Homesteading doesn’t mean you have to own 1,836,301 acres of land, nor do you have to dress or speak a certain way.
Homesteading [hohm-sted-ing]
v. 1 the act of transforming a home into a property that produces some or all of its residents own food and other subsistence needs.v. 2 participation in home-based activities such as gardening, raising poultry or small livestock, producing simple products through cottage industry, minimizing consumer purchases, and generally seeking ways to increase self-sufficiency within the home environment.
v. 3 the creation of an homestead with the goal of reducing one’s environmental impact and returning to a home-based, family-centered, self-sufficient way of life.
Frugally Sustainable is the story of my family’s transition out of a consumer culture into the brave world of sustainability.
It’s about focusing on what’s important amidst uncertain times. It’s about returning to…
- forgotten skills
- reviving old wisdom
- creating something amazing
- finding happiness
I love the accepted wisdom gleaned from life on the homestead and have a deep respect for the creation surrounding us here on the farm.
These are some of my favorite resources, stories, and experiences we have acquired from life on a budding homestead in the low desert of Arizona.
Homesteading Basics
- Homesteading for Beginners DVD Vol. 1
- Homesteading for Beginners DVD Vol. 2
- Homesteading for Beginners DVD Vol. 3
- The Encyclopedia of Country Living
- The Blessings — and Challenges — of Moving from the City to the Country
Living Off the Land
- 10 Things to Consider When Living Off the Land
- Living Off the Land: How to Earn a Sustainable Income from Home
- How To Make Money When Living a Self-Sustainable Lifestyle
- Storey’s Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
- Country Wisdom & Know-How: A Practical Guide to Living off the Land
Better-than-Organic Gardening
- Horizon Herbs :: Strictly Medicinal, Non-GMO Herbal Seeds for Your Home Herb Garden
- Heirloom Seeds :: Making Vegetables Seed Collection
- How to Make Your Own Homemade Organic Insecticides and Pesticides
- How to Save Seed for Next Year’s Garden
- Building Soils Naturally
- Carrots Love Tomatoes :: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening
- Gardening with Heirloom Seeds
- How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office
- How to Grow More Vegetables
- Making Vegetables
Animal Husbandry :: Holistic Farmyard Health
Foraging
- How Wild Food Foraging Can Lower the Cost of Groceries
- Spring Foraging: A Recipe for Dandelion Greens and Roots
- Foraging: How to Make Your Own Gluten-Free Mesquite Pod Flour
- Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
- The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
- Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods
- A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)
Preserving the Harvest :: Canning & Long-Term Storage
- Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods
- Tips and Recipes for Preserving the Harvest
- Put ’em Up!
- Ready Nutrition
- Simply Canning
- Pick Your Own
Keeping Chickens
- Herbs for Chicken Health: How to Make an Herbal Feed Supplement for Backyard Chickens
- Nesting Box Herbs
- Tips for Keeping Backyard Hens
- Raising Free-Range, Pastured and Organic Eggs
- Make Your Own Chicken Starter
- BackyardChickens.com
- Herbs for Chickens
Raising Dairy Goats
Natural Canine Health :: Breeding & Training Bird Dogs
- Herbs for Dogs
- Herbs for Pets: The Natural Way to Enhance Your Pet’s Life
- D.T. Systems Training Pointing Dogs Dvd Collection of Volumes 1 to 4
- The Nature of Animal Healing: The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat
- Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals: A Comprehensive Guide to the Use of Essential Oils & Hydrosols with Animals
- Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy for You and Your Dog
- Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals
- All Natural Flea Remedies :: Canine Herbal Dry Shampoo :: A Deodorizing Flea & Tick Powder
- Herbal Remedies for Common Pet and Livestock Ailments
Rabbits
That’s my personal list of best homesteading resources. Are there any others that you would add to this list?
What a incredible blog.