Will Bonsall and his family strive to produce everything they need on their homestead in Maine, with minimal external inputs. Essential Guide to Radical Self Reliant Gardening by Will Bonsall ~ This is technically a “gardening” book, but it covers so much more than that.These manuals take a deeper dive into self reliant living, covering just about everything you’d need to know to move to land and provide for yourself. Looking to do more than dip your toe into homesteading? Simply Living Well: A Guide to Creating a Natural Low Waste Home by Julia Watkins ~ With dozens of simple DIY recipes for herbal remedies and natural cleaning products, this book is artfully presented and inspiring.The Women’s Heritage Source Book: Bringing Homesteading to Everyday Life ~ Assembled by multiple women who all incorporate homesteading into their daily lives, be it in an apartment or small suburban “farms.”.These books have plenty of projects to get you started, and they’re perfect gifts for someone just starting on the DIY lifestyle. Simple herbal remedies, homemade cleaning products, from scratch bread and maybe a few canning recipes. Not everyone’s going to move to land out in the country, and many people are just looking for a way to incorporate small DIY projects into their routine. Since it covers so much, it’s a little less approachable than the Attainable Sustainable book, but it’s an excellent resource for anything homesteading. It’s a little bit of everything, and it’s told in a conversational tone, as if you’re great-grandmother was narrating instructions to pass on everything she’s every done to provide for the family. She covers everything from raising animals to making soap to handspinning fiber and making jams, jellies and preserves. Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery ~ At nearly 1,000 pages long, this truly is an encyclopedia of living off the land and doing it yourself.By far the best resource for absolute beginners. Learn how to make sourdough bread, kombucha, elderberry syrup, beginner cheese making, and dozens of other simple homestead projects. Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self Reliant Living by Kris Bordessa ~ With a page or two on just about everything, this book allows you to dip your toe into everything from composting to beekeeping to foraging and more.Want to be more self reliant and don’t know where to start? This is the place. They don’t dive deep into any particular topic, but instead give you an overview that’ll allow you do do a little bit of everything. Hunting, Fishing and Survival Skills Booksįor those of you just dipping your toe into homesteading, these beginner homesteading books are a great place to start.The list of topics is below, and you can click on any of the links to jump to that section of the post. If you’re only interested in specific topics, no problem! (Don’t worry, they’re all related to self reliant living, and I’ll skip my extensive collection of Icelandic Cookbooks…) These are by far the most useful books if you’re trying to re-skill, of the literally thousands we have on our shelves. Yes I’ve read them…all of them, and hundreds more. I’m going to give you a peek into my homestead library, and take you through all my favorite books and resources, broken down by topic. Though I wasn’t born into it, I’m a voracious reader…and once I’m interested in something I seek out every resource I can find to learn everything I can about a topic. I grew up in southern California, raised by parents who are honestly more than a little disturbed by our lifestyle. I’m often asked how I learned to live as we do, foraging food, canning everything in sight, and maintaining a solar-powered homestead.ĭid you grow up like that? Are you a 7th generation homesteader? These are my favorite books for self reliant living, and they’re taught me more than I can even begin to express. Self-reliant living starts with re-skilling, and unless you have a mentor handy, there’s no better way than hitting the books.
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