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12th out of 131 books
—
53 voters
Homesteading: A Back to Basics Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More
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 eve...more
Whether you live in the city, the suburbs, or eve...more
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published
November 1st 2009
by Skyhorse Publishing
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50th out of 115 books
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47 voters
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Apr 27, 2010
Patricia
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
no one!
Shelves:
non-fiction,
crafts-or-cooking
This is the worst how-to book for homesteading/gardening/raising livestock/building/etc that I have ever read. You will get more useful information by getting a children's picture book on 'Clifford Goes to the Farm' than from this book.
Information here is either sketchy, not there, outdated, or just plain wrong. In the first aid section (and I'm still not sure why a homesteading book has a first aid section), it tells you how to put on a tourniquet! That's right next to the picture from the 19...more
Information here is either sketchy, not there, outdated, or just plain wrong. In the first aid section (and I'm still not sure why a homesteading book has a first aid section), it tells you how to put on a tourniquet! That's right next to the picture from the 19...more
I was very disappointed in this book primarily because the title is so misleading. It is more of a pop-suburban form of more self-sufficient living than actual homesteading. The information is pretty basic and somewhat random (12 pages of food co-ops?, making your own bead jewelry? really?) The pictures are pretty but many doen't evoke backcountry homesteading life to me. A short section dedicated to stress management techniques (yoga and massage) and another on home decorating (hanging wall pap...more
Good book. She starts off with an excited interesting tone, but then looses it half-way through the book. Or well, i lost interest when i found out that low acid foods require more labor to can and more equiptment, for instance the pressure cooker needed to take care of bacteria. Guess i'll stick with drying vegetables for now. But at least i didn't waste money on the wrong kind of canning kit.
I would recommend the digital copy because the size of the book was very inconvenient. When you open i...more
I would recommend the digital copy because the size of the book was very inconvenient. When you open i...more
I saw this book at the library and checked it out because i wanted to get more information on raising chickens. Which I found out that it was way too basic of info to be of much help. I really needed detailed instructions or tips to start chicks and keep them healthy. The book told more about how to build a chicken coop... which i didn't need. but overall it was really quite interesting - even soap making recipes and canning foods recipes!
This is not the book most people will pick up for a casual read, but I'm a glutton for information. :) The book is packed with useful information that I recommend for anyone interested in gardening, self-sufficiency, and better, greener living. This is the kind of knowledge that doesnt get passed on from generation to generation much these days as we become increasingly more an urban culture. A must read in my opinion.
This is a really enjoyable book to flip through, and it's great if you're looking for ideas pertaining to sustainable living. The full-color photos are fantastic, and there's a very wide range of topics, from composting toilets to herbal medicine, but each one is treated in such a cursory manner that it would be hard to successfully put many of the ideas into practice without accessing another, more in depth, source.
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Having set off on the adventure a few years ago to establish our property as an urban farm, I starting looking for inspiration and more knowledge beyond basic gardening. This book and the series are a great add to our library. It really starts you in some good directions where regards small scale farming, chickens, and many of the issues you might run into if going in the serious homesteading direction.
Homesteading is extremely relevant, as we pursue our efforts to adopt a more “green” lifestyle on a worldwide scale. The reader will find a host of useful ideas in this book, ranging from growing your own food, canning fruits and vegetables, smoking meats, designing and erecting wind turbines, the art of keeping bees, constructing poultry houses and even solar and thermal heating systems. Photographs and designs will spark the reader’s imagination and, hopefully, lead to a better and cleaner Ear...more
I didn't expect much from such a short book claiming to cover so many topics, but - wow! This could be a very handy reference book with a lot of helpful quick tips on things ranging from canning food to making compost. Many of these activities I will probably never try myself, but this is a good way to get a quick look at how much might be involved in that random new hobby you're considering.
Esthetically pleasing, perhaps inspiring, but not particularly in-depth. Many topics are covered including solid advice, but this should be viewed as more of a coffee table book than a reference book overall. Tons of pretty pictures and enough information to get someone started on various projects, but yeah, probably a lot like many other similar books out there cashing in on "the dream".
