When you are starting out homesteading, there is a lot of information you need to learn. So many new things you want to try.
Where do you find out how to do all of these things?
Here is an extensive list of homesteading resources that might help you on your journey:
Books
I love books! Some might think they are out of date, but not me. I love to sit in bed at the end of a hard day and read a book (until I almost fall asleep). I own all of these books personally, and they have been a great asset in my homesteading journey.
The Weekend Homesteader: A Twelve Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency by Anna Hess
This book is great for the new homesteader. It outlines short, weekend projects that you can do throughout the year to make a big impact on your homesteading goals. It helps you start slow and steady, so you don’t get burnout too quickly.
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The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan
What I love about this book is that it goes very in depth on many topics. There are lots of lists and extensive information on cooking, butchering, and food preservation.
The Ultimate Self-Sufficiency Handbook by Abigail R. Gehring
This book contains most of what is in the other books, but it also has lots of recipes for canning and food production. It also has a great crafts section that discusses topics like soap and candle making for the homestead.
The Joy of Hobby Farming by Michael Levatino
In this book, the author starts from scratch with topics such as how to get land and what you should be looking for in land. He goes over the “business” of farming or homesteading. He also discusses growing flowers in your garden instead of just vegetables.
Hobby Farm Animals by Sue Weaver, Ann Larkin Hansen, Cherie Langlois, Arie B. McFarlen and Chris McLaughlin
This book goes into detail about selecting, caring for and butchering Beef Cattle, Chickens, Ducks, Goats, Pigs, Rabbits and Sheep. It would be great for anyone that is adding animals to their homestead.
How to Raise Rabbits by Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson
We bought this book before we added meat rabbits to our homestead, and it really helped us. We learned everything about rabbits, from feeding to breeding to butchering.
The Prairie Homestead Cookbook by Jill Winger
This is an amazing cookbook and so much more. Jill uses real, easily accessible ingredients to make real food recipes at home. She also discusses many aspects of homesteading and how to get started with this lifestyle.
Hand Made: The Modern Woman’s Guide to Made-From-Scratch Living by Melissa K Norris
Melissa’s book has recipes and instructions for making everything homemade, from food to candles. A great resource for all of your homemade inspiration.
Welcome to the Farm by Shaye Elliott
Shaye explains homesteading (or small farming) with beauty and simplicity. Her photos are gorgeous and the way she explains this lifestyle makes you want to get out and get stuff done.
Seasons at the Farm by Shaye Elliott
Getting back to basics means appreciating each season as it comes, and that is what Shaye explores in this book. Cooking and working in season on your homestead can make each season exciting.
Other Books to Try
These are books that I don’t own yet, but that are on my list for the future. Check them out:
The Homesteading Handbook by Abigail R. Gehring
Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett L. Markham
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery
E-Books
E-books are a great resource as well, because they are usually cheaper to buy and more convenient to take with you to read. I think I bought these e-books in a homesteading bundle, but you can buy them individually as well.
No Cook Freezer Meals by Kelly McNelis
Kelly @ http://newleafwellness.biz wrote this great book of freezer meals that is great for meal planning. These are quick, healthy, real food homemade meals that would be great for homestead life.
Kinda Crunchy by Tiffany Terczak
Tiffany of www.dontwastethecrumbs.com has several great e-books about going on a real food journey. In this book she gives her reader a 31 day challenge to frugal natural living.
Natural Homestead by Jill Winger
Jill of www.theprairiehomestead.com shares simple, natural recipes for the homestead. This e-book has 40+ recipes for natural critters and crops.
Clean & Simple by Stephanie Langford
You can get this e-book free by signing up on the email list for her website, www.keeperofthehome.org. This book has 12 green recipes that work.
From Scratch by Shaye Elliott
Shaye of www.theelliotthomestead.com created a cookbook of easy recipes for traditionally prepared whole-food dishes. You can also buy a paperback version on her website.
Blogs
Here are a few of my favorite blogs that have taught me so much on my homesteading journey:
Jill of The Prairie Homestead is a great resource when it comes to homesteading, essential oils, and natural living. Besides the blog, she also offers 3 excellent e-books (Natural Homestead, Your Custom Homestead and Win Your Weed War).
Shaye of The Elliott Homestead shares lots of stories on her blog, along with helpful animal tips and yummy recipes. She also has recently finished a cookbook called The Family Table that is a must have.
Jennifer of Morning Chores has so much information on her blog. She posts new topics almost everyday for those that are seeking help in every subject.
Quinn of Reformation Acres is very knowledgable about many homesteading topics. Besides having a wonderful blog, she also has an Etsy shop where she sells homemade items and homestead management printables.
Riley at Pioneer Settler has really helpful posts on homesteading and everything you need to get started and increase your skills. She also has 2 free e-books to get you started.
Social Media
In this day of internet overshare, social media can be a great resource to meet and learn from other homesteaders all over the world.
Facebook Groups are usually private pages where members can discuss a topic (such as homesteading) with each other. Here are a couple of Facebook Groups you might be interested in joining:
The Homestead Front Porch Facebook Group
Homesteading & Farming Facebook Group
Modern Homesteader Community Facebook Group
Homestead & Heritage Cooking Facebook Group
Pinterest Group Boards can be open or selective of their followers, but they help many people pin information about the same topic in one place. Here are a couple that I found to be helpful:
Homesteading Inspiration Group Board
Homesteading Group Board-Tried and True
Google+ Communities are overflowing with information on all kinds of homesteading topics such as homesteading, gardening, raising