- ISBN13: 9781603580779
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
First published in 1977, this book—from one of America’s most famous and prolific agricultural writers—became an almost instant classic among homestead gardeners and small farmers. Now fully updated and available once more, Small-Scale Grain Raising offers an entirely new generation of readers the best introduction to a wide range of both common and lesser-known specialty grains and related field crops, from corn, wheat, and rye to buckwheat, millet, rice, spelt, flax, and even beans and sunflowers.
More and more Americans are seeking out locally grown foods, yet one of the real stumbling blocks to their efforts has been finding local sources for grains, which are grown mainly on large, distant corporate farms. At the same time, commodity prices for grains—and the products made from them—have skyrocketed due to rising energy costs and increased demand. In this book, Gene Logsdon proves that anyone who has access to a large garden or small farm can (and should) think outside the agribusiness box and learn to grow healthy whole grains or beans—the base of our culinary food pyramid—alongside their fruits and vegetables.
Starting from the simple but revolutionary concept of the garden “pancake patch,” Logsdon opens up our eyes to a whole world of plants that we wrongly assume only the agricultural “big boys” can grow. He succinctly covers all the basics, from planting and dealing with pests, weeds, and diseases to harvesting, processing, storing, and using whole grains. There are even a few recipes sprinkled throughout, along with more than a little wit and wisdom.
Never has there been a better time, or a more receptive audience, for this book. Localvores, serious home gardeners, CSA farmers, and whole-foods advocates—in fact, all people who value fresh, high-quality foods—will find a field full of information and ideas in this once and future classic.
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5 Responses
Thank goodness, we can now put our 32-year-old copy of this book out to pasture; it is falling apart at the seams. We bought a copy from a used bookseller about 5 years ago, and have used it to formulate an approach for small-scale grain raising. Our old book has become considerably more threadbare than it already was.
This book introduces grain growing to the gardener or small-acreage homesteader. It offers many options for expediently producing and using grains (for both human and animal consumption) without needing to own the big iron usually associated with grain farming. It brings out the character of each type of grain as well as how to grow, harvest, and use it. And it introduces some grains that many gardeners might not be familiar with. There are great descriptions of hand tools which are no longer in use commercially, but which can still be quite useful to the small-scale grain producer.
On top of that, the book is well written and a pleasure to read. This is one of our most treasured homesteading reference books.
Rating: 5 / 5
Posted on May 11th, 2010 at 12:27 am
I was disappointed not in the book, it was an enjoyable read, but that growing grain requires more work and/or equipment than vegetable gardening. The information provided on how to plant, grow, harvest and store grains reveals that a “pancake” patch needs more equipment than the average home gardener would normally own, particularly for harvesting. The author frequently states that the hand tools needed for are either found used at farm actions or are antiques and not available. If you have acreage beyond a normal vegetable garden and a strong healthy back the book honestly presents the information needed to grow ones one supply of grain. I must admit, small plot grain growing is more for personal satisfaction than food production, but the book is a good reference to include in one’s garden library.
Rating: 4 / 5
Posted on May 11th, 2010 at 12:29 am
I gave the book to my wife for her birthday, she read it over quicly and regifted it to her dad who’s birthday was the same week, he raves about the book, now I will have to buy another one to replace the original, as My wife did not have the time to read it as deeply as she wanted to.
so I is an excellent book, and it has a lot of information even for a seventy seven year old man, who has been gardening for most of his life.
Rating: 5 / 5
Posted on May 11th, 2010 at 1:47 am
Having one’s own grain garden can be a satisfying experience. “Small-Scale Grain Raising: An Organic Guide to Growing, Processing, and Using Nutritious Whole Grains for Home Gardeners and Local Farmers” is a guide for the small gardener to expand their range of crops to include their own grain and wheat. Outlining a step by step process on how to cultivate grain on a small scale, author Gene Logsdon draws upon his expertise and teachers readers well. “Small-Scale Grain Raising” is educational and vital to anyone considering this venture.
Rating: 5 / 5
Posted on May 11th, 2010 at 2:03 am
The title suggest that this book is written as well for gardeners. It is not. Most of the cultivation techniques he describes are based on a tractor and a lot of machinery unknown to me (an I guess to most gardeners as well). There are no hints of hand cultivating as he assumes that all gardeners own a rotary hoe.
He also assumes a lot of knowledge the reader might have, i.e. sow clover in the wheat. OK, but what do I have to do when I have a garden bed full of wheat? Do I simply throw seeds in between or do I have to cultivate the bed before? Another example is he suggests to grow wheat like the Chinese did in rows. But no description how this is done, how it looks.
Some things like how to store your corn in the field are described in a very lengthy way and it would have been a lot easier putting in some pictures to explain. Other questions are not answered at all. The book is not very methodical and it is poorly organized.
The recipes are weird. For me it just does not fit to write a book on growing your own grains and then in the recipe section asking for ingredients like “frozen corn” or “nonfat dry milk”.
I find it very disturbing that there are no metric measurements and temperatures in brackets. Even American readers might have problems to know what a peck of corn is or a bushel of wheat, which is something different than a bushel of oats. For the normal backyard gardener ponds or kilos are understandable.
In short, it is a nice book to read, lot of American farming history, but nothing which really help you to grow your own grains, unless you have a lot of knowledge yet.
Rating: 3 / 5
Posted on May 11th, 2010 at 4:06 am
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