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It's not a secret to anyone that knows me that I've been long dreaming about simple living. I'm one of those people that doesn't find city living fulfilling or exciting anymore and all I can think about all day is about dropping everything and running in the other direction. I know we've all had this I-want-to-have-fresh-eggs-and-milk-everyday dream at least once. But for many people it's just that; A distant dream that is likely not happening.
Now, I promise that I'm not one of those bratty bloggers that say they love country living but actually have no idea what farming actually entails. I promise I really am interested in breeding and raising chickens, pigs, cows, bees and maybe sheeps or goats. I promise I really do know all the hard work that a farm demands and the sacrifices that you have to make in order to have dinner in your table (and your animals alive!). I promise I don't mind moving away from the comfort of fast food, groserie stores and waving vacations goodbye. I promise I actually dream about sleeping next to a pregnant cow waiting for her to deliver.
I learned all of this by reading tons (seriously, a lot!!) of books about sustainable living. My curiosity started out by wanting to know how could I plant and maintain a herb garden in a teeny tiny city apartment. I learned so many things and a new world was opened to me. My curiosity then lead me to discover the amazing ways of farming. I started following bloggers like Kate from The Longest Acres and Home Sweet Homestead to get a little more insight into their lives. It is great because they both share something that text books don't: Passion.
There are some books that I hold dear to my heart though, and I wanted to share them with you. The ones that taught me most of what I know about it. The ones that make my heart yearn for a small piece of land for me and my family every day and the ones that keep inspiring me to go for it!
ONE: I guess this book became a staple of modern farming because Julia Rothman is just that good. Her funny quirky illustrations give so much insight and make it so much fun to learn! When you go through the pages you don't see it as something you'll get bored of. Im a hyper-visual learner and it's been great getting to know farm animals and plants without reading loooooong boring texts.
TWO: I LOVE Chris Gleason and the fact that he shares over 21 awesome projects to build around your garden or piece of land in this book. There's everything you might need, from the basic projects to get started in gardening to super advanced greenhouses and chicken coops. He is super informative and makes it really easy to understand.
THREE: Again, big fan of this book and of Chris Gleason in general. He explains EVERYTHING that there is to know about chicken coops. The best fit for a different kinds of chicken, and what needs to do when they start growing in number! This books makes me anxious and excited to start raising and caring for chickens.
FOUR: The bible of alternate natural sustainable living! Seriously, it's so good! This book talks a lot about different strategies to plant, grow and live of different types of food that can be planted in your yard or farm. It is amazing to see how people tend to the earth as they produce food for themselves. Mark Shepard really teaches you how to stop killing everything that is alive in order for you to eat but instead teaches you to give back to the soil and nurture it to be fertile.
FIVE: This handbook gives excellent information and step-to-step instructions and beautiful illustrations to live a self-sustainable life on the suburbs. One of my all time favorite reads!
SIX: My personal favorite part of this book is all the amazing information about putting your produce to use. Making cheese and yogurt, planting and collecting and all the useful recipes.
That's it I hope you like them and please do share your favorite books on the subject with me. I'm always in the look for more!
*Photo by Home Sweet Homestead