Start living the 'Good Life' Pick up this handy compact favourite from 'the grand master of self-sufficiency' (Kitchen Garden) and discover how to enjoy a sustainable lifestyle. Easy-to-follow, this guide not only tells you what to do, but shows you how to do it. Follow practical know-how: from creating an urban organic garden and making wine and beer, to ploughing fields or harnessing natural energy. All the practical advice you need to make the break and get started.

A simple guide to growing fruits, vegetables, nuts & berries, raising chickens, goats, & bees, and making beer, wine, & cider from your backyard. If you want to take control of the food you eat and the products you use, Backyard Homesteading will help you learn how to do it—even if you live in an urban or suburban house on a typical-size lot. Inside, you’ll discover how to turn a yard into a productive and wholesome “homestead” that allows you to grow your own fruits and vegetables and raise farm animals, including chickens and goats. You’ll also find the laws and regulations of raising livestock in populated areas, as well as ways to use and preserve the bounty your land produces. GETTING STARTED Benefits of pure food Family recreation Local regulations Potential yields and savings RAISING VEGETABLES AND HERBS Garden planning/layout Structures/irrigation Vegetable profiles Planting techniques Composting/healthy soil Seasonal gardening GROWING FRUITS, BERRIES, AND NUTS Planting fruit trees and bushes Fruit profiles Organic pest control Grafting and pruning Harvesting methods RAISING CHICKENS The joy of chickens Collecting eggs Care and feeding tips Other small animals RAISING GOATS Benefits of goat milk Structures/fencing Care and feeding tips Other large animals BEEKEEPING Benefits of beekeeping Care and harvesting Building hives Collecting honey HARVEST HOME Canning/drying/freezing Making beer, wine, cider Making jerky, sausage Making jams, jellies Pickling/salting/smoking Building root cellars

Embrace off-grid green living with the bestselling classic guide to a more sustainable way of life, now with a brand new foreword from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. John Seymour has inspired thousands to make more responsible, enriching, and eco-friendly choices with his advice on living sustainably. The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency offers step-by-step instructions on everything from chopping trees to harnessing solar power; from growing fruit and vegetables, and preserving and pickling your harvest, to baking bread, brewing beer, and making cheese. Seymour shows you how to live off the land, running your own smallholding or homestead, keeping chickens, and raising (and butchering) livestock. In a world of mass production, intensive farming, and food miles, Seymour's words offer an alternative: a celebration of the joy of investing time, labour, and love into the things we need. While we aren't all be able to move to the countryside, we can appreciate the need to eat food that has been grown ethically or create things we can cherish, using skills that have been handed down through generations. With refreshed, retro-style illustrations and a brand-new foreword by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, this new edition of Seymour's classic title is a balm for anyone who has ever sought solace away from the madness of modern life.

A comprehensive yet concise guide to making cheese at home, featuring step-by-step instructions, recipes, advice, troubleshooting tips, and more. Inside this book you will find everything you need to know to begin making cheese, from the tools and equipment for the job and basic recipes to making more complex cheeses and advice on setting up a small cheese business. There is no need to be scientifically trained or an accomplished cook to make delicious cheese at home. Artisanal cheese maker Rita Ash shows just how simple it is to make cheese, and how, with a little bit of care and attention, anyone can produce excellent handmade cheeses. Whether you are a fan of the deliciously soft molded Brie or prefer a strong blue veined Stilton, there is a recipe here for everyone. With suggested uses for your finished cheeses, an invaluable troubleshooting section and a handy glossary, this is a must-read for aspiring and experienced cheese makers everywhere. “Accessible, even inspiring—a good addition for readers looking to take the locavore trend a step further.” —Library Journal

Get ready to be self-sufficient. Whether tackling the garden, raising animals, learning more about alternative energy, or bettering your storage and preservation, Step-by-Step Projects for Self-Sufficiency is the perfect starting point. Step-by-step instructions and photos will guide you through how to make over 60 complete projects. After all, DIY projects are more fun (and generally easier) when you approach them with helpful aides and tools you made yourself. Projects in this new volume include: -A portable chicken ark -Two types of beehives -Solar cookers -Firewood storage -A potato growing box -Hoophouses and greenhouses -Raised planting beds -Rainbarrels -A cider press -Compost bins -Drying racks With its clear plan drawings, precise instructions and detailed photos, Step-by-step Projects for Self Sufficiency makes DIY easier than ever.

A do-it-yourselfer s dream guide to simpler, greener, and more sustainable...

A comprehensive and inspiring guide to self-reliance, sustainability, and green living for city dwellers. Read it and..