The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, Revised Edition

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, Revised Edition PDF

Author: Jeff Carpenter

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2023-09-07

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 1645021122

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“Seasoned and novice growers alike will find a mother lode of information and wisdom packed into this gem of a book!”—Nancy Phillips, author of The Herbalist’s Way *Updated with new information about herb dryers and construction, soil fertility, growing cannabis, and more In the first edition of The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, authors Jeff and Melanie Carpenter presented a comprehensive seed-to-bottle guide for aspiring and experienced growers alike, from basic business considerations to planting and propagation to creating value-added products. Now they’re back with a revised and updated edition, sharing the lessons they’ve learned throughout their twenty-five years of operating a medicinal herb farm that prizes quality over quantity. The Carpenters offer their insights and tips on every aspect of herb farming, including: • Size and scale considerations • Data management for profit maximization • The herbal marketplace and choosing which herbs to grow • Field and bed preparation and planting, including building soil fertility • Plant-positive weed, pest, and disease control • Harvest and post-harvest processing, including scalable dryer construction • Value-added products and marketing • A new chapter on growing cannabis • And much more! The Carpenters make the case that growing organic medicinal herbs is not only viable and profitable, but also an important step for improving the ecological health of farmland, taking pressure off of wild medicinal plant populations, and increasing biodiversity. While local foodways are more often the focus of attention, local medicine ways are equally critical and in need of restoration. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer is a one-of-a-kind resource, complete with detailed profiles of 50 medicinal herbs and over 200 color photographs. Whether you’re looking to grow an herb farm from the ground up, incorporate medicinal plants on an existing farm, or add tools to your belt as a seasoned grower, you’ll find the information you need in this volume. “[A] beautiful and informative book . . . A dirt-smudged copy should be within easy reach of every home gardener or farmer who grows—or wants to grow—medicinal plants.”—Michael McGuffin, President, American Herbal Products Association

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer PDF

Author: Jeff Carpenter

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 1603585737

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A new approach to growing local medicine, including information on geo-authenticity, wildcrafting, and developing a good business plan Both a business guide and a farming manual, The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer will teach readers how to successfully grow and market organic medicinal Western herbs. Whether you're trying to farm medicinal plants, culinary herbs, or at-risk native herbs exclusively or simply add herbal crops to what you're already growing, successful small-scale herb farmers Jeff and Melanie Carpenter will guide you through the entire process--from cultivation to creating value-added products. Using their Zack Woods Herb Farm in Vermont as a backdrop, the Carpenters cover all the basic practical information farmers need to know to get an organic herb farm up and running, including: - Size and scale considerations; - Layout and design of the farm and facilities; - Growing and cultivation information, including types of tools; - Field and bed prep; - Plant propagation; - Weed control, and pests and diseases; - Harvesting, as well as wild harvesting and the concept of geo-authentic botanicals; - Postharvest processing; and, - Value-added products and marketing. The authors also provide fifty detailed plant profiles, going deeper into the herbs every farmer should consider growing. In an easy-to-understand, practical, and comprehensive manner, readers will learn how to focus on quality over quantity, and keep costs down by innovating with existing equipment, rather than expensive technology.Market farmers who have never before considered growing medicinal herbs will learn why it's more important to produce these herbs domestically. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer makes a convincing case that producing organic medicinal herbs can be a viable, profitable, farming enterprise. The Carpenters also make the case for incorporating medicinal herbs into existing operations, as it can help increase revenue in the form of value-added products, not to mention improve the ecological health of farmland by encouraging biodiversity as a path toward greater soil health.

