Dear Friends:
 Every
once in awhile a book catches your attention that is filled with uncommonly common-sense
that you wonder how you could live without it. Literally. Such is the case with Slug Bread &
Beheaded Thistles by Ellen Sandbeck. We discovered the book a year ago
and it's been one of our best sellers ever since.
 And now a sequel is out: Eat
More Dirt - Diverting and Instructive Tips for Growing and Tending an Organic Garden.
The book people, Common Ground, says Americans use approximately half a
million tons of pesticide each year, but many studies suggest that this harms humans as
much as unwanted insects. The household-cleaner industry is also booming, while The
National Center for Health Statistics attributes the rise in respiratory cancers and
diseases among homemakers to the use of toxic cleaning products. Restoring time-tested,
human-friendly techniques for maintaining your home and garden, Slug Bread and Beheaded
Thistles offers ingenious, nontoxic alternatives to the highly poisonous chemicals found
in the average kitchen cupboard.
For example, try citrus as a solvent, or use sour skim milk to kill plant
viruses. Rid yourself of lice with coconut oil. Baking soda, white vinegar, and coffee
grounds all offer safe alternatives to potentially deadly cleansers.
Eat More Dirt extends the helpful insights to plants, gardens and
outdoor spaces: cornmeal cuts down on cutworms, and wood ashes keep the slugs away. From
peat moss to irksome pests and predators, Sandbeck explores the lively world of compost
heaps (which can be used to naturally “vaccinate” your garden against disease),
growing good soil, choosing plants well-adapted to your climate, weed warfare, planting
protocols, and eco-friendly ways to quench your garden’s thirst. You may find Eat
More Dirt to be an essential guide for a thriving, natural garden.
These delightful books are overflowing with simple, highly effective tips
like these, along with invigorating illustrations and offers a refreshing way of living
and thriving.
Keep it clean, folks. Your planet will thank you.
Louise Dawson
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