Publisher Description

A modern approach to homesteading no farm required

Food recalls, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils.

Author Deborah Niemann offers healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet.

In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade, Deborah shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life.

Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, it's packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more.

This comprehensive guide to food and fiber from scratch proves that attitude and knowledge is more important than acreage. Written from the perspective of a successful, self-taught modern homesteader, this well-illustrated, practical, and accessible manual will appeal to anyone who dreams of a more empowered life.

Deborah Niemann presents and teaches extensively on topics ranging from soapmaking to livestock care. She and her family raise livestock for meat, eggs and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchard provide fruit and vegetables. Deborah is also the author of Raising Goats Naturally.

Back Cover

A modern approach to homesteading - no farm required " ...buy this book, read it and then go do something. You are not alone. Mentors to help you along the way are out here. " - Joel Salatin, from the Foreword "Dreaming of a mindful life? Niemann's advice on gardening, cooking, orcharding, raising livestock, and much more demonstrates that it's possible to begin the journey in your own backyard." - Rebecca Martin, Managing Editor, Mother Earth News FOOD RECALLS, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils. In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade , author Deborah Niemann offers healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet. Along the way, she shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life. Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, it's packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more. Deborah Niemann presents and teaches extensively on topics ranging from soapmaking to livestock care. She and her family raise livestock for meat, eggs and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchard provide fruit and vegetables. Deborah is also the author of Raising Goats Naturally "Wherever you are on your journey toward a more self-reliant lifestyle, Homegrown and Handmade provides practical guidance and gentle encouragement to help you make the choices that work best for you." - Victoria Redhed Miller, author, Pure Poultry and Craft Distilling To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending select New Society Publishers titles to its readers. This book is one of them.

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A modern approach to homesteading - no farm required "...buy this book, read it and then go do something. You are not alone. Mentors to help you along the way are out here." - Joel Salatin, from the Foreword "Dreaming of a mindful life? Niemann's advice on gardening, cooking, orcharding, raising livestock, and much more demonstrates that it's possible to begin the journey in your own backyard." - Rebecca Martin, Managing Editor, Mother Earth News FOOD RECALLS, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils. In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade, author Deborah Niemann offers healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet. Along the way, she shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life. Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, it's packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more. Deborah Niemann presents and teaches extensively on topics ranging from soapmaking to livestock care. She and her family raise livestock for meat, eggs and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchard provide fruit and vegetables. Deborah is also the author of Raising Goats Naturally "Wherever you are on your journey toward a more self-reliant lifestyle, Homegrown and Handmade provides practical guidance and gentle encouragement to help you make the choices that work best for you." - Victoria Redhed Miller, author, Pure Poultryand Craft Distilling To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending select New Society Publishers titles to its readers. This book is one of them.

Author Biography

Deborah Niemann is a homesteader, writer, and self-sufficiency expert who presents and teaches extensively on topics such as soapmaking, cheesemaking, livestock care, composting, and homeschooling. She and her family raise sheep, pigs, cattle, goats, chickens and turkeys for meat, eggs and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchard provide fruit and vegetables. Deborah is also the author of Raising Goats Naturally. Joel F. Salatin is an American farmer, lecturer, and author whose books include Folks, This Ain't Normal; You Can Farm; and Salad Bar Beef.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm
Acknowledgments
Preface to the Second Edition


Introduction

Part 1: The Sustainable Garden
Chapter 1: Planning the Sustainable Garden
What do you need?
What will you grow?
How much will you grow?

Chapter 2: Growing the Sustainable Garden
Composting
Vermicomposting
Vertical Gardening
Organic Solutions
Seed Saving
Growing Herbs Indoors
Growing Sprouts
Extending the Tomato Harvest
Winter Gardening

Chapter 3: Cooking from the Sustainable Garden
Tomatoes
Freezing Tomatoes
Drying Tomatoes
Canning Tomatoes
Recipe : Creamy Heirloom Tomato Soup
Recipe : Gazpacho
Step-by-step Canning
Recipe : Pizza Sauce
Recipe : Canned Salsa
Peppers
Drying Peppers
Recipe : Pickled Peppers
Green Beans
Recipe : Pickled Green Beans
Herbs
Recipe : Iced Lemon Spearmint Tea
Recipe : Kombucha
Root Cellar Vegetables

Part 2: The Backyard Orchard
Chapter 4: Planning the Backyard Orchard
What do you need?
What will you grow?

