This comprehensive guide to homesteading provides all the information you need to grow and preserve a sustainable harvest of grains and vegetables; raise animals for meat, eggs, and dairy; and keep honey bees for your sweeter days. With easy-to-follow instructions on canning, drying, and pickling, you’ll enjoy your backyard bounty all winter long. Also available in this series: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects, The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals, and The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How.

Embrace off-grid green living with a new edition of the bestselling classic guide to a more sustainable way of life from the father of self-sufficiency.For over 40 years, John Seymour has inspired thousands to make more responsible, enriching, and eco-friendly choices with his advice on living sustainably. The Self-Sufficienct Life and How to Live It offers step-by-step instructions on everything from chopping trees to harnessing solar power; from growing fruit and vegetables, and preserving and pickling your harvest, to baking bread, brewing beer, and making cheese. Seymour shows you how to live off the land, running your own smallholding or homestead, keeping chickens, and raising (and butchering) livestock. In a world of mass production, intensive farming, and food miles, Seymour's words offer an alternative: a celebration of the joy of investing time, labor, and love into the things we need. While we can't all be able to move to the countryside, we can appreciate the need to eat food that has been grown ethically or create things we can cherish, using skills that have been handed down through generations. With refreshed, retro-style illustrations and a brand-new foreword by Alice Waters, this new edition of Seymour's classic title is a balm for anyone who has ever sought solace away from the madness of modern life.

Enjoy a weekend breakfast featuring eggs, bacon, and honey from your own chickens, pigs, and bees, or a holiday meal with your own heritage-breed turkey as the main attraction. Gail Damerow covers everything you need to successfully raise your own farm animals, from selecting the right breeds to producing delicious fresh milk, cheese, honey, eggs, and meat. Even with just a small plot of land, you can become more self-sufficient, save money, and enjoy healthy, delicious animal products. Also available in this series: The Backyard Homestead, The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects, The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, and The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How.

Over 200,000 copies sold—fully updated! Dye your own wool, raise chickens, make your own cheddar cheese, build a log cabin, and much much more.Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills—the kind employed by our forefathers—and adapt them for a better life in the twenty-first century need look no further than this eminently useful, full-color guide.Countless readers have turned to Back to Basics for inspiration and instruction, escaping to an era before power saws and fast-food restaurants and rediscovering the pleasures and challenges of a healthier, greener, and more self-sufficient lifestyle.Now newly updated, the hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations in Back to Basics will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will find instructions on how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead.More than just practical advice, this is also a book for dreamers—even if you live in a city apartment, you will find your imagination sparked, and there’s no reason why you can’t, for example, make a loom and weave a rag rug. Complete with tips for old-fashioned fun (square dancing calls, homemade toys, and kayaking tips), this may be the most thorough book on voluntary simplicity available.

From the experts, the new bible in home preserving. Ball Home Canning Products are the gold standard in home preserving supplies, the trademark jars on display in stores every summer from coast to coast. Now the experts at Ball have written a book destined to become the "bible" of home preserving. As nutrition and food quality has become more important, home canning and preserving has increased in popularity for the benefits it offers: \nCooks gain control of the ingredients, including organic fruits and vegetables Preserving foods at their freshest point locks in nutrition The final product is free of chemical additives and preservatives Store-bought brands cannot match the wonderful flavor of homemade Only a few hours are needed to put up a batch of jam or relish Home preserves make a great personal gift any time of year These 400 innovative and enticing recipes include everything from salsas and savory sauces to pickling, chutneys, relishes and of course, jams, jellies, and fruit spreads, such as: \nMango-Raspberry Jam, Damson Plum Jam Crab Apple Jelly, Green Pepper Jelly Spiced Red Cabbage, Pickled Asparagus Roasted Red Pepper Spread, Tomatillo Salsa Brandied Apple Rings, Apricot-Date Chutney The book includes comprehensive directions on safe canning and preserving methods plus lists of required equipment and utensils. Specific instructions for first-timers and handy tips for the experienced make the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving a valuable addition to any kitchen library.

OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLDThe 50th anniversary edition of the original sustainable living manual of basic country skills, preparedness, and wisdom for living off the land.This essential homesteaders’ encyclopedia will keep your family healthy, safe, and self-sufficient, no matter what's going on in the world.From homesteaders to urban farmers, and everyone in between, there is a desire for a simpler way of life: a healthier and self-sufficient natural lifestyle that allows you to survive and thrive—even in uncertain times. Carla Emery's classic guide will teach you how to live off the grid, be prepared, and do it yourself.This comprehensive, 1000-page Encyclopedia of Country Living will show you how to:• Can, dry, and preserve food• Plan your garden with a beginner's guide to gardening• Grow your own food• Make 20-minute cheese• Make your own natural skincare products• Bake bread• Cook on a wood stove• Learn beekeeping• Raise chickens, goats, and pigs• Create natural skincare products• Make organic bug spray• Treat your family with homemade natural remedies• Make fruit leather• Forage for wild food• Spin wool into yarn• Mill your own flour• Tap a maple treeAnd more!The Encyclopedia of Country Living has been guiding readers for more than 50 years, teaching you all the skills necessary for living independently off the land. Whether you live in the city, the country, or anywhere in between, this is the essential guide to living well and living simply.

The Self-Sufficient Backyard is helping Americans transforming from an honest homeowner into an independent, self-sufficient person that has an extra income and doesn't owe anybody a thing. You will not be troubled with what happens to the world around you, because everything you need is where is should be: on your property!

With in-depth information on electric fencing, watering, and husbandry for ruminants, poultry, and pigs, plus butchering, dairying, and more “If we work hard, we sleep well.” Twenty years ago, when authors Shawn and Beth Dougherty purchased the land they would come to name the Sow’s Ear, the state of Ohio designated it “not suitable for agriculture.” Today, their family raises and grows 90% of their own food. Such self-sufficiency is largely the result of basing their farming practices around intensive pasture management. Pioneered by such luminaries as Allan Savory, Greg Judy, and Joel Salatin, the tenets of holistic grazing―employed mostly by larger-scale commercial operations―have been adapted by the Doughertys to fit their family’s needs. In The Independent Farmstead, The Sow’s Ear model for regenerating the land and growing food―“the best you ever tasted”―is elucidated for others to use and build upon. In witty and welcoming style, The Independent Farmstead covers everything from choosing a species of ruminant and incorporating it into a grass-based system to innovative electric fencing and watering systems, to what to do with all of the milk, meat, and, yes, manure that the self-sustaining farm produces. Within these pages, the Doughertys discuss how to: \nFind and improve poor, waste, or abused land and develop its natural water resources; Select and purchase the appropriate ruminant for regenerating your farmstead; Apply fencing strategies and pasture management basics; Implement basic, uncomplicated food processing, including large and small animal butchering and cheese making; and Integrate grass, gardens, and livestock to minimize or eliminate the need for off-farm inputs. \nAs the Doughertys write, more and more people today are feeling “the desire for clean, affordable food, unmodified, unprocessed, and unmedicated and the security of local food sourcing for ourselves and our children.” The Independent Farmstead is a must-have resource for those who count themselves as part of this movement: both new and prospective farmers and homesteaders, and those who are interested in switching to grass-based systems. Best of all it’s the kind of rare how-to book that the authors themselves view not as a compendium of one-size-fits-all instructions but as “the beginning of a conversation,” one that is utterly informative, sincere, and inspiring.

