Kate’s in the Kitchen: Living the Chicken Life

These past few weeks have been a flurry of activity in our little house. As we shake off the shreds of winter to welcome in spring, the birdsong outside our window is echoed by an entirely new sound inside – the nearly constant chirping coming from a box in the corner of our living room.

Voices From the Farm: Recalling a Chicken Dinner, Sans the Chicken

Together Big Jumbo and her twin, Big Mumbo, produced 65 lambs in their lifetimes. With the multiple births several lambs were lost, but those saved earned Big Mumbo a Lifetime Lambing Average of 325%, and Big Jumbo a 250% Lifetime Lambing Average. Thankfully, their genes were still well represented in our flock by their offspring retained over the years.

Back to the Future: Compost on Local Farms

Washington State University Extension, Snohomish County, has field tests in place using locally produced compost (from Cedar Grove) as an experimental input on local farms.

When a Grocery Store Closes, a Co-op Opens

When the grocery store in Elwood, Nebraska, closed in January 2012, Sharlette Schwenninger and LeahAnn Brell went into action. Today, the Elwood Hometown Cooperative Market has a bright future in a vibrant, engaged rural community.

The Future of Food, Dr. Vandana Shiva

Scientist, author, and activist, Vandana Shiva presented the University of Victoria’s President’s Distinguished Lecture and Special Convocation address marking the school’s 50th anniversary.

Designing America’s Waste Landscapes by Mira Engler

One of the most visible consequences of our society’s breakneck level of production and consumption is the increasing amount of land designated as landfill and other waste disposal and processing sites. Often located in marginal areas or adjacent to politically and economically dispossessed communities, these places are usually ignored by mainstream society, as is the garbage that fills them. Even with the greater awareness of the problems of waste disposal inspired by recycling programs and anti-littering ads, we would much rather take the garbage out than think about where its going.

The Soul of the Soil by Joe Smillie and Grace Gershuny

All of us involved in the cultivation of plants–from the backyard gardener to the largest farmer–need to help regenerate a “living soil,” for only in the diversity of the soil and its creatures can we ensure the long-term health of ourselves and our environment. The Soul of Soil offers everyone a basic understanding of what soil is and what we can do to improve our own patch of it. Seen in this light, this practical handbook will be an inspiration as well.