Homesteading: A Backyard Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More (Back to Basics Guides) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1602397473 ISBN 13: 9781602397477

Publisher: Skyhorse, 2009

Synopsis

Over 100,000 sold—a national bestseller!

Whether you want to live off the grid as part of the modern back to nature movement, or simply learn new skills that will make your home more comfortable and your garden grow, this companion to the bestseller Back to Basics, is for you!

Who doesn’t want to shrink their carbon footprint, save money, and eat homegrown food whenever possible? Even readers who are very much on the grid will embrace this large, fully illustrated guide on the basics of living the good, clean life. It’s written with country lovers in mind—even those who currently live in the city.

Whether you live in the city, the suburbs, or in the wide-open spaces, there is plenty you can do to improve your life from a green perspective:

• Start container gardening. With a few plants, fresh tomato sauce is a real option with your own homegrown fresh tomatoes
• Reduce electricity use by eating dinner by candlelight (using homemade candles, of course)
• Learn to use rainwater to augment water supplies
• Make your own soap and hand lotion
• Consider keeping chickens for the eggs

From what to eat, to supporting sustainable restaurants, to avoiding dry cleaning, this book offers information on anything a homesteader needs—and more.

About this title

About the Author

Abigail R. Gehring is the author or editor of more than a dozen books including Back to Basics, Homesteading, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Living, and Classic Candy. She enjoys writing, gardening, experimenting in the kitchen, and spending time with family. She lives with her husband and two children in an 1800s farmstead they are restoring in Marlboro, Vermont.

Reviews

From instructions on making your own composting toilet to trimming the toenails on your llamas, this back-the-land guide offers a vast wealth of resources for the eco-minded, twenty-first-century homesteader. The crowded chapters cover growing and harvesting food; keeping livestock (and building structures to house them); incorporating renewable energy technology, such as solar panels, into existing homes; making crafts, household items, and toys; homemade health remedies; and earth-friendly interior design. With so many topics introduced in such a limited space, it’s inevitable that some subjects are treated more superficially than others; for example, a spread on stress management, which includes tips such as “take a walk,” seems out of place in a title filled with so much targeted, useful advice. Best are the practical specifics, and even city dwellers with no interest in taking up beekeeping or basket weaving will enjoy browsing this for recipes, gardening ideas, and, as the introduction states, other accessible ways to “take a few steps closer to a healthier, happier, and more responsible lifestyle.” --Gillian Engberg

Edition details

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1602397473
• ISBN 13: 9781602397477
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 464
• Editor: Gehring Abigail