Other Good Things--

a page devoted to great food, great books, and other remarkable things

E-mail your suggestions to bindweed@bindweedfarm.com.

BOOKS...

If you have a reading list you'd like to share with others, please e-mail it to us at bindweed@bindweedfarm.com.

A list of Bindweed's recommended books:

House, by Tracy Kidder.

Anyone who has built or is going to build a house needs to read this one. Buy one for your relatives who are construction workers.

The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz

A true story of a WWII escape from a Russian prison, and the ensuing walk through the Gobi Desert and Himalayas (and that's only part of the ordeal). A must-read for even non-readers--gripping, likely to be read in one sitting. Just recently reprinted.

Jayber Crow, by Wendell Berry

Perhaps the most moving novel ever written about simple lives and simple people, by an author who might very well be considered the best American writer of the twentieth century.

Sky's Witness, by C.L. Rawlins

A beautifully written work about a year in the Wind River Range.

Where Rivers Change Direction, by Mark Spragg

Wyoming memoir--about the West, but for any reader

Coming into the Country, by John McPhee

Nonfiction on Alaska in the seventies and eighties--McPhee's best, but anything by McPhee is great (though non-specialists will want to steer clear of his geological trilogy)

Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer

Another nonfiction work ending in Alaska. A young man tragically decides to rough it in the bush, having only belief in himself and absolutely no survival skills. Krakauer's work could be considered a phenomenological study of naivety and willfulness.

The Periodic Table, by Primo Levi 

Essays by an Italian Jewish survivor (who happened to be a chemist) of WWII

Winterdance, by Gary Paulsen

A humorous account of an amateur's entry into the Iditarod and its considerable trials.

Mysteries, by Knut Hamsun

Magister Ludi, by Hermann Hesse

Almost anything of Hesse's is a great read, but if you have to choose one, this is the best.

Little, Big, by John Crowley

A fantasy book written so remarkably vivid that it can charm even a non-fantasy lover.

Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner

The best of Stegner's fiction. Pick almost any of his non-fiction works for an excellent read, too.

The Whistling Season, by Ivan Doig  

Set in the early twentieth century, this Doig book is on par with his earlier works (Dancing at the Rascal Fair, English Creek). "This House of Sky" , also by Doig, is one of the best nonfiction works devoted to life in the west.

The Secret Life of Cowboys, by Tom Groneberg

An authentic look at modern day life in the West

Dream Reaper, by Craig Canine

Nonfiction work following two rural inventors of a new type of grain combine from the field to the corporate headquarters. Fascinating read.

Thirteen Moons, by Charles Frazer

Better even than the award winning Cold Mountain, Thirteen Moons was worth waiting for (Frazer took the better part of a decade to write it).

LINKS...

For a great resource for outdoor books and information, particularly in regards to the West, go to ronwatters.com.

If you're interested in growing flowers for a living but don't want to get a master's in botany and business before doing so, the only real worldwide resource for doing so is ascfg.org.

For the best food sites click splendidtable.org, Lynn Rosetto Kaspar's home, and epicurious.com, where you'll find an incredible source for world recipes. For good food (including truffles!) try earthy.com and sunnylandfarms.com, which specializes in fruit products.

The best chalk bags in the world can be found at kriegclimbing.com.

 try http://wolfeprints.com/ for a look at fine art with a different twist

 for a list of idaho artists idahoartists.com

For sustainably grown fresh cut flowers hook up with http://floretflowers.com/ For some of the best designs in Jackson go to  http://lilyandcompany.wordpress.com/location/

EVENTS

The Church That Pasta Built

  The Pingree Catholic Church raises funds each Fall through the community effort of making pasta. Inspired by multiple families of Italian immigrants who came to the area in the mid twentieth centuries (many of them pictured below), St. John's hand cuts hundreds of pounds of homemade pasta for the annual sale just before Christmas.

Ansi                                    hanging pasta                     Gary

Gary and Ansi                    Howard                        Kneading

Rolling Pasta                               Velia