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Homestead Bookshelf

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Must have books for anyone who is looking into raising animals, growing and/or preserving their own food or just interested in the topic. Each pick is specifically picked for informational content and the ease of application for the reader.
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Food Preservation

Food Preservation is a great skill to have whether you are growing your own or buying in bulk. 

 
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Tried and true recipes great for any beginner to dive right into canning. This book teaches you the ins and outs of food preservation with safety information and a wide variety of recipes that are easy to follow.
Ball® Blue Book Guide to Preserving
 
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Low acid foods are best preserved using pressure canning. It can be intimidating to get started but this book has all the knowledge you'll need to dive right in.
The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning
 
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Dehydrating is one of my favorite ways to preserve food. Its a very “set it and forget it” type of practice. Dehydrators are inexpensive to purchase and have a wide variety of uses. This book has a plethora of recipes to get you started.
Complete Dehydrator Cookbook
 
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Most of us have a freezer already in our home. Fill your freezer with freshly frozen goods for your next meal. This book goes over the best ways to freeze your fruits and veggies for optimal taste when it comes time to eat them.
Freeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving

Medicinal

Nature is full of medicinal plants that can be used in a variety of ways. Go back to simpler times and treat your ailments the natural way. 

 
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Advances in medicine are great but sometimes we need to go back to simpler times. This book has 250 different herbal remedies that you can make at home.
Forgotten Home Apothecary
 
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Its important to know what plants grow in your area and to be able to identify them. Take it one step further and learn how to use them medicinally. Sometimes a trip to the doctor just isn't possible to learning what plants you need to could be cruci...
Midwest Medicinal Plants
 
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Its important to know what plants grow in your area and to be able to identify them. Take it one step further and learn how to use them for food or medicine. This field guide breaks it down so you can make the most of your environment.
Field Guide To Edible and Medicinal Plants of Eastern North America
 
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The best all in one book that covers hundreds of herbs that have a variety of uses. It covers everything you need to know all the way from planting your seeds to making your medicines. If you were choosing one medicinal book to have on hand, this is ...
Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine New Edition
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Gardening

Make the most of your homestead by growing your own food. Not everyone has acres of land so this list is tailored to small scale container gardens or large acres of fields. 

 
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You don't have to have acreage to be able to grow your own food. Learn to utilize the space you have with square-foot gardening. Make the most of your square-feet by learning tricks and tips for healthier soil and healthier plants. This is also a gre...
All New Square Foot Gardening
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Container gardening is perfect for people who live in apartments or people who just don't want the upkeep of a traditional garden. This book will walk you through everything you need from choosing the right containers for your plants to properly cari...
The Only Container Gardening Book You'll Ever Need
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Foraging for mushrooms can be a great pass time but have you ever considered growing your own? This book guides you through the process of cultivating different species of mushrooms and their various uses.
Mushroom Cultivation for Beginners
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Save money by saving your own seeds. To get the best germination rates the next season, learn the best ways to harvest and store your seeds. This book covers how to locate the seeds and save them from various plants. You'll never go hungry if you kno...
Seed Saving Secrets
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Maximize your space and minimize your pests with companion planting. This book teaches you which plants compliment one another in your garden so you can use your space wisely. Companion plants also help ward off pests and sometimes help rebuild the s...
Companion Planting for Beginners

Self Sufficiency & DIY

 
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Looking to offset some of your homesteading costs? Look at off grid options. This book walks your through various projects you can do to become more off grid. These projects are great for someone just wanting to dabble in self sufficiency or someone ...
NO GRID Survival Projects
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If you haven't been fortunate enough to witness the Amish lifestyle first hand, I recommend at least reading about it. This book covers their simple way of life including medicine, food growing and preservation, and self sufficiency.
The Amish Ways
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Pallets are an easy and usually abundant resource. Many businesses keep stacks of pallets that are given away or sold for extremely cheap. They can be used to build just about anything you can imagine. This book is full of DIY pallet projects for ins...
The New Pallet Book
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