Books We Love

Gardening:

These books have been great references!  Eliot Coleman's books are great for Texas winters...he talks a lot about season extension.

        

   

Urban Homesteading:

If you are ready to move to the next step, these books are great.  The Urban Farm Handbook has a great chapter on using alternative grains.

Food Policy:

Mark Winne was one of the first food policy writers I read, and I then met him at a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group conference.  He's consulted with us in Dallas several times.

John Ikerd was a keynote speaker for the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance Food Leadership Conference a few years ago and he struck a chord with me.

Michael Pollan...well, he's Michael Pollan!

The Hundred Year Lie starts with the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, and then shows you how our food system has been manipulated.  It's a great place to start and will open your eyes to issues with our food system.

               

Permaculture:

This has been my permaculture bible.  I know there are other books out there, but this is my favorite.

Preservation:

I use all of these books regularly.  The Ball books are comprehensive and a great place to start.  Food In Jars comes from a website I follow.  Small Batch Preserving is great for small amounts - I've used many recipes from it.  I purchased Preserving the Harvest on a friend's recommendation and have enjoyed the pickling recipes.

               

 

Traditional Foods:

This is my go-to cookbook.  Along with recipes, it has great information about traditional nutrition and why our food is not filling our needs.  It has instructions for making staples such as homemade stock, but also delves into some lacto-fermentation, and - most important - it has my favorite meatloaf recipe, although I use gluten free oats instead of breadcrumbs to avoid the gluten.