Our Little Farm

September 15, 2023
Peter Wohlleben (The Power of Trees, 2023) has written best-selling books about the natural world while living with his wife, Miriam, in a forester's lodge near the German village of Eifel. Here the couple provides a detailed look at their decades-long experiment in sustainable living. Their small farm grew to include an extensive vegetable garden, fruit and nut trees, and chickens, goats, sheep, horses, and bees. In brief yet information-packed chapters, the authors take readers on a tour of various aspects of their farm, discuss how to deal with problems like slugs and mice, and share some lessons they learned the hard way (chickens really need a secure coop to avoid predators). The conversational tone will be welcome to those seeking specifics as readers new to the sustainable lifestyle. The Wohllebens did not purchase expensive equipment and stress that a key part of success is doing what is manageable and allows time for enjoyment. They practice "variety instead of quantity" and their advice, which also includes some recipes, adds up to a solid title to recommend to beginners.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2023
One couple's experiences with sustainable living in the mountains of northwest Germany. In this latest, Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees and The Heartbeat of Trees, among other books about ecology, teams with his wife, Miriam, to share their journey in natural living. In the early 1990s, the Wohllebens moved to a small village in the Eifel range. Having accepted a position as a forester for a local community, Peter was given access to "a 1930s lodge built in the style typical for the area at that time; an outbuilding that originally housed a chicken coop and a pigsty; and the remains of a vegetable garden almost the size of a football field." In addition to more vegetables, the couple added fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, chickens, sheep, goats, and beehives. The authors describe themselves as "enthusiastic but not fanatical," as they worked to maintain a manageable workload, and they lay out the planning that went into each project--e.g., choosing what to plant, creating a system for crop rotation, handling garden pests, preserving their bounty--as well as the challenges they faced along the way. Among them was a merciless fox that had them reconsidering chickens as their first animal choice for the farm. In addition to the daily care of their animals, they also had to care for orphaned and rejected baby animals. Although becoming completely self-sufficient was not realistic for the Wohllebens ("Time is the limiting factor in any plan for self-sufficiency"), as is the case for many, they wanted to source more of their food from their own garden and inspire others to do the same. The book includes numerous recipes inspired by the authors' garden, including parsnip cream soup, plum butter, and fresh goat cheese. A great source of inspiration for anyone wishing to become more self-sufficient.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 28, 2023

The married Wohllebens (Peter is the author of The Hidden Life of Trees) invite readers into their hobby farm in northwestern Germany. This book is ostensibly a memoir of the couple's journey towards the goal of self-sufficiency. In reality, however, it is more of a factual how-to handbook that's filled with lessons they've learned and practical farming advice. For example, the book covers investing in quality tools and selecting appropriate clothing for working in the fields. The Wohllebens also provide details about growing only the crops that are climate-compatible, but here the book focuses only on Germany's weather conditions and terrain, diluting its usefulness for U.S. readers. This book is dense text--full of facts and information--without illustrations, interesting sidebars, or pointers to additional resources, though there are recipes. Each chapter could serve as a full-length book in its own right. That adds up to a somewhat challenging read, which may be off-putting to some novices interested in self-sufficiency. VERDICT Most likely of interest to only the readers who have already embarked on self-sufficient farming and want detailed information.--Marjorie Mann

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