Whether you are just beginning on your homesteading journey or if you have been doing this for a while, expanding your knowledge is a great way to prepare for anything that may pop up in the future. Here is a list of some of the best books for homesteaders that will help you learn to grow and preserve your own food, raise chickens, make herbal medications and so much more.
Check out the list of materials that we use in our home.
General Books for Homesteaders
These books contain all the information you will need on a variety of different topics from growing a garden, preserving your harvest, raising animals and more!
The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 50th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living Off the Land & Doing It Yourself (Homesteading & Off-Grid Survival)
This book teaches you all the skills that you will need to live independently on the land, from planning a garden, canning, beekeeping, raising chickens, goats and pigs as well as foraging for food and making natural skincare products.
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The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!
Learn how to produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! This comprehensive guide provides all the information you need to grow and preserve grains and vegetables; raise animals; keep honey bees as well as canning, drying, and pickling.
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Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century: The Complete Guide to Sustainable Living Today
This book is great for showing you how to reduce your carbon footprint and become more self-sufficient including information on topics such as cutting back on plastic and food waste, growing vegetables, preserving meat, fish, jams, chutneys and being your own sourdough bread.
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The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It
This book is a comprehensive guide to self-sufficient living, containing loads of information and practical knowledge. It is filled with easy-to-understand instructions and quality pictures, making it a wonderful addition to your homestead library.
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Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture, A New Earth
This well written book dives into the world of regenerative agriculture. Including real stories of farmers and their practices, this book shows the reader the terrifying impacts of chemical farming and how to overcome this and improve the soil and increase the nutritional value of food that you grow.
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How Can I Be Prepared With Self-sufficiency & Survival Foods?
Quality book which provides well-researched information on how to plant a practical edible Garden, herbal preparations and uses, edible weeds and bush tucker plants and how to prepare a 72 hour survival kit.
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Growing A Garden Books
Edward C. Smith’sThe Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (10th Anniversary Edition) [Hardcover](2010)
This is a must-have book if you garden! Easy to navigate, well organised, and clear explanations and directions. It also contains detailed information on most vegetables including what plants are best to plant before and next to this plant as well as common problems, depth of soil and more.
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The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way (Rodale Organic Gardening): Bradley, Fern Marshall, Ellis, Barbara W., Martin, Deborah L.: 9781605296777: Amazon.com: Books
Great book for an organic gardener, containing information on healthy soil, composting, cover crops, detailed information on fruit and vegetables, pests and diseases.
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Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition
An in-depth book on seed saving, growing, pollinating, seed propagation and the storage of seeds. It also contains information on every single common plant out there, explaining everything from how to properly plant the seeds, care for the plants as they grown and how to pollinate and propagate more seeds as well as the regions they grow in as well.
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The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs
This book is a wealth of knowledge for those interested in being self reliant and homesteading. The book covers seed biology, growing plants for seeds, harvesting and cleaning seeds, seed stage, germination, sowing seeds, transplanting and so much more!
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Milkwood: Real skills for down-to-earth living
A wonderfull book that does focus on 5 specific themes - mushrooms, tomatoes, bees, seaweed and wildfood. It is written from a permaculture perspective, which is great.
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Yates Garden Guide ANZ Edition
For those in Australia, this book is full of reliable and practical information on planning gardens, growing plants, caring for the soil, planting, feeding and maintaining your gardens.
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Permaculture Home Garden: How To Grow Great Tasting Fruit And Vegetables The Organic Way by Linda Woodrow (1996-03-05)
Learn all about permaculture with this amazing book. Full of great tips on growing an annual vegetable garden, fruit trees, dealing with pests and incorporating chickens. It is written in an easy to understand style, explaining how and why to set things up.
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Soil: The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy
A wonderful book on how everyone can benefit from good soil. In this book, you will find ways to improve your soil and how to can feed the world and help combat climate change.
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Preserving and Cooking from Scratch Books
Sally Wise: Complete Preserves
This book contains some great recipes for turning fruit and vegetables into a dazzling variety of jellies, jams, pickles, chutneys, preserves, conserves and cordials. It also includes recipes for the dishes in which preserves play an integral part.
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Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today
An excellent reference book with detailed step-by-step instructions that are easy to understand and follow. It is a comprehensive guide for both beginners and experienced canners.
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Fermented Vegetables, 10th Anniversary Edition: Creative Recipes for Fermenting 72 Vegetables, Fruits, & Herbs in Brined Pickles, Chutneys, Kimchis, Krauts, Pastes & Relishes: Shockey, Kirsten K., Shockey, Christopher: 9781635865394: Amazon.com: Books
An easy to follow guide to help you learn the skill of fermentation. It will help you learn about techniques, choosing ingredients, preventing spoilage and explaining in all in terms that are easy to understand.
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Pressure Canning Cookbook: Step-by-Step Recipes for Pantry Staples, Gut-Healing Broths, Meat, Fish, and More
Packed full of healthy and delicious canning recipes, this book will teach you how to can basic pantry items including vegetables, ground meat, soups, stews and more.
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Real Food Fermentation, Revised and Expanded: Preserving Whole Fresh Food with Live Cultures in Your Home Kitchen
Discover how to preserve your favourite foods and stock up your pantry and fridge using the process of fermentation. In this book, you are guided through the process step-by-step with simple techniques and delicious recipes.
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The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning
This book contains step-by-step instructions for safely using a pressure canner to preserve foods from soups, stews and meals-in-a-jar to broths, beans and everything in between.
