Fasenfest takes up the banner of progressive homemaking and urban farming as a way to confront the political, social, and environmental issues faci...
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reviews
Apr 17, 2011
Lea
rated it: 
Well. What to say about this book ... I won this in a Good Reads give away & I really wanted to love it. While this book is packed with tons & tons of good tips, the tone is very off putting to me. I loved "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" -- it made me want to run right out & start digging in the dirt. This book doesn't fill me with the same excitement -- after reading it, I just feel annoyed. So I'm giving this three stars -- for good information -- but the author's superior tone prevent
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Jan 29, 2011
Melody
rated it: 
Let me be perfectly frank and say that I am a member of the choir to whom Fasenfest is preaching. We grow about 70% of our own produce. We have brought home live pigs & geese which later made an appearance on the dinner table. My husband is an unreconstructed back-to-the-lander, farming not only our own land, but the neighbor's plot as well. We buy whole foods in bulk, we preserve, we compost. In short, we embrace the lifestyle that Fasenfest is promoting. She takes it further in this book than
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Jan 24, 2011
Marguarite
rated it:
What I really love about this book is organization by month. Each chapter was dedicated to a month is Harriet's householding life. For example, she writes about how she spends January...in regards to gardening and maintaining her home...and so on...for each month. I loved the personal stories she threw in because they added character and often humor. It is part story...part how-to. My only gripe is that she lives in Oregon, so the gardening season is different from mine. Hey Harriet...if you're
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May 03, 2011
Terri
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I LOVED this book. It has information, plenty of inspiration, as well as witty comments on managing your household. Any book that takes what could be a dry subject and manages to make me laugh out loud is worth delving into. This book gives me hope for my little garden and helps me express my happiness by being the caretaker of my own home and family. Householder's of the world unite! No need to hide in the closet! We ARE valuable. In fact, this world is sorely lacking the tender care of a
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Apr 21, 2011
Bronwyn
rated it:
I wasn't as thrilled by this book as I was hoping to be, though it did have a lot of good gardening information and recipes from this Portland, Oregon author.
In a lot of ways, it seemed like a pale imitation of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, but there didn't seem to be a lot of 'new' information within this book.
As other readers have mentioned, the overall tone of the book was very off-putting and didn't leave me really all that anxious to go on to the More...
In a lot of ways, it seemed like a pale imitation of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, but there didn't seem to be a lot of 'new' information within this book.
As other readers have mentioned, the overall tone of the book was very off-putting and didn't leave me really all that anxious to go on to the More...
May 05, 2011
Colleen
rated it: 
For such a thick book, I had hoped that this would offer more than what I consider to be basic information on householding. Instead, it reads more like a personal journal, which is fine, just not what I wanted. I did like the month by month aspect of it, and sometimes her humor appealed to me, like all the nap taking she recommends.
Jun 27, 2011
Olivia
rated it:
I didn't read this book because I was interested in householding; I read it because I was interested in the type of people who choose to do it. Fasenfest knows what she's doing is a hard sell to the average--or even very liberal--American. While her tone can sometimes be didactic, the bottom line is that supporting a family on a garden smaller than a city plot is a difficult enterprise, and she knows what she's doing. An interesting diary and detailed manual for any modern American looking to tr
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Apr 30, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
This book was full of a lot of the info I was looking for: planning a garden, succession gardening, various preserving methods, and how to best plan out your year. I especially love the canning yield chart and the preserving game plan worksheet. I can see myself referring to this throughout the year.
So, why only three stars? I found the author to often be condescending and judgmental. For example, she took a jab at runners for not being in their garden working up a sweat. Apparent More...
So, why only three stars? I found the author to often be condescending and judgmental. For example, she took a jab at runners for not being in their garden working up a sweat. Apparent More...
Nov 23, 2010
Carol
rated it:
I won this book through Good Reads and was so excited to get it in the mail. I love the way the author mixed personal essays and anecdotes with practical advise that we can all use. It's set up as a calendar with month by month advise. I will use this as a go to book for years to come. Whatever month is is you can look up practical things you can do around your house in the garden, kitchen and rest of your house. I will recommend this to other friends interested living a simple lifestyle.
Mar 30, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Pretty, but inside is all text and quite bloggish. If you're in the mood for a blog in a book, maybe this will hit the spot. I couldn't seem to get into it!
Dec 03, 2010
Donna
rated it:
Glad I read this book. It's full of useful information for anyone wanting to be a "householder" and I have been considering the possibility of putting a garden in my yard so it was perfect timing. I wish it contained more recipes but the information that was there was extremely interesting.
Aug 13, 2011
Kristen
rated it: 
So incredibly disappointed by this book. The practical information seemed good and very useful, but the rest of the book is so laden down with her personal beliefs and anecdotes. MY GOD THE ANECDOTES. It's like you're asking someone about how to can peaches and she keeps going, "Let me tell you about this time I had dinner with my son's girlfriend... well! They met at the methadone clinic and..." OMG STFU I BEG YOU JUST TELL ME ABOUT THE FREAKING PEACHES. I couldn't read more than a ch
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Dec 19, 2010
AJ
rated it:
2.5 stars
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This book didn't really grab me, but for purely logistical purposes. If I'm going to read a narrative I want a book I can hold in one or two hands easily, not a huge hulking textbook. I figured this was going to be a more nuts-and-bolts type of work but that is not the case.
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This book didn't really grab me, but for purely logistical purposes. If I'm going to read a narrative I want a book I can hold in one or two hands easily, not a huge hulking textbook. I figured this was going to be a more nuts-and-bolts type of work but that is not the case.
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