Thursday, May 7, 2015

Compost City: Practical Composting Know-How for Small-Space Living By Rebecca Louie

Absolutely EVERYTHING you wanted to know about composting, especially for limited space! I’ve been an organic gardening and a composter for decades and this book still had so much to offer. Author Rebecca Louie uses a whimsical, sometimes rollicking style of writing to give the most thorough guide to all types of composting that I have ever seen. Her playful guide includes details about both passive and active composting; everything from small containers to the tried and true 3-bin method. Best of all every section contains a troubleshooting section so the composter can figure out what needs fixing or what went wrong with their compost. She covers worms, literally! The book includes a wonderfully detailed guide to vermiculture including how to build and maintain your worm bins, of course the care and feeding, and even warnings on how to keep your worms happily contained so they don’t go astray! Compost City even discusses in depth bokashi composting which makes it possible to compost the things they always tell you not to compost like greasy foods, meats, fats, and other undesirable elements. A marvelous side product of bokashi gives you an incredible drain cleaner too. Ever wondered what to do with pet waste? The author has a section on that too. Many gardeners may have stacks of Rodale Press gardening books on their shelf; I know I do. But kudos to Roost Books for believing in this project and publishing a book that details just about every possible procedure and question you might have about all kinds of composting. The last portion of the book even gives tips on activism and starting your own composting venture at your local community, school, church, or vacant lot. The book is full of case studies of successful projects from all over and useful knowledge from experienced composters. For anyone who gardens on a small or large scale this book is a must have. It answers questions many gardeners won’t even have thought of yet! It doesn’t matter if you are growing food for the community or your family, or even if your garden is nothing but potted plants on a balcony or patio, this book has methods you can use to live more sustainably. Stop throwing food scraps in the trash and learn how to turn them into rich black gold to make even the tiniest garden a better place! Watch for this coming up from Roost Books on May 19, 2015 at your favorite booksellers!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Man in the Maze

Interesting short award-winning film on our food. Appalling visuals of our incredible waste of food going into landfills. http://tucson.com/entertainment/movies/award-winning-food-systems-documentary-premiers-on-tucson-com/article_1c1da1eb-4ac8-5efb-95c8-b804001ea798.html