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The Urban Farm Handbook: City-Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Food & Cooking (2011)* More than 150 sustainable resources for the Pacific Northwest
* More than 90 basic home-production recipes
* 75 black-and-white and 35 full color photographs
* Up-to-date information on Seattle-area urban farming permits and policy
Is that . . . a goat in your garage?! It might be if you've been reading The Urban Farm Handbook: City-Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat. In this comprehensive guide for city-dwellers on how to wean themselves from commercial supermarkets, the authors map a plan for how to manage a busy, urban family life with home-grown foods, shared community efforts, and easy yet healthful practices.
More than just a few ideas about gardening and raising chickens, The Urban Farm Handbook uses stories, charts, grocery lists, recipes, and calendars to inform and instruct. As busy urbanites who have learned how to do everything from making cheese and curing meat to collaborating with neighbors on a food bartering system, the authors share their own food journeys along with those of local producers and consumers who are changing the food systems in the Pacific Northwest. Organized seasonally, this handbook instructs on:
> How to maximize space for planting a variety of fruits and vegetables
> Small-animal husbandry and beekeeping
> Canning, drying, freezing, fermenting, and pickling techniques
> Grinding grains for flour and other uses
> Tips for creating a farmer-to-consumer connection
> How to form a "buying club" with neighbors
> "Opportunities for Change" steps to follow
And so much more!
* More than 90 basic home-production recipes
* 75 black-and-white and 35 full color photographs
* Up-to-date information on Seattle-area urban farming permits and policy
Is that . . . a goat in your garage?! It might be if you've been reading The Urban Farm Handbook: City-Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat. In this comprehensive guide for city-dwellers on how to wean themselves from commercial supermarkets, the authors map a plan for how to manage a busy, urban family life with home-grown foods, shared community efforts, and easy yet healthful practices.
More than just a few ideas about gardening and raising chickens, The Urban Farm Handbook uses stories, charts, grocery lists, recipes, and calendars to inform and instruct. As busy urbanites who have learned how to do everything from making cheese and curing meat to collaborating with neighbors on a food bartering system, the authors share their own food journeys along with those of local producers and consumers who are changing the food systems in the Pacific Northwest. Organized seasonally, this handbook instructs on:
> How to maximize space for planting a variety of fruits and vegetables
> Small-animal husbandry and beekeeping
> Canning, drying, freezing, fermenting, and pickling techniques
> Grinding grains for flour and other uses
> Tips for creating a farmer-to-consumer connection
> How to form a "buying club" with neighbors
> "Opportunities for Change" steps to follow
And so much more!
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2011
21 people are currently reading
775 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 5, 2012
I won this book as a First Reads giveaway. I was really interested because this year I decided to start my own vegetable garden and started really working towards making my own foods and eating more organic and whole foods. I was really excited for this book.
Overall, this book has been kind of disappointing. I find it pretty difficult to get through. You have to really read it like a book, rather than use it as a reference guide, which I was hoping for. Some of the tips and suggestions in the book are really helpful, such as how to find certain grains and other foods through your local farmer rather than the grocery store; however, many of the suggestions are not really feasible for the average person. To truly follow this book, I don’t think you could have a full time job or any hobby other than your urban farming.
The other main gripe I have with this book is with the sections about vegetable gardening – much of the information is for the Pacific Northwest, which is where the authors are from. There is a great chart in the book that shows when to plat and harvest various vegetables, except it’s only for the PNW region. This chart is completely useless to me, a New Jersey resident.
I haven’t completed reading the entire book, and I do intend to read it and reference it more, but as I’m getting more into my own gardening, etc., I’m finding myself relying on other, easier to reference sources. Also, as a side-note, this vegetarian will be skipping the chapters on slaughtering your own meat.
Overall, this book has been kind of disappointing. I find it pretty difficult to get through. You have to really read it like a book, rather than use it as a reference guide, which I was hoping for. Some of the tips and suggestions in the book are really helpful, such as how to find certain grains and other foods through your local farmer rather than the grocery store; however, many of the suggestions are not really feasible for the average person. To truly follow this book, I don’t think you could have a full time job or any hobby other than your urban farming.
The other main gripe I have with this book is with the sections about vegetable gardening – much of the information is for the Pacific Northwest, which is where the authors are from. There is a great chart in the book that shows when to plat and harvest various vegetables, except it’s only for the PNW region. This chart is completely useless to me, a New Jersey resident.
I haven’t completed reading the entire book, and I do intend to read it and reference it more, but as I’m getting more into my own gardening, etc., I’m finding myself relying on other, easier to reference sources. Also, as a side-note, this vegetarian will be skipping the chapters on slaughtering your own meat.
