This comprehensive guide to homesteading provides all the information you need to grow and preserve a sustainable harvest of grains and vegetables; raise animals for meat, eggs, and dairy; and keep honey bees for your sweeter days. With easy-to-follow instructions on canning, drying, and pickling, you’ll enjoy your backyard bounty all winter long.
Also available in this series: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects, The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals, and The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How.
This publication conforms to the EPUB Accessibility specification at WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
Before becoming an editor at Storey Publishing, Carleen Madigan was managing editor of Horticulture magazine and lived on an organic farm outside Boston, Massachusetts, where she learned the homesteading skills contained in The Backyard Homestead. She enjoys gardening, hiking, foraging, baking, spinning wool, and knitting.
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface Introduction
Part 1 GETTING THE MOST FROM FRESH FOOD
Setting Up the Homestead Kitchen
Fresh Vegetables: Harvesting, Handling, Cooking
Fresh Fruit: Harvesting, Handling, Cooking
Grains and Beans
Homemade Sweeteners: Honey, Maple Syrup, and Apple Cider Syrup
Eggs, Birds, and Rabbits
Fresh Milk
Meat: Goat, Lamb, Pork, and Beef
Part 2 FOOD PRESERVATION
Cold Storage
Freezing
Canning: Boiling-Water-Bath and Pressure Canning
Drying
Pickling
Making Fruit Preserves
Culturing Milk and Making Cheese
Curing Meats and Making Simple Sausage
Part 3 HOMESTEAD COOKING
Breakfast and Egg Dishes
Vegetable, Cheese, and Bean Dishes
Poultry and Meat Dishes
Desserts and Baked Goods
Appendix: Basic Cooking Methods Resources Metric Conversion Charts Index