suggestions on how to reduce food packaging and its attendant toxins and nonbiodegradable waste. The last section covers nonfood issues, including household hazardous waste, alternative and safe cleaning supplies and pest control, water purity and conservation, energy-saving appliances, and equipment choices. Well formatted for easy reference, this handbook offers numerous charts of equivalencies, substitutions, and cooking times and concludes with a resource list and an index. Copyright© 1997, American Library Association. All rights reserved

Synopsis:
Featuring everything from lessons on reading labels on packaged foods to buying organic, from canning and community gardening to creating a root cellar, this unique handbook offers suggestions for economical and environmentally conscious alternatives which make keeping a green kitchen a viable, practical option.

Card catalog description
Maintaining an ecologically sound kitchen makes cooking and eating more enjoyable and contributes to the well-being of the environment and your health and family. The Green Kitchen Handbook offers a wealth of practical advice, references, and sources for turning your kitchen into a healthful, livable space. It contains simple tips for immediate use: how to buy organic foods as inexpensively and conveniently as supermarket foods, how to clean and control pests with nontoxic materials, what to look for on food labels, and how to reduce packaging. It also offers advice for more ambitious solutions, including information on canning, creating a root cellar, foraging, and joining community environmental projects. In addition, there are valuable insights on how to buy seasonal, fresh, local foods; how to avoid processed foods and refined sugars; how to recognize the hidden costs in commercial packaging; the best way to prepare and store foods; and how to embrace the new green diet without wasting time and money.

From the Publisher:
The Green Kitchen Handbook contains basic tips on and simple solutions to: what to look for on packaged food labels, how to recognize which food additives to avoid, and how to buy organic foods as inexpensively and conveniently as supermarket foods. And it offers advice for more ambitious projects including information on canning, creating root cellars, buying kitchen appliances, and joining community gardens. The Green Kitchen Handbook also includes valuable insights on how to buy local foods in season; how to avoid excess fat, sugars, and salt; where to locate the best food sources; preparing and storing foods; and integrating the principles of keeping a green kitchen with your daily routine. This unique handbook offers economical and environmentally conscious alternatives that make keeping a green kitchen simple, sensible, and delicious.

Table of Contents
Foreword By Meryl Streep
Preface By Wendy Gordon
1. Introduction
2. The New Green Diet
Step 1. Eating Organically Produced Food
Step 2 and 3. Eating Local, Seasonal Food
Step 4. Eating a Variety of Foods
Step 5. Eating Low on the Food Chain
Step 6. Eating Whole Foods with Adequate Fiber
Step 7. Avoiding Processed Food
Step 8. Reducing Packaging for Public Health and the Environment
3. The New Foragers: New Ways to Shop and Acquire Whole Food
Conventional Stores
Alternative Ways of Finding Whole Foods
Food Packaging
4. The Green Pantry
Grains and Flours
Dried Beans and Peas
Nuts and Seeds
Herbs and Spices
Teas
Whole Food Sweeteners
Healthful Oils
5. Preserving the Foods of the Harvest
The Secrets of Food Preservation
Freezing Food
Drying Food
Root Cellars
Canning Food
6. The Ecological Kitchen
Under the Kitchen Sink: Household Hazardous Waste
Cleaning
Pest Control
Water
Energy Use in the Kitchen
Equipping the Green Kitchen
Dealing with Garbage
Appendix. Nutritional Data
Resources
Index

Planet Earth Home

Cover, Planet Earth Home Author(s): Mel Moench

Publisher: Osprey Press

ISBN: planetearthhome

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“This is by far the most comprehensive attempt to create the truly unplugged house… …systems forliving which honor the Earth.” –John Todd, President Ocean Arks International

This book fills a needed niche in self-sufficiency information. The book is a complete resource for the home biosphere. Rather than the home thought of as only a shelter, we need to begin to redefine the home as a potential provider. The result will be our own increased well-being as well as the future well-being of planet Earth. Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion From the Authors website: This book contains a plan for constructing a completely self-sufficient home for a family of four, which is designed to provide both food and power and can be located anywhere. No stream needed No hilltop location necessary No sunbelt location required No extensive farming skills No major mechanical skills No huge costs Limited lifestyle change This is a complete reference spanning and condensing over 21 years of research and tens of thousands of books, articles, technical documents and phone calls, covering all aspects of self-sufficiency. It answers questions such as: Which power source do I need? Which plants and animals are best? Which building materials last the longest? What are the easiest plumbing and sewage methods? How do I preserve enough food? Where is recycling used? The information and plan has been designed to simplify the many complex technologies into an understandable and easy-to-read format. The table of contents is grouped by function, making information easily accessible. The basic plan can be modified to suit the Individual needs in building your own home. Whether you are a survivalist, a young family looking for some measure of independence or want a second food source, this book can give you as much self-sufficiency ideas as you ever could want.

Solviva: How to grow $500,000 on one acre, and Peace on Earth

Author(s): Anna Edey

Publisher: Trailblazer Press

Paperback: 224 pages

ISBN-10: 0966234901

ISBN-13: 978-0966234909

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Solviva: How to grow $500,000 on one acre, and Peace on Earth

You’ll want to live in a greenhouse once you read this inspiring book. Anna shows how animals and plants thrive in her bio-diverse system, which uses no pesticides, recycles CO2, is solar efficient and produces healthy, thriving plants that grow like crazy- even in winter in Massachussetts!

Since 1976 Anna Edey has made one astonishing discovery after another (how to heat and cool with solar power, how to grow exceptionally high yields of highest quality organic foods year-round without heating fuel or cooling fans, how to manage sewage in ways that benefit the landscape and reduce water pollution, etc) under the name Solviva Solar-Dynamic Bio-Benign Design.

This book is about one woman’s sacred vision and commitment to learning to live sustainably on Earth.

The results of her experiments and methods have again and again exceeded highest hopes and expectations. This book describes the exciting trials and triumphs of her journey, and offers convincing proof that we can, with today’s technology and knowledge, live in ways that reduce pollution and depletion of resources by 80% or more, and at the same time reduce cost of living and improve quality of life, in urban and rural locations anywhere on Earth.

The book contains 155 color illustrations, 244 pages, softcover, color, with color photos, and many detailed instructions and recommendations to help others along on their own journeys toward living sustainably.

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Product Description

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