August 4, 2016
I wanted to love this book. There were a number of great, glittering moments in it. But ultimately, I felt like this book just didn't work.
The book started off with warm, inspiring personal stories. I tend to like either very technical books, or very personal books full of great stories. Here I thought I was in for a great romp, like Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn't Cook from Scratch by Jennifer Reese. But those funny and/or inspiring stories were few and far between here -- interspersed with sections of thin information or outright lecturing.
For example, there's a page and a half on winter gardening, plus a crop list. That doesn't actually give enough detail for anyone to succeed at winter gardening. This book could have acted as something of a bibliography, pointing to works for further reading -- in this subject, Eliot Coleman's Winter Harvest Handbook or The Year Round Vegetable Gardener by Nikki Jabbour. But it doesn't do that, either.
I feel obligated to point out that the single page talking about soap making was especially bad: "In the following recipes, you can use any combination of oils in place of part or all of the animal fat." I've only been making soap for a little under two years, but EVERYTHING I have ever read on soap making has stressed the importance of running every recipe (even their own recipes) through a lye-calculator to double-check and make sure that the math is right. Don't mess around with lye.
And then there was the lecturing. I have a hard time getting behind being embarrassed (author's word choice) about buying cough drops. I'd much rather read about someone who is excited about their homemade teas and syrups. Maybe I'm just not the right audience for this book. I don't want to garden or bake or make soap because I've been shamed into doing it, or because I feel horrible about life. I want to garden because plants are beautiful and their bounty is amazing. I want to bake because nothing beats the smell of homemade bread from sweet, just-ground grains. I like making soap because it gives me an opportunity to be a chemist and an artist at the same time and enjoy a luxury that's cheaper than picking up bars at the store.
But the book does this over and over. It was painful to read about Sarah Elmore's love of canning after the authors listed canning as the least and worst you can do for feeding your family through the winter. I also didn't find this lecturing consistent. One of the authors tells a story about how she doesn't buy bananas for her children to eat because they aren't local, but goes on to recommend buying coconut oil and olive oil for making cosmetics.
Despite the good bits, the book was overall a downer, and I just can't recommend it.
The book started off with warm, inspiring personal stories. I tend to like either very technical books, or very personal books full of great stories. Here I thought I was in for a great romp, like Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn't Cook from Scratch by Jennifer Reese. But those funny and/or inspiring stories were few and far between here -- interspersed with sections of thin information or outright lecturing.
For example, there's a page and a half on winter gardening, plus a crop list. That doesn't actually give enough detail for anyone to succeed at winter gardening. This book could have acted as something of a bibliography, pointing to works for further reading -- in this subject, Eliot Coleman's Winter Harvest Handbook or The Year Round Vegetable Gardener by Nikki Jabbour. But it doesn't do that, either.
I feel obligated to point out that the single page talking about soap making was especially bad: "In the following recipes, you can use any combination of oils in place of part or all of the animal fat." I've only been making soap for a little under two years, but EVERYTHING I have ever read on soap making has stressed the importance of running every recipe (even their own recipes) through a lye-calculator to double-check and make sure that the math is right. Don't mess around with lye.
And then there was the lecturing. I have a hard time getting behind being embarrassed (author's word choice) about buying cough drops. I'd much rather read about someone who is excited about their homemade teas and syrups. Maybe I'm just not the right audience for this book. I don't want to garden or bake or make soap because I've been shamed into doing it, or because I feel horrible about life. I want to garden because plants are beautiful and their bounty is amazing. I want to bake because nothing beats the smell of homemade bread from sweet, just-ground grains. I like making soap because it gives me an opportunity to be a chemist and an artist at the same time and enjoy a luxury that's cheaper than picking up bars at the store.
But the book does this over and over. It was painful to read about Sarah Elmore's love of canning after the authors listed canning as the least and worst you can do for feeding your family through the winter. I also didn't find this lecturing consistent. One of the authors tells a story about how she doesn't buy bananas for her children to eat because they aren't local, but goes on to recommend buying coconut oil and olive oil for making cosmetics.
Despite the good bits, the book was overall a downer, and I just can't recommend it.
July 27, 2021
This book is written specifically for beginning homesteaders in the Pacific Northwesterners. I found it to be a very informative and inspiring book, despite the fact that I live in a high Midwestern desert. I’ll continue to give it valuable shelf space in our library as an excellent resource. My mind is spinning with homesteading ideas now.
November 26, 2024
This was my third time reading this. Still love it. Still need to move to PNW so that their planting advice and local resources apply to me. Still need to learn how to become the sort of person who social networks at the farmers market.
