Chasing the White Dog
Seattle’s got a handful of legally licensed bars calling themselves speakeasies these days, but running an illegal joint (or a legal joint masquerading as an illegal joint) is never as interesting as manufacturing the illegal product in the first place. If you’re truly interested in celebrating the country’s puzzling past with controlled substances, put down your martini glass for a moment and check out Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine. The book steps away from the familiar urban gangster myths and delves into some of the alcohol-fueled moments in America’s history (the motivation for the Whiskey Rebellion isn’t all that different than today’s Teabaggers), while giving do-it-yourselfers some solid pointers in making some moonshine. Even if you don’t have plans to build a still in the basement (we’ll never ask), the book has all the drama (stills catching fire, Dukes of Hazzard-style car chases) you could ask for, plus a few entertainingly post-modern moonshiners, like the backwoods law-breaking hero arranging media interviews via cell phone.
– JILL LIGHTNER
Homemade Living: Keeping Chickens
Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of having an urban homestead. But considering I have barely enough room for my cat and me, keeping chickens seems like a pipe dream. Enter Ashley English, a Slow Food advocate and modern day homesteader who says that if you have enough time, money, and, yeah, a bit more space than a small apartment, you too can raise chickens in your backyard—chicken tractor optional. She gives such sound advice on everything from selecting chicks and breeding to protecting them from eggs and the benefits of roosters in establishing a pecking order (hello, high school), that the reader feels inspired to get right down to it and pick up a Manx Rumpy or two. Keeping Chickens is part of her Homemade Living book series (read more at www.small-measure.blogspot.com).
– JULIA WAYNE
Edible
Smart. Gorgeous. Practical. Entertaining. Food books don’t get much better than this. Assembled from Edible Communities magazines around North America and including new region-specific content, the new Edible book connects readers to food at home while giving a new awareness for the local food movement throughout the U.S. and Canada. (The book includes stories from Edible Seattle writers Lara Ferroni and Jenni Pertuset, along with some of our most popular recipes.) Six in-depth portraits of distinct culinary regions (including the Pacific Northwest) in the US and Canada are included, highlighting the unique cuisine and local foods of each. The first section of the book features “Local Hero” essays that explore how people in our own neighborhoods are changing the way people eat. The second section of the book includes recipes from each of the six regions, divided by seasonal availability of ingredients.
For inspiration or pure enjoyment, Edible is the ultimate guide to eating right for yourself, your community, and for the world.