Chapter 5: Growing the Backyard Orchard
Planting
Watering
Mulching
Pruning

Chapter 6: Cooking from the Backyard Orchard
Freezing Berries
Canning Fruit
Recipe : Canned Pears
Recipe : Caramel Apple Butter

Part 3: The Backyard Poultry Flock
Chapter 7: Planning the Backyard Poultry Flock
What do you need?
What will you raise?
Glossary - Poultry

Chapter 8: Raising the Backyard Poultry Flock
Brooding Chicks
Brooding Ducklings
Coop Management
Laying
Feeding
Injury Prevention and Treatment

Chapter 9: Raising the Backyard Poultry Flock for Meat
Chickens
Turkeys
Ducks and Geese

Chapter 10: Cooking from the Backyard Poultry Flock
Eggs
Recipe : Creme Brulee Pie
Recipe: Quick Quiche
Recipe: Brioche
Recipe : Noodles
Recipe : Mayonnaise
Recipe : Ranch Dressing
Meat
Recipe : Chicken Soup
Recipe : Faux Barbecue Chicken
Recipe : Turkey Stroganoff
Recipe : Bone Broth

Part 4: The Home Dairy
Chapter 11: Planning the Home Dairy
Cows
Goats
Sheep
Donkeys
Camels
Herd Animals
Pasture or Dry Lot
Bedding
Feeding
Minerals and Supplements
Breeding Males
Babies
Veterinary Care
Milking Equipment
Breeds
Buying Dairy Animals
Glossary - Dairy Animals

Chapter 12: Managing the Home Dairy
Natural Dairy Management
Training a Milker
Milking by Hand
Milking by Machine
Health Basics
Natural Parasite Control
Birthing
Pasteurization

Chapter 13: Producing from the Home Dairy
Butter
Buttermilk
Yogurt
Cheese
Recipe : Queso Blanco
Recipe : Ricotta
Recipe : Chevre
Recipe : Easy Mozzarella
Recipe : Feta
Meat
Soap
Recipe : Gardener's Scrub Bar
Recipe : Castile Soap
Recipe : Facial Soap

Part 5: Homegrown Pork
Chapter 14: Planning for Hogs
Choosing a Breed
Housing
Fencing
Feeding
Glossary - Hogs

Chapter 15: Living with Hogs
Breeding
Farrowing
Raising Piglets
Choosing Breeding Stock
Pork

Chapter 16: Cooking with Pork and Lard
Rendering Lard
Recipe : Autumn Pork Breakfast Skillet

Part 6: Homegrown Sweeteners
Chapter 17: Maple Syrup
What do you need?
Step-by-step Maple Syrup
What do you do with all that maple syrup?
Recipe : Peanut Butter Brownies

Chapter 18: Honey
What do you need?
Package Bees
Nucleus Colony
Feeding Bees
Maintenance
Harvesting Honey

Part 7: The Home Fiber Flock
Chapter 19: Planning and Managing the Home Fiber Flock
Choosing Fiber Animals
Rabbits
Goats and Sheep
Llamas and Alpacas
Bedding
Shearing
Breeding
Veterinary Care
Feeding and Supplements
Glossary - Fiber Animals

Chapter 20: Producing from the Home Fiber Flock
Processing Fiber
Felting
Project: Felted Soap
Spinning
Knitting
Project: Scarf

Part 8: Homegrown Business
Chapter 21: Turning Your Passion into a Business
Where to sell your wares?

Chapter 22: Selling Non-Food Products
Fiber, Yarn, Clothing
Leather and Sheepskins
Soap
Manure and Compost
Breeding Stock

Chapter 23: Selling Food Products
Eggs
Dairy Products
Meat and Meat Products
Produce
Honey
Maple Syrup
Prepared Foods

Afterword
Appendix A: Cookware
Appendix B: Cob Oven
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
A Note about the Publisher

Review

Budding homesteaders who want to live simpler, healthier, and more self-sufficient lives will treasure this updated edition of Niemann's encyclopedic reference. The additional material on operating a home-based business is worth the price of admission alone. Dreaming of a mindful life? Niemann's advice on gardening, cooking, orcharding, raising livestock, and much more demonstrates that it's possible to begin the journey in your own backyard. -- Rebecca Martin, Managing Editor, Mother Earth News



...buy this book, read it and then go do something. You are not alone. Mentors to help you along the way are out here. -- Joel Salatin, from the Foreword



Our beautiful world would be such a healthier and happier place if every home treasured a well-thumbed edition of this book! Whether the desire is to simply grow a few veggies or to fulfill the much grander vision of producing meats and dairy products, fruits, preserves and natural fibre products, Deborah has shared her vast extent of knowledge and experience in a way that is instantly accessible. Whether it be growing pigs or pumpkins, making cheese or felting wool, I can find out all I need to know with the turn of a page. Simply -- I love this book! -- Jenni Blackmore, author, Permaculture for the Rest of Us and The Food Lover's Garden



