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A review by ajediprincess
The Backyard Homestead: Produce All the Food You Need on Just a Quarter Acre! by Carleen Madigan
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
I bought this book for my parents who are very eager to build their own homestead and eventually become self-sufficient. While this book is probably not comprehensive (no info on heating and energy, water collection, clothing, etc.) for living off the grid, this is a wealth of knowledge for those who want to minimize their grocery bill and pursue a simpler way of living and it offers a greater awareness of what we consume and how to regain control of it for ourselves. I am glad I purchased this book and it will undoubtedly be useful to my parents as they continue to develop and expand their farm.
I read this book and found myself absolutely sucked in by the way it was designed, laid out, and everything was explained. There are all kinds of helpful charts, illustrations, and diagrams, and the sections are organized in a thorough and easy-to-follow way. It also has a clear enthusiasm for getting back to basics that I found infectious. I grew up on a farm and already know quite a bit about organic gardening and small animal husbandry, but this book has so much information that I definitely found myself learning new things and helpful tidbits that I will remember going forward.
This book covers many different aspects of what it takes to cultivate your own homestead. It isn't just about growing your own food, but that is the prevailing theme of the book. There is also information on natural medicine, brewing beers, ciders, and wines, foraging, beekeeping, building protective and intuitive structures, preserving your harvest, developing routines, intelligent and efficient farming, and creating systems that work for you not against you as your time and space is limited, especially if you live in an urbanized area. This book is handy, it's visually appealing, and it's a fantastic resource that my family will return to again and again for working on and improving our homestead for years to come.
I read this book and found myself absolutely sucked in by the way it was designed, laid out, and everything was explained. There are all kinds of helpful charts, illustrations, and diagrams, and the sections are organized in a thorough and easy-to-follow way. It also has a clear enthusiasm for getting back to basics that I found infectious. I grew up on a farm and already know quite a bit about organic gardening and small animal husbandry, but this book has so much information that I definitely found myself learning new things and helpful tidbits that I will remember going forward.
This book covers many different aspects of what it takes to cultivate your own homestead. It isn't just about growing your own food, but that is the prevailing theme of the book. There is also information on natural medicine, brewing beers, ciders, and wines, foraging, beekeeping, building protective and intuitive structures, preserving your harvest, developing routines, intelligent and efficient farming, and creating systems that work for you not against you as your time and space is limited, especially if you live in an urbanized area. This book is handy, it's visually appealing, and it's a fantastic resource that my family will return to again and again for working on and improving our homestead for years to come.