Top Pick Magazines

I love magazines. I love the beautiful colors and photographs, the short articles that stretch my brain while giving it a break from the usual heavy reading that I do, and the scope for imagination that a good magazine has. I've recently come across two new favorites; if you have any interest in plants or country living, you should definitely check them out.

Horticulture is great. It has wonderful pictures and beautiful colors that are sure to give you a lift no matter what mood you're in. Informative articles inspire you to try new plants or techiniques, and the Master Gardener's page is a good way to see what volunteers around the country are doing to help their communities.

MaryJane's Farm is eclectic. I love anything that's quirky and unique. MaryJane's is full of women around the country that share a love of country living, gardening, and farming . . . whether they live in the country or not. Cover to cover pictures tease your imagination, and the fuzzy articles make it a perfect magazine to enjoy with a cup of tea.

Any other favorites out there?

Current Reading List

Right now while we're trying to decide what our next step is, I've been putting a lot of effort into expanding my agricultural knowledge. Some of the following books I've already read, and some I will have to buy because our library system doesn't have them. All, though, will greatly enhance our farm vision.

-Hands On Agronomy by Neil Kinsey

-You Can Farm! by Joel Salatin

-Pastured Poultry Profits by Joel Salatin

-Small is Possible by Lyle Estill

- Chicken Tractor by Andy Lee

-Small-Scale Livestock Farming by Carol Ekarius -- just finished this one and it was great! Educational and easy to read. Especially helped clarify the creation of a farm business plan including finances (boring but necessary :-P ).

-Making Your Small Farm Profitable by Ron Macher

-Hobby Farm by Carol Ekarius

Book Review: Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch: NY bestseller, really popular, and fresh. According to the cover, a "no-nonsense, touch-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous."

True. The witty banter that makes up the book is refreshing, and their approach to health and losing weight is more of a lifestyle rather than a diet. They give the down and dirty on medications, the crap in our foods, and how our bodies are supposed to function. They are strictly and thoroughly vegan, but some useful insight can be gleaned from the reading whether or not you subscribe to that choice.

Still, I can't recommend it. Reason? Their arguments against meat I found to be inflammatory and tasteless. While I agree that factory farming is deplorable, I recognize that there are alternatives and it is possible to have healthy meat and dairy . . . but as the book went on for pages and pages about the same old stuff, I got bored. And skipped almost half the book.

I have nothing against veganism. Nothing whatsoever. What I find annoying is the "production" argument to justify not eating meat more than the health argument.

The book isn't all bad, but I won't be reading it (or any of the others in the series) again.