Winter Reading List

There are so many things to accomplish once you start changing your way of life, it is difficult to resist the urge to want to do all of the things you want to do....right now. The reality is, you have to pick, choose, and do a lot of investigating into what will work for your family. We began this process in earnest almost 4 years ago. I think for me the hardest thing is feeling a little guilty if I can't get as much done as I would like. I have come to the realization that any steps that we take are important. What I have found so interesting is how many people are interested in what we are doing and how so many people are also taking steps for their families. I think that making healthy choices for our families is precious and something each and every one of us has control over, especially in today's crazy world .

This time of year especially when we are bitterly cold and there is lots of snow, the focus comes down to planning and doing a great deal of reading. Some of my favorite resources I keep handy. The first book we bought when we were waiting for escrow to close on our little homestead was John Seymour's Concise Guide To Self-Sufficiency. From there I loved reading the family journey in "Animal, Vegetable Miracle". It made me focus more on what I was buying at the store. I began to only purchase things in season locally and then as our garden and food preservation efforts grew, I can say that I've purchased next to no produce other than fruit and a few extra onions in the last couple of years. I'm excited to see if the berry patches that we established last year bare us lots of fresh fruit this year! A great book for people on any sized property is The Backyard Homestead. It has loads of invaluable advise on about everything you would want to dabble in. I received "Canning For A New Generation" from a staff member for Christmas and I'm getting ready to crack it open this evening. What is on your bookshelf right now that you reach for?