Not the best cookbook in the world!
I agree with the others who've stated that "this is an excellent book for beginners" of vermiculture. Loren and Janet explore basic worm biology, how to get started raising your own worms, feeding & maintaining your livestock, pest control techniques, and how and where to use or sell your vermicompost. Overall the book was quite enlightning and interesting, but I gave up in the last chapter where they give a recipe for "Vermicelli and Earthworm Meatballs"! I mean, how could anybody possibly use Worcestershire sauce in a Vermicelli/Earthworm meatball? Just the thought of the Worcestershire Sauce is repulsive, if you ask me!
not bad
this is an informative and quirky book complete with worm recipes and poetry. the quirkiness is fine with me, if only it had been balanced out with a little bit more vigor and consistency. for example, when other species found in the bin are described, sometimes their scientific names are given, and sometimes not. i generally wish it had been more detailed and technical. it could have been so without sacrificing the chatty tone.
the other concern i have is with the treatment of sustainable and ecological practices as optional. for instance in the treatment of peat moss, the fact that it is non-renewable is mentioned at the end of the section. the fact that it must then be shipped thousands of kilometers is not criticized. these kinds of decisions should no longer be treated as optional. the authors should flat out say: "do not use peat moss, use what you have on hand locally, especially things which would normally be considered 'waste'".
similarly with certain so called pests in the bins which are often beneficial, the authors meekly say that some people do not like them and suggest irradiation methods. they don't like them because they have been trained in zoophobia from an early age. the authors who presumably know better should flat out say something like: "if you have no good reason to remove them, leave them alone as they do no harm and almost certainly have beneficial interactions within the bin's little ecosystem which we do not yet and may never fully understand."
another area where the authors could have gone into a lot more detail, is with regards to the integration of vermiculture with other systems: hydroponics (vermiponics, vaquaponics), rabbit hutches, how to treat say chicken poop so that it can then go through the worms, how to integrate worms with black soldier fly larvae, worms as a feed source for other animals and fish, etc etc
i give it 4 stars instead of 3 because it is well intentioned and i did learn quite a few things. i hope the second edition is improved upon though.
Well done
This book was easy to understand and answered many of my questions regarding my worm farm.
Check for more reviews on Amazon.com
Similar Products:
|
