Twelve Kinds of Ice

When your scythe is put away for winter months, that backyard garden plot or level hay field could become a skating rink! A family on a small farm in Maine enjoyed this tradition every year. The eager anticipation of waiting for ice, followed by the joy of having the perfect skating rink in the backyard, unfolds in this delightful book by Maine author Ellen Bryan Obed.

Scythe Supply is happy to offer Twelve Kinds of Ice to its customers for no better reason than that the author is the sister of Scythe Supply's owner.

Small Scale Grain Raising

Scythe Supply is delighted to have in stock the recently published 2nd edition of Gene Logsdon informative book guide to growing, processing and using nutritious whole grains.

This book is the resource for which we have been anxiously waiting!

Go forth and plant your 'Pancake Patch' this Spring or Fall!

Homegrown Whole Grains

Originally published in  1981 as   Whole Grains, Harvest & Cook Your Own,  the new version is a refreshing update for those of you embarking on growing your own grains. Part of your yard can be converted into a productive and beautiful field of grain.  How to prepare your soil for planting  and months later how to prepare delicious recipes for your harvest are both covered in this well organized and informative book.
Scythe Supply is glad to welcome back  Sara Pitzer's helpful guide.

Grasses: An Identification Guide

Grasses: they are everywhere. The identification of these ubiquitous plants can be a challenge.  With clear drawings and focus on color, shape and texture, this guide is helpful in knowing what you are mowing with your scythe. 135 species are covered with an emphasis on the Northeast and Midwest but is applicable to anywhere in North America. 'Know what you mow!'

Barns and Outbuildings: And How To Build Them

Originally published in 1881 as a guide for Homesteaders, Barns and Outbuildings remains a useful resource 100+ years later. Plans, instructions and clear pen & ink drawings for barns, poultry houses, dog, bird & smoke houses plus root cellars are all included.

Anyone keeping animals or contemplating the addition of a livestock to one's household will find this book an integral part of the planning and dreaming process. The resulting structure will have your livestock residing in sturdy, efficient and safe structures. The bird house section is grand and the houses appear welcoming for the creatures of flight on your farm. The dog houses are sturdy and functional.

Food storage for human consumption as well as silage is extensively included with designs for cellars, bins and silos.

In the forward to the previous edition Castle Freeman outlines the virtues of this delightfully useful book:

1. Light and Air - the importance of sunlight and ventilation in keeping animals.
2. Space - livestock will be healthier and have room to grow with added space.
3. The Cost - estimates are of another era but remind us that with careful consideration an economical but well designed building is priceless therefor a virtue.
4. Convenience - the siting of the building, floor plans and construction all can equate to efficiency making the daily operations of a homestead more manageable.
5. Beauty - the buildings are all pleasing to the eye and even simple building when well done adds to the landscape.

If your dreams are only that of a new woodshed, Barns and Outbuildings is enjoyable to read and may have you planning for larger projects.

The Scythe Book(2nd edition)

by David Tresemer and Peter Vido
Alan C. Hood & Company, Inc.
208 pages, paperback
ISBN: 0-911-469-19-2Product ID: #1000

This second edition released in May 2001 has all of Dave Tresemer's original text plus an addendum by Peter Vido. The combined writings of the authors gives us the insight and the instruction that will make this tool sing. This is a must-have book for scythe enthusiasts. Reviews at Amazon

Handy Farm Devices is both tribute to the kind of ingenuity that built America and a resource for present-day homeowners striving to become more self-sufficient. Here are hundreds of clever ways to transform your home, farm, or ranch using items lying about your yard or material readily available at any hardware store or lumberyard. You can build a homemade water cooler, a folding chicken roost, a garden stool, a fruit picker or even small, sturdy bridge for crossing s stream on your property.

First published in 1910 it is a classic in ingenuity.

Stalking the Wild  Asparagus

Since its 1st printing in 1962,  Stalking the Wild Asparagus is a favorite of foragers and those interested in eating off the land.  It is applicable to edibles in one's backyard or in the deep woods.  Recipes compliment the identification and gathering information.   Euell Gibbons presented us with a timeless handbook and guide. We are grateful to Alan Hood publishing for keeping this book in print.

The Apple Grower

Apples represent "organic's final frontier" for many backyard and commercial growers. Yet despite the challenges, it is possible grow healthy, flavorful apples with little or no need for synthetic chemicals in The Apple Grower, author and organic orchardist Michael Phillips combines the forgotten wisdom of our great-grandparents with the best research and techniques available today. Having an orchard and using a scythe go hand-in-hand. The areas under the apple tree area best mown with a scythe whether it be grass or ditch blade. Along with the bountiful information in The Apple Grower, Phillips recommends a scythe as does Scythe Supply for orchard maintenance.