From craft culture to survivalists, preppers, homesteaders, urban farmers, and everyone in between there is a desire for a simpler way of life—a healthier, greener, more self-sustaining and holistic approach to modern life. The knowledge you need to survive and thrive off the grid is at your fingertips in The Encyclopedia of Country Living, the best-selling resource for the homesteading movement. With its origins in the back-to-the-land effort of the late 1960s, Carla Emery’s landmark book has grown into a comprehensive guide to building your sustainable country escape haven, while lowering your carbon footprint in the process. The 40th anniversary edition offers up-to-date and detailed information on the fundamentals of topics like homegrown food; raising chickens, goats, and pigs; beekeeping; food preservation; mail-order supply sourcing; foraging; and much, much more (even how to deliver a baby)—everything you need to lead a self-sufficient lifestyle in the 21st century. Basic, thorough, and reliable, this book deserves a place in urban and rural homes alike.Table of Contents1 Oddments2 Introduction to Plants3 Grasses, Grains & Canes4 Garden Vegetables5 Herbs & Flavorings6 Tree, Vine, Bush & Bramble7 Food Preservation8 Introduction to Animals9 Poultry10 Goats, Cows & Home Dairying11 Bee, Rabbit, Sheep & Pig12 Appendix

Improve and decorate your garden and home with easy projects and beautiful crafts. Make a Bird and Bee bath, a Flower Press, a Foraged Garland, Herb Napkins Rings, and much much more! With step-by-step instructions illustrated in full color.Create your dream garden with simple bird baths, herb drying racks, and unique planters. And bring the outdoors indoors with natural fabric dyes, pressed flower paper, and herbal bouquets. DIY Garden Projects and Crafts book relies on home grown and foraged materials that will inspire creativity and capture the bounty of the seasons. The sixty practical and decorative projects for use in the garden and home include:\nGardener's Tool Apron\nMetal garden charms\nVeggie Market Tote\nMacrame produce bag\nGourd bird feeder\nKirigami leather hanging planter\nTomato cage plant stand\nShibori Dyed Fabric\nHerbal lotion bars\nGardener hand scrub\nAll-purpose thyme cleaner\nAnd more!\n\nDo-It-Yourself Garden Projects and Crafts features detailed, step-by-step instructions as well as simple crafting and gardening tips that will make your projects successful.

A comprehensive how-to manual of Polyface Farm's signature designs--with tips, tricks, and a half century of lessons learned through trial and error Have you wondered how to build the Polyface broiler shelter, or the dolly to move it, or an Eggmobile, Gobbledygo or Shademobile? For folks getting started, folks adding enterprises, or folks wanting a cheaper bootstrap way to build portable livestock infrastructure, Polyface Designs has all the diagrams and do-it-yourself building specifications. Joel Salatin wrote the text and Polyface former apprentice and engineer extraordinaire Chris Slattery did the drawings. Ultimately practical, the book includes how to build a corral, a home-made head gate and even how to select the right axle for your project. Square footage requirements for the deep bedding hay shed and area advice for pig pastures make this the definitive repository for a lifetime of Polyface experimentation. A massive volume, its 568 pages are in full color and beautiful enough to be a coffee table book even though you'll use it in your shop. Don't let the cover price scare you; one building tip can more than save the price of the book.

Make the break, realise the dream and start living 'The Good Life!' Packed with comprehensive information on all the practicals, from ploughing fields to milking cows, as well as new information on how to create an urban organic garden and harness natural energy. This new and revised full-colour edition of the illustrated classic is an engrossing read and a wonderful handbook for realists and dreamers alike.

The bible of sustainable living, food gardening, and living green, no home is complete without this one-of-a-kind encyclopedia! For more than thirty years, people have relied on the thousands of recipes, detailed how-to instructions, and personal advice provided in this definitive classic. It is the most complete source of step-by-step information about growing, processing, cooking, and preserving homegrown foods from garden, orchard, field, or barnyard. This book is so basic, so thorough, so reliable, that it deserves a place in every home whether country, city, or in between. Carla Emery started writing The Encyclopedia of Country Living in 1969 during the back-to-the-land movement of that time. She continued to add content and refine the information over the years ad the book went from a self-published mimeographed document to a book published by Bantam and then Sasquatch. The 10th Edition reflects the most up-to-date and the most personal version of the book that became Carla Emery’s life work. It is the original manual of basic country skills that have proved essential and necessary for people living in the country and the city, and everywhere in between. The practical advice in this exhaustive reference tool includes how to cultivate a garden, buy land, bake bread, raise farm animals, make sausage, can peaches, milk a goat, grow herbs, churn butter, build a chicken coop, catch a pig, cook on a wood stove, and much, much more.

Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-reliance and sustainability, characterised by home gardening and animal husbandry, food preservation, and even the small-scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork. This indispensable reference book is divided into three sections: food (from sourdough bread baking to pickling vegetables to fermenting kefir), herbalism (from growing an herbal garden to making skin and hair care products to foraging), and animal husbandry (from beekeeping to buying, raising, and owning chickens, cows, and pigs). Lavishly illustrated with 250 full-colour photographs and full of detailed tips, techniques, and recipes, this reference book is comfortable on the coffee table, in your kitchen, or even propped open for use in your backyard garden.

First published in 1972, The Foxfire Book was a surprise bestseller that brought Appalachia's philosophy of simple living to hundreds of thousands of readers. Whether you wanted to hunt game, bake the old-fashioned way, or learn the art of successful moonshining, The Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center had a contact who could teach you how with clear, step-by-step instructions.This classic debut volume of the acclaimed series covers a diverse array of crafts and practical skills, including log cabin building, hog dressing, basketmaking, cooking, fencemaking, crop planting, hunting, and moonshining, as well as a look at the history of local traditions like snake lore and faith healing.

Best-selling author Melissa Caughey knows that backyard chickens are like any favorite pet — fun to spend time with and fascinating to observe. Her hours among the flock have resulted in this quirky, irresistible guide packed with firsthand insights into how chickens communicate and interact, use their senses to understand the world around them, and establish pecking order and roles within the flock. Combining her up-close observations with scientific findings and interviews with other chicken enthusiasts, Caughey answers unexpected questions such as Do chickens have names for each other? How do their eyes work? and How do chickens learn? Foreword INDIES Silver Award Winner

Reminiscent of the classic Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom & Know-How is the most complete volume on every aspect of country and self-sustained living-from home and garden to barn and beyond. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing's landmark series of "Country Wisdom Bulletins," this comprehensive collection offers step-by-step instructions on nearly 200 individual topics, providing everything you need to know about sustainability, self-sufficiency, homesteading, and DIY living. Topics include: \n\nAnimals: attracting backyard birds; building bathouses and birdfeeders; training and caring for cats and dogs; raising rabbits, ducks, and game birds; buying and selling horses; building chicken coops; beginning beekeeping; butchering livestock \n\nCooking: recipes for all seasons; the basics of bread baking; making cheese, butter, and yogurt; cooking game; preserving and pickling; homebrew equipment and making homemade wine \n\nCrafts: stenciling, quilting, and basket-weaving; making wreaths, potpourri, and natural soaps; homemade gifts and decorations \n\nGardening: starting your garden; caring for flowers and shrubs; controlling weeds; landscaping; growing vegetables, root crops, fruits, berries, kitchen herbs, and more \n\nHealth and Wellbeing: natural home remedies; herbs for lifelong health; essential oils and aromatherapy; teas and recipes for a healthy diet \n\nHome: simple home repairs; building furniture; restoring hardwood floors; making curtains; building fences, root cellars, and smokehouses \nAnd much more!\nNearly 2,000 black-and-white illustrations, diagrams, and photographs complement these fascinating projects, and trusted advice on every page makes this the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind.

