This week I purchased a new book for my library of reference material on ranching, farming, and leading a self sustaining lifestyle. The book is titled “The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-to-basics Guide”.  While I do not intend on becoming one of those people who completely lives off the grid, I do have a desire to be connected to the land in an agrarian way and reduce my dependence on the products of the global industrialized marketplace. I find satisfaction in the development and creation of homemade commodities and would like to experience more of that in the future. Due to the constant instability of world markets and the uncertainty of the future of our food supply, I would feel more comfortable with the ability to produce my own food and be able to survive off the grid if the grid was no longer available. I realize that the chances of such a catastrophe are low as some people may contend but doing nothing in my mind would be a failure on my part. At the current moment in my life I am not in a position to live self-sufficiently but it is the goal that I hope to reach.

This book is filled with useful information covering various aspects of life on a small homestead including how to prepare land for crops, grow vegetables and fruit, rear livestock, and even foraging in the wild. I am very interested in learning how to grow my own tomatoes, keep bees for honey, use dairy products, and learn the practical information including tips and advice so as to reap the harvest, respect te land, stay healthy, and waste nothing.