Aimee Conkle

We are living in an amazing world. In a few hours we can be in a different country; we can talk to friends and family face-to-face from states away.

At the same time, we are learning some things our ancestors already knew. For instance: Food tastes better when you eat it fresh. Our beautiful and mild Northwest weather offers a bounty of exquisite flavors and plenty of opportunities to eat fresh and locally.

At the North Olympic Library System, you’ll find great books about sustainable living and organic garden-planning that offer easy ideas you can use to start living a more vibrant and healthy life. Here are two to get you started:

“The Backyard Homestead”

Edited by Carleen Madigan

This book is beautifully designed to help you easily tackle one backyard area at a time. Have you been considering keeping chickens? Look here for a detailed section that tells you everything from how to pick the right breeds, to egg production, to butchering.

You’ll also find a chapter about the 32 essential herbs to plant in your garden, what you can use them for and how to grow and preserve them.

This book will not only show you how to get started, but it also goes the extra step, telling you how to harvest your food and cook, preserve, cure, brew and even pickle it!

“Food Grown Right, in              Your Backyard”

By Colin McCrate and Brad Halm, co-founders of Seattle Urban Farm Co.

As Thomas Jefferson said, “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.” McCrate and Halm have a wealth of knowledge between them and they will show you every step of planning a successful garden — from climate control and layout, to knowing how to transplant produce.

What I found especially helpful were examples of the gardens the authors planted over the years and what they did to improve them. For instance, it’s comforting to know that some of gardening is trial and error, even for the experts! This book teaches you what garden tools are indispensable and how to care for them.

There also is a chapter devoted to composting, crop profiles and water and irrigation. A very easy read and a great place to start.

Don’t let the idea of growing tomorrow night’s dinner overwhelm you! Get inspired! Learn new ways to eat healthy and nutritiously, create the most efficient garden for your family and connect with all the resources you need to get started at your local library.

Aimee Conkle is a customer service representative at the Clallam Bay Library.