Home, Garden, and DIY
November 2015
"The experience of loving something -- particularly a book or a book's illustration -- so much
that you actually want to eat it is near and dear to my heart."
~ from Cara Nicoletti's Voracious
Recent Releases
Cultivating Chaos: How to Enrich Landscapes with Self-Seeding Plants
by Jonas Reif, Christian Kress, and Jurgen Becker

Gardeners who are weary of weeding, take note! This "unusual, thought-provoking approach to horticulture" (Booklist) could change your mind about self-seeding plants. With careful planning and a watchful eye, invasive self-seeders can be tamed into lavish, eye-catching gardens that yield quick results with minimal cost. Still doubtful? You might not be after seeing the stunning, vibrantly colored photos in this volume. Providing strategies for plot preparation, soil maintenance, and seed dispersal, as well as a useful list of self-seeders, Cultivating Chaos invites both beginning and experienced gardeners to go a little wild.
Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking
by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook

You may not be able visit Zahav, the Philadelphia restaurant started by award-winning chef Michael Solomonov, but with this debut cookbook (co-written with Steven Cook), you can recreate Solomonov's Israeli-inspired food in your own kitchen. After mastering the tehina sauce that appears in recipes throughout the book, you can browse through the nine different ingredient-based sections, sampling approachable yet  mouthwatering recipes from various regions and traditions. In addition to dishes like kibbe, beluga lentil soup, and Persian wedding rice, you'll also find baked goods such as rugelach, babka, and honey cake. For another diverse taste of modern Israel, pick up Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's Jersusalem.
Biodynamic gardening
by Monty Waldin

Offers guidance for entirely organic gardening, making use of natural methods of avoiding pests and disease, while enhancing the flavor of produce, the appearance of the plants, and the garden's environmental impact
DIY, dammit! : a practical guide to curse-free crafting : featuring 35 tried and tested crafts anyone can make and everyone will love
by Joselyn Hughes

A comedian-turned-crafter, and creator of the popular web series DIY, Dammit!, shares what she's learned the hard way, in a full-color illustrated guide to DIY crafting that includes 35 projects—including a dog bed, "Cutie Pie" pillows and a beer poncho—as well as a helpful list of resources. 30,000 first printing. Illustrations
The Knot Outdoor Weddings
by Carley Roney

Combines inspiring photographs of real outdoor weddings, from simple backyard receptions to grand destination ceremonies, with leading style tips, ideas and problem-solving recommendations by The Knot wedding brand. Illustrations.
The Little Book of Skin Care : Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin
by Charlotte Cho

Accompanied by product advice, step-by-step visual tutorials and treatments for common skin issues, the co-founder and CEO of Soko Glam, a Korean beauty and lifestyle site and etailer, presents an illustrated guide for getting healthy skin and a youthful glow by using a famous 10-step Korean skin-care regimen. 100,000 first printing. Illustrations.
Cook's country eats local : 150 regional recipes you should be making no matter where you live
by America's Test Kitchen Editors

Collects one hundred fifty local recipes from around the United States, from Philadelphia cheesesteaks and Utica greens to Carolina red slaw and Texas chicken-fried steak
Build Your Garden
The Vegetable Gardener's Book of Building Projects: Raised Beds, Cold Frames...
by Kevin Ayer

The Vegetable Gardener's Book of Building Projects shows home gardeners how to build their way to better plants -- and save a little green, too. A well-illustrated visual introduction to tools and techniques prepares gardeners to successfully tackle any one of the 39 clever projects described here -- a simple wood-framed raised bed enclosure is a great place to start. From there, home veggie patch enthusiasts will love boosting their crops' beauty, health, and yield with custom-built planters, trellises, cold frames, and much more. Barbara Pleasant's Easy Garden Projects to Make, Build, and Grow offers many other excellent, equally green-thumbed DIY ideas.
Building Projects for Backyard Farmers and Home Gardeners: A Guide to 21 Handmade...
by Chris Gleason

If you're a homesteader (either rural or urban), you don't want to miss this collection of do-able DIY projects for backyards and small-scale farms. The 10 projects included here meet a lot of different needs: you can learn to build a rainwater collection system, assemble a vermiculture bin full of soil-enhancing worms, construct a compost box, and build structures to house plants or microlivestock (can't forget those bees and bunnies!). Clear instructions and lively interviews with experts add both variety and interest to this highly practical volume.
The Greenhouse Gardener's Manual
by Roger Marshall

The possibilities offered by greenhouses are vast, making greenhouse growing both attractive and confusing to newcomers. The Greenhouse Gardener's manual takes some of the uncertainty out of the process, walking you through selecting the right structure, plants, growing methods, and maintenance for whatever you have in mind; after all, you wouldn't want a greenhouse with the lighting and temperature for succulents if hydroponic veggies are your goal. Anyone interested in extending their growing season can benefit from this comprehensive tool -- there's even advice on starting a commercial greenhouse for gardeners with a more entrepreneurial bent.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Contra Costa County Library
1750 Oak Park Blvd  |  Pleasant Hill, California 94523  |  800-984-4636
ccclib.org
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