"I love your ideas, but I only have a few acres. How do I do this at my scale?"   Success with domestic livestock does not require large land bases. Joel Salatin and his family's Polyface Farm in Virginia lead the world in animal-friendly and ecologically authentic, commercial, pasture-based livestock production. In Polyface Micro he adapts the ideas and protocols to small holdings (including apartments)! Homesteaders can increase production, enjoy healthy animals, and create aesthetically and aromatically pleasant livestock systems. Whether you're a new or seasoned homesteader, you'll find tips and inspiration as Joel coaches you toward success and abundance.

A fresh, new guide to the backyard lifestyleThe homesteading movement is continuing to grow, as more people are stepping up to have a hand in where their food comes from. Whether you want to dabble or immerse yourself completely in the do-it-yourself, back-to-basics lifestyle, Welcome to the Farm is a comprehensive, fully illustrated guide to growing the very best food right in your own backyard. Shaye Elliott takes readers on a journey that teaches them how to harvest baskets full of organic produce, milk a dairy cow (and make butter), plant a homestead orchard, can jams and jellies, and even raise chickens and bees. From her experience running The Elliott Homestead, Shaye provides all the how-to wisdom you need to know about:\n\nThe benefits of a home garden\nThe basics of seed starting\nBuilding your own greenhouse\nWhat belongs in the winter garden\nCanning, freezing, and dehydrating techniques and recipes\nThe pros and cons of caged vs. free-range chickens\nKeeping a dairy cow and what to do with all the milk\nRaising animals for meat\nMaking your own cider and wine\nAnd so much more!\n\nWelcome to the Farm is aimed to serve homesteaders and urban-farmers alike, guiding them through the beginning stages of small-area farming and utilizing whatever amount of space they have available for optimal and delicious food production.

Modernizing the outdoor, survival industry with it's innovative products, Pro force equipment is the choice of all levels of outdoorsman.

Backyard Homesteading will help you turn your yard—no matter how small it may be—into a productive area that provides homegrown food, including fruits, vegetables, honey, eggs, milk, and meat! Inside Backyard Homesteading, learn all about: GETTING STARTED \nBenefits of pure food Family recreation Local regulations for backyard homesteaders Potential yields and savings \nRAISING VEGETABLES AND HERBS \nGarden planning/layout Structures/irrigation Vegetable profiles Planting techniques Composting/healthy soil Seasonal gardening \nGROWING FRUITS, BERRIES, AND NUTS \nPlanting fruit trees and bushes Fruit profiles Organic pest control Grafting and pruning Harvesting methods \nRAISING CHICKENS \nThe joy of chickens Collecting eggs Care and feeding tips Other small animals \nRAISING GOATS \nBenefits of goat milk Structures/fencing Care and feeding tips Other large animals \nBEEKEEPING \nBenefits of beekeeping Care and harvesting Building hives Collecting honey \nHARVEST HOME \nCanning/drying/freezing Making beer, wine, cider Making jerky, sausage Making jams, jellies Pickling/salting/smoking Building root cellars \nIf you want to take control of the food you eat and the products you use, Backyard Homesteading will help you learn how to do it—even if you live in an urban or suburban house on a typical-size lot. Backyard Homesteading shows homeowners how to turn a yard into a productive and wholesome "homestead" that allows you to grow your own fruits and vegetables and raise farm animals, including chickens and goats. In addition to covering the topics of growing fruits and vegetables and raising common farm animals, this handy and informative guide covers the laws and regulations of raising livestock in populated areas, and demonstrates how to use and preserve the bounty your land produces. Richly illustrated with more than 400 color photographs and artist's renderings, this back-to-basics guide will get you started on your path to self-sufficiency!

Savor the bounty! Whether harvested from your own backyard garden or bought at a local farmers’ market, nothing is more satisfying than delicious fresh vegetables. In this seasonal cookbook, Andrea Chesman offers 175 easy-to-make recipes that are designed to bring out the very best in whatever produce is currently peaking. From spring’s first Peas and New Potato Salad to autumn’s sweet Caramelized Winter Squash and Onion Pizza, serving up the harvest has never been so tasty!

Whether you live on a small suburban lot or have a many acres in the country, this inspiring collection will empower you to increase your self-sufficiently and embrace a more independent lifestyle. A variety of authors share their specialized knowledge and provide practical instructions for basic country skills like preserving vegetables, developing water systems, keeping farm animals, and renovating barns. From sharpening an axe to baking your own bread, you’ll be amazed at the many ways learning traditional skills can enrich your life.

Consumers are no longer satisfied with the industrial types of soap available at the grocery store. They want specialty soaps with just the right scent, emollients, and eye-appeal. They want to pamper themselves and their loved ones with personal soaps made to suit their own tastes and preferences. Now they can get that perfect custom-made soap by making it themselves. \nDrawing on years of experimentation and fine-tuning, author and chemist Dr. Robert McDaniel has developed simple instructions and recipes for making a wide variety of cold process soaps as well as melt and pour and rebatched soaps for the beginner. McDaniel instructs on how to work with fragrances, skin treatments, colors, and shapes, and discusses the aromatherapy benefits associated with many essential oils. \n-25 recipes for cold process soapmaking. -Easy to follow step-by-step instructions. -Time-saving melt and pour and rebatch techniques.

Homesteading From Scratch is for people who want to do things differentlythe type of people who want to eat real food, grow herbs, make cheese, raise baby animals, hunt mushrooms, pick blackberries, unschool their children, can jelly, ferment kraut, farm organically, connect to nature, live intentionally, and more.Guiding readers from desire to full-blown off-the-grid livingand everything in betweenthis book covers farming, animal husbandry, food preparation, homeschooling, fiber arts, and even marketing. It provides inspiration from other homesteaders, with operations from small to large, who have made a go of it, outlining their successes and failures throughout the process. It helps to democratize the homesteading movement, by providing ins” for nearly every level of dedication, from the container gardener to full-time farmers. It provides the knowledge necessary to discover homesteading as a movement and as a lifestyle.Inspired by From Scratch magazine, an online publication devoted to homesteading and intentional living, this book provides readers with continued support and community for information and resources online. This book serves as a reference, as well as a cheerleader, for those who want a bit more control and responsibility over where their food comes from, what they consume, and how they live their lives.

