Showing titles in Agricultural & Food Sciences

This is an audiobook for anyone who enjoys being transported to another life and lifestyle, or who is interested in bees, homesteading, small farming, animals, organic gardening, farmers markets, human nature, and the hilarity and hardship that goes with all that. Funny, moving, and engrossing, you'll be transported to a world where one family tries to keep it all together as they juggle a farmyard full of animals, thousands of tourists in the garden, a hundred backpackers in the house, millions of bees in the air, and their commitment to the environment and each other.

Jailed as a scapegoat for Stalin's famines, Vavilov had traveled over five continents, collected hundreds of thousands of seeds in an effort to outline the ancient centers of agricultural diversity. Gary Paul Nabhan weaves together Vavilov's story with his own expeditions to Earth's richest agricultural landscapes and the cultures that tend them.

Andy Junkin helps you navigate through the many pitfalls of farming with family and how you can rise above these challenges and get through any tough times. We need to stop being tough on one another, motivate your family to make tough decisions together as a team, change your farm’s culture so you can make the right decisions to bulletproof your farm against any tough times - now or in the future.

Now settled into the sleepy Yorkshire village of Darrowby, and married to Helen the farmer’s daughter, James Herriot thinks he’s finally got himself sorted. But life as a vet in the 1930s was never going to be easy. Quite aside from his unpredictable colleagues, brothers Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, he must contend with new-fangled medical techniques, delivering calves after far too much homemade wine, and a grudge-holding dog called Magnus who never forgets.

We think we know photosynthesis: Plants convert of sunlight, CO2, and water into energy and, ultimately, the food we eat and air we breathe. But Raffael Jovine shows how this incredible process goes beyond what we learned in grade school. First, it's not only about plants: Corals partner with photosynthetic organisms to create the most productive habitat on Earth, slugs eat chloroplasts to create a photosynthesis-based camouflage, hornets use photosynthesis for a very unconventional form of air conditioning—and much more!

Keeping hens in your backyard is a rewarding hobby for a variety of reasons. The eggs are a delectable temptation, they are tastier and more fresh than any eggs that can be purchased in a supermarket, and they are also superior for use in baking. Even though keeping chickens may sound like a delightful hobby, the majority of individuals who are interested in beginning their own flock simply do not know how to get started.

In Fermentation as Metaphor, stemming from his personal obsession with all things fermented, Katz meditates on his art and work, drawing connections between microbial communities and aspects of human culture: politics, religion, social and cultural movements, art, music, sexuality, identity, and even our individual thoughts and feelings. He informs his arguments with his vast knowledge of the fermentation process, which he describes as a slow, gentle, steady, yet unstoppable force for change.

Whether you're interested in tasting the various varietals, using it as a cure, or harvesting your own, Honey for Dummies is the guide for you. This book reveals the deep and complex world of honey, its diverse floral sources, and its surprising range of colors, smells, and flavors. You will learn about over 50 single-origin honeys, their sensory characteristics, where they are produced, and where to buy them. Discover how to taste and evaluate honey using the same methods as professional honey sensory expert.

Twenty-five years ago, Sally Urwin was living in a tiny flat in the city with a high-pressure job. She was utterly miserable, suffering from depression, and longing for a different life. When she met and married farmer Steve, she imagined herself wafting around in floral dresses followed by a bevy of rosy-cheeked children. The reality is quite different....

Have you ever watched a horse flick her tail or had a dog greet you at your door and known in your heart that the animal was exhibiting something more than simple instinctual responses? If so, you must read this book. In it Vicki Hearne asserts that animals that interact with humans are more intelligent than we assume. In fact, they are capable of developing an understanding of "the good", a moral code that influences their motives and actions. Hearne’s thorough studies led her to adopt a new system of animal training that contradicts modern animal behavioral research, but - as her examples show - is astonishingly effective.

Taking its title from a chilling warning made by the United Nations that the world’s soils could be lost within a lifetime, Sixty Harvests Left uncovers how the food industry is threatening the planet. Put simply, without soils there will be no food: game over. And time is running out.

My Family and Other Animals meets The Secret Life of Cows: this rediscovered gem tells the charming tale of how a baby llama transformed a Welsh farming family forever. Ruth Ruck's family lives on a Welsh mountain farm, no strangers to cow pats on the carpet and nesting hens in the larder. When dark days strike, they embark on a farming experiment to cheer them all up - but raising a baby llama proves more of an adventure than expected.

Award-winning journalist Simran Sethi explores the history and cultural importance of our most beloved tastes, paying homage to the ingredients that give us daily pleasure while providing a thoughtful wake-up call to the homogenization that is threatening the diversity of our food supply.

Part documentary, part reality-television, the story of the Deadliest Catch’s Alaskan crab fishermen risking their lives in the Bering Sea to make a buck and feed their families has captivated the world. Giving the Finger follows the life of the spirited young captain who has emerged as one of the most talked-about figures on the show: Scott Campbell, Jr., who leads the crew of the Seabrooke. As this book - a prequel to Junior’s ascent to fame - shows, the trials of crabbing are not limited to living at sea and working the most dangerous job on the planet, but carry over to family and friends.

Join longtime ecological farming author/researcher Harold Willis as he explains the foundation concepts of natural farming and issues the call for cleaner forms of food and fiber production. In this single volume, the author details the interconnections between soil chemistry, microbial life, plants and livestock. He discusses the current problems in agriculture and suggests how lessons from nature provide the roadmap to efficiency, effectiveness and profitability. This book does not stop at providing recipes of what farmers need to do to farm better, but also passes along an understanding ...

Are you looking for a new venture to dive into? Do you have a passion for seafood and farming but don't know where to begin? It's time to enter the world of shrimp farming! Shrimp farming is becoming increasingly popular worldwide and is a lucrative opportunity for farmers, entrepreneurs, and seafood aficionados. The Art of Shrimp Farming is your go-to guide to building a successful and sustainable shrimp farming business. From selecting the perfect location to understanding the different species of shrimps, this book covers everything you need to know to start your own shrimp farm. You'll ...

Gene Logsdon's The Man Who Created Paradise is a message of hope at a time when the very concept of earth stewardship is under attack. The fable, inspired by a true story, tells how Wally Spero looked at one of the bleakest places in America -- a raw and barren strip-mined landscape -- and saw in it his escape from the drudgery of his factory job. He bought an old bulldozer and used the machine to carve patiently, acre by acre, a beautiful little farm out of a seemingly worthless wasteland.

The family farm lies at the heart of our national identity, and yet its future is in peril. Rick Hammond grew up on a farm, and for 40 years he has raised cattle and crops on his wife's fifth-generation homestead in Nebraska, in hopes of passing it on to their four children. But as the handoff nears, their small family farm - and their entire way of life - are under siege.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Raising Meat Rabbits and Ducks and learn about homesteading and sustainable farm practices.

This audiobook is an introduction to homesteading and turning your space into a self sufficient environment. However big or small it may be, this audiobook will guide you through the steps needed to get you well informed on what to expect in the beginning, during and after stages of planning and executing your self sufficient space. Urban homesteads are very versatile. I’ve seen people homestead on their apartment roof, in their little inner-city yard, in the yard of their suburban family home, in warehouses, shipping containers, and so much more. You can build a farm anywhere.