By Brian Kaller

Under the green and rolling hills of Scotland, a dozen kilometres from the seaside, several people lay buried for four thousand years. Around them lay what we guess to be their keepsakes; beads, a bronze knife, tools and a battle-axe. Most interesting, though, was that at least one of them – a teenager when he died, curled up like a baby – lay in what was guessed to be a wicker coracle, like those used on these islands into the 20^th century. He was buried in his boat. [Keep reading….]

By Tammy Kimbler

By Rachel Conlin

On this particular July morning, with an overcast sky, Tim backed the truck up to the old log barn. Getting the first lamb in is difficult enough, but getting a couple more in without the first ones escaping is a challenge. We loaded three ram lambs and took a moment to look around in the dim morning light at the rest of the herd. They generally sleep close to the barn being guarded from predators by our guardian livestock dogs. Suddenly Tim called out, “there’s a baby!” My first response was to think he was joking around. Our lambs are born between November and February, with an occasional late being born in March or early April. This is July. Sure enough, amongst the herd, one of our Finn sheep-Gotland cross ewes had a very wet lamb on the ground beside her. Knowing that she may possibly have more, we lead her into the barn and put her in a stall with her lamb. There wasn’t much time to adore the new baby; Tim had to get to work. We drove down to the farmhouse and he headed out in his truck. [Keep reading…]

By Tammy Kimbler

Growing Burr Gherkins

You can grow your own gherkin pickles and more with this pest-proof mini cuke/squash from Africa. Try growing burr gherkins to make delicious pickles and a spicy Brazillian stir-fry.

By William Woys Weaver

All About Eggs: Stir-Fried Sprouts, Spinach and Mushroom Omelette

It’s an old favorite, spinach and mushroom omelettes, and rightfully so. Those two ingredients just go well together. Now stir-fry them with bean sprouts and you’ll really have something special!

By Diane M. Lindamood

Photo by the American Egg Board

Ginger Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe

This ginger broccoli stir-fry recipe is the perfect way to incorporate fresh vegetables and herbs from your garden into a healthy, satisfying meal.

By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Editors

PHOTO: FOTOLIA/ILDI

By Jim Christie

By Tammy Kimbler

Tomato season is finally upon us.  You have no idea how giddy this makes me.  Yesterday I pulled off two Sungold cherries, two Jaune Flamme saladettes and who knows what the other red variety was.  I’ve lost track.  And my peppers are not far behind.  It’s time to start thinking about salsa!   [Get the recipe!]

By Rachel Conlin

Being a farmer and an entrepreneur is never dull. There is always a vast array of things to do and that need to be done. Throughout the day I literally ‘change my hat’ many times. This suits me fine. I may be tired at the end of the day, but always content and never bored. The summer months are particularly very busy; the vegetables are ripening and calling to be picked and preserved, maturing lambs are ready to go to market, and goat milking is at its prime, bags of wool require spinning. With all these jobs other chores tend to appear, like fencing, egg collecting….I could go on, but you get the idea. Add to this the fact that we live in a rural area that is quickly becoming a prime tourist destination. Running my farm market alone keeps me hopping. [Keep reading…]

Nominations Sought for 2015 Moses Organic Farmer of the Year Award

The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is seeking nominations for the “2015 MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year” award, which will be presented at the 26th annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wis., Feb. 26 to 28, 2015.

The award recognizes an organic farmer or farm family with a history of outstanding land management, resource conservation, and farming innovation. These exemplary farmers also are committed to spreading the organic message in their communities. This is the 13th year for the award program, which comes with a prize package that includes full admission to the 2015 MOSES Conference.

North Dakota seed and grain farmers, David, Ginger, Dan and Theresa Podoll of Prairie Road Organic Farm and Seed in Fullerton, ND, received the 2014 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year award. Their farm story and other recipients’ stories are online at the MOSES website under the “Projects” tab.

