Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living by Deborah NiemannMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you've ever considered participating in modern homesteading, this is the book for you! It would also be good for those who want to know more about: food gardening (urban or rural), raising chickens (some cities now allow them), and working with livestock (which has to be rural for the most part).
I wanted to read it because my husband and I have always wished we could live in a cohousing community, which is similar to a homestead except it is multiple families and generations living in a sustainable community. We also talked about running a homestead when we retired.
Which brings me to my next point - this book is also good at talking most people out of trying to run a homestead, because unless you can afford to live off one income, or can find a way to make money while homesteading, I doubt many people could afford the time or care it would take to make this a realistic way to live!
Some of the book is a little too boring and dry, although if you are only interested in one or two of the subjects you could skip the chapters that don't interest you. And some of it is a little too alarmist for me - yes, I disagree with some of the agricultural practices these days, but I don't feel the need to "breed out antibiotics".
Regardless, this is a decently good book on the subject and I recommend it for anyone interested in learning more. I will probably pass it on to a friend who is thinking about backyard chickens!
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