June 30, 2017
Disclaimer: I met Annette through a series of community talks she hosted around farming and sustainability.
Potential bias aside, I loved this book! It was a refreshingly honest and practical guide for those who wish to transition away from grocery-store chains and processed foods by learning to grow and source healthy, nutritious food locally. Having grown up in rural Virginia with family members who grew gardens, raised chickens, canned food, and foraged out of necessity, I sometimes find books like this unpalatable as they try to glamorize or elevate the status of growing and sourcing food to something it isn't. Annette's book does none of those things and instead, provides inspiration and practical steps towards finding ways to change one's buying and eating habits.
Potential bias aside, I loved this book! It was a refreshingly honest and practical guide for those who wish to transition away from grocery-store chains and processed foods by learning to grow and source healthy, nutritious food locally. Having grown up in rural Virginia with family members who grew gardens, raised chickens, canned food, and foraged out of necessity, I sometimes find books like this unpalatable as they try to glamorize or elevate the status of growing and sourcing food to something it isn't. Annette's book does none of those things and instead, provides inspiration and practical steps towards finding ways to change one's buying and eating habits.
October 28, 2017
My vegetable garden is slowly turning into the gateway drug for full on, off the grid homesteading. This book piqued my interest in raising animals - rabbits, goats, chickens and ducks...which apparently is possible on a city lot. Maybe instead of trying to get Morgan to let me rip out the entire lawn, he'll be more open to the idea of some cute livestock.
January 16, 2019
Love this book! So helpful and full of future inspiration for my own urban homestead.
August 14, 2024
I like the handbook and memoir aspect of the writing. Some statements I wonder about the research backing them, but overall, a good introduction on what urban farming is and how to get started.
September 17, 2025
This is a handy little reference guide. It is one I have held onto for years despite others who have met their fate in the donation pile. I like the organization this book.
October 11, 2019
This is not really a handbook. And also, it's pretty specific to the Pacific Northwest. Also, it is super clear from the start that none of these people have full-time jobs.
other than that, it's reasonably inspiring and interesting. Just consider it more of a resource for learning about what's out there, rather than something that will provide you with an immediate how-to guide.
other than that, it's reasonably inspiring and interesting. Just consider it more of a resource for learning about what's out there, rather than something that will provide you with an immediate how-to guide.
November 21, 2011
In Seattle's "...earliest days cows roamed the streets freely; their right to graze on anyone's front lawn was protected by law, a law modeled on rural rights granting cattle access to public rangeland. As late as 1900...backyard cows still produced a third of Seattle's milk...As rail lines were completed...it became possible for suburban dairies to replace the backyard cow." Thus, in the city, people lost sight of the utilitarian value of the city living cow which soon became labeled a nuisance. "Seattle began excluding cows from its downtown core, and the cow free zone crept slowly outward from there."
Food production was banished from the city. Suburbs were built with covenants that forbade chickens and front yard veggie gardens. Our food system became industrialized and controlled by the same people who control the fuel system and the medical system. Is it possible that this trend is reversing; that more people are inclined to take charge of what they eat? The Urban Farm Handbook may be evidence of such a trend.
There are lots of gardening books but only a few that I'd be willing to recommend: Steve Solomon's books, Carol Deppe's The Resilient Gardener and this new one—The Urban Farm Handbook. It's a bit more than a book about gardening though the author's provide lots of information on how to make food in a small space. More precisely, The Urban Farm Handbook is a book about food. It's clear, concise, practical and covers lots of territory. The authors teach you how to run an urban farm operation. That is, how to make a small space extremely productive. The subtitle is "City Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat. Their approach is a bit different and the book is very readable with much good information all specific to our region.
There a chapters on grains, chickens, dairying with goats, small meat animals, locavoring (to coin a new word), preserving food, building food communities and various aspects of gardening, interspersed with recipes and profiles of people who leaders in alternative food systems. And, it's all in the context of getting the job done on small city lots.
The authors have done what they are describing and their personal stories and experiences make the book accessible on an emotional level. You will marvel at what each of them has accomplished.
Gardening in small spaces is a particular problem which all gardeners face to one extent or the other. Even large plots of rural land often only provide a small area suitable for gardening and raising animals. The Urban Farm Handbook is full of useful and stimulating ideas.
Food production was banished from the city. Suburbs were built with covenants that forbade chickens and front yard veggie gardens. Our food system became industrialized and controlled by the same people who control the fuel system and the medical system. Is it possible that this trend is reversing; that more people are inclined to take charge of what they eat? The Urban Farm Handbook may be evidence of such a trend.