Anyone can nominate a farmer for this award. Nomination forms are available on the MOSES website, or by calling the MOSES office at 715-778-5775. Nominations are due by Sept. 15, 2014.

This prestigious award comes with a number of prizes including a cash award, lodging, a bookstore gift certificate and full admission to the Organic Farming Conference, the nation’s largest gathering of organic farmers. 

By Meredith Sayles Hughes

Make a Biogas Generator to Produce Your Own Natural Gas

For food waste, chop material into 1-inch or smaller bits. The author set up a chopping station in his garden using an old sink and garbage disposal attached to an extension cord. Other options include using a blender or chipper-shredder.

By Mary Jane Phifer

The recipe is modified from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Kingry and Devine.

We love pickles and that does not just mean cucumbers.  Pickled okra, green beans, baby onions, beets- and  our new true love; pickled asparagus. We pick the asparagus every day and keep it in 2’“ water until we have a few quarts.  Longer spears can be snapped in half and with ends placed in water and stored in the refrigerator. [Get the recipe!]

The Many Uses for 5-Gallon Buckets

You can often procure free frosting buckets from your local grocery store’s bakery department and use them for a wide variety of things.

By Sarah Langlois

Photo by Fotolia/Elenathewise

By Jesse Wolf and Kiva Rose Hardin

Wildflower and Bramble Leaf Tea

This is a lovely tea to drink just for taste’s sake, but it’s wonderful for calming irritated nerves, overheated children (and adults), and addressing any seasonal digestive issues as often happens with summertime bouts of diarrhea. It won’t dry up secretions to the point of causing suppression, but it will cool the body, reduce a fever, and gently lessen any excess loss of fluids.  [Get the recipe!]

By Ilene White Freedman

There are reasons growing carrots organically is challenging. Carrots germinate slowly. Weeds germinate fast. What if you could plant the carrots into the weed-free soil after they are already germinated with green tops? They would be weeks ahead of the weeds yet to germinate. It’d be like a five mile head start in a marathon.

Carrots are delicate. Their foliage is delicate, and early on it is barely discernible from the weeds. By the time the tiny lacy greenery is substantial enough to see, the weeds are taller and bigger.  Weeding them is painstaking. [Keep reading….]

Homemade Onion Powder

Make your homegrown onions last even longer and avoid processed, store-bought alternatives by following this homemade onion powder recipe.

By Linda Deming

Photo by Fotolia/Deyan Georgiev

Landscaping With Logs for a Whimsical Garden Design

Incorporate log rounds into your garden design for an earth-inspired touch. Landscaping with logs is easy, not to mention free!

By Craig Braunschweig

All You Need to Know to Eat Good, Grass-Fed Meat

Learn how to choose and use inexpensive cuts of grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and pastured pork for better nutrition and out-of-this-world flavor.

By Deborah Krasner

Photo by MARCUS NILSSON

Adobe Mud: Building With Earth

Simone Swan and her students at the Adobe Alliance are building with earth in the southwestern United States using adobe mud and traditional North African construction techniques.

By Catherine Wanek

Growing Grains

Growing, harvesting, milling and using amaranth, corn, wheat, oats, rye and triticale.

By John Vivian 

By Renee Pottle

Treehouse Living: 4 Custom, Eco-friendly Options

Have you ever considered living in a treehouse? These custom treehouses may just inspire you to get your eco-friendly home building plans off the ground.

By David Pearson

Photo by CHELSEA GREEN/ROGER WEBSTER

All You Need to Know to Eat Good, Grass-Fed Meat

Learn how to choose and use inexpensive cuts of grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and pastured pork for better nutrition and out-of-this-world flavor.

By Deborah Krasner

PHOTO: PHOTRI IMAGES/MARK S. MYERS

New Variable Speed Wind Turbine

The efficiency of wind power generators stands to take a leap forward following the introduction of new variable speed wind turbine technology.

By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors

PHOTO: KENETECH

Adobe Mud: Building With Earth

Simone Swan and her students at the Adobe Alliance are building with earth in the southwestern United States using adobe mud and traditional North African construction techniques.

