What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word “homestead”?
I initially picture a cute farmhouse with a barn, garden, and pasture of a few animals. Maybe a windmill, a few fruit trees, or even a hayfield. I imagine a place with 10-20 acres — big enough to house a handful of things, but not like the modern production farms. I see a property where Laura Ingalls would live.
My family currently lives on 2 wooded acres, in a manufactured home. I haven’t given our place a name (like many of those I follow on Instagram) because in my mind it hasn’t seemed like the right kind of property or big enough to qualify for a “farm” or “homestead” sort of label.
But thanks to the book The Backyard Homestead, my mindset is shifting.
The subtitle to this book is what initially caught my eye. The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! is a claim that sounds too good to be true. I don’t have much space to work with… is a productive “homestead” actually possible for me?
The editor of the book, Carleen Madigan, explains in her initial welcome chapter:
“Today, they [books by Storey Publishing] are being rediscovered by a whole new generation of readers who… want to learn what it takes to provide their own food. They aren’t farmers, but they have a little bit of yard (or maybe even none at all yet) and a whole lot of passion. Maybe you’re one of those people.” (p. 8-9)
And so she pulled together into one book “the best of Storey’s information about food production.” (p.9) From the very beginning of the book, she gives practical examples of just how much you can actually produce on a very small amount of land.
This review was first published on the Homesteaders of Michigan blog. Read the rest of my in-depth review there!
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