There are lots of gardening books but only a few that I'd be willing to recommend: Steve Solomon's books, Carol Deppe's The Resilient Gardener and this new one—The Urban Farm Handbook. It's a bit more than a book about gardening though the author's provide lots of information on how to make food in a small space. More precisely, The Urban Farm Handbook is a book about food. It's clear, concise, practical and covers lots of territory. The authors teach you how to run an urban farm operation. That is, how to make a small space extremely productive. The subtitle is "City Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat. Their approach is a bit different and the book is very readable with much good information all specific to our region.
There a chapters on grains, chickens, dairying with goats, small meat animals, locavoring (to coin a new word), preserving food, building food communities and various aspects of gardening, interspersed with recipes and profiles of people who leaders in alternative food systems. And, it's all in the context of getting the job done on small city lots.
The authors have done what they are describing and their personal stories and experiences make the book accessible on an emotional level. You will marvel at what each of them has accomplished.
Gardening in small spaces is a particular problem which all gardeners face to one extent or the other. Even large plots of rural land often only provide a small area suitable for gardening and raising animals. The Urban Farm Handbook is full of useful and stimulating ideas.
December 8, 2013
I won a copy of this book from a GoodReads give away. Had I explored it a bit more before signing up for the raffle, I probably would have had second thoughts. Upon receiving it, I thumbed through it quickly to browse the photographs and was surprisingly shocked at the instructional pages on how to slaughter chickens and pigs. That extremity aside, the rest of the book is a plethora of good information when it comes to urban gardening.
There is a ton of basic information for the small avid gardener like me which includes planting and tending to a year-round vegetable garden, making your own compost, maximizing small spaces, raising backyard animals for eggs and milk, and preserving foods (canning, drying, freezing, pickling, and fermenting).
For those on a higher level, there is information about creating a direct farmer-to-consumer connection, setting up "buying clubs" with other local farmers, creating cold storage for roots and squashes, learning about city farming permits, and making your own soaps and cleaners.
The book itself caters to the Pacific Northwest when it comes to locales and resources, but its wealth of lists, photographs, and home-production recipes makes it a good resource for anyone living in the city with even a flower box reserved for vegetables or herbs. There truly is something here for everyone - young or old, novice or experienced. If you have an interest in at-home sustainable living, this handbook is for you.
There is a ton of basic information for the small avid gardener like me which includes planting and tending to a year-round vegetable garden, making your own compost, maximizing small spaces, raising backyard animals for eggs and milk, and preserving foods (canning, drying, freezing, pickling, and fermenting).
For those on a higher level, there is information about creating a direct farmer-to-consumer connection, setting up "buying clubs" with other local farmers, creating cold storage for roots and squashes, learning about city farming permits, and making your own soaps and cleaners.
The book itself caters to the Pacific Northwest when it comes to locales and resources, but its wealth of lists, photographs, and home-production recipes makes it a good resource for anyone living in the city with even a flower box reserved for vegetables or herbs. There truly is something here for everyone - young or old, novice or experienced. If you have an interest in at-home sustainable living, this handbook is for you.
January 27, 2014
Wow, I didn't think I was gonna like this book as much as I did--but I really, truly like it a lot. I should note though if you don't live in the Pacific NW you might not find this 5-star material because a lot of this book speaks to us PNWers, to the point that I assumed the title had a PNW reference and am shocked that it doesn't. Besides that, I am considering owning this as I could see myself using it for future reference. Certain bits I kept earmarking to the point that I didn't want to harm the library version. There were sections I avoided altogether because I don't have plans to own chickens or goats just yet...but if/when the time came I would go back to this guide to see how she did it. While other sections got me excitedly searching for flour grinders when I had to remind myself that I really don't eat that much pasta, bread, muffins, pancakes...This book also patted my own back for actually using the same farmers that Annette featured. Makes me happy that we cross paths on the listserv she also uses and that in some way we are connected in making this world that seems to be making bigger steps towards more urban farming.
April 8, 2012
The Urban Farm Handbook is an excellent source of information about growing and preparing your own food, drinks, and even household products. This is especially true if you live in the Northwestern United States. If you live outside the Northwest, this book is still useful but you would have to do further research to find out what you can grow in your particular area and what your community's laws are concerning keeping farm animals in an urban area. As an author, Cottrell was very entertaining in presenting the information. I found myself many times laughing out loud as she described some of her urban farming learning experiences. This book was both entertaining, educational, and a very easy read. I was able to read from cover to cover without becoming bored becasue of the beautiful illustrations, the profiles of local farmers, and the author's personal experiences along the way.
