Recently, I’ve been struggling a bit with having a tad too much on my plate (people who know me well will be laughing as I always have too much on my plate!) There’s full, there’s heaping, and then there’s stuff falling off the sides and spilling all over my nice clean shirt..
When that happens, one of the first things that gets cut is my reading time. I have a couple of excellent books sitting beside me that I am bound and determined to take a little time to read over the next little while. The turkeys have been sent off to their various dinner parties, the little hogs are growing apace, and the new litters are some way off in the future. Any eggs that are being laid now are being collected and sold so there is something like a breather about to happen – nobody incubating, hatching, brooding, or being moved around from field to field.
And, a breather means a bit of time to read! Here are a few of the titles I am dying to dive into…
The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times
Right off the top, the book wins the prize for longest title! Skimming and dipping, it is full of all sorts of practical advice that reflects the current realities of wild weather, takes into account personal gardening styles, and is practical and down to earth. Nutrition, soil building, and nuts and bolts how-to information throughout, this looks like a terrific resource. I’ll try to remember to do a proper review when I’ve actually read it properly, but certainly one that looks like it deserves some time.
By coincidence, the next book on my must-read stack also includes the word Resilience in the title. Perhaps that will be my theme word for the next year!
The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach
(OK, I take that bit back about the first book having the longest title…)
Colour photos, graphs, and diagrams make this book visually appealing and a quick peruse has me salivating at the thought of taking it to a quiet place and turning pages. I would dearly love to take a permaculture design course, but that seems an unlikely thing to happen in the foreseeable future. This book looks like it covers lots of permaculture territory with a holistic approach to selecting the land and then creating a self-sufficient, healthy homestead thereon. Hmm. Just how late can I stay up before I keel over?
The book won me over completely with an image of horses being used to haul a log subsequently used in a building project. Most excellent!
And, finally, this one has got me very excited about the fact we are now officially on the slide toward spring!
From Seed to Table: A Practical Guide to Eating and Growing Green
by Janette Haase
The focus of Haase’s book is on growing the most in a modestly-proportioned home garden. Organized by month, there are tons of lists and charts, and diagrams of garden beds as well as very practical what-to-do-now instructions. Each month (or two, a couple are combined) features recipes, so if you are seriously trying to get serious about eating local and in-season, this one looks like a goodie!
It’s likely a bit late to put these on your holiday wish list (unless you are a Kindle shopper), but it’s never too late to check them out from your local library or treat yourself to a bit of inspirational reading at any time of the year!
Have you read any of these? If you had to suggest a great farming/homesteading/gardening how-to book to a sort of busy person, which one would it be?
darkcreekfarmdotcom 
I haven’t read any of these, but that top one sounds just right. I may get that one. Right now I’m reading Gary Nabhan’s Growing Food in a Hotter Drier Land. It’s full of stories and wisdom from desert farmers from all parts of the world. Very suited to my landscape!
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Good morning. They look like terrific books. I’m not a gardener, though Jim tends a small kitchen garden in our yard. As is typical in this region, our best crop is tomatoes. Oh, and rhubarb! Plenty of both, and surprisingly neither is on the list of necessaries on your first book title!
As to having a theme word, I wrote about that a couple days ago. http://catbirdquilts.wordpress.com/2013/12/21/whats-the-word/
My new word is “experiment.”
I do love the notion of “resilience,” though, and have a deeper understanding of it than I used to. It applies to so much in our lives. Wonderful word to use, moving through each day.
Thanks so much for your blog and posts. I look forward to it each day.
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All very good books – I’ve had all three out from the library at various points, the Carol Deppe book at least a few times, which means it’s time to buy it. The Ben Falk book was one of the best I’ve read recently on permaculture, especially as he is explaining permaculture in a farming context as opposed to gardening. They do all have long titles, don’t they? How about John Jeavons book for a contender: How to Grow More Vegetables: (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine.
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