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The Natural Farmer
Summer 2021
Climate Change
Image Credit: "Flerd", Shelterbelt Farm, NY


The Farmer’s Code: How Legacies are Built, by Mike C. Young
Reviewed by Erika Guay How does one make a farm last through several generations? Not just that the farm is successfully passed from one generation to another, but how can families find harmony together, be happy to work together, while ensuring lasting foundations? Mike C. Young is one of the lucky few in the 4th generation, with the 5th generation ready to take on the task. This book is his manifesto, his secret recipe, the code that has led his family to success. Young us
Erika Guay
Dec 19, 20252 min read


Heart of the Hive, by Hilary Kearney
Reviewed by Lindsay Kazarick I picked up Heart of the Hive expecting a solid primer on bee biology, but Hilary Kearney surprised me with something far more intimate — a love letter, really, to the buzzing communities just beyond our backyards. As someone who’s spent countless hours marveling at pollinator gardens and swapping stories with Appalachian beekeepers, I immediately connected with Kearney’s voice: warm, curious, and deeply knowledgeable. She opens by reminding us t
Lindsay Kazarick
Dec 19, 20253 min read


Carrots Love Tomatoes, by Louis Riotte
Reviewed by Richard Robinson Carrots Love Tomatoes was first published in 1975, coincidentally, the same year I had my first garden. I believe the campus biology department had a copy, but I only glanced at it then, and it left little impression, other than the memorable title, and that marigolds, which I didn’t grow, were good for…um…something. The book is now 50 years old. I’ve been a casual farmer for much of that time, and a serious one for the past 15 years, without eve
Richard Robinson
Dec 19, 20252 min read


The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food, By Tanya Denckla Cobb
Reviewed by Chris Travis Storey Publishers, 2024, 328pp, $24.99 A must-have for all gardeners, Tanya Denckla Cobb's The Backyard...
Chris Travis
Sep 22, 20252 min read


The Garlic Companion: Recipes, crafts, preservation techniques, and simple ways to grow your own, by Kristin Graves
Reviewed by Hannah Shafer This book review comes to you from my living room couch, where I’m currently nestled in my coziest fleece, tea...
Hannah Shafer
Sep 22, 20253 min read
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