Books for the Orchard Enthusiast

Mycorrhizal Planet

How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility

by Michael Phillips
Hardcover Edition

Michael Phillips shares green man ways to grow healthy through biological alchemy.

This hands-on exploration of soil biology and healthy plant metabolism will rock you.

Fungal consciousness will help you become a better earth steward. The real impetus behind gardening with mulches, digging with broadforks, forest-edge orcharding, no-till farming, low-impact forestry, and everything permaculture is to disturb the soil as little as possible. This in turn allows the fungal dynamic to thrive. Join with other savvy growers to catch this mycelial wave and work towards a tomorrow for generations to come.

$40.00

The Holistic Orchard

Growing Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way

by Michael Phillips

Building system health applies to all fruits, and here's the book that first inspired beyond organic understanding!

Many people want to grow fruit but lack the insight to be successful orchardists. Growing tree fruits and berries is something anyone with passionate desire can do – given wise guidance and a personal commitment to observe the teachings of the trees.

The Holistic Orchard demystifies the basic skills everybody should know about the inner-workings of the orchard ecosystem, including soil biology and organic health management. Detailed insights on grafting, planting, pruning, and choosing the right varieties for your climate are also included, along with a step-by-step instructional calendar to guide growers through the entire orchard year.

Michael Phillips completely changed the conversation about healthy orcharding with his first bestselling book, The Apple Grower, and now he takes that dialogue even further, drawing connections between home orcharding and permaculture; the importance of native pollinators and beneficial allies; the world of understory plantings with shade-tolerant berry bushes; detailed information on cover crops and biodiversity; and the newest research on safe, locally-inspired solutions to pest and disease challenges.

$40.00

Holistic Orcharding DVD

with Michael Phillips

Running Time 5 hours

Every farm and homestead can enjoy the timeless pleasure of a fruit orchard. You do this by emphasizing biological health and diversity. From the microscopic fungi in the soil to the beneficial insects, companion plants, and wildlife that together form a complete and living orchard ecosystem.

Michael Phillips shows how in this 'dvd walk' through the orchard year. See basic horticultural skills demonstrated, from grafting and tree planting to the right mulch and pest management. Learn about groundbreaking strategies for growing apples and other tree fruits not just organically, but holistically. You now have every reason to confidently plant that very first fruit tree!

View the trailer here.

$49.95
Network Special $45.00

The Apple Grower

A Guide for the Organic Orchardist

by Michael Phillips

Anyone wanting to grow healthy apples should really begin with the book that helped make these networking pages possible:

Michael's apple book has been a modest success, selling nearly 50,000 copies since its initial publication by Chelsea Green in 1998. This classic orcharding tome was fully revised and expanded in 2005, with color images and many practical charts throughout.

As one friend put it, this definitive guide to organic orcharding is a full-fledged college course in its own right, and certainly worth every penny of the cover price.

Michael's personal voice and clear-eyed advice have made The Apple Grower the go-to book among community and home orchardists alike.

Those who are serious about succeeding with apples need to have the updated edition on their bookshelf. Lastly, a word to the wise: Even a classic work will not necessarily remain in print forever.

$40.00
Network Special $35.00

Uncultivated

Andy Brennan

Hardcover Edition
Don't be fooled by cheap imitations!

Decades-long experience with wild apple trees and the superior cider that can be produced sets the plot. The protagonist takes the stage with new tastes and  textures that arise from a faith in the tenacity of every apple seed. Out of this flows the successful, environmentally-conscious business known as Aaron Burr Cidery. This fresh perspective on natural orcharding and the hard cider of America's nearly forgotten past is both provocative and reassuring. You will definitely enjoy Andy's musings on orchard vernacular and living a far less stressful life. 

$25.00

The New Cider Makers Handbook

Claude Jolicoeur
Hardcover Edition

To make the very best cider – whether for yourself, your family and friends, or for market – you first need a deep understanding of the processes involved. Fortunately, the New Cider Maker's Handbook is here to help. Claude Jolicoeur is an award-winning cider maker from Quebec with an inquiring, scientific mind. His book combines the best of traditional knowledge with deep, comprehensive information on all aspects of fermentation to advice on the best apples to grow for cider to instructions on how to build your own grater mill or cider press. This invaluable reference will surely be consulted again and again.

$45.00
Network Special $40.00

Cider, Hard & Sweet

[3rd Edition]

Ben Watson

Cider is the new thing in today's drinking world, even though it's been around for centuries. Richly informative and entertaining, Cider, Hard & Sweet is your go-to source for everything related to apples, cider, and cider making. Ben Watson introduces us to its different styles – draft, farmhouse, French, New England, and sparkling – and also covers apple wine, apple juice, cider vinegar, and Calvados. It includes great information on apple varieties, cider making basics, barrel fermentation, and recipes for cooking with cider. Learn how to recognize a good cider, whether purchasing from a vintage producer to making the genuine article at home.