A practical, systems-based approach for a more sustainable farming operation To many people today, using the words “factory” and “farm” in the same sentence is nothing short of sacrilege. In many cases, though, the same sound business practices apply whether you are producing cars or carrots. Author Ben Hartman and other young farmers are increasingly finding that incorporating the best new ideas from business into their farming can drastically cut their wastes and increase their profits, making their farms more environmentally and economically sustainable. By explaining the lean system for identifying and eliminating waste and introducing efficiency in every aspect of the farm operation, The Lean Farm makes the case that small-scale farming can be an attractive career option for young people who are interested in growing food for their community. Working smarter, not harder, also prevents the kind of burnout that start-up farmers often encounter in the face of long, hard, backbreaking labor. Lean principles grew out of the Japanese automotive industry, but they are now being followed on progressive farms around the world. Using examples from his own family’s one-acre community-supported farm in Indiana, Hartman clearly instructs other small farmers in how to incorporate lean practices in each step of their production chain, from starting a farm and harvesting crops to training employees and selling goods. While the intended audience for this book is small-scale farmers who are part of the growing local food movement, Hartman’s prescriptions for high-value, low-cost production apply to farms and businesses of almost any size or scale that hope to harness the power of lean in their production processes.

This refreshing book on homemaking, written in a warm, "down-home" style, contains wholesome and economical recipes and practical advice on shipping, nutrition, home gardening, food preservation and storage, and the use of a any and all leftovers! HOMEMAKING IDEAS *SHOPPING TIPS *RECIPES *FOOD STORAGE

Now here’s a volume you can really drink to! Something’s brewing in these pages, and it’s moonshine—a word that evokes fascination, curiosity, and a warm sense of nostalgia. Never before has there been such a richly illustrated, thorough, and entertaining celebration of the history of making fine distilled spirits. Take a trip through moonshining’s past: travel from its beginnings as a pioneer staple to the dark days of prohibition, from quickly produced urban rotgut to today’s carefully handcrafted artisanal libations. Get in on the fun with how-to instructions that take into account all legal regulations and requirements before covering ingredients, building a still, basic distilling techniques, and dozens of recipes, all adapted for the beginner. Whiskies, brandies, grappa, schnapps: they’re all here, along with dozens of page-turning quotes, song lyrics, and vintage photographs and illustrations.“Making whisky or brandy is not the least bit difficult. Making something you’d want to drink…well, that may take some practice.” —Matthew B. Rowley

“A profound, graceful, and literary work of philosophy and economics, well tempered for our times, and yet timeless. . . . It will change the way you look at the food you put into your body. Which is to say, it can change who you are.” — Boston GlobeA beautiful deluxe trade paperback edition celebrating the 10th anniversary of Barbara Kingsolver's New York Times bestseller that describes her family's adventure as they move to a farm in southern Appalachia and realign their lives with the local food chainSince its publication in 2007, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle has captivated readers with its blend of memoir and journalistic investigation. Updated with original pieces from the entire Kingsolver clan, this commemorative edition explores how the family's original project has been carried forward through the years.When Barbara Kingsolver and her family moved from suburban Arizona to rural Appalachia, they took on a new challenge: to spend a year on a locally-produced diet, paying close attention to the provenance of all they consume. Concerned about the environmental, social, and physical costs of American food culture, they hoped to recover what Barbara considers our nation's lost appreciation for farms and the natural processes of food production. Since 2007, their scheme has evolved enormously. In this anniversary edition, featuring an afterword by the entire Kingsolver family, Barbara's husband, Steven, discusses how the project grew into a farm-to-table restaurant and community development project training young farmers in their area to move into sustainable food production. Camille writes about her decision to move back to a rural area after college, and how she and her husband incorporate their food values in their lives as they begin their new family. Lily, Barbara's youngest daughter, writes about how growing up on a farm, in touch with natural processes and food chains, has shaped her life as a future environmental scientist. And Barbara writes about their sheep, and how they grew into her second vocation as a fiber artist, and reports on the enormous response they've received from other home-growers and local-food devotees.With Americans' ever-growing concern over an agricultural establishment that negatively affects our health and environment, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a modern classic that will endure for years to come.

An intelligent person knows that hoarding gasoline is not a solution to fuel shortages. An intelligent person finds alternative solutions, and this machine is just such a solution. Instead of trying to stockpile gasoline, you can make your own substitute out of sugar, corn, potatoes, or almost anything you can ferment into alcohol. This still will remove the water, creating almost pure alcohol, nearly 200 proof, so you can burn it in just about any type of engine. 82 pages, 8-1/2 x 11 (Paperback)

Preserving food can be one of the most intimidating aspects of homesteading and cooking. Luckily, no one makes it as easy and as much fun as farm-girl-in-the-making Ann Acetta-Scott. For a beginner new to the world of preserving, the ideal tool is a detailed reference guide, and in The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest, Ann covers all the basics on canning, dehydrating, freezing, fermenting, curing, and smoking, including how to select and use the right tools for each method.This guide takes home preservers through the beginning, moderate, and advanced stages of preserving. Newcomers can start with a simple jam and jelly recipe using a hot water bath canner, while others may be advanced enough to have mastered the pressure canner and are ready to move onto curing and smoking meat and fish. With more than 30 delicious and healthy recipesand Ann's expertise and encouragement, the home preserver will build confidence in the most common methods of preserving.

The equine hoof is a complex marvel of natural engineering, built to withstand tremendous forces and able to adapt to an astonishing range of environmental conditions. It also changes daily—for better or for worse—in response to external and internal factors. Few horse owners have the opportunity to acquire a deep understanding of the hoof, which limits their ability to advocate on their horses’ behalf and make informed decisions about hoof care and management. This book is the first resource of its kind to combine the most current and useful information available, gleaned from the research and wisdom of top hoof experts around the world, with a unique “hands-on” approach. The authors provide basic terms and anatomy, clearly illustrate the differences between healthy and unhealthy feet, discuss biomechanics and management concerns, and cover the causes, treatments, and prevention of commonly encountered problems, including laminitis, white line disease, and thrush. Along the way, readers are given activities to help them better analyze and understand the most important aspects of equine hoof health, such as hoof balance, depth of sole, and point of breakover. Easy–to–follow language, over 400 full–color photographs, and do–it–yourself exercises promise to empower horse owners and caretakers of all experience levels with the tools they need to accurately assess hoof health and keep their horses as sound and happy as possible.

Tasha Tudor's poignant art has fascinated adults and children for decades. Her nineteenth-century New England lifestyle is legendary. Gardeners are especially intrigued by the profusion of antique flowers -- spectacular poppies, six-foot foxgloves, and intoxicating peonies -- in the cottage gardens surrounding her hand-hewn house. Until now we've only caught glimpses of Tasha Tudor's landscape. In this gorgeous book, two of her friends, the garden writer Tovah Martin and the photographer Richard Brown, take us into the magical garden and then behind the scenes. As we revel in the bedlam of Johnny-jump-ups and cinnamon pinks, the intricacy of the formal peony garden, and the volumptuousness of her heirloom roses, we also learn Tasha's gardening secrets. How does she coax forth her finicky camellia blossoms in the dead of a Vermont winter? How does she train that fantastic topiary to model for her artwork? How can she keep her crown imperials from tumbling in the winds? Tasha's garden reflects a wealth of family lore, perfected through the years and years of working the soil. We may be dazzled by the beauty of the garden, but we come away from this book with practical ideas about improving our own plots of land. "Paradise on earth" is how Tasha describes her garden, and along with the flowers and the vegetables that provide her food, her paradise is filled with an enchanting menagerie -- corgies, Nubian goats, cats, chickens, fantail doves, and forty or more exotic finches, cockatiels, canaries, nightingales, and parrots, which inhabit her collection of antique cages. Tasha's beautiful watercolors and her enchanting anecdotes color this sublimely beautiful book.

