Book picks similar to
The Smallholder's Manual by Katie Thear
gardening
non-fiction-books
self-sufficiency
animal-factual
Reader's Digest Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills
Reader's Digest Association - 1981
This how-to, user-friendly guide teaches self-sufficiency-covering all of life's essentials: shelter; alternative energy sources; growing and preserving food; home crafts; directions for making herbal remedies; and even home-grown entertainment.
The Joy of Keeping Chickens: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Poultry for Fun or Profit
Jennifer Megyesi - 2009
This comprehensive guide, written in charming prose from the perspective of an organic farmer, will appeal to readers who are interested in raising chickens, or simply want the best knowledge about how to cook them. With this in mind, farmer and animal expert Jennifer Megyesi discusses all the basic details of raising the birds—general biology, health, food, choosing breeds, and so on—and she cuts through the smoke to identify what terms like "organic," "free-range," and so on really mean for poultry farmers and consumers.No chicken book would be complete without information on how to show chickens for prizes, and this is no different, but The Joy of Keeping Chickens also stresses the importance of self-sustainability and organic living, and the satisfaction of keeping heirloom breeds. Readers will appreciate the comprehensive nature of this readable, informative guide, and Megyesi's enthusiasm about keeping chickens. Coupled with Geoff Hansen's gorgeous full-color photographs, this text makes for an instant classic in the category.
Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs
Whitney Cranshaw - 2004
In a manner no previous book has come close to achieving, through full-color photos and concise, clear, scientifically accurate text, it describes the vast majority of species associated with shade trees and shrubs, turfgrass, flowers and ornamental plants, vegetables, and fruits--1,420 of them, including crickets, katydids, fruit flies, mealybugs, moths, maggots, borers, aphids, ants, bees, and many, many more. For particularly abundant bugs adept at damaging garden plants, management tips are also included. Covering all of the continental United States and Canada, this is the definitive one-volume resource for amateur gardeners, insect lovers, and professional entomologists alike.To ease identification, the book is organized by plant area affected (e.g., foliage, flowers, stems) and within that, by taxa. Close to a third of the species are primarily leaf chewers, with about the same number of sap suckers. Multiple photos of various life stages and typical plant symptoms are included for key species. The text, on the facing page, provides basic information on host plants, characteristic damage caused to plants, distribution, life history, habits, and, where necessary, how to keep pests in check--in short, the essentials to better understanding, appreciating, and tolerating these creatures.Whether managing, studying, or simply observing insects, identification is the first step--and this book is the key. With it in hand, the marvelous microcosm right outside the house finally comes fully into view. Describes more than 1,400 species--twice as many as in any other field guide Full-color photos for most species--more than five times the number in most comparable guides Up-to-date pest management tips Organized by plant area affected and by taxa for easy identification Covers the continental United States and Canada Provides species level treatment of all insects and mites important to gardens Illustrates all life stages of key garden insects and commonly associated plant injuries Concise, clear, scientifically accurate text Comprehensive and user-friendly
They Called Him Kinardley - The Best Dog I Ever Had
Gerald Hartenhoff - 2013
(Short story)"Everybody in the little town of Emery knew who Kinardley was. The few times they would unchain him from the tree for a little exercise; he would take off and be gone for days. During the time he was gone he would get into fights, flirt with the girl dogs and get into people's garbage."
Pig Perfect: Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Ways to Cook Them
Peter Kaminsky - 2005
Part travelogue, part cookbook, part naturalist's encounter, and part love letter, Kaminsky's book takes us from Kentucky, Burgundy, and Madrid to the Yucatán and back to Brooklyn to tell the tale of the pig. From the wondrous techniques of tailgate chefs to Mayan home cooking, competitive barbecuing, and the ancient rite of the pig killing that has bound communities together over the centuries, Pig Perfect brings together an oddball pork-loving band of chefs, farmers, and food lovers and offers a tasty history of the oft underappreciated pig.
Microgreens: A Guide To Growing Nutrient-Packed Greens
Eric Franks - 2009
Eaten alone, as a salad, or added to soups, entrees, sandwiches, burgers, or anything else, these tiny greens of nutrition will enhance everyday food and life!Only a small amount of space is needed to grow microgreens—a porch, patio, deck, or balcony, indoors or outdoors, will do. This allows anyone to easily incorporate microgreens into their daily meals, and the greens' nutritional potency make them a must-eat in a healthy diet, any time of the year!
Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
M. John Storey - 1999
The information is easily understood and readily applicable. More than 150 of Storey's expert authors in gardening, building, animal raising, and homesteading share their specialized knowledge and experience in this ultimate guide to living a more independent, satisfying life.Readers will find step-by-step, illustrated instructions for every aspect of country living including:Finding country landBuying, building, and renovating a homeDeveloping water sources and systemsUnderstanding wiring, plumbing, and heatingUsing alternative heating and energy sourcesVegetable, flower, and herb gardeningTraditional cooking skills such as baking bread and making maple syrupPreparing and preserving meat, fruits, and vegetablesBuilding and maintaining barns, sheds, and outbuildingsCaring for common farm and ranch animals, and pets
A Medium-sized Book of Boring Car Trivia
Sniff Petrol - 2020
The bad news is there might be something wrong with you.
Stories I've Heard, Characters I've Met, & Lies We've Told in My 44 Alaskan Years
Tom Brion - 2016
An Off the Grid lodge owner in Fish Lakes, Alaska, Tom enthralls roomfuls of guests every year from the Lower 48 and around the world with tales of his adventures, foibles, and SNAFUs in 44 years living in the Alaskan wilderness. From his start as a Pennsylvania farmboy who ran off to join the United States Air Force, to his arrival in Alaska with less than a hundred dollars in his wallet and a growing family in his back seat, to his forty years as a Bush pilot and his accidental introduction to the fishing lodge business, to his multiple brushes with death, hardship, and questionable characters, Tom Brion has a story to cover it all. A pioneer in sustainable homesteading and off-the-Grid living, Tom Brion built his first lodge in Alaska on five acres in the Lake Creek area, in 1979, and continues to this day building and working heavy machinery 60 miles from any road. Born in 1941, Tom has collected 74 years of humorous, heart-wrenching, and sometimes mind-blowing stories of traveling, hunting, and exploring the backcountry of Alaska in the pilot’s seat of a Vietnam-era Cessna Birddog. A biography in the form of short life stories, Tom Brion’s memoir takes us to a rural Bush life where people live off the land, drill their own wells, put out their own forest fires, and depend on their neighbors to pick up their mail. Surrounded by nature, Tom continues to fly, plow, run his bulldozer, and wrangle his subsistence fishwheel up the river every year in the Skwentna area of Alaska, where temperatures in winter drop to 45 below zero and summers can see entire months without rain. Follow him in this (mostly) nonfiction anthology of (somewhat) true stories from the Last Frontier as he gives the straight scoop about bears, outhouses, farming, flooding, fishing, moose, guns, and aviation in the 49th State.An avid hunter, outdoorsman, fisherman, and jack of all trades, Tom documents his life with photos and illustrations that detail an epic adventure from start to finish.
Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard
Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld - 2012
And illustrator Priscilla Lamont's funny, friendly paintings make this a garden everyone will want to explore.Kids will eat up this wonderful book of backyard science—and perhaps they'll even be inspired to eat their vegetables!"A wonderfully informative and enjoyable journey through one family’s backyard garden, from spring planting to fall harvest. . . . this is bound to spark some backyard explorations." —Kirkus, Starred ReviewFrom the Hardcover edition.
Butterflies of North America
Jim P. Brock - 2002
The most user-friendly butterfly guide ever published, still handy and compact, now updated with the very latest information- Follows the latest classification, recognizing more than forty additional species- Includes four new color plates of Mexican-border rarities- More than 2,300 images of butterflies in natural poses- Pictorial table of contents- Convenient one-page index- Range maps on text pages
Beekeeping for Beginners: How To Raise Your First Bee Colonies
Amber Bradshaw - 2019
You (and your bees) will be buzzing with delight.From picking the right hive and bringing your bees home to surviving winter and collecting honey, experienced beekeeper Amber Bradshaw takes you on an easy-to-follow journey through your first year of beekeeping and beyond.Beekeeping for Beginners includes:
Just the essentials—Learn everything you need to know to begin your first colony—written with brand new beekeepers in mind.
Modern beekeeping—Start your colony off right with guides that feature the newest practices and current, natural approaches.
Learn to speak bee—Clearly defined terms and a complete glossary will have you talking like a pro beekeeper in no time.
Begin your beekeeping the right way—and avoid getting stung by mistakes—with Beekeeping for Beginners.