The Urban Farm Handbook by Annette Cottrell

The Urban Farm Handbook by Annette Cottrell

CLICK HERE to download the chapter on Growing Strategies to Maximize Garden Space from The Urban Farm Handbook

* More than 150 sustainable resources for the Pacific Northwest
* More than 90 basic home-production recipes
* 75 black-and-white and 35 full color photographs
* Up-to-date information on Seattle-area urban farming permits and policy

Is that . . . a goat in your garage? It might be if you've been reading The Urban Farm Handbook: City-Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat. In this comprehensive guide for city-dwellers on how to wean themselves from commercial supermarkets, the authors map a plan for how to manage a busy, urban family life with home-grown foods, shared community efforts, and easy yet healthful practices.

More than just a few ideas about gardening and raising chickens, The Urban Farm Handbook uses stories, charts, grocery lists, recipes, and calendars to inform and instruct. As busy urbanites who have learned how to do everything from making cheese and curing meat to collaborating with neighbors on a food bartering system, the authors share their own food journeys along with those of local producers and consumers who are changing the food systems in the Pacific Northwest. Organized seasonally, this handbook instructs on:

> How to maximize space for planting a variety of fruits and vegetables
> Small-animal husbandry and beekeeping
> Canning, drying, freezing, fermenting, and pickling techniques
> Grinding grains for flour and other uses
> Tips for creating a farmer-to-consumer connection
> How to form a buying club with neighbors
> Opportunities for Change steps to follow

And so much more

JOSHUA McNICHOLS is a 35-year-old journalist (and former architect) in Seattle with a long-term interest in sustainability and food security. He has reported, written, and produced around a hundred pieces for local public radio station KUOW, and has written for nationally syndicated public radio programs, including Weekend America and The Splendid Table. His favorite stories feature memorable characters connecting through community and food; it's these stories that have infected him with a passion for urban farming.

Joshua also is currently producing a series of podcasts on composting for Seattle Tilth and a multi-media project for Historylink.org.