$18.00

Apples of North America

Tom Burford
Hardcover Edition

Tom Burford knows apples. His stories of our rich apple heritage span generations – the Burford family has produced fruit in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia since 1715 – and follow the apple's waves of popularity in America. The book is brimming with beautiful portraits of heirloom and modern apples of merit, each accompanied by distinguishing characteristics and common uses. The exploration of the apple culminates with an overview of the fruit's transformative capabilities when pressed, fermented, cooked, or dried. We've all been waiting for this visual guide to the best of fruit!

$35.00

Apples of Uncommon Character

Rowan Jacobsen
Hardcover Edition

May the apple renaissance never end. Terroir writer Rowan Jacobsen explores the quirks and lore of 123 astonishing apples every grower needs to know. Classic heirlooms irresistibly kick off all such varietal lists. Those regional cultivars seemingly lost to ever blander marketing dictates especially deserve renewed consideration. Modern day crosses made with the likes of Cox Orange Pippin shall not be denied. Rowan's varietal profiles read like poetry for the fruit connoisseur. Couple this with stunning photography and explorations of the worlds of cider, the methodology of breeding new cultivars , and even hints to track down the wild unknown . . . and you'll quickly realize that apple geeks never had it so good!

$35.00

Fire Cider!

by Rosemary Gladstar with many friends

Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar has been touting the health benefits of fire cider – a spicy blend of apple cider vinegar, onion, ginger, horseradish, garlic, and other immune-boosting herbs – since almost the beginning of time. Her original recipe, inspired by traditional cider vinegar remedies, has given rise to dozens of fire cider formulations created by fans of the tonic who use it to address everyday ills, from colds and flu to leg cramps and hangovers. Fire Cider! is a lively collection of 101 recipes contributed by more than 70 herbal enthusiasts, with energizing versions ranging from Black Currant Fire Cider to Triple Goddess Vinegar, Fire Cider Dark Moonshine, and Bloody Mary Fire Cider. Colorful asides, including tribute songs and amusing anecdotes, capture Rosemary’s passionate desire to pass along the fire cider tradition.

$17.00

The Apple Lovers Cookbook

Amy Traverso
Hardcover Edition

The most complete cookbook for enjoying and cooking with apples. Winner of an IACP 'Best Cookbook' award! The Apple Lover's Cookbook celebrates the beauty of apples in all their delicious variety, taking you from the orchard to the kitchen with recipes both sweet (like Apple-Stuffed Biscuit Buns and Blue Ribbon Deep-Dish Apple Pie) and savory (like Cider-Brined Turkey and Apple Squash Gratin). It offers a full-color guide to fifty-nine apple varieties organized into cooking categories so that it's easy to choose the right fruit for any recipe. Amy Traverso also takes you around the country to meet farmers, cider makers, and apple enthusiasts.

$30.00

Attracting Native Pollinators

Eric Mader and the Xerces Society

Bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, and some beetles pollinate more than 70 percent of flowering plants, but North America's native pollinators face multiple threats to their health and habitat. This informative guide offers a complete action plan for protecting these industrious orchard allies by providing flowering habitat and nesting sites. Solitary pollinators in particular get to early season bloom like no other bees. Attracting Native Pollinators is illustrated with hundreds of color photographs detailing a realm we all need to appreciate more.

$30.00

Farming with Native Beneficial Insects

Eric Mader and the Xerces Society

Improve the biodiversity of your orchard and farm by making your land a welcoming place for beneficial insects. Learn to identify important farm allies through the close-up photography and insect profiles offered here. Next step, go wild with diversity, from beetle banks to contour buffer strips to integrated hedgerows, all aimed at improving habitat for these insect helpers. What matters are the right range of plants for a given bioregion, and this is where Farming with Native Beneficial Insects truly shines. Nine different ecosystems across North America are examined in detail, with lists and lists of wildflowers and grasses to weave into every orchard ecosystem. Practical advice on seeding, cover crop rotations, and maintaining this diversity for the long haul seals the deal. This is a must-have resource for holistic fruit growers.

$25.00

Apples and the Art of Detection

John Bunker

Seeking to identify an unknown apple? Bunk has put together a fantastic resource to help you do just that. The apple sleuth who founded Fedco Trees walks you through all the potential clues. This book is alive with many inspiring tales of John's own discoveries and intriguing apple lore. You'll find a portrait of the original Duchess of Oldenburg, learn what truly constitutes a crabapple, and maybe, just maybe, discover surprising history about your own favorite cultivar. Grafting tips galore will get you seeking scionwood for a number of heirlooms too long forgotten.

$40.00