Holiday Gift Market

Our friend Janelle Shane is an accomplished player of the Irish flute, and a regular at the Boulder Irish Session. She is also a scientist and engineer, and the go-to contributor about computer science for the New York Times, Slate, and the New Yorker. Janelle’s just-published acclaimed book, is an accessible, droll exploration of the future of technology and society. Through her hilarious experiments, real-world examples, and illuminating cartoons, she explains how AI (Artificial Intelligence) understands our world, and what it gets wrong. More than just a working knowledge of AI, she hands readers the tools to be skeptical about claims of a smarter future. All this, presented with clarity, levity, and brevity by an expert in the field with a powerful and growing platform.

YOU LOOK LIKE A THING AND I LOVE YOU will make a great gift for anyone with an interest in science, technology, and the way things work!

Don’t be fooled by the title; a lot of the area covered is in Colorado, including Denver, Boulder and Ft. Collins. This is a very good plant ID book from by Mary O’Brien and Karen Vail with interesting descriptions. In addition, it’s an excellent herbal, giving both medicinal and edible uses. Highlighted in yellow are important “cautions”. It is presented in a respectful way, honoring nature as did the Ute Indians who pioneered the use of these plants. For example, did you know that Gambel Oak “…is a good back country first aid plant to know, using the leaves as a poultice or wash for insect bites and wounds, or chewing a piece of the bark for toothaches….”  Good photos. These local gals really know their stuff and we highly recommend their book! 

Foraging & Feasting celebrates and reclaims the lost art of turning locally gathered wild plants into highly nutritious, delicious meals, a traditional foodway long practiced by our ancestors but neglected in modern times. The stunning, instructive botanical illustrations and delicious, enlightening recipes offer an adventurous and satisfying way to eat locally and seasonally, and present creative ways to bring wild edibles into our lives.

We share this project with you out of our long commitment to connecting with nature through food and art. The effort weaves together acclaimed herbalist Dina Falconi’s 30 years of passionate investigations into wild-plant identification, foraging, and cooking with Wendy Hollender’s masterful botanical illustrations.

Would you like to learn botany while you cook? Garima Fairfax’s unique cookbook joins botany and the pleasure of creative cooking. She combines foods which are closely related to each other in order to help learn who is related to whom. Garima continues to receive great reviews from people who have purchased and used her book. Eating is a very effective (and fun) way to help retain what you learn! 

Cayenne pepper can stop bleeding. Garlic helps alleviate a toothache. Honey soothes a burn. When an emergency situation arises, simple home remedies can play a vital role in easing symptoms and providing immediate help. Become an effective first responder with a combination of best first-aid practices, herbs, and standard homeopathic applications.

This quick-reference handbook by Brigitte Mars spells out hundreds of life-saving techniques, commonsense tips, and time-tested herbal remedies that everyone should know. From how to perform basic CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver to the best immediate response to natural disasters, you’ll find the most practical, effective actions to take to ensure survival.  Compact and easy to bring along in your backpack or camper! 

We are proud to feature Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living by friend and local author Karen Auvinen, an award-winning poet, mountain woman, and teacher. Her memoir is an “outstanding…beautiful story of resilience” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), a luminous, lyric exploration, “a narrative that reads like a captivating novel…a voice not found often enough in literature—a woman who eschews the prescribed role outlined for her by her family and discovers her own path” (Christian Science Monitor) to embrace the unpredictability and grace of living intimately with the forces of nature.

Katrina Blair is the author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds, the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is about healing ourselves both in body and in spirit, in an age where technology, commodity agriculture, and processed foods dictate the terms of our intelligence. But if we can become familiar with these thirteen edible survival weeds found all over the world, we will never go hungry, and we will become closer to our own wild human instincts — all the while enjoying the freshest, wildest, and most nutritious food there is.

The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets.  This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.  We have been using this calendar for over 25 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development.  More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest.  

Scary? Maybe. Cool? Definitely.  Author Pat Stadille used to be terribly afraid of these eight-legged daddies, until he started learning more about them. Now spiders are his best friends! As a nature enthusiast, we have a feeling you’re going to feel the same way, once you hear about their silky skills, hunting habits, and generally shy and gentle nature. Learn about jumpers, wolf spiders, tarantulas, and, of course, the black widow!

Spiders in Your Neighborhood features detailed drawings and photos of the critters you’ll find, and sections on types of webs, how and where to discover spiders, spider anatomy, common relatives… even a spidey quiz to test your creepy crawly knowledge. So, grab a flashlight and your sleuthing kit and join Pat ”Spiderman” Stadille on a journey around your backyard that will leave you spinning with excitement.  This small book is suitable for any age.