Some Of My Favorite Homesteading Books

I have read lots of books and blogs on homesteading, but these 3 are my current favorites.  Ok, I realize that Mother Earth News is not technically a book, but you know what I mean.

Some of my favorite book:

Mother Earth New Magazine

Mother Earth News is such a fun magazine if you area at all into gardening, homesteading, or country living. Each issue has something for everyone. I find myself getting so excited every time a new issue comes in the mail. It is so sad that I can't wait for the kids to go to bed that night so I can dig in. 

If you decide to buy any of the Mother Earth News magazines you will get a better bang for your buck if you go ahead and buy a 1 yr subscription. If you buy just one magazine at the store you will spend $6, but if you get a subscription you get 6 issues for a total of $12! 

The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!

The Backyard Homestead is one of the books that gave me the homesteading bug. It is an excellent source for beginners. The great thing about this book is that it has info for homesteaders no matter how much land you have. I particularly liked the photo in the book (pictured below) of how you can set up a working farm on as little as a quarter of an acre. The yard in the picture is laid out a lot like mine. I am hoping to someday have all the things in the picture actually up and running. 

The Backyard Homestead has chapters to help you get started with garden layout, animal care and preserving. If you are looking for a great beginner book this is the one I would recommend. 


The Five-Year Guide to Self-Sufficiency: Simple Living Made Simpler

My third current favorite book is the Five-Year Guide to Self-Sufficiency. This is not really one I have read cover to cover, but have used it more as a reference guide. Since it is meant to be used over a five year time period. 

The chapters are broken up into how and what to concentrate on each year for 5 years to help you be successful on your homestead adventure. 

I love that it starts out very slow and reminds you not to take on too much at one time. It will walk you step by step through deciding what land to buy and what to look for when purchasing your land. 

I have to say my favorite part of this book is that it recommends as your first step to homesteading is getting our of debt. Ugh. Unfortunately we are still working on that one. At least we are not taking on anymore. 

What are some of your favorite homesteading books?

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