The Resilient Farm and Homestead

The Resilient Farm and Homestead PDF

Author: Ben Falk

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1603584447

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The Resilient Farm and Homestead is a manual for developing durable, beautiful, and highly functional human habitat systems fit to handle an age of rapid transition. Ben Falk is a land designer and site developer whose permaculture-research farm has drawn national attention. The site is a terraced paradise on a hillside in Vermont that would otherwise be overlooked by conventional farmers as unworthy farmland. Falk's wide array of fruit trees, rice paddies (relatively unheard of in the Northeast), ducks, nuts, and earth-inspired buildings is a hopeful image for the future of regenerative agriculture and modern homesteading. The book covers nearly every strategy Falk and his team have been testing at the Whole Systems Research Farm over the past decade, as well as experiments from other sites Falk has designed through his off-farm consulting business. The book includes detailed information on earthworks; gravity-fed water systems; species composition; the site-design process; site management; fuelwood hedge production and processing; human health and nutrient-dense production strategies; rapid topsoil formation and remineralization; agroforestry/silvopasture/grazing; ecosystem services, especially regarding flood mitigation; fertility management; human labor and social-systems aspects; tools/equipment/appropriate technology; and much more, complete with gorgeous photography and detailed design drawings. The Resilient Farm and Homestead is more than just a book of tricks and techniques for regenerative site development, but offers actual working results in living within complex farm-ecosystems based on research from the "great thinkers" in permaculture, and presents a viable home-scale model for an intentional food-producing ecosystem in cold climates, and beyond. Inspiring to would-be homesteaders everywhere, but especially for those who find themselves with "unlikely" farming land, Falk is an inspiration in what can be done by imitating natural systems, and making the most of what we have by re-imagining what's possible. A gorgeous case study for the homestead of the future.

Growing 101 Herbs That Heal

Growing 101 Herbs That Heal PDF

Author: Tammi Hartung

Publisher: Storey Publishing

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1580172156

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An organic gardener and noted herbalist presents detailed instructions on how to grow 101 medicinal plants, along with organic approaches to propagation, soil preparation, natural pest management, harvesting, and garden design, and features profiles of each herb and direction son how to prepare a range of herbal remedies and healing foods. Original.

The Organic Seed Grower

The Organic Seed Grower PDF

Author: John Navazio

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2012-12-17

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1603584528

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Now in Paperback “A fantastic guide for organic seed breeders and producers. [Navazio] has taken organic seed production to a higher level.” —Suzanne Ashworth, author of Seed to Seed The Organic Seed Grower is a comprehensive manual for the serious vegetable grower who is interested in growing high-quality seeds using organic farming practices. It is written for both home seed savers and diversified small-scale farmers who want to learn the necessary steps involved in successfully producing a seed crop organically. Detailed profiles for each of the major vegetables provide users with practical, in-depth knowledge about growing, harvesting, and processing seed for a wide range of common and specialty vegetable crops, from Asian greens to zucchini. In addition, readers will find extensive and critical information on topics including: • Seed-borne diseases • The reproductive biology of crop plants • Annual vs. biennial seed crops • Isolation distances needed to ensure varietal purity • Maintaining adequate population size for genetic integrity • Seed crop climates • Seed cleaning basics • Seed storage for farmers • and more . . . This book can serve as a bridge to lead skilled gardeners, who are already saving their own seed, into the idea of growing seed commercially. And for diversified vegetable farmers who are growing a seed crop for sale for the first time, it will provide details on many of the tricks of the trade that are used by professional seed growers. This manual will help the budding seed farmer to become more knowledgeable, efficient, and effective in producing a commercially viable seed crop. Written by well-known plant breeder and organic seed expert John Navazio, The Organic Seed Grower is the most useful guide to best practices in this exciting and important field.

The Herbalist's Way

The Herbalist's Way PDF

Author: Nancy Phillips

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 1931498768

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This updated edition of The Village Herbalist provides a complete guide to the art and practice of herbalism, as well as an introduction to the herbalist's role in family and community life. Inspirational profiles of practicing herbalists from across the country add a human touch to the authors' wealth of practical herbal knowledge. The Herbalist's Way includes time-honored healing wisdom from many cultures, as well as information on: - Roles and responsibilities of herbalists in their communities - Herbal workshops, conferences, and education centers - Growing, drying, and preparing medicinal herbs - Learning to listen to clients and recommend holistic treatments for healing and continued wellness - Licensing, marketing, and other legal and business issues facing modern herbalists - Comprehensive resources and suggestions for building your herbal library