Fences, Gates and Bridges: A Practical Manual

Fence it in. Fence it out. Surround, protect or decorate. This practical manual originally written in 1887 and published again in 1992, 105 yrs. later, shines as a trusty resource for simple to complicated fence building. Rail, sod, board, picket even barbed wire fences are all here. Plus the gates, fastenings, wickets and stiles needed for getting in & out & up & over are all here. This useful book will come in handy when there’s errant livestock to keep in or hungry wildlife to keep out. For vegetable and flower growing a section of a fence may be just what the climbing vines of sweet & edible peas, morning glories, cukes, gourds and beans need to stretch and display their growth.
The clear pen & ink drawings from another century are appropriate for any era. The copy is straight forward and clear.
If you don’t have a fence or gate before reading this book, you just may come up with a reason to have these additions to your landscape. Then you will need to mow around the structures with a scythe!

Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges and Rushes of the United States

by Edward Knobel
Dover Publications, 1980.
83 pagesISBN: 0-486-23505 Product ID: #1020 Paperback

Know what you mow - wild or cultivated, common or not-so-common. Here is a wonderfully clear, concise guide to over 370 species of grasses, rushes and sedges of the United States Each entry includes the common and botanical name of the species -its habitat, height, color, description and a line drawing of plant and spikelet. A book for the mower, the grower, the amateur botanist, or anyone who simply wants to know the grasses.

The Ax Book

I've used an ax a lot since I was a kid (trust me, that's a long time) but The Ax Book has given me ideas I never would have thought of. This is perfect book for the novice or the experienced woodsman. If an ax can do it, or shouldn't do it, I think it must be covered here - types, selection, safety, sharpening, felling, bucking, splitting, making and hafting a new handle, and if you have a woodlot how to get the most out of it and keep it productive. Cook even explains how to stack and store your firewood. There are several excellent chapters on felling and bucking with bucksaw and crosscut saws and sharpening ,too, for those of you who want to forgo the ear splitting, whirling chainsaw. For those who use one that wild beast is covered here, too. Clearly written, everyday prose is supported by scads of detailed, Eric Sloane type drawings which alone make this book worth owning.

From the Land: Maine Farms At Work

Through the pairing of beautiful documentary images and insightful essays, From the Land profiles seven vibrant Maine farms and explores economic and social trends in Maine’s vital farming industry. Vegetables, fruits, livestock, honey - Maine seems to have it all, with the number of farms in the state growing each year.
In this book, the individual stories of these farmers come together into a broader portrait of Maine’s dynamic agricultural landscape -its diversity, its challenges and most importantly, its future. All seven featured farms have worked in some way with the Maine Farmland Trust to preserve Maine’s farmland, protecting it from development and allowing it to remain available and affordable for new generations of farmers.

Look to the Mountain

Set in the State of New Hampshire mid 1700’s, this gripping and detailed novel is a pleasure to read.

A young couple in their teens and recently married head north to start their life together with neighbors far away and the New England wilderness at their doorstep. LeGrand Cannon's popular story has had popularity for over 75 years through many printings.

The scythe plays a key factor as to how Whit Livingston proves his strength and determination to win Melissa Butler as his young wife. A mowing contest for her heart is grippingly depicted. His prowess gains him admiration from the townspeople but important to him a wedding takes place soon after the contest.

This story was recommended to us when Scythe Supply first started and we find it worth sharing. The role of the scythe is dramatic. One would want both contestants out mowing the front field.

Peening the European Scythe DVD/VHS

Scythe Supply’s Peening video demonstrates peening with a Peening Jig, Freehand Peening with a Hammer and Wide Faced Anvil, a Hammer and a Narrow Faced Anvil and Stoning the Edge. The video also includes a chapter on Simple Repairs. Nothing too fancy, just the basics.

The video is a look at the principles of peening, clearly explained and demonstrated by ScytheSupply staff. This 30 minute video, broken into easily accessible chapters allows you to pick and choose the sections you want to concentrate on. We recommend watching it in full at least once to get a feel for the whole range of peening techniques described.

Peening appears daunting to the inexperienced. The process uses hammer blows to shape the blade’s edge and draw it out thin. The fear of striking the delicate cutting edge of a finely handcrafted blade with a hammer is hard to overcome. But peening is essential to creating and maintaining the sharp edge required for mowing. Peening is more art than science and our video will help you master that art.

Used in conjunction with the corresponding chapters in “The Scythe Book” and pages on our website you will have an excellent understanding of peening a European style scythe blade.

View the trailer! high-res (broadband) - low-res (dial-up)

Mowing Techniques with the European Scythe DVD

Come and meet the Scythe Supply crew in this 30 - minute narrated video explaining how to use a European - style scythe. We cover setting up a new scythe, basic field mowing and trimming techniques, honing, mowing hillsides, rough ground, cattails, group mowing, trimming garden beds, woods work with a brush scythe, raking and different mowing styles. There is a detailed, step by step demonstration of how to use a peening jig and sharpen the blade after peening. This section replicates the peening jig chapter of our DVD Peening and Sharpening European Scythes.

Don't miss the "Hummocks"!

Meet Your Farmer

Find out why everybody wants to be a farmer! These eight stunning films provide insight into the lives of just a handful of Maine’s amazing farmers.

DVD Combo: Peening & Sharpening (8005) + Mowing Techniques (8007)