{"product_id":"carving-out-a-living-on-the-land-isbn-9781603588263","title":"Carving Out a Living on the Land","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A thorough and generous guide to shaping your world not only to your own happiness, but the world’s as well.”\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003eJohn Hodgman, host of \u003ci\u003eJudge John Hodgman; \u003c\/i\u003eauthor of \u003ci\u003eVacationland\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCarving Out a Living on the Land\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of how author Emmet Van Driesche navigated changing life circumstances, took advantage of unexpected opportunities, and leveraged new and old skills to piece together an economically viable living on marginal farmland, while at the same time respecting the land’s complex ecological relationships. Van Driesche’s adventure began when he recognized that he could do much more with his land than simply tend rows of perfectly sheared Christmas trees.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom spoon carving to scything, coppicing to wreath-making, \u003ci\u003eCarving Out a Living on the Land\u003c\/i\u003e proves that you don’t need acres of expensive bottomland to start your land-based venture, but rather the creativity and vision to see what might be done with that rocky section or ditch or patch of trees too small to log. You can lease instead of buy; build flexible, temporary structures rather than sink money into permanent ones; and take over an existing operation rather than start from scratch. What matters are your unique circumstances, talents, and interests, which when combined with what the land is capable of producing, can create a fulfilling and meaningful farming life.\"The lessons here, cleanly told, serve the aspiring farmer, small business owner, and demonstrate not just how to run a farm, but how to build a sustainable and deeply satisfying life with the skills you have, and the ones you can learn.\"―\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Van Driesche’s charmingly pragmatic account of running a Christmas tree farm in Western Massachusetts with his wife, Cecilia, resembles a mini-MBA for farmers in its breadth and depth of insight. . . Filled with a practical and open-minded approach to problem-solving that agrarians and urbanites alike will find refreshing, [this] book provides an invigorating paean to seizing opportunities, finding one’s strengths, and working hard.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, \u003c\/i\u003eStarred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In this no-nonsense resource for novice Christmas Tree farmers (and all farmers), Van Driesche shares his sustainable success story in pragmatic and engaging detail.”\u003cb\u003e―Forrest Pritchard, farmer; \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best-selling author of \u003ci\u003eGaining Ground\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A couple of years ago I bought a Christmas tree from Emmet Van Driesche’s little family in the woods. I immediately wanted to move in with them. They radiated the kind of peaceful contentment that comes with doing work that makes sense to you and that you are good at. But since moving in with them would be creepy, I am glad to have this book, a thorough and generous guide to shaping your world not only to your own happiness, but the world’s as well.”\u003cb\u003e―John Hodgman, host of \u003ci\u003eJudge John Hodgman\u003c\/i\u003e; author of \u003ci\u003eVacationland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eCarving Out a Living on the Land\u003c\/i\u003e describes the joy of living a simpler life in tune with nature, without skipping on the nitty gritty of hard work and paying the bills. Along the way, Emmet shows that spoon carving is not just a wonderful pastime but can be part of a thriving modern business, filling one’s time between the hustle and bustle of childcare and tree cutting with calm, spoon-y industriousness.”\u003cb\u003e―Barn the Spoon, founder, Spoon Club and The Green Wood Guild; author of \u003ci\u003eSpoon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eEmmet Van Driesche, along with his wife, Cecilia, operates the Pieropan Christmas Tree Farm in western Massachusetts. When he’s not working on the tree farm or editing scientific manuscripts, he spends his time carving wooden spoons and teaching others to do the same. You can find out more about him at www.emmetvandriesche.com.","brand":"Chelsea Green","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233015705829,"sku":"NP9781603588263","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781603588263.jpg?v=1767723446","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/carving-out-a-living-on-the-land-isbn-9781603588263","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}