Mother Earth News has released a special double issue, The Best of Mother Earth News Collector Series! This new collector series is 192 pages of expertly written articles covering building and DIY projects, real food and cooking, gardening, homesteading, raising livestock, and natural health. The guide is filled from cover to cover with beautiful color photographs, detailed step-by-step illustrations for building projects, valuable resources, easy-to-follow recipes, and more.

Learn how you can turn that unused grain bin into a perfect house, backyard retreat, storage shed, and more. With the easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions inside this special guide, you can build a fire pit or assemble a clay-pot smoker in just one weekend. If you are a good baker and have the right kitchen setup, look into starting your own food business with the expert advice found here! Discover how vertical gardening techniques can maximum your vegetable returns by producing bigger, better cukes, beans, tomatoes, and cantaloupes. Read how to raise livestock on your homestead; the article inside this guide contains information and advice on housing, feeding, and slaughtering pigs. Ready your yard for spring and summer by discovering which naturally mosquito-repellent plants and homemade mosquito traps will help you have a less buggy summer.

Other articles include:

• Build a Basement Root Cellar – While a spare refrigerator may work in a pinch, a real root cellar is better and even more spacious for preserving foods.
• Drying Herbs: Easier Than You Think – You’ll never buy dried herbs again after you try one or more of these six methods for drying your own herbs at home.
• How to Raise Honey bees – If the draw of fresh honey has given you bees on the brain, learn how to raise honey bees for excitement and sweetness for years to come. Become a beekeeper for fun and profit.
• Start a Self-Sufficient, 1-Acre Homestead – Live off the land with these strategies for establishing self-sufficient food production, including tips on crop rotations and raising livestock.
• Fish Farming – It’s a lot like vegetable gardening, only wetter.
• Make Your Own Homemade Soap – Follow along as we make decorative bars of soap using herbs and flowers. Use these simple steps to create beautiful works of art for your home or for gifts.