Description
Book SynopsisThe author of Ecothrifty shows you how to life more self-sufficiently with her guide to modern homesteading?no farm required.
Food recalls, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils. That''s why author Deborah Niemann is here to offer healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet.
In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade, Deborah shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life.
Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, this book is packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more. This comprehensive guide to food and fiber from scratch proves that attitude and knowledge is more important than acreage. Written from the perspective of a successful, self-taught modern homesteader, this well-illustrated, practical, and accessible manual will appeal to anyone who dreams of a more empowered life.
Dreaming of a mindful life? Niemann''s advice on gardening, cooking, orcharding, raising livestock, and much more demonstrates that it''s possible to begin the journey in your own backyard. ?Rebecca Martin, Managing Editor, Mother Earth News
Table of ContentsForeword: Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm
Acknowledgments
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction
Part 1: The Sustainable Garden
Chapter 1: Planning the Sustainable Garden
What do you need?
What will you grow?
How much will you grow?
Chapter 2: Growing the Sustainable Garden
Composting
Vermicomposting
Vertical Gardening
Organic Solutions
Seed Saving
Growing Herbs Indoors
Growing Sprouts
Extending the Tomato Harvest
Winter Gardening
Chapter 3: Cooking from the Sustainable Garden
Tomatoes
Freezing Tomatoes
Drying Tomatoes
Canning Tomatoes
Recipe: Creamy Heirloom Tomato Soup
Recipe: Gazpacho
Step-by-step Canning
Recipe: Pizza Sauce
Recipe: Canned Salsa
Peppers
Drying Peppers
Recipe: Pickled Peppers
Green Beans
Recipe: Pickled Green Beans
Herbs
Recipe: Iced Lemon Spearmint Tea
Recipe: Kombucha
Root Cellar Vegetables
Part 2: The Backyard Orchard
Chapter 4: Planning the Backyard Orchard
What do you need?
What will you grow?
Chapter 5: Growing the Backyard Orchard
Planting
Watering
Mulching
Pruning
Chapter 6: Cooking from the Backyard Orchard
Freezing Berries
Canning Fruit
Recipe: Canned Pears
Recipe: Caramel Apple Butter
Part 3: The Backyard Poultry Flock
Chapter 7: Planning the Backyard Poultry Flock
What do you need?
What will you raise?
Glossary - Poultry
Chapter 8: Raising the Backyard Poultry Flock
Brooding Chicks
Brooding Ducklings
Coop Management
Laying
Feeding
Injury Prevention and Treatment
Chapter 9: Raising the Backyard Poultry Flock for Meat
Chickens
Turkeys
Ducks and Geese
Chapter 10: Cooking from the Backyard Poultry Flock
Eggs
Recipe: Crème Brûlée Pie
Recipe: Quick Quiche
Recipe: Brioche
Recipe: Noodles
Recipe: Mayonnaise
Recipe: Ranch Dressing
Meat
Recipe: Chicken Soup
Recipe: Faux Barbecue Chicken
Recipe: Turkey Stroganoff
Recipe: Bone Broth
Part 4: The Home Dairy
Chapter 11: Planning the Home Dairy
Cows
Goats
Sheep
Donkeys
Camels
Herd Animals
Pasture or Dry Lot
Bedding
Feeding
Minerals and Supplements
Breeding Males
Babies
Veterinary Care
Milking Equipment
Breeds
Buying Dairy Animals
Glossary - Dairy Animals
Chapter 12: Managing the Home Dairy
Natural Dairy Management
Training a Milker
Milking by Hand
Milking by Machine
Health Basics
Natural Parasite Control
Birthing
Pasteurization
Chapter 13: Producing from the Home Dairy
Butter
Buttermilk
Yogurt
Cheese
Recipe: Queso Blanco
Recipe: Ricotta
Recipe: Chèvre
Recipe: Easy Mozzarella
Recipe: Feta
Meat
Soap
Recipe: Gardener's Scrub Bar
Recipe: Castile Soap
Recipe: Facial Soap
Part 5: Homegrown Pork
Chapter 14: Planning for Hogs
Choosing a Breed
Housing
Fencing
Feeding
Glossary - Hogs
Chapter 15: Living with Hogs
Breeding
Farrowing
Raising Piglets
Choosing Breeding Stock
Pork
Chapter 16: Cooking with Pork and Lard
Rendering Lard
Recipe: Autumn Pork Breakfast Skillet
Part 6: Homegrown Sweeteners
Chapter 17: Maple Syrup
What do you need?
Step-by-step Maple Syrup
What do you do with all that maple syrup?
Recipe: Peanut Butter Brownies
Chapter 18: Honey
What do you need?
Package Bees
Nucleus Colony
Feeding Bees
Maintenance
Harvesting Honey
Part 7: The Home Fiber Flock
Chapter 19: Planning and Managing the Home Fiber Flock
Choosing Fiber Animals
Rabbits
Goats and Sheep
Llamas and Alpacas
Bedding
Shearing
Breeding
Veterinary Care
Feeding and Supplements
Glossary - Fiber Animals
Chapter 20: Producing from the Home Fiber Flock
Processing Fiber
Felting
Project: Felted Soap
Spinning
Knitting
Project: Scarf
Part 8: Homegrown Business
Chapter 21: Turning Your Passion into a Business
Where to sell your wares?
Chapter 22: Selling Non-Food Products
Fiber, Yarn, Clothing
Leather and Sheepskins
Soap
Manure and Compost
Breeding Stock
Chapter 23: Selling Food Products
Eggs
Dairy Products
Meat and Meat Products
Produce
Honey
Maple Syrup
Prepared Foods
Afterword
Appendix A: Cookware
Appendix B: Cob Oven
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
A Note about the Publisher
