From the winner of the 2014 Regional Emmy Award for A Farm Winter with Jerry AppsJerry Apps, renowned author and veteran storyteller, believes that storytelling is the key to maintaining our humanity, fostering connection, and preserving our common history. In Telling Your Story, he offers tips for people who are interested in telling their own stories. Readers will learn how to choose stories from their memories, how to journal, and find tips for writing and oral storytelling as well as J...

Jerry Apps shares 25 years of wilderness canoeing experience—wicked thunderstorms, inquisitive bears, swamping a canoe, and watching the night sky filled with stars—as well as advice from how to set up a camp and protect food from hungry bears, to minimalist cooking, appreciating a rainy day, and a history of the Boundary Waters region.

In an updated and expanded edition of a timeless classic, bestselling author Jerry Apps has written and collected oft-spoken phrases, observations, comments, and conundrums celebrating country life and rural living. Black and white photographs by Steve Apps, an award-winning photojournalist, complement the text that offers humorous, touching, and unique glimpses into the lighter side of life in the Midwest.

One of the Midwest's best-loved authors tells the story of his land, from the last great glacier that dug out its valleys and formed its hills, to his own family's 40 year relationship with the beloved farm they call Roshara. In this quiet but epic tale, Apps describes the Native Americans who lived on the land for hundreds of years, tapping the maple trees and fishing the streams and lakes, as well as the first white settlers who tilled its sandy acres, plowing the native grasses that gre...

When Jerry Apps was growing up on a Wisconsin farm in the 1930s and 1940s, times were tough. Yet most folks living on farms had plenty to eat. Preparing food from scratch was just the way things were done, and people knew what was in their food and where it came from. Delicious meals were at the center of every family and social affair, whether it be a threshing-day dinner with all the neighbors, the end-of-school-year picnic, or just a hearty supper after chores were done. As Jerry writes...

A first-of-its-kind handbook, allowing the reader to combine the processes of critical and creative thinking with a detailed discussion of the environmental challenges facing our planetPlanting an Idea is part guidebook for better critical and creative thinking and part overview of the environmental challenges that face our planet today. It is designed to help readers young and old examine and develop opinions on a variety of environmental issues based on substance, creativity, and...

“From the ring of the ax in the woods, to the scream of the saw blade in the mill, to the founding of many of Wisconsin’s communities, Jerry Apps does an outstanding job bringing Wisconsin’s logging and lumbering heritage to life.”—Kerry P. Bloedorn, director, Rhinelander Pioneer Park Historical ComplexFor more than half a century, logging, lumber production, and affiliated enterprises in Wisconsin’s Northwoods provided jobs for tens of thousands of Wisconsinites and wealth for man...

Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps, a popular New Deal relief program, was at work across America. During the Great Depression, young men lived in rustic CCC camps planting trees, cutting trails, and reversing the effects of soil erosion. In his latest book, acclaimed environmental writer Jerry Apps presents the first comprehensive history of the CCC in Wisconsin. Apps guides readers around the state, from the Northwoods to the Driftless Area, creating a map of where an...

Timeless Wisdom for a Modern WorldLetters from Hillside Farm is a deeply personal and evocative collection of essays that captures the essence of Midwestern farm life. Through a series of "letters," acclaimed author Jerry Apps reflects on the rhythms of the seasons, the hard work of the land, and the quiet beauty of the natural world. Drawing on his own experiences growing up on a Wisconsin farm during the Depression and World War II, Apps...

Before tractors or steam engines arrived on the farm, horses did all the heavy work. From spring plowing to the fall harvest, the mighty draft horse powered farms across the Midwest. Relied upon to complete a multitude of tasks, including towing threshing machines and plows, hauling milk to the local cheese factory, and pulling the family buggy to church each Sunday, these animals were at the center of farm life, cementing the bond between human and horse.Horse-Drawn Days: A Ce...

Scott Olson is the County Extension Agent for Ames County. He wants to solve the problems between the folks in his county after a rock with a disturbing message crashes through the window during a community meeting. Along with his coworkers, he tries to bring calm to a contentious community, while figuring out how to balance the dangers of his efforts with convincing his long-time love and coworker that he can make the time for her that she deserves.

The Quiet SeasonRemembering Country WintersJerry Apps“As I think back to the days of my childhood, the frost-covered windows in my bedroom,the frigid walks to the country school, the excitement of a blizzard, and a hundred other memories, I realize that these experiences left an indelible mark on me and made me who I am today.”—From the IntroductionJerry Apps recalls winters growing up on a farm in central Wisconsin during the latter years of the Depres...