Domesticated small animals, from the cow to the rabbit, have been enjoyed by human owners around the world since the dawn of civilization nearly 12,000 years ago. From pets to beasts of burden and even just a friendly face in the barn, animals like these produce thousands of products you use around the house every day and can be a great addition to your home, property, or small farm. For anyone looking to raise such animals, though, the realities of their new furry and feathery companions can be jolting — from the care they need on a regular basis to the food they eat.This book was written for anyone considering raising domesticated animals for family pets, producers of eggs and milk, or a source of humanely treated meat. You will learn how to care for chickens, from choosing the right breed to raising them for egg production. You will learn how to handle geese and ducks and information about choosing the correct breeds, feeding, housing, breeding, and selecting the right ones for egg production. You will also learn about egg incubation, maintaining poultry health, and how to raise them for meat. Other animals you will learn how to care for include rabbits, goats, sheep, dairy cows, and beef cattle.Small farmers and animal experts have been interviewed in detail and their responses added to this book to provide additional insight into every aspect of raising farm animals. This includes details about how to purchase, house, feed, breed, record, and butcher animals of all types as well as how to gather milk, use goats and cows for maintaining your fields, and even keeping records of births and selling babies. Everything you need to know about raising small animals for your farm is included in this guide to provide you the first steps to raising domesticated poultry and livestock.Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president’s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed. This Atlantic Publishing eBook was professionally written, edited, fact checked, proofed and designed. The print version of this book is 288 pages and you receive exactly the same content. Over the years our books have won dozens of book awards for content, cover design and interior design including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin award for excellence in publishing. We are proud of the high quality of our books and hope you will enjoy this eBook version.

Families looking for nature-based fun away from phones and screens will adore this wholesome children’s collection of cooking, crafting, and gardening projects, locally printed on 100% recycled paper.In the Little Homesteader: A Spring Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom, young readers can try their hand at various spring-themed projects as well as learn interesting seasonal wisdom, and nature-related facts along the way.Packed with fun ideas to keep kids occupied during holidays or at weekends, readers can discover the joy of sowing seedlings, learn how to care for baby chicks, brew dandelion tea and, craft windchimes from foraged materials.The activities from author and homesteading teacher Angela Fanning include eco-friendly practices, such as recycling or reusing materials, and encourage readers to respect nature.All the activities are broken down into steps, clearly explained and accompanied by AnneliesDraws’ adorably wholesome illustrations. The gardening and planting activities will suit any space, as they will work equally well on windowsills as in gardens.The latest from theLittle Homesteader series, with these books readers can get creative, practice handy self-sufficiency skills, handcraft items for themselves or as gifts for loved ones, learn about nature, and celebrate the best of each season.Find even more nature-centered seasonal fun in: Little Homesteader: A Summer Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom.Ivy Kids brings you beautiful, sustainably printed books to rewild your child, nurture creativity, and foster a deep connection with the living world. Winner of the Sustainability Award at the Independent Publishers Awards 2022, Ivy Kids books are planet-friendly, printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, locally to where they will be sold.

You’re excited to plant your first vegetable garden—but where to start? In The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables, you’ll find the answers you’re looking for.*Winner of the GardenComm 2022 Media Awards Silver Award of Achievement in the Photography/Book General Readership Category*Homesteader Jessica Sowards, the warm and energetic host of YouTube’s Roots and Refuge Farm, is the perfect teacher for new gardeners, offering not just know-how but inspiration and time-management tips for success.Before you sink your hands into the soil, she’ll answer all those questions rolling around inside your head:Where do I put my new garden? How do I prepare the soil? What vegetables should I plant? Is it better to start new plants from seed or should I buy transplants? What about watering, feeding, and taking care of my garden? What do I do if bugs show up?There are no stupid questions here. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all. Not only will you learn how to prepare, plant, and tend your first vegetable garden, you’ll also learn:How to design an eco-friendly layout How to grow with the seasons How to maximize your harvest, even if you only grow in a small spaceJessica wants your first food-growing experience to be a positive one, and she’s prepared to go the distance to make sure tending the earth becomes your new favorite hobby.A single growing season is all it takes to fall in love with growing your own healthy, organic, nutrient-dense food. With Jessica as your guide, you’ll soon discover all the satisfactions, challenges, and great joys of growing your own food garden.This book is part of The First-Time Gardener’s Guides series from Cool Springs Press, which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers and The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening. Each book in The First-Time Gardener’s Guides series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear, fact-based information that’s presented in a friendly and accessible way, including step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations throughout.

Live a Bountiful Life Do something good for your family by learning how to plant a garden that will yield healthy, wholesome food throughout the year. Melissa K. Norris, fifth generation homesteader and host of the popular Pioneering Today podcast, will walk you through each step of the process, from planning your food crops and garden space to harvesting and preserving the food you grow. Even intermediate to experienced gardeners will discover dozens of new ideas. More than just practical advice, you’ll learn how gardening can contribute to a sustainable lifestyle and give you a sense of accomplishment, peace of mind, and overall joy. Make the Family Garden Plan your “grow-to” guide for good eating and greater well-being for you and your loved ones.

Nonfiction Book Awards 2018 Gold WinnerForeword INDIE Awards 2018 Gold Winner (Hobbies & Home category)Nautilus Book Awards 2018 Silver Winner (Green Living & Sustainability category)Reduce your lawn and your grocery budget. Take gardening to the next level!Would you like to grow healthy food for your table? Do you want to learn the secrets of farming even though you live in a neighborhood? Author Amy Stross talks straight about why the suburbs might be the ideal place for a small farm.In these pages you'll learn:\nHow to make your landscape as productive as it is beautiful Why the suburbs are primed with food-growing potential How to choose the best crops for success Why you don't need the perfect yard to have a micro-farm How to use easy permaculture techniques for abundant harvests\n\nIf you're ready to create a beautiful, edible yard, this book is for you.The Suburban Micro-Farm will show you how to grow your own fruits, herbs, and vegetables even on a limited schedule. From seed to harvest, this book will keep you on track so you feel a sense of accomplishment for your efforts.You'll learn gardening tricks that are essential to success, like how to deal with a 'brown thumb', how to develop and nurture healthy soil, and how to manage garden pests.Although this book has everything a new gardener needs to get started, experienced gardeners will not be disappointed. With helpful tips throughout, you will love the in-depth chapters about permaculture and making money on the micro-farm.

Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes Cooking traditional foods from scratch is easier and less expensive than you might think. In simpler times, people cooked from scratch using seasonal ingredients and traditional techniques like canning, fermenting, and drying to preserve the harvest. Mary Bryant Shrader follows these principles to create delicious, nutrient-dense meals that are affordable, budget-friendly, and additive-free. Now you can learn why so many people are big fans of the Mary's Nest website and YouTube channel. In The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, Mary shows you how to master the basics of pioneer cooking to make over 85 delicious recipes that are all simple and incredibly nourishing. She shows you how to make cultured dairy, nourishing bone broths, fermented vegetables, sourdough starters, and sourdough bread, as well as traditional home-cooked recipes. You'll also learn how to soak and sprout grains, prep ingredients, stock your pantry, and shop for other essential ingredients. Here's what you'll find inside: Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes for bone broths, cultured dairy, ferments, home-baked breads, including sourdough, as well as recipes for chicken, meats, fish, vegetables, desserts, and much more. Beautiful photography, including detailed pictures that will help you learn traditional cooking techniques. Detailed instructions and cooking guidance that will help readers of all abilities cook like a pioneer, using traditional techniques. Tips for sourcing ingredients and stocking and equipping your own traditional foods kitchen. Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.

Imagine the excitement of four children playing in the park when they discover a real, live fairy. Not just any fairy, but Stellaria, the chickweed fairy. Chickweed is one of their favorite healing plants and it turns out Stellaria was looking for them. She needs the children’s help to restore the fading magic in the Fairy Herb Garden. When Stellaria takes them to her fairy home, the children find that restoring the magic means facing a troll. Can they figure out how to use chickweed to heal the troll’s ailments? Will they be able to solve the riddle to guess her name? This story is the start of the Herb Fairies thirteen book series. Herb Fairies is a magical tale of plants and their remedies that teaches kids about the healing herbs.

The first guide to timber framing written specifically for beginners! Expert Will Beemer takes you through the entire process from start to finish, beginning with timber sourcing and ending with a finished building. Using full-color photos, detailed drawings, and clear step-by-step instructions, Beemer shows you exactly how to build one small (12ʹ x 16ʹ) timber-frame structure — suitable for use as a cabin, workshop, or studio. He also explains how to modify the structure to suit your needs and location by adding a loft, moving doors or windows, changing the roof pitch, or making the frame larger or smaller. You’ll end up with a beautiful building as well as solid timber-framing skills that you can use for a lifetime.

The urban homesteading movement is spreading rapidly across the nation. Urban Homesteading is the perfect "back-to-the-land" guide for urbanites who want to reduce their impact on the environment. Full of practical information, as well as inspiring stories from people already living the urban homesteading life, this colorful guide is an approachable guide to learning to live more ecologically in the city. The book embraces the core concepts of localization (providing our basic needs close to where we live), self-reliance (re-learning that food comes from the ground, not the grocery store; learning to do things ourselves), and sustainability (giving back at least as much as we take). Readers will find concise how-to information that they can immediately set into practice, from making solar cookers to growing tomatoes in a barrel to raising chickens in small spaces to maintaining mental serenity in the fast-paced city environment. Full of beautiful full-color photographs and illustrations, and plenty of step-by-step instructions, this is a must-have handbook for city folk with a passion for the simple life.

Start a mini farm on a quarter acre or less, provide 85 percent of the food for a family of four and earn an income. Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because self-sufficiency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high. Materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with photographs, tables, diagrams, and illustrations.

Bless Your Family with Healthy, Organic Food Certified master food preserver and cooking enthusiast Georgia Varozza wants to show you how safe and easy canning your favorite foods can be. She will teach you the basics, including how to fit the process into your busy life, the equipment you’ll need, and step-by-step instructions for both water-bath and pressure canning. Enjoy wholesome recipes for canning fruit, vegetables, meat, soups, sauces, and so much more. Save money by preserving your own food and gain valuable peace of mind by knowing exactly what’s going into the meals you’re serving. Join the growing number of households who are embracing the pioneer lifestyle. It’s time for you and your family to feel good about food again. This cookbook can help.

Do you know what the best feature is in All New Square Foot Gardening? Sure, there are ten new features in this all-new, updated book. Sure, it's even simpler than it was before. Of course, you don't have to worry about fertilizer or poor soil ever again because you'll be growing above the ground. But, the best feature is that "anyone," "anywhere" can enjoy a Square Foot garden. Children, adults with limited mobility, even complete novices can achieve spectacular results. But, let's get back to the ten improvements. You're going to love them. 1) New Location - Move your garden closer to your house by eliminating single-row gardening. Square Foot Garden needs just "twenty percent" of the space of a traditional garden.2) New Direction - Locate your garden "on top" of existing soil. Forget about pH soil tests, double-digging (who enjoys that?), or the never-ending soil improvements.3) New Soil - The new "Mel's Mix" is the perfect growing mix. Why, we even give you the recipe. Best of all, you can even "buy" the different types of compost needed.4) New Depth - You only need to prepare a SFG box to a depth of 6 inches! It's true--the majority of plants develop just fine when grown at this depth.5) No Fertilizer - The all new SFG does not need any fertilizer-ever! If you start with the perfect soil mix, then you don't need to add fertilizer.6) New Boxes - The new method uses bottomless boxes placed aboveground. We show you how to build your own (with step-by-step photos).7) New Aisles - The ideal gardening aisle width is about three to four feet. That makes it even easier to kneel, work, and harvest.8)New Grids - Prominent and permanent grids added to your SFG box help you visualize the planting squares and know how to space for maximum harvest.9)New Seed Saving Idea - The old-fashioned way advocates planting many seeds and then thinning the extras (that means pulling them up). The new method means planting a pinch- literally two or three seeds--per planting hole.10) Tabletop Gardens - The new boxes are so much smaller and lighter (only 6 inches of soil, remember?), you can add a plywood bottom to make them portable.  Of course, that's not all. We've also included simple, easy-to-follow instructions using lots of photos and illustrations. You're going to love it! This guide blends the author's Square Foot method of gardening with a highly illustrated "how-to" approach that every gardener will understand. Includes over 75 photographs, illustrations, instructions, and charts showing growth rate and proper plant choice.

The best-selling and highly regarded reference to sustainable construction gets an update! It’s refreshed with a completely revised introduction, a bright new cover, and extensive online resource tie-ins. \nThis groundbreaking book doesn’t just tell you about “green” house-building techniques: it actually shows you, with more than 1,200 step-by-step photographs that follow the actual erection of an alternative building from site selection to final-touch interior details. Readers will get a clear sense of the real world challenges as Snell and Callahan create a lovely country cottage using four methods: straw bale, cob, cordwood, and modified stick-frame.\nAlong with sidebars throughout, there’s a thorough discussion of the fundamentals of building construction, alternative approaches, and designing a beautiful yet environmentally responsible home. Building Green was the first book of its kind—and it remains heads and shoulders above other titles in this field.

Written especially for the young sugarmaker and filled with photos, illustrations, and activities, this book takes the reader from tree to table. You'll learn what trees to tap, how to collect the sap, how to make syrup, and the science behind this age-old process. The book also includes a special section for adults with step-by-step instructions on home sugaring.

