There’s something meditative about working bees. Some days I’d just pull up a chair a few yards from the hive entrance and just watch the ladies about their work, streaming in and out of the hive loaded down with pollen and nectar. Artisan Cheese Making at Home by Mary Karlin ~ Though she does have a lot of advanced recipes in here, I still think this is a good guide to getting started with cheesemaking (especially if you hope to progress to more advanced recipes). Die Lerchen singen so schön (1982). München: Heyne Science Fiction Bibliothek (English version, unpublished: The Larks They Sang Melodious, novel)

Playing It For Laughs - a book of doggerel (1999). San Francisco: Metanoia Press. (with illustrations by Kate Seymour) These are not for the casual reader, and I’d really only recommend them if you’re going to get really into making cured meats. None the less, they are incredible manuals for doing just that. The Art of Natural Cheesemaking by David Asher ~ More of an intermediate cheese making book, the author teaches you how to make cheese using traditional methods and wild cultures. If you want to make cheese the old fashioned way, with raw milk and no store bought cultures, then this is an incredible resource. King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion ~ Nearly as long as they Joy of Cooking, but focusing on just foods made from scratch with flour. Literally any type of bread, baked good, tortillas, whatever you can think of. Flour keeps almost forever, and learning to craft diverse meals from your long term storage food is a great way to rely on your pantry (rather than always running to the grocery store).Not everyone’s going to move to land out in the country, and many people are just looking for a way to incorporate small DIY projects into their routine. Most food preservation books cover a single topic in depth, rather than the subject of food preservation in general. It’s easy enough to find canning books, or fermenting books, or dehydrator books…but general manuals that cover all manner of food preservation techniques are much less common. That said, there are a few that are pretty darn decent overall, but they’re the exception, and most are not worth the paper they’re printed on. Simply Living Well: A Guide to Creating a Natural Low Waste Home by Julia Watkins ~ With dozens of simple DIY recipes for herbal remedies and natural cleaning products, this book is artfully presented and inspiring.

Generators and Inverters by Stephen Chastain ~ This one I’m reading now, and it looks good. I got it because Alternative Energy Secrets was so helpful, and it’s by the same author. Perhaps a bit dense for the average reader, and is written assuming you’re seriously into DIY. The Jam and Marmalade Bible ~ Written using the European school of preservation. Less a “canning” book, and more a really detailed technique book for making spectacular preserves. Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture by J. Russell Smith ~ Written in 1928, this is one of the very first “Permaculture” books, long before permaculture was even a word. It really takes you through the process of investing in tree crops rather than annuals, as well as how to incorporate animals into a silviculture setup.The Book of Boswell - autobiography of a gypsy (1970). London: Gollancz. (Author: Silvester Gordon Boswell, Ed. John Seymour) The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving ~ With over 400 recipes, this book covers how to can almost everything. If you only get one canning book, this is the one. My only criticism is the jam recipes are very high sugar, and don’t give a lot of options for low or moderate sugar recipes. Whole Grain Breads by Peter Reinhart ~ The best guide on making 100% whole wheat bread taste amazing. Again, as with the Breadbakers Apprentice, most of the recipes involve multi day ferments, but that’s really essential to high quality whole grain breads. It’s a totally entertaining and well-written read. Plus it makes you (or at least me) feel like your life is easy by comparison.

If you’re a beginning bread maker looking for the simplest possible process, you can always get a bread maker and try your hand at bread machine recipes. The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications ~ A six volume set, these cover everything you could possibly want to know about HAM radio. It’s not a HAM radio test manual (like below), but it’s all the information that you’d need to pass the test anyway. In the US, operating HAM radio requires a license, which just ensures you understand the basic principles of how it works before you get on the air. These books cover the basics, as well as how to pass the test. Plus, the fact that it was written by a spunky teenager, self-named Dolly Freed, gives this work an upbeat, audacious tone that makes you feel like you can take on the world after reading it. With wisdom beyond her years, Dolly says, “It’s easier to learn to do without some of the things that money can buy than to earn the money to buy them.” Then, she shows you how in hundreds of ways. Homesteaders rely on their skills, knowledge, and the environment around them to provide for all their needs. This means growing food, raising animals, preserving and storing resources, and building structures without relying on outside sources.The LDS Preparedness Manual ~ A curated compilation of preparedness articles on just about every topic, this is by far the best book on general practical preparedness I’ve found to date. Though it’s put out with a Later Day Saints bias, it’s still the best manual, regardless of whether you’re religious or secular. Either way, I’d suggest starting by reading my beginners guide to cheesemaking, and then investing in some of these beginner books: From grain to grain alcohol, the garden to the kitchen, the coop to the freezer, and beyond, this book is full of practical wisdom from a life-long farmer and conscientious objector to environmental degradation. It’s entertaining and eye-opening and makes for a great cold-weather read. Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms by Paul Stamets ~ Definitely a technical book, and an incredibly dense read, but it’s hard to beat this volume for information regarding mushroom cultivation. The book by Tradd Cotter above is a lot more accessible for the average reader though.

The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self Reliance in Uncertain Times by Carol Deppe ~ Carol is a seed breeder and home gardener that grows an impressive variety of food crops to supply the bulk of her daily calories. If you really want to grow calories, not just fancy lettuce, she has a great guide. Kristin and her (now) husband Mark, went all-in on a full-service CSA while also navigating the travails of learning to live together and plan a wedding. Their story, from Kristin’s wry perspective, makes for a dramatic and memorable memoir that proves the adage whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin ~ A specific guide to working with pomonas “low sugar or no sugar” pectin. A great resource if you’re avoiding processed sugar. Mead is similar, but it’s a honey wine that uses honey to feed the yeast. Honey gives the drink incredible body, and unbelievable flavor. I’d take homemade mead over wine any day. Foxfire Books ~ For over 40 years students interviewed homesteaders in Appalachia and learned their way of life. These books include everything from how to slaughter a hog to glazing homemade pottery with wood ash, and thousands of other things. They also include a lot of heritage, old stories, superstition, music and folklore.This can include providing for one’s own needs such as food, shelter, healthcare and education. Self-sufficiency is important because it allows individuals and communities to become more independent and resilient in the face of social and economic challenges. The late, great Gene Logsden was known as a kind of a curmudgeon. He was pretty skeptical about modern agriculture and had quite a few strong opinions about how we should provision ourselves. But his writings are so accessible and inspirational that I always feel like he’s an old friend. The books above cover most styles of charcuterie, but if you really want to go down the rabbit hole of meat preservation there are more detailed technical manuals as well. To be self-sufficient in terms of energy means having access to enough clean, renewable energy resources for people and businesses to thrive. Like Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, this is one of those books I re-visit annually to push myself to try new things and appreciate our alternative lifestyle even more. I don’t think any homesteading bookshelf is complete without this little gem within fingers reach whenever you need it.