Best Books for Modern Homesteading
October/November 2007
Heidi Hunt
Homesteading and self-sufficient living are easier than ever,
thanks to a wide range of modern low-tech tools and techniques.
While our ancestors cut sod to build their house, today's modern
homesteaders look for the best energy-efficient building materials.
Pioneers used buckets to haul water from the creek, but now
homeowners can choose solar irrigation pumps or rainwater catchment
systems to irrigate their gardens and yards.
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You don't have to live on 40 acres to experience the joy and
satisfaction of self-reliance and working with your hands, whether
it's growing food, raising chickens or undertaking DIY projects.
Whether you are a city, suburban or rural 'homesteader,' there are
still some basic skills and techniques, ones your great
grandparents would have practiced, that will make your sustainable
living experience successful and enjoyable. Here are some of our
top recommendations for books to inform and inspire you.
The most informative books on all things related to modern
homesteading are Carla Emery's The Encyclopedia of Country
Living and The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live
It by John Seymour.
Choose any homesteading question and Carla Emery's The
Encyclopedia of Country Living will almost always provide your
answer. What sets this homesteading bible apart from other
homesteading books are the stories of Emery's personal successes,
failures, joys and sorrows as she wrote the book while raising a
family on her Idaho farm.
Our other favorite comprehensive homesteading book is The
Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It. First published in
the United Kingdom in 1975, the updated version is filled with
marvelous illustrations and drawings that give you step-by-step
instructions on making butter, brewing rose hip wine, sharpening a
scythe, building a fence, shearing a sheep, laying out a garden and
much, much more.