The Nourishing Homestead: One Back-to-the-Land Family’s Plan for Cultivating Soil, Skills, and Spirit

My family and I live on a small homestead and are committed to not only providing as much food for our family as possible but to improving the health and vitality of our land as much as we are able. As independent as we are, we recognize the fallacy of being "self-sufficient" and look for ways that our lifestyle can help us create community and connection with others. This book puts all those concepts and more together in a way that is like a conversation with good (and more knowledgeable) friends. That fact alone makes this book priceless as many of us are simply not fortunate enough to have access to such conversations first hand.Like Hewitt's other books and his blog, this book flows in the author's easy-going and self-deprecating manner while imparting an immense amount of information and wisdom, the kind that takes years to develop. He is quick to cite other sources for further information and never once makes the reader feel as if his family's way is the only way, a rarity in farming/homesteading books which tend to be either all technical/textbook-oriented or straight memoir (inspiring but limited in its potential to help people ready to get down to work.) This book is a carefully thought out blend of practical information that one can implement today as well as the stories behind the advice. Penny Hewitt's photos are beautiful and plentiful and add to the personal feel of the book as if you were on a first-hand tour of their property.As a mother of two small children, I particularly appreciate the inclusion of the Hewitt's boys in the book (perhaps they deserve author's credit, too!) It is abundantly clear that the Hewitt's life is focused on family. Not only does the book include an entire chapter devoted to children on the homestead (something I have never found in another book on the topic), but the boys' stories are woven throughout the entire book underscoring the value this way of life has toward building healthy and mutually-dependent relationships with one's own family and the surrounding community.I rarely purchase books but gladly did this one (as well as his others.) It has already become a bit dog-eared from repeated reference and has inspired many thoughtful conversations within our family as to our path on our own "nourishing homestead." I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I'm a sucker for Chelsea Green's permaculture books. But too often I've finished one and been left with the empty feeling that all I got for my $30 was a slick book with pretty pictures and very little information of any practical benefit to a homesteader. Not a good feeling on a homesteader's budget. I've often found myself wondering how the permaculture gurus pay the bills and put food on the table, while they're digging swales and waiting for the chestnut trees to mature.Nevertheless I keep coming back to the well, and this time I'm very glad I did. Ben Hewitt's book is outstanding.A well-written and engaging blend of memoir, instructional guide and homesteading philosophy, The Nourishing Homestead does not reject permaculture, but neither is it constrained by it. On his farm Mr. Hewitt embraces the best of the permaculture teachings, while pursuing a more balanced path he calls "practiculture." He doesn't shy away from difficult subjects, like finances and the challenge of slaughtering beloved animals, and he doesn't waste the readers' time with senseless graphs and charts about things that are of no great concern to typical homesteaders. This is not a book about landscape design. Rather, it's a book about how a family is making a good life for themselves on a homestead through hard work and careful attention to the soil and their surroundings. All homesteaders will profit from this book, but it will be of particular benefit to those starting out on a tight budget and those with children.Do not expect to find any advice for how to make a living off the land. Mr. Hewitt's writing provides his family with the modest income they need. But it is thanks to their homesteading skills and practical frugality that they have small need for outside income--a more realistic objective for the vast majority of homesteaders in my opinion.Although some may be put off by Mr. Hewitt's indictments of the consumeristic world he has rejected, anyone who appreciates the writing of Wendell Berry and Gene Logdson will recognize him as a kindred spirit. I found his articulate and obviously sincere commentary inspiring.This book will make a fine addition any homesteader's library, glossy photos and all.

As others have noted, there is an emphasis on Meat production. For most people, that's the tipping point between "Hobbyist Gardener" and "Self-Sufficient". It's the last step before you can cut out the grocery store all together.This is the book I wish I had 10 years ago. It could have saved me many of the common mistakes, and associated labor and cost of trying to figure out what really works, and what makes economic sense.I would not characterize the book as a "reference", though there is information in it I can see myself coming back to regularly. It's better suited for those who are getting started in homesteading. What to expect, what lifestyle changes occur as a consequence (many of which may be unexpected for some people).For most, homesteading starts as a vague idea with one motivating factor in mind. Perhaps lowering costs of living or improving the quality of food. Some are drawn to it from an ecology perspective. Some just want the idyllic agrarian lifestyle. But this is a lifestyle. All of those goals are closely interconnected. The pursuit of one of those goals will lead you to others. That can be overwhelming.This book chronicles how one family adapts to a wide array of new experiences, what works, what doesn't and why. When I first picked up the book, I was honestly disappointed. I'm accustomed to a more "Technical Manual" approach. But after the first chapter, I couldn't put it down. I purchased it after hearing the author interviewed on the Survival Podcast, which is what initially sparked my interest in it. That June 17 (2015) interview is still up on their site, and is a great preview of the content of the book.

Very interesting book which I purchased for a friend. Nice writing style, too. Book arrived promptly and in pristine condition.

this book has lots of information which would help all those working the land

While the author does give many practical ideas and shares his life with the reader, he also does push his worldview on the reader. He presents his worldview as "reality" when he should present it only as his opinion as he has no proof to back it up as fact. We are enjoying the book but would have appreciated him being more open-minded in his worldview philosophy, or at least, not presenting it in such an opinionated fashion.He gives a lot of ideas but often doesn't explain how to do these things, rather he just says he does them. If you want to learn how, then this book isn't so much a practical "how to do it" but rather, it explains their lifestyle and why they do it. We enjoy reading his book and have learned from it but we've found more practical books from which we've learned a lot more.Also, he really doesn't need to swear in his writing; our kids found it very unnecessary in the context. The swear words don't even make sense to use but seem to be added without thought or reason.

loved it

A must, for any homestead lover, to learn or simply to dream of....