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More Resources
- Ways to Save Money in the Garden
- How to Create a Bee-Friendly Garden
- Composting for Beginners
- How to Grow Sweet Potatoes
- Create a Gardening Journal
- 7 Tips for Gardening with Kids
- How to Grow Basil
- How to Harvest, Preserve and Use Basil
- Tips for Growing Tomatoes
- Tips for Growing and Harvesting Rosemary
- How to Grow, Harvest and Dry Calendula
- Growing and Storing Garlic
- How to Grow Lettuce in Containers
- Tips for Growing Fruit and Vegetables from Scraps
- 20+ Creative Uses for Citrus Peel
- Why Should you Grow a Garden?
Raising Animals
Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering
This book walks you through everything that you need to know in butchering animals. The operations and pictures are clear and descriptive, and detailed.
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Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, 4th Edition: Breed Selection, Facilities, Feeding, Health Care, Managing Layers & Meat Birds
This guide covers all aspects of raising chickens including breed selection, health care, food, shelter and more. Great for beginners, it is easy to read and follow and well worth the investment.
Buy on Amazon
The Chicken Health Handbook, 2nd Edition: A Complete Guide to Maximizing Flock Health and Dealing with Disease: Damerow, Gail: 9781612120133: Amazon.com: Books
This book is a must for chicken owners. Full of information about preventing diseases, enhancing the immune system and keeping your chickens healthy and productive.
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The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: Choose the Best Breeds for Small-Space Farming, Produce Your Own Grass-Fed Meat, Gather Fresh ... Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cattle, & Bees: Damerow, Gail: 9781603429696: Amazon.com: Books
This is an amazing book for learning how to raise chickens, using goat milk, roasting a duck, harvesting honey, raising and managing cattle and more. With sections on different animals, how to select them, raise them, housing, common diseases and health conditions and their treatments and so more, it contains loads of information in an easy to read book.
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Medicinal, Herbal, Nutritional
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use
This book gives clear and concise instructions on what you need to plant, how to use that plant with recipes included. There are recipes for herbal teas, syrups, oils, salves, tinctures, poultices and more. There is also information on storage as well as in depth information on 33 common herbs.
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Prepper’s Natural Medicine: Life-Saving Herbs, Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for When There is No Doctor
This book will teach you how to treat ailments using holistic techniques to keep you and your family safe. It includes step-by-step instructions for salves, poultices, ointments, infused honey, teas and more with easy-to-read charts, tips for stockpiling natural medicines.
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Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
This well-researched guide provides educational content, teaching what to eat and why while including great recipes that help that are easy to prepare. It inspires you to think more about your approach to food and eating.
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Forgotten Home Apothecary : 250 Powerful Remedies at Your Fingertips: Dr. Nicole Apelian: 9798988024095: Amazon.com: Books
Informative and comprehensive, this book contains 250 natural remedies with step-by-step instructions and recipes that really work for a variety of ailments.
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DK Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: 550 Herbs Loose Leaves and Remedies for Common Ailments
This one-stop healing book contains everything you need to know about herbs, featuring a detailed layout of over 550 plants and their medicinal properties, with advice on how to sow, grow, and harvest your very own herb garden.
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The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, Revised Edition: How to Produce High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale
This book contains everything you need to know about growing your own healing herbs. Featuring profiles of 50 herbs, hundreds of photos, information on herb dryers, soil fertility, pest management, harvesting, drying, and more, you will be able to grow high quality herbs in pots or gardens.
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The Weed Forager’s Handbook: unknown author: 9781864471212: Amazon.com: Books
This book provides clear photos and illustrations, advice on when to pick and eat the weeds as well as recipes. It is pocket-sized, which is great to taking with you on your journey.
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The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies: Claude Davis, Nicole Apelian
With over 800 plants and remedies, this book is a fascinating guide for anyone interested in natural healing and traditional plant medicine. It offers practical and well-researched advice, high-quality photos and detailed identification tips for foragers.
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How Can I Use Herbs in My Daily Life?: Over 500 Herbs, Spices and Edible Plants: an Australian Practical Guide to Growing Culinary and Medicinal Herbs
An amazing reference for all things herbs. The author is knowledgeable, providing so many details about each plant and how they can be used as food or as a herbal remedy.
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How Can I Grow and Use Sprouts as Living Food?
This book covers over 100 kinds of sprouting seeds and how to use them in your daily life. It also covers the best methods of sprouting, nutritional and medicinal benefits and practical and simple recipes.
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DIY Skills
The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners: Do-It-Yourself Soaps Using All-Natural Herbs, Spices, and Essential Oils
An informative book that is great for beginners with easy-to-follow recipes and step-by-step instructions. Covering both hot and cold process methods, the recipes use natural ingredients, and have the ability to be customised as needed.
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Beeswax Alchemy: How to Make Your Own Soap, Candles, Balms, Creams, and Salves from the Hive
This comprehensive and easy to follow book contains clear, step-by-step instructions for more than 40 DIY projects. All the information is well-organised, with good pictures, making it easy to read and follow.
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Home Cheese Making, 4th Edition: From Fresh and Soft to Firm, Blue, Goat’s Milk, and More; Recipes for 100 Favorite Cheeses
This book contains step-by-step instructions and helpful photos to help you on your cheese making and cultured dairy product journey including sour cream, recipes using goat's milk, and a variety of different cheeses. It also includes many sweet and savoury recipes for cooking with cheese.
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Polyface Designs: A Comprehensive Construction Guide for Scalable Farming Infrastructure
This is an excellent guide for building farm infrastructure. It contains everything that you need including a supply list, the exact measurements alongside detailed diagrams and easy to follow instructions.
Buy on Amazon
This is only a few of our favourite ones.
Do have any that you would add to this list?
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