I’ve said before that our journey into urban farming started with just a couple of tomatoes on our porch and slowly grew from there. If you would have asked me five years ago if we would be right where we are today, surrounded by chickens, waiting on bees and planning next seasons vegetable garden, I might have even laughed a little. The truth is, sometimes our passions whisper to us in such a way that they get you moving in a direction you never imagined you would…but once you find yourself on that path, you know there was truly no other way.
These books sit on our shelves and inspire us daily to do more and do better. They are full of big dreams and plenty of mistakes. I trust you will find some inspiration in them, too.
HOMESTEADING, URBAN FARMING & DIYing
- The Self Sufficient Life & How to Live It by John Seymour
- Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post Consumer World by Kelly Coyne & Eric Knutzen
- The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen
- The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan
- Beekeeping For Dummies by Howland Blackiston
- The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses by Eliot Coleman
- How to Grow More Vegetables, Eighth Edition: (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You … (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains…) by John Jeavons
- Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham
- Big Book of Home How-To by Better Homes and Gardens
- The New Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (Sunset Western Garden Book) by the Editors of Sunset Magazine
- The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: Choose the Best Breeds for Small-Space Farming, Produce Your Own Grass-Fed Meat, Gather Fresh … Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cattle, & Bees by Gail Damerow
PERMACULTURE
- The Resilient Farm and Homestead by Ben Falk
STORIES & INSPIRATION
- Little House Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
- Just a Couple of Chickens by Corinne Tippett
ALL THINGS FOOD!
- Farm Fresh Journey by Douglas Merriam
- Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round by Marisa McLellan
- Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry
- Handmade Gatherings by Ashley English
- Putting Food By: Fifth Edition by Ruth Hertzberg
- Preserving Summer’s Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow by the Rodale Food Center
- The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook: Heirloom fruits and vegetables, and more than 100 heritage recipes to inspire every generation by Dr. Brent Ridge
- How to Break an Egg: 1,453 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, Emergency Substitutions, and Handy Techniques by Fine Cooking Magazine
- Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon
- The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care by Sally Fallon Morell
- An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler
- The Thanksgiving Table: Recipes and Ideas to Create Your Own Holiday Tradition by Diane Morgan
- Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson
- Feast: Food that Celebrates Life by Nigella Lawson
- Simply Homemade Food Gifts by Jennifer Darling
- The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook by Rick Rodgers
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
- Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
- Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations by Peter H. Kahn
- Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril by Kathleen Dean Moore
WISHLIST
- A Year of Picnics by Ashley English
- Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution by Jennifer Cockrall-King
- The Essential Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter
- The Five-Year Guide to Self-Sufficiency: Simple Living Made Simpler by Amelia Barrows
Additionally, I want to share a few blogs with you that I have found immensely inspirational:
- SouleMama
- Eco-Footprint South Africa
- Attainable Sustainable
- Longest Acres
- Food in Jars
- Root Simple
- Inner Pickle
- Mother of a Hubbard
- Foxs Lane
- Lost Peacock
- Small Measure
xoxo,
M