This year, planning our garden in the North of Norway, we decided to forego the veggie garden and create a butterfly garden instead. It feels like the right change of strategy. While growing food is rewarding, dedicating space to pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds supports something even more foundational: biodiversity.

In the search for sustainable and traditional farming knowledge, few resources are as rich and insightful as Dorothy Hartley’s Food in England. First published in 1954, this classic work is much more than a cookbook or a historical account—it’s a vibrant window into the agricultural and culinary practices of England when traditional farming methods were still alive and well.