By Catherine Wanek

By Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton

It’s the time of year when we get focused in on tomatoes. Drying, boiling, freezing, slicing, and seed saving.

We finally got a chance to taste test the new potato onions in a delicious stir fry.

I learned recently that late spring is the best time to eradicate ragweed instead of mid summer.

Wineberries are extremely yummy but they produce so little fruit we decided to delete our patch.

All You Need to Know to Eat Good, Grass-Fed Meat

Learn how to choose and use inexpensive cuts of grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and pastured pork for better nutrition and out-of-this-world flavor.

By Deborah Krasner

Photo by MARCUS NILSSON

Spice Up Your Stir-Fry With Homemade Soy Sauce

Homemade soy sauce is easy to make and you can reap other edible delicacies, such as tofu or sprouts, during the process.

By R. Lewis Canupp-Penrod 

What To Feed Chickens: Formulating Your Own Chicken Feed

Joan Salmonowicz tells readers what to feed chickens, how to mix your own chicken feed, including buying mixed ration feed in bulk, feed ratios, and common supplements.

By Joan Salmonowicz

PHOTO: FOTOLIA/KNEIANE

Make Your own Fermented Dairy Products

Tap the benefits of delicious fermented dairy products.

By Lynn Keiley

Photo courtesy Scott Hollis

Best Chicken Breeds for Backyard Flocks

Use our survey results to help you choose the best chicken breeds for egg or meat production, temperament, and more.

By Troy Griepentrog

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO/KEVIN EAVES

Mint Brownies Recipe

For a low-fat dessert treat, try our mint brownies recipe.

By Anne Vassal

How to Make Soap and Sell it for Profit

Make soap with this old-fashioned recipe for your family, or to sell to family and friends.

By Michael W. Newton

PHOTO: FOTOLIA/DUSK

Long Noodles Recipe With Salted Black Beans and Bok Choy

This mouthwatering Long Noodles Recipe with Salted Black Beans and Bok Choy Recipe will surely change the minds of vegan-food skeptics everywhere.

By Kim O’Donnel

Photo Courtesy Da Capo Press

Herb Garden Design with Essential Fruits and Vegetables 

Before planning an edible garden, think about the purpose of the garden first. These four window boxes were designed so that the client can easily open her windows and make a selection, or water everything from the convenience of her kitchen. We chose all my client’s favorite herbs and edible flowers: garlic chives, marigolds, parsley, several varieties of basil, creeping thyme, cilantro, and even a couple of strawberry plants.  

Some herbs are also “perennials” and will last year round, while others (like basil) are seasonal. Group seasonal items together so that they are easily replaced with something else once their growing season is complete. 

When replacing plants, don’t forget to replenish the soil, especially if you are planting in window boxes or containers. Valuable nutrients pass through containers quickly, so fresh soil amendments will ensure that the new plants get off to a great start. 

Theme gardens are popular right now. Consider grouping herbs and vegetables together in a raised bed for cooking purposes. If you love Asian cooking, you might want to grow lemongrass, Thai basil, Vietnamese coriander, Chinese eggplant, and dwarf pepper plants (like ‘Baby Belle’). A great way to introduce children to the concept of gardening is to grow something they will also consume. Create a “Lemonade Garden” with all the plants you might use to make fresh lemonade: pineapple mint, orange mint, basil, cucumbers, and lemongrass. Plant a Meyer lemon tree, dwarf blueberry bushes, and strawberries in containers to complete the Lemonade Garden. Don’t forget to make ice cubes with the blueberries and strawberries for the lemonade. 

Get creative. Did you know you can regrow many herbs and vegetables from your own garden, or re-root favorite edibles from the farmers market (celery and mint, for example)? Mother Earth Living provides a great how-to, HERE. Many of these can be started indoors on a sunny window ledge, and then transplanted outside after all danger of frost has passed.