Harrowsmith resurrected

[KimChick]

I remember there being a Harrowsmith magazine, but I have never read it.
We recently started getting Small Farms Canada; it's a very small organization. It seems like a good one.
Another magazine that I used to get was The Herb Companion. Even though it was American, it was a good magazine; it is no longer in print.

[WLLady]

i've been getting small farms canada too.....enjoy it, although sometimes i feel like there are some things that i know way more than they put in but on the whole i've enjoyed it. i just caved at christmas and bought myself a subscription to hobby farms and to the chickens magazine...lol. the chickens magazine is more the "eye candy" thing...it is chickens after all! and hobby farms i actually really enjoy. we also get grain farmer (because we are) for the more targetted crop farming info. some great info on bean beetles and corn earworm in it this month.
i grew up with harrowsmith, and read it cover to cover every issue, usually more than once! when it changed i dropped it....but the original was amazing.

[Happy]

I'm reading these comments and chuckling to myself. I can think of several interesting future articles in this magazine produced (or at least inspired) by you folks right here...
In fact a grassroots publication like this is probably actively looking for people that produce their own honey, preserve their own garden bounty, improve upon and champion a heritage breed of turkey, launch a small farm gate sales business, grow sunflower seeds, live without a hydro bill (hint hint) lol. Why not throw your hands up and contact them. The worst they can say is no.

[Ontario Chick]

I would never expect the resurrected Harrowsmith to be the same as the original one, for one thing the "backtothenders" were also in great part Baby boomers, that made it a large group of readers, which can't really be matched.
With the price of magazines these days I am more likely to peruse them in the library and since I almost never find more then one or two interesting articles, never really worth buying.
There is something else at play too, I used to read Harrowsmith from cover to cover, the same with Backyard Poultry, but then after all the major subjects and questions have been visited and re-visited the circle is somehow finished and starts anew addressing the newcomers and starting with the basics again and then it becomes a bit boring?

[Ontario Chick]

I'm reading these comments and chuckling to myself. I can think of several interesting future articles in this magazine produced (or at least inspired) by you folks right here...
In fact a grassroots publication like this is probably actively looking for people that produce their own honey, preserve their own garden bounty, improve upon and champion a heritage breed of turkey, launch a small farm gate sales business, grow sunflower seeds, live without a hydro bill (hint hint) lol. Why not throw your hands up and contact them. The worst they can say is no.

Was posting at the same time as you Happy, interesting thought, I would pay good money reading about the people who heeded the call of the Harrowsmith, made the move concurrent with the magazines rise, late seventies early eighties and see how many are still living the lifestyles.
No, I am not writing one :)

[Brebis]

What a “new” Harrowsmith could do is revisit some of the issues, especially environmental ones, with an early 21st century eye. As well, technology has improved some tasks but not others and sometimes technology gets thrown at things just because it’s there rather than taking a good look at whether it’s really necessary or not.
I often think about articles written in the past and wonder about having another to expound on what time has done to the topic...time goes on and issues just don’t end! Like how well did that tire and sand house hold up over the years! Is it still a good idea or does it need more tweaking?

One of the best magazines I’ve enjoyed is Alternatives, a Canadian journal out of the University of Waterloo. They rotate the theme of each issue and get a variety of views on the topic. More intellectual but always a great read.

I do admit I love the chicken mag for those beautiful pics!!

[baronrenfrew]

I do know that the "Saskatchewan House" which was built and featured in the early 70's, is still standing. Once the "display" period was done the solar collector was removed and the current owners enjoy the benefits of the basic structure: estimate heating cost $150 per year. it had really thick walls, the best windows (which were terrible compared to modern windows), faced South with a wrap around roof overhang of three feet, trees on the North. Being Canadian, the report was written, the house sold, and was forgotten about except for the occasional follow up articles.

Some Germans "discovered" these ideas in the 80's and worked on them with new ideas and materials AND they put this into practice and now we can call certain architects and turn an ordinary house into a "passiv haus".

https://passipedia.org/basics/the_passi ... tion_house

[scottishpet]

gosh I hope it is like the old original HARROWSMITH, I was able to buy a bunch of old ones years ago from the local library when there were having a clean out. The solid information found in it's pages is still relevant today. However even if the the new publication misses the mark and appeals to the urban chicken lover, or the urban tomato grower, it is still a positive thing for the Canadian market. Who knows when some kid opens mum's magazine and reads about raising chickens in your backyard and it sparks the fire that burns in their hearts for the rest of their lives and one day they leave the suburbs for a real farm in the heart of country. I am hoping for a more Canadian version of Mother Earth News, but even if it does not meet my expectations, I think anything that attempts to engage the public to become more involved in the food they eat and the production of it is a very positive thing.

[Farrier1987]

i've been getting small farms canada too.....enjoy it, although sometimes i feel like there are some things that i know way more than they put in but on the whole i've enjoyed it.

My comment for you Kathy, is that you know so much more about so much stuff, it would be hard for anyone to write a magazine that is in depth and accurate enough. And no, I am not being sarcastic, just stating fact. Its great to have someone as scientifically informed as you are on this forum.

[SusanH]

I have my late father's stash of Vintage Harrowsmith. Glad to hear it might come back in a less glitzy incarnation!