MOTHER EARTH NEWS

MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine is the Original Guide to Living Wisely. Launched in 1970, each bimonthly issue features practical and money-saving information on cutting energy costs; using renewable energy; organic gardening; green home building and remodeling; fun do-it-yourself projects; and conscientious, self-sufficient lifestyles

50 Years and Counting

Dear MOTHER

Networking for Food Security • The food that fills our plates often comes from far away. Unripe produce is picked and packed in boxes to ripen on the road and eventually end up as part of a uniform supermarket display. Even if you have the means, locating locally grown goods in a grocery store can be tough, and not everyone has access to local produce or can attend a farmers market to find it. Further, small-scale farmers often don’t have the level of support they need to bring their wares to nearby customers through commercial means, such as retail and food service.

Crowdsourcing the American Dream • By seeking out information and supplies online, an enterprising man achieves his aspiration of becoming a goat farmer.

MOTHER’s Product Picks

Trench Log and Log Raft Cultivation • People have been growing mushrooms on logs for hundreds of years. It’s one of the simplest ways to cultivate edible and medicinal forest mushrooms.

Pruning A Cut Above the Rest • Nothing more than a well-timed pinch can help you coax plants into bushiness, lankiness, or anything in between.

Life Cycle Gardening • From colorful cut flowers to edible shoots, roots, and more, maximize your garden’s yield by harvesting during different stages of the plants’ lives.

Pure and Simple Kitchen Craft • Add rustic warmth and personality to your kitchen by creating a cheese board with character, and a classic stirrer with simple styling.

Egg-cellent Preserves • Brined, cured, or pickled eggs make unique additions to any pantry, and their distinctive flavors can be enjoyed for weeks to come.

Handcrafted Deerskin Tool Roll • Turn a tanned hide into a roll-up pouch with pockets that will keep your preferred tools organized for service and storage.

DIY Kids’ Lounge Chair • Build this simple, pint-sized chair for the wee ones in your life.

How to Build a Raised Garden Bed • Use these step-by-step instructions to construct an attractive garden box with an attached bench.

Bugs on the Move • Join The Big Bug Hunt and make sure you’re prepared when your invertebrate foes come to town.

Harvest Medicinal Trees in Your Backyard • Look up to find healing remedies in the canopy overhead.

Quite the Coop • Two readers share how their family built a quality custom coop for a fraction of the cost of a pre-made model.

Host a Robust Internship Program • Joel recommends 12 practices for building a relationship with interns that’s educational, familial, and respectful.

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Burn Clean

Organize a Successful Garage Sale • Now that the weather’s getting warmer, I’d like to clear out some of my stuff. What do I need to know before setting up a sale?

Photos from the Field