Winter Reading on the Homestead (December)

Have you been getting your winter reading in while the homestead world has quieted down a bit for winter?

I seem to only have been able to sneak in bits here and there- more if I need to do some research, but if Bill is taking a drive here or there I’ve been known to beg to tag along so I can get some reading done! Honestly, I’ve been quite disappointed at finding that I don’t have as much “leisure” time this winter as I had hoped. That’s why I’m so eager for the drives! Grab the Kindle and go!

Of course, being on the Kindle Unlimited plan, I’d like to read as much as possible. You know. Get more bang for the buck for the sake of  my Continuing Homesteaducation.

Think you can’t take advantage of this service with me cause you don’t have an e-reader? Well I’m sure you know that now is a really great time to find big discounts on electronics like a Kindle! But even if you have another device Kindle has a free app that works on most devices to get you on your way to  reading great resources like these for the cost it would take to pay to read just one!

Check out my last Winter Reading on the Homestead post to find even more great books to add to your list.

Thy Hand Hath Provided

Jane Bryan shares over 150 recipes inspired by the garden and the produce she cans and freezes. Simple and easy to understand instructions on canning and freezing projects are also included, allowing you to shop from your own garden (or farmer’s market), pantry and freezer to make delicious homegrown and homemade meals for your family throughout the year. She also includes many favorite family recipes that are dear to her heart.

The cookbook is broken down into the following sections: “Breakfast & Brunch”, “Breads, Muffins & Rolls”, “Salads & Dressings”, “Soups, Stews, Chowder & Chili”, “Vegetarian Main Dishes”, “Main Dishes”, “All Kinds of Sides”, “Pies”, “Cakes & the Like”, “Bars & Cookies”, “More Sweets”, and “Drinks & Sauces”.

The Preserving section includes “Canning Help”, “Canning Recipes”, and “Freezing”.

Home Sausage Making: How-To Techniques for Making and Enjoying 100 Sausages at Home

HOME SAUSAGE MAKING is the classic in the field. Now completely revised and updated to comply with current USDA safety standards, this new edition features 150 recipes. Included in the lineup are 100 recipes for sausages (cased and uncased) and 50 recipes for cooking with sausage, all written for contemporary tastes and cooking styles. There are instructions for making sausages with beef and pork, fish and shellfish, chicken and turkey, and game meats. Ethnic favorites include German specialties such as Bratwurst, Mettwurst, and Vienna Sausage; Italian Cotechino and Luganega; Polish Fresh and Smoked Kielbasa; and Spanish-Style Chorizo, Potatis Korv (Swedish Potato Sausage), Kosher Salami, and Czech Yirtrnicky. On top of all the meat varieties, there is an entirely new section on vegetarian sausage options.

The Veggie Gardener’s Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You’ll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You’ll Ever Ask

For all of your gardening questions, The Veggie Gardener’s Answer Book has the answers, gathered together in a sturdy little book for handy in-the-garden reference. You’ll find helpful information on everything from planning and planting a vegetable garden to improving soil, caring for crops, organically controlling pests and diseases, and harvesting.

The Ideal Pantry: Your Comprehensive Guide to Food Remedies and Preservation Techniques

What is the “ideal pantry?” This book explores all you need to know in building an ideal food supply that is practical, healthy, and sustainable.  Using the extensive knowledge revealed in this book, you’ll learn valuable techniques and helpful uses for coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and several other beneficial remedies. But that is only the beginning, let “The Perfect Pantry” reveal the advantages of food dehydration, canning, and food preservation with our guide of quick and easy steps. Don’t waste another minute reading multiple books about coconut oils, remedies, and food preservation, download this comprehensive collection today!

The Backyard Cow: An Introductory Guide to Keeping a Productive Family CowThe Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn

This one-of-a-kind photographic encyclopedia features more than 200 animals and the fibers they produce. It covers almost every sheep breed in the world — from the longwool breeds of the United Kingdom to the Tasmanian merino, the Navajo churro, the northern European Faroese, and dozens and dozens more. It also includes goats, camelids (such as alpacas, llamas, and vicunas), bison, horses, musk oxen, rabbits, and even dogs.  Each entry includes photographs of the featured animal; samples of its raw fleece, its cleaned fleece, and yarn spun from the fleece; and samples of the yarn knit and woven. You’ll find everything you want to know about each animal and its fiber, including the fiber’s color, density, strength, and staple length, and recommendations for processing and using it. This is the essential reference no fiber-lover can be without.

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook was part of my winter reading last month. Knowing so very little about various sheep breeds and the quality and purposes of their different types of wool, it was my primary source for determining which breed would be best for crossing our little bitty Cheviot flock. Interestingly, this book goes beyond sheep or even alpaca & llamas and covers everything else from rabbits to camels, bison, yaks, even Schottish Highland Cattle! (Would that make it a quad-purpose breed?) I appreciated all of the photographs of wool in different stagse of wool processing. It has made me really look forward to learning this valuable homestead skill! The only problem with this book is that it has made me want to try my hand at working with more varieties of wool than I’ll probably ever have the opportunity to! It’s fascinating to know how differently they all behave.

Have you read anything good so far this winter?