May 4, 2020
There are a lot of books that go into the “how to” of urban farming. What I like about this book is that not only does it tell good stories and provide resources but in each area they include an “Opportunities for Change” section that detail a variety of steps in increasing order of difficulty and impact. For example, under Grains they give the following:
• Buy Organic Bread from a Local Bakery
• Buy whole-grain flour, bake your own bread
• Buy a grain mill, source local grains, grind your own flour and bake your own bread
It is an acknowledgement that everyone has to start somewhere, taking a single step is possible and anyone can take this as far as they want, in fact Annette usually does!
• Buy Organic Bread from a Local Bakery
• Buy whole-grain flour, bake your own bread
• Buy a grain mill, source local grains, grind your own flour and bake your own bread
It is an acknowledgement that everyone has to start somewhere, taking a single step is possible and anyone can take this as far as they want, in fact Annette usually does!
November 15, 2011
I managed to get this book at the book release harvest party. I absolutely love this book. The information is very detailed and easy to understand. They won me over from the very beginning when they start out talking about grinding your own flour. I have been talking myself out of buying a grain mill for years, but recently decided to make the plunge and buy one and start grinding my own flours. I enjoy knowing that there are people who think grinding your own flour is something normal people can and should do. It is an added bonus that the writers live in the PNW so i don't have to do any guess work when using their gardening advice. This book is a must for the urban farmer.
November 25, 2011
This is a VERY inspiring book! I immediately started making the pancake recipe, making kefir, and raising meal worms for the chickens because of this book. I also started doing more baking, with the ideal of not ever buying any grain products (making our own cereals & crackers as well as breads & muffins). I have always loved doing everything from scratch, and this book shows how it's possible to completely avoid the grocery store, whether through gardening or purchases from local farmers. It's fantastic.
January 10, 2013
I have read several things about urban farming/urban gardening now, and was surprised at how much of this book was dedicated to raising meat. As a vegetarian, I didn't get too far into it before putting it down. But the first chapter, about grinding your own flour, really has me thinking about the processed grains I eat, the potential flavor of bread, and whether I could keep 5 gallon pails of grain in my basement and grind a couple of times a week. I use a bread maker, and I buy different kinds of flour. This would be a next step.
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February 19, 2013Originally posted at http://postdefiance.com/literary-gift..., written by Sweet Pea Flaherty.
Arranged seasonally, this book focuses on the Pacific Northwest and the food opportunities in our region. With charts & illustrative pictures throughout (including how to eviscerate a rabbit!), this tome is an intensive guide for anyone wanting to regain control of their food chain.
Arranged seasonally, this book focuses on the Pacific Northwest and the food opportunities in our region. With charts & illustrative pictures throughout (including how to eviscerate a rabbit!), this tome is an intensive guide for anyone wanting to regain control of their food chain.
March 25, 2013
By far, this is the best resource I've read about backyard and urban farming. In particular, I enjoyed that each section gave the reader different options varying in their commitment level. While the author, Annette Cottrell, is a bit more extreme than I would be, she does an excellent job of presenting urban farming information in a non-judgemental manner.
March 24, 2014
Very informative! Fanscinating to read how people are "farming" and raising their own food in cities. I especially have enjoyed the information about growing in the middle of LA and NYC. I love that in NYC they have a project in the school that carries over to the community to grow food, teach preparation and make this experience a foundation for learning math, geography, etc.
March 22, 2016
Great information about 2 people's transition to urban farming and self-reliance. Although the transition was more than I would ever want to do, the information is there to educate one on how to do it and how "easy" it can be if one is determined. Well written, thorough, motivating, excellent resources and recipes. Also, the authors are close to where I live, so that makes it even more relevant.
November 18, 2011
This is a fantastic book about gardening in the city. It covers everything from canning, to keeping chickens to butchering. It also discusses how to feed your whole family on a small lot with in depth plans. I found it very helpful.
April 16, 2012
Love this book. Fantastic food for thought and great practical advice on getting more in touch with the food you eat.
One of the most memorable sentences in the book: No one ever changed the world by watching television.
One of the most memorable sentences in the book: No one ever changed the world by watching television.
March 18, 2013
Best resource so far in the urban farming genre. I've been reading tons of these books and this is by far the most accessible. Highly recommend it. The only down side is how specific some of the advice is to the Pacific Northwest.
March 29, 2013
absolutely excellent! well-written, easy to understand. not everything is applicable living in missouri, but it's a great intro to a variety of topics, and gives great resources for further reading.
September 9, 2012
too granola for me
September 17, 2012
read my review on my blog: http://www.potlikkery.com/2012/05...
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March 15, 2013630.97309 C8517 2011
July 10, 2013
I love this book. I have read this again and again. I have spoken with Ann via email and she is such a wonderful person.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews