Our Favorite Books for Homesteading and Homemaking

One phrase you will see repeated across our blog is “lifelong learning.” This is because we see a lot of value in having a mindset of growth, a mindset that compels us to stay meek and willing to change should we learn of a better way. This has served us well in many categories of life, from our growth as Christians to our growth as homesteaders. And lifelong learning certainly applies to the categories of healthy living and stewardship, too!

In this post, we share some of our favorite books for homesteading and homemaking. While these lists are certainly not exhaustive, they do highlight many of the books we find ourselves turning to time and time again! If you should choose to read any of these (and we hope you do!), please keep in mind the old adage: “Eat the meat, spit out the bones.” In other words, take what is valuable to you, and leave the rest.

Where to get these books?

If you are like us, purchasing a brand new book is not always available or necessary. Thankfully, there are many options available for renting or borrowing, along with sites that offer used books for a fraction of the price.

• Check out physical or digital copies through your local library. Louisville friends, here’s a link to the Louisville Public Library’s catalog.
• Check out through online, digital libraries. Here are some options:
  • Open Library
  • Digital Public Library of America
• Purchase used, online. We have had success finding used books from the following companies:
  • Thrift Books
  • AbeBooks
  • Alibris
  • Amazon
  • Goodwill/thrift stores/Peddler’s Mall
• Borrow from a friend. If you are local and want to borrow my physical copies of any of these titles, let me know!

Check out our book recommendations, organized by topic, below! (Note: While we do personally recommend each book listed, our top choices are marked with an asterisk.)

Homesteading

• Gardening
  • *The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook: Make the Most of Your Growing Season by Jennifer Kujawski and Ron Kujawski
  • *The Home-Scale Forest Garden: How to Plan, Plant, and Tend a Resilient Edible Landscape by Dani Baker
  • *The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
  • Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet by DK
  • The Edible Garden by Sunset Magazines & Books
  • Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman
• Pets
  • *Dr. Pitcarin’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard H. Pitcairn and Susan Hubble Pitcairn
  • Veterinarians’ Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs by Martin Zucker
  • The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete
• Farm Animals
  • General
    • *The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs: Respecting and Caring for all God’s Creation by Joel Salatin
  • Chickens
    • *My Pet Chicken Handbook by Lissa Lucas and Traci Torres
    • Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow
    • Keeping Chickens by Jeremy Hobson and Celia Lewis
  • Geese
    • The Modern Homesteader’s Guide to Keeping Geese by Kirsten Lie-Nielsen
  • Cows/Cattle
    • Keeping a Family Cow: The Complete Guide for Home-Scale, Holistic Dairy Producers by Joann S. Grohman

Homemaking

• Cleaning
  • Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day by Becky Rapinchuk
• Non-toxic Living
  • *Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano (some outdated information, but was a big catapult for me when I was making the switch to a healthier home and lifestyle about ten years ago)
  • *Clean Mama’s Guide to a Healthy Home: The Simple, Room-by-Room Plan for a Natural Home by Becky Rapinchuk
• Houseplants
  • Healthy Houseplants (CLB Publishing)
• Pregnancy/Birth/Women’s Health
  • *Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
  • *The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland
  • *Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize
  • Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family by La Leche League International
  • The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Completely Revised and Updated 8th Edition by La Leche League International
• Children
  • *The Montessori Baby by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike
  • *The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies
  • Raising Kids Who Read: What Parents and Teachers Can Do by Daniel T. Willingham
• Food – Cooking, Baking
  • *30-Minute Paleo by Jessie Bittner
  • *The Simple Paleo Kitchen by Jessie Bittner
  • *The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila
  • *Freezer Fresh by Crystal Schmidt
  • *Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook by Betty Crocker
  • Great Good Food by Julie Rosso
• Food – Preservation
  • *Freezer Fresh by Crystal Schmidt
  • The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving (Oxmoor House)
• General/Systems/Habits
  • *At Home with Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott
  • *The Clean Mama’s Guide to a Peaceful Home: Effortless Systems and Joyful Rituals for a Calm, Cozy Home by Becky Rapinchuk
  • Emily Post’s Etiquette books (I have the 17th edition, but it looks like there is a newer one from 2022)

Did any of these books spark your interest? Comment below to share with our community!

If you liked this post, check out our Book Recommendations page for more of our favorites!

Yours truly,

Erica Barlow