MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook: For the Farmgirl in All of Us (Hardcover)

by MaryJane Butters (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
MaryJane Butters’ sense of purpose is as big as the Idaho landscape where her organic farm is nestled. She wants nothing less than to reconnect us all with the food we eat and the heritage of farming that belongs to all of us, and nothing more than to empower and encourage rural women everywhere ... she is cultivating not just a farm but a philosophy of living. — Body & Soul

Carpenter, waitress, janitor, upholsterer, secretary, milkmaid, wilderness ranger, environmental activist, entrepreneur–the founder of MaryJanesFarm has worn many hats in her day, but none more proudly than that of modern-day farmgirl. Speaking to the farmgirl in all of us, MaryJane Butters offers a captivating introduction to the organic lifestyle, resurrects forgotten domestic arts, and shares lessons gleaned from her diverse background and two decades of life as an Idaho farmer.

Whether you simply need encouragement to embrace a more authentic, wholesome lifestyle or you’re looking for guidance on building a greenhouse, chopping firewood, hosting a town event, caring for a flock of chickens, making your own butter, growing a winter salad, or choosing a water filter, MaryJane’s Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook is both an inspiration and a practical road map for farmgirls of all stripes.


Dreams are MaryJane Butters’ business, and she has always pursued them without pausing to consult conventional wisdom.
— House & Garden

MaryJane Butters, a natural teacher, has a gift for simplification, and makes it seem that everything she does is easy and attainable.
— The New Yorker


About the Author
MaryJane Butters discovered she was a writer when, at age forty-five, she needed a mail-order catalog for her line of organic foods, produced at her Idaho farm. When her passion for good stories got out of hand, her catalog became a "storefront" magazine (MaryJanesFarm), finding its way into stores like Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart, and eventually landing on the desk of a literary agent in New York.

MaryJane grew up in Utah in a self-sufficient family of seven, longing for fertile ground where she could raise her own flock of chickens, maybe a cow or two, and a family. Working her way north, she made her living as a carpenter, waitress, seamstress, secretary, janitor, wilderness ranger, community organizer, and milkmaid.

Rooted now on her own five acres for the past twenty years (seven of those as a single mom), MaryJane has accomplished everything she set out to achieve, including a few surprises. Twelve years ago, she married her neighbor, Nick Ogle, a third-generation farmer. Together they raised four hard-working children, plus bees, chickens, goats, cows, peas, beans, hay, wheat, and every vegetable imaginable, including a biodiesel crop to fuel MaryJane's car. She also cultivated twenty-seven future organic farmers in her apprenticeship program called Pay Dirt Farm School, bought an historic flour mill, and created the "Farmgirl Connection," a website that brings together hundreds of women sharing their farmgirl dreams and big farmgirl hearts.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (May 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400080479
• ISBN-13: 978-1400080472
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,962 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth it!, July 1, 2005

By	Laurie (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

I believe that I first heard of MaryJane from the Food Network's "Food Finds" show. Intrigued, I checked out her website, and ordered a few products, along with an issue of her magazine. I was pleased with what I received and ordered more of both. And when I heard that she would be coming out with a book, I put it on my wish list before it was published...but then I sort of forgot about it. Recently, I was perusing my wish list, looking for an item to fill up an order so that it would qualify for free shipping, and I spied this book. It was considerably more than I needed to spend, but for some reason, it felt right. So I ordered it, not knowing exactly what to expect -- would it just be a rehash of the magazine? How can something be an "Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook"? Having received it, now all I can say is "WOW"! I am definitely more than pleased with my purchase. While not an exhaustive report on any one subject, it is overflowing with tidbits about such a variety of topics that I am truly amazed. And I can see why it was named "Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook". MaryJane touches on everything from her daughter's beautiful farm wedding, to ways to easily sprout seeds, to a how-to on building your own "wall tent", to vintage embroidery patterns for kitchen towels. There's a primer for most of the basic stitches in sewing. There are recipes and reminiscences. Advice on cutting kindling. Vacation ideas. Breathtaking photos. And most importantly, there is inspiration. If you want to buy a few acres and start your own farm, this book gives you some ideas to explore. If you want to sell your produce, this book gives you sources for supplies. If you want the best garden hoe, the best food dehydrator, the purest jam -- this book tells you where to go. And if you're just a "farmgirl" at heart, this book feels like your best friend. There are so many tidbits tucked here and there throughout the book that I imagine that most people would find something to pique their interest. As a matter of fact, when I was flipping through the book, trying to find an item I had seen before and wanted to share with my husband, he stood over my shoulder, repeatedly stopping me when he spotted something that caught his eye. Trust me, that usually doesn't happen. Our reading interests don't often overlap. (But I'm pretty sure I could talk him into building a wall tent now!) All in all, if you're at all interested in this topic, I really don't think you could go wrong with this book.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Useful & Inspirational!, April 27, 2006

By	Lori Hinkle "Emerald" (Dongola, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was not what I expected, it was so much more!! This is a gorgeous book fit for the coffee table. After reading it, rereading it and referencing it several times, I am hard put to decide where to keep it on the shelf in the library. It could easily go with the cookbooks, gardening, farming, etc. I finally just put it by itself where it's easy to find since I refer back to it so often. This book has wonderful ideas, great recipes and many helpful hints. It is also worth the money just for the glimpse into Mary Jane's life. I can't wait for her next book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Journeying With MaryJane, August 22, 2005

By	Judith E. Cowles "schoolmarm" (Clymer, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is more than a book, which is why the title is composed of Idea,Cook and Life. It's hefty, filled with evocative, inspiring photographs, good recipes, and the encouraging story of MaryJane Butters' journey to her life today in Idaho. Along the way: working as a park ranger, farming organically, surviving as a single Mom, and establishing today's business. I had ordered this book as a 55th birthday gift for a friend, but will need to order another copy for her (this one is now "used": coffee rings and recipe notes...try hers for watermelon salsa.) And even though it's big, you CAN read it in bed!