I've spent much of the last few months reading and I wanted to share with you some of the authors and books I've come to love this last year...
Steve Soloman has a no nonsense writing style, he also has loads of experience and shares if he has difficulties seeing how more "fashionable" methods of gardening could work without much difficulty. He especially comes down hard on the square foot gardening concept, with reason. I've followed his advice and have had really good results. He specializes in coastal gardening, but his book "Gardening When it Counts" is essential reading for anyone interested in being self sufficient.
Toby Hemenway with "Gaia's Garden" was able to write the most coherent book on permaculture I've yet to read. Beyond coherent it is positively inspiring, invoking awareness of all of natures connections and awakening you to your role as conductor to the organic orchestra occurring in your garden. It has a usable index and lays the concepts out in friendly, easy to understand chapters, while not watering down what permaculture is all about.
Tamar Adler wrote an instant classic with "An Everlasting Meal." A wonderful meditation on cooking which prompts you to finesse your skills in the kitchen until nothing is wasted and everything is savoured again and again. Reading this book will make you a better cook, which will save you money and make you and your family healthier.
Paul Staments is already the stuff of legend among those who know about him, and thanks to his book "Mycelium Running " future generations will venerate him as one of the first to share the knowledge of cleaning up our toxic history with the power of Mycelium, or mushrooms. This book will take you beyond where you imagined was possible, and infuse you with hope for the future. I'm so excited about this book that I signed up for a workshop with him to learn how to cultivate little mushroom helpers of my own. More on that to come...