Dreamers, owner-builders, natural and sustainable building contractors, modern homesteaders \n Cordwood construction - log-ends set in insulated mortar - is a versatile, economical, low-impact, and beautiful building method. And while cordwood construction’s durability and performance has been proven in beautiful, centuries-old buildings in North America and Europe, there has been no trusted, practical and comprehensive book on cordwood construction methods using cordwood in a wide variety of cordwood masonry construction projects. \n Distilling decades of experience, best practices, and innovations in cordwood construction, Essential Cordwood Building is the first fully illustrated, step-by-step comprehensive book on cordwood construction. Ideal for the DIYer, professional designer, and builder alike, this comprehensive book on cordwood construction covers: \n\n Wood species selection, log-end length, and seasoning \n New mortar options such as cement, lime putty, and cob mortar \n Wall cavity insulation options \n Budgeting and estimating for your cordwood construction \n Highly illustrated, step-by-step cordwood masonry construction methods and techniques \n Window and door frame installation \n Painting and chinking, finishing, and plastering your cordwood construction \n Special designs and decorative features \n Code references, code compliance, building science, and best practices for cordwood masonry construction methods \n Troubleshooting and maintenance. \n\n Written by the world's leading sustainable builders, designers, and engineers, these succinct, user-friendly handbooks are indispensable tools for any project where accurate and reliable information is key to success. GET THE ESSENTIALS! \n Rob Roy is widely recognized as a world leading authority on cordwood masonry construction methods. Rob has authored and edited 15 books including Cordwood Building and Stoneview . He lives in West Chazy, New York.

Do you lie awake at night, wondering how to make your family more self-sufficient in an uncertain world? Are you concerned and wondering how you are going to make it through to your homesteading dreams with your current finances? Are you wanting to feel more prepared for any eventuality so that you no longer experience fear when reading the newspaper? Are you wondering how to expand your homesteading efforts while still maintaining the rest of your life? Maybe you’ve considered homesteading, but you’re stuck in an apartment, and don’t even know where to begin. Master Gardener, teacher, and author Tessa Zundel’s book, The Do It Yourself Homestead, will help you go from home to homestead little by little. The Do It Yourself Homestead covers eight topics, with each one given its own chapter:The Homestead Kitchen, The Homestead Garden, Greening the Homestead, Livestock Wherever You Are, Homestead Finances, Family Times, The Homestead Community and The Prepared Homestead. There are four levels of homesteadyness (a totally made up word) in The Do It Yourself Homestead, ensuring that it truly has something for everyone. Are you a HOMESTARTER, the curious and courageous novice? Or do you belong at the HOMESTEADISH level, with a bit of experience under your belt? Perhaps you’re a HOMESTEADAHOLIC, eagerly pursing homesteading wherever you live? Are you the sage HOMESTEADED type who fully identifies with the homesteading lifestyle? With each level comes its own education, challenges, goals and projects. Extensive resources are recommended in every section to provide further reading and study for the serious homestead student. Challenges are issued to help you expand outside of your comfort zone and build up your homesteading community – especially the community that is your home and family. Also included are countless quotes and interviews with real life homesteaders, all on varying lot sizes. Each one has a different family make up, a different vision and a different voice but each are inspiring homesteaders. Provided, too, are abundant bonus materials including a DIY Homestead Journal, homeschooling addendum to the book and free downloads. Four hundred pages of quality, DIY homesteading information and encouragement! The Do It Yourself Homestead shows you how to:\n\nNot worry that you’re missing out on an important skill because you’ll see that all homesteading goals are connected and you’re taking it one step and at time. Gain peace of mind because have clear goals and meaningful projects to engage in on specific homesteading topics. Make your own food staples and use up what you already have on hand in healthy ways. Feel years younger and pounds lighter by letting go of clutter on your homestead, emotional baggage, and outmoded thought patterns. Learn to preserve surplus fruits and vegetables safely and even more efficiently than your great grandmother did, so that you don’t have to go to the grocery store as often. Find the livestock that’s right for you, even if you have no land. Create homesteading systems that are self-sustaining even if you live in the city. Gain a level of preparedness that doesn’t depend on how big your food storage is whether you live in an apartment or on hundreds of acres. Get out of debt and live without feeling deprived. Teach your kids responsibility by getting them involved. And so much more!\n

From the pitas of ancient Mesopotamia to the white breads of the modern bakery, kids can explore the globe with more than 30 exciting recipes and activities about the history of bread.

One part science, one part cultural history, and countless parts fascination, Bees celebrates the important role that these intriguing insects have played in our ecosystem throughout the ages. From Athena to Alexander the Great and from Egypt to Ethiopia, Bees explores different methods of beekeeping and uncovers the debt that humans owe this vital species. With beautifully accessible illustrations depicting everything from bee anatomy to the essentials of honey making, readers will be captivated by the endless wonders of this seemingly small speck of the animal kingdom.

Here is a full-color guide to help you and your family to be kinder to Mother Earth, while being kind to your bank account! It doesn’t matter where your homestead is located—farm, suburb, or even city—you can learn to grow vegetables, use alternative energy, can and preserve, and more! You, too, can be more self-sufficient!With the rapid depletion of our planet’s natural resources, we would all like to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. But in the midst of an economic crisis, it’s just as important to save money as it is to go green.\nPlan, plant, and harvest your own organic home garden.\nEnjoy fruits and vegetables year-round by canning, drying, and freezing.\nBuild alternate energy devices by hand, such as solar panels or geothermal heat pumps.\nDifferentiate between an edible puffball mushroom and a poisonous amanita.\nPrepare butternut squash soup using ingredients from your own garden.\nConserve water by making a rain barrel or installing an irrigation system.\nHave fun and save cash by handcrafting items such as soap, potpourri, and paper.\n\nExperience the satisfaction that comes with self-sufficiency, as well as the assurance that you have done your part to help keep our planet green. The Homesteading Handbook is your roadmap to living in harmony with the land.

Craft a soothing aloe lotion after an encounter with poison ivy, make a dandelion-burdock tincture to fix sluggish digestion, and brew up some lavender-lemon balm tea to ease a stressful day. In this introductory guide, Rosemary Gladstar shows you how easy it can be to make your own herbal remedies for life’s common ailments. Gladstar profiles 33 common healing plants and includes advice on growing, harvesting, preparing, and using herbs in healing tinctures, oils, and creams. Stock your medicine cabinet full of all-natural, low-cost herbal preparations.

The Skillful Forager is the ultimate forager’s guide to working with any wild plant in the field, kitchen, or pantry. From harvesting skills that will allow you to gather from the same plant again and again to highlighting how to get the most out of each and every type of wild edible, trusted expert Leda Meredith explores the most effective ways to harvest, preserve, and prepare all of your foraged foods. Featuring detailed identification information for over forty wild edibles commonly found across North America, the plant profiles in this book focus on sustainable harvesting techniques that can be applied to hundreds of other plants. This indispensable reference also provides simple recipes that can help you make the most of your harvest each season.

Unlike other children’s books, this one talks to kids, not their parents. Vibrant copy and zany illustrations will excite them about digging in the dirt, planting, making special projects, and loving nature.\n38 kid-tested and kid-approved projects for young gardeners ages 6-14.\nMore than 50 illustrations energize the book.\nEvery page piques kids’ curiosity about plants and sparks their creativity.\nPrimer on tools, identification of plant parts, and simple vocabulary.\nEasy-to-follow format makes gardening doable.\nAll projects include materials that can easily be found around the house.\nTeaches how to create garden spaces from a recycled pop bottle planter to a raised garden bed.\nLong-term projects are paired with short-term crafts.\nStep-by-step instructions and illustrations, plus color photographs of finished projects.\nFeatures children’s gardens from the American Horticultural Society and Garden Clubs of America.

