There was a time when the word “homestead” conjured up for me an image of pioneers in a covered wagon and miles and miles of unclaimed prairie land.
Now I recognize homesteading to be much, much more.
Questions about the quality and safety of commercially produced foods, concerns about allergies and food sensitivities, and a growing appreciation for a more natural and bygone way of life are all encouraging the trend toward the homesteading lifestyle. And what does that mean exactly? Actually, it can mean a lot of things, from backyard gardening and vegetable canning, to raising chickens, goats, or honeybees. Homesteading is about enjoying more self-sufficiency, like so many of our grandparents and great-grandparents did, by producing all, (or at least some,) of our own food and even household products.
Personally, I think the trend is amazing. And it only seems to be growing, with more and more people, even in very urban areas, making efforts to grow and preserve their own food.
Whether your interest in homesteading stops at growing herbs on your back porch, or you’re interested in growing and grinding your own wheat and buying a milk cow, The Backyard Homestead is for you.
Seriously, this book is a one-stop-shop for all things homesteading, and I love the practical advice and clear instructions it offers. As the name implies, The Backyard Homestead gives instructions for homesteading with limited space, which can sometimes require a little more creativity, but is no less doable, provided you are prepared to work and are careful to act within the law or homeowner’s association guidelines in your area.
This book gives advice for growing virtually every fruit and vegetable you can think of, using methods you may not have thought of! It offers recipes for using your bounty by making your own homemade breads and pies, cheese, butter, yogurt, and plenty of other farm edibles. It gives very helpful information for buying, fencing, and feeding various farm animals, and offers instructions for do-it-yourself projects like building your own chicken coop. There are lists and diagrams of various breeds of goats, rabbits, cows, sheep, and chickens, along with all the pertinent details about them.
Instructions are very clear and straightforward, and details are broken into little chunks that make the barrage of information very understandable and easily digestible.
While I’m not exactly a full-on homesteader, there are definitely aspects of the homesteading lifestyle I’ve embraced for a long time, like operating a container garden, preserving what I grow, making my own breads and jams, and fermenting vegetables. But a year ago we were able to quadruple our yard space, which has me ready to take on all sorts of new projects! It’s a good thing I have this book on my bookshelf!
So if you’ve considered branching out into the world of small-scale homesteading, you’ll want The Backyard Homestead on hand for reference. There’s a ton of information crammed in this 340+ page book, and it may very well be the key to you creating your own successful homestead, right outside your back door!