Not deep knowledge on any subject, yet still a fantastic overview of a homesteading life, and with doable projects whether your idea of your homestead is a tomato plant in a bucket on the patio or an off the grid, water collecting, solar powering grow your own food, animals and animal feed providing sustainable farm. Lots of fun info, and shortcuts to do most projects on a budget.
This is a great book for anyone who thinks they might be interested in doing more for themselves. It's not in depth or a true guide to doing much as it claims-but it gives a great overview of many homesteading things. It's a good book to see what is out there so you can read other books that are more in depth.
Overall it is a very informative book with easy to read how-to guides. When it says "a back yard guide" I'm going to assume it means "a backyard that has a few acres" lol I did take alot of notes and even photocopied alot of the gardening information. I will most likely refer back to this again.
I love reading factual books and this one was no exception. This book was filled with hundreds of pages covered with invaluable information that will and has helped me improve my everyday life. I would recommend this book to any outdoorsy person or people living in rural enviroments.
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A lot of really useful and interesting information in this book, from growing plants in your garden to making your own cheese to alternative energy sources to recipes for homemade lip balm. Basically a broad view of each topic, but there was enough information to get a start with and determine if it's something you really want to delve into.
This is a decent resources but it lacks much depth. There are quite a few incomplete diagrams as well. It may suffer a bit from the fact that it is not the first book on the subject I have read and gives nothing unique on the subject. Definitely not a how to in any real sense.
A broad overview of home craft ideas; visually appealing photos and diagrams. Includes growing and preserving food, simple constructs for energy conservation, crafts, and do-it-yourself projects.
Recipes: making soap, chicken feed
Photos: edible mushrooms
Recipes: making soap, chicken feed
Photos: edible mushrooms
OMG this book is self-sufficiency pr0n. I was already getting a bit nutsy about making local, sustainable food, making my own bread, learning to make my own cheese. This book makes me want to raise my own chickens and goats, make my own yogurt, basically move to the country, start a farm, and do my own everything. All with gorgeous pictures!
No room for details on anything--if you actually want to do any of this stuff, get a book on it. But lots of fun for dreaming.
No room for details on anything--if you actually want to do any of this stuff, get a book on it. But lots of fun for dreaming.
This book was ok as far as an overview. There were too many topics and not enough depth. I didn't read the entire book. I skipped over the subjects I didn't care about. There were lots of errors in the kindle version.
I cannot even give this book a chance, because the text is too small to even think about reading. It's crazy small. Hopefully I'm not missing any valuable information. I think this book is trying to cover too much, and from briefly skimming it, it seems like it cannot cover any topic in depth. Better to get a book on beekeeping if that's what you're into, or generating your own power, or canning, etc. One book for all these topics could not do justice to them.
When I say, "read" I mean "flipped through it and read the parts that interested me." It was a good book to get ideas from. There's lots of information. Not too in-depth on any one topic but good to look through.
Excellent book! A little info about a lot of things....they could have used a better editor/proofreader...the hot artichoke dip recipe didn't call for any artichoke! But a keeper.
A great book to use to help reduce your dependence on outside sources. Tons of great information. I checked this out from the library, but will be adding it to my home shelf soon.
This book has some broad info on a lot of homesteading topics but nothing too specific on any one topic. Still a good introduction to a homesteading life.
Interesting but scattered, sometimes with actually inaccurate information. Pretty pictures?
Very cool book. You know all the things your grandparents knew how to do? They are in this book.
brilliant book. everything you need, plenty of pics. i will be buying this book.
Average information, but a good overview for a beginner.
Very thorough book. Way more than I could use.
Emphasis is on breadth rather than depth.
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Abigail R. Gehring is a writer who divides her time between New York City and rural Vermont. She is the editor of Back to Basics, Homesteading, and Self-Sufficiency, and author of Odd Jobs: How to Have Fun and Make Money in a Bad Economy and Dangerous Jobs: The World’s Riskiest Ways to Make an Extra Buck. The Simple Joys of Grandparenting: Stories, Nursery Rhymes, Recipes, Games, Crafts, and More....more
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