New and experienced gardeners find this book (companion to the Flower Gardener’s Handbook and Container Gardener’s Handbook) to be so useful that it is now in its sixth printing! Created for novices, aspiring growers, green thumbs, and old hands alike, The Old Farmer’s Almanac Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook is loaded with advice and inspiration to guarantee success for every vegetable garden—and every gardener! Contains step-by-step advice for successfully growing 32 vegetables; scores of timesaving tips and proven veggie-growing techniques; more than 150 stunning, full-color photos; insightful and entertaining anecdotes from experienced gardeners; recommended varieties; essential reference tables and charts; dedicated pages for recording ongoing observations; and much more! The Old Farmer’s Almanac, founded in 1792, has a strong presence in the gardening information field that includes such products as the annual Garden Guide (available in both print and digital formats), the Garden Planner (an interactive online resource for planning and recording garden activities), the Gardening calendar (a perennial favorite of gardeners and nature lovers for more than 45 years that has been the #1 best-seller in garden calendars on Amazon), and the Gardening Club (a membership opportunity that offers people a selection of Old Farmer’s Almanac gardening and related products every year). The Old Farmer’s Almanac reaches millions through its powerful presence on Almanac.com and the Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest social media platforms. In addition, a daily e-newsletter promotes the Almanac family of products to more than 600,000 recipients, and a biweekly gardening e-newsletter reaches 157,575 gardeners. 54% of young adults (ages 18 to 34) would rather go to a garden center than a nightclub. According to latest trends for popular gardening projects, “Creating vegetable gardens” is #1. Growing vegetables offers folks—even those who have only a small space—the opportunity to grow their own food, get outdoors and exercise in a wholesome environment, feel the peace of working with nature, and enjoy the satisfaction of watching plants develop and thrive through one’s own efforts. Growing one’s own food also offers a sense of security in these days of supply shortages and high prices, and a bountiful harvest provides a perfect opportunity for sharing with family, friends, and the community. Vegetable gardening also provides people more choices in variety and flavor than most grocery stores can offer and allows them to have more control over the use of pesticides on their food. Fresher, healthier, and satisfying—it’s no wonder that vegetable gardening is such a favorite pastime!

A thoroughly practical guide to curing and smoking meat, fish, cheese, and vegetables at home.River Cottage, a long-standing pioneer for high-quality sustainable food, is all about knowing the whole story behind what's put on the table. In true River Cottage form, this accessible, compact guide is bursting with essential information for sourcing, butchering, smoking, and curing the whole hog, cow, chicken, fish, and vegetable. Steven Lamb, a respected charcuterie authority, breaks down the traditional methods of curing and smoking to their most simple procedures, with abundant visual resources and 50 recipes. With some salt, pepper, and sugar from the pantry, it's easy to turn good-quality produce into fantastic, exciting food. This thorough, timely handbook begins with a detailed breakdown of tools (from sharp knives to sausage stuffers, for the gadget-loving cook) and an explanation of the preservation process, including a section on which cuts are best for various methods of curing and smoking. Lamb then dives into each method--from dry-curing to fermentation, brining to smoking--in a straightforward, comprehensive manner. And for each technique, there are many delicious recipes, including chorizo Scotch eggs, hot smoked mackerel, prosciutto, and dry-cured bacon.

“Updated for its 30th anniversary edition; [This book] remains as relevant as ever.”―New York Times Book Review Since its original publication in 1989, The New Organic Grower has been one of the most important farming books available, with pioneer Eliot Coleman leading the charge in the organic movement in the United States. Now fully illustrated and updated, this 30th Anniversary Edition is a must-have for any agricultural library. Eliot Coleman’s books and innovative methods have helped innumerable organic farmers build successful farms in deep accordance with nature. The wisdom in this seminal book holds true even as the modern agricultural canon has grown―in large part due to Coleman’s influence as a wise elder with decades of experience. New information has been included in this edition to showcase the new tools and techniques that Eliot has been developing over the last thirty-five years. Inspired by the European intensive growers, The New Organic Grower, 30th Anniversary Edition, offers a very approachable and productive form of farming that has proven to work well for the earth and its stewards for centuries. Gardeners working on 2.5 acres or less will find this book especially useful, as it offers proof that small-scale market growers and serious home gardeners can live good lives close to the land and make a profit at the same time. The New Organic Grower is ideal for young farmers just getting started, or gardeners seeking to expand into a more productive enterprise. New material in this edition includes: \nBeautiful color photographs throughout, taken by master gardener and author Barbara Damrosch (Eliot’s wife and co-farmer) Updated information throughout on how Eliot’s practices have changed through his experiments over the years A new section from Damrosch about incorporating flowers on the small farm More information on new tools Eliot has invented that don’t appear in any of his other books

Start a thriving garden with the beginner's guide to raised bed gardening - and give dad an amazing Father's Day gift!Are you interested in creating a bountiful garden but worried that you don't have enough space? Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners shows you how simple it can be to plan, build, and grow your own raised-bed garden in whatever space is available. Learn to build your bed, select the right plants, grow your own vegetables, and much more. This book makes it easy for even inexperienced gardeners to serve up freshly picked vegetables and herbs in no time.Plant a flourishing garden in minimal space with a garden book that includes:An introduction to raised-bed gardening―From constructing a planting box to mixing and maintaining soil, step-by-step instructions make getting started easy. Essential advice for all green thumbs―Help your garden thrive with detailed suggestions for crop rotation, partner planting, seed starting, and growing zones. Herb and vegetable gardening for beginners―Find growing and harvesting tips on 30 beginner-friendly plants, to make choosing the right ones for your garden a cinch. The gift of gardening―Father's Day is on the way! This book makes a meaningful gift for any dad with a green thumb!Start (or expand) your collection of gardening books and get growing fast with this complete guide to raised-bed gardening.

Farm to table takes on new meaning with this comprehensive beginner's guide to creating a backyard homestead. Learn how to convert your yard into a sustainable and self-reliant space that reduces waste and puts food on your plate. Filled with practical advice and straightforward lessons, you'll soon see how feasible it is to keep poultry or can fruit you've grown. Whether you have a tiny plot or a large estate, The Beginner's Guide to Backyard Homesteading demonstrates that anyone can start living off their land. This homesteading book offers up indispensable tips and tricks, including: Project action plans--Kick-starting your homesteading journey is a breeze with action plans that help you break down necessary materials, project costs, monthly goals, and more. Seasonal timelines--Knowing what to plant and when is crucial to your success. These precise timelines reveal the ideal schedules for everything from starting seedlings to harvesting honey. Exhaustive instructions--Learn how to build the infrastructure you need with easy-to-follow directions. You'll find yourself constructing raised beds and planting fruit trees in no time. Jump into a more sustainable, affordable, and fulfilling lifestyle with The Beginner's Guide to Backyard Homesteading.