I am so impressed with this new edition of Homegrown and Handmade. Deborah Niemann has shown once again not just her wide range of skills and experience, but also her curiosity and ongoing willingness to learn. Having grown up with a mom who cooked from scratch, I deeply appreciate Deborah's emphasis on cooking for ourselves, as well as the numerous recipes included. Not everyone has the room or the time to raise their own food crops or meat or dairy animals, but everyone does have choices about what and how they eat. Wherever you are on your journey toward a more self-reliant lifestyle, Homegrown and Handmade provides practical guidance and gentle encouragement to help you make the choices that work best for you. -- Victoria Redhed Miller, author, Pure Poultry and Craft Distilling



Deborah Niemann is the real homesteading deal. She walks the talk and practices what she preaches, all of which authentically and vividly comes through in the engaging pages of Homegrown and Handmade. A treasure-trove of seasoned advice and resources, this book will serve as "idea fuel" for your homesteading journey. -- Lisa Kivirist, author of Soil Sisters

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A modern approach to homesteading—no farm required

Long Description

A modern approach to homesteading--no farm required Food recalls, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils. Author Deborah Niemann offers healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet. In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade , Deborah shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life. Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, it's packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more. This comprehensive guide to food and fiber from scratch proves that attitude and knowledge is more important than acreage. Written from the perspective of a successful, self-taught modern homesteader, this well-illustrated, practical, and accessible manual will appeal to anyone who dreams of a more empowered life. Deborah Niemann presents and teaches extensively on topics ranging from soapmaking to livestock care. She and her family raise livestock for meat, eggs and dairy products, while an organic garden and orchard provide fruit and vegetables. Deborah is also the author of Raising Goats Naturally .

Review Quote

Budding homesteaders who want to live simpler, healthier, and more self-sufficient lives will treasure this updated edition of Niemann's encyclopedic reference. The additional material on operating a home-based business is worth the price of admission alone. Dreaming of a mindful life?

Promotional "Headline"

A modern approach to homesteading--no farm required

Description for Reader

Food recalls, dubious health claims, scary and shocking ingredients in health and beauty products. Our increasingly industrialized supply system is becoming more difficult to navigate, more frightening, and more frustrating, leaving us feeling stuck choosing in many cases between the lesser of several evils. Author Deborah Niemann offers healthier, more empowering choices, by showing us how to reclaim links in our food and purchasing chains, to make choices that are healthier for our families, ourselves, and our planet. In this fully updated and revised edition of Homegrown and Handmade , Deborah shows how making things from scratch and growing some of your own food can help you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, reduce your carbon footprint, and create a more authentic life. Whether your goal is increasing your self-reliance or becoming a full-fledged homesteader, it's packed with answers and solutions to help you rediscover traditional skills, take control of your food from seed to plate, and much more. This comprehensive guide to food and fiber from scratch proves that attitude and knowledge is more important than acreage. Written from the perspective of a successful, self-taught modern homesteader, this well-illustrated, practical, and accessible manual will appeal to anyone who dreams of a more empowered life.

Competing Titles

Permaculture for the Rest of us Jenni Blackmore 9780865718104 19.95 New Society Publishers Oct 2015 2000 Heal Local Dawn Combs 9780865717961 29.95 New Society Publishers June 2015 2200 Hobby Farm Animals Sue Weaver, Ann Larkin Hansen Cherie Langlois, Arie Mcfarlen 9781620081525 29.95 Lumina Media July 2015 1000

Feature

Previous edition sold 9000 copies Author is an experienced writer with three previous books published with New Society Publishers New edition includes information on raising and cooking with pigs, homegrown sweeteners, selling your homegrown products, She blogs at Author was raised in a city and learned homesteading skills as an adult Offers practical steps to save money and build a healthier lifestyle Teaches readers how to increase their self-reliance: making things from scratch, growing their own food, buying directly from farmers, etc. Covers how to garden, raise livestock, ferment food, and store the harvest

Description for Sales People

Previous edition sold 9000 copies Author is an experienced writer with three previous books published with New Society Publishers New edition includes information on raising and cooking with pigs, homegrown sweeteners, selling your homegrown products, She blogs at Author was raised in a city and learned homesteading skills as an adult Offers practical steps to save money and build a healthier lifestyle Teaches readers how to increase their self-reliance: making things from scratch, growing their own food, buying directly from farmers, etc. Covers how to garden, raise livestock, ferment food, and store the harvest

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