Homesteading: A Backyard Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More [Hardcover]

Over 100,000 sold—a national bestseller!

Whether you want to live off the grid as part of the modern back to nature movement, or simply learn new skills that will make your home more comfortable and your garden grow, this companion to the bestsellerBack to Basics, is for you!

Who doesn’t want to shrink their carbon footprint, save money, and eat homegrown food whenever possible? Even readers who are very muchonthe grid will embrace this large, fully illustrated guide on the basics of living the good, clean life. It’s written with country lovers in mind—even those who currently live in the city.

Whether you live in the city, the suburbs, or in the wide-open spaces, there is plenty you can do to improve your life from a green perspective:

• Start container gardening. With a few plants, fresh tomato sauce is a real option with your own homegrown fresh tomatoes
• Reduce electricity use by eating dinner by candlelight (using homemade candles, of course)
• Learn to use rainwater to augment water supplies
• Make your own soap and hand lotion
• Consider keeping chickens for the eggs

From what to eat, to supporting sustainable restaurants, to avoiding dry cleaning, this book offers information on anything a homesteader needs—and more.Abigail R. Gehringis the author of more than a dozen books, includingThe Homesteading HandbookandThe Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Living. She lives in New York City and Windham, Vermont.Introduction
Homesteading is about creating a lifestyle that is first of all genuine. It’s about learning to recognize your needs—including energy, food, financial, and health needs—and finding out how they can be met creatively and responsibly. In order to harness your own energy for heat or electricity, you first have to face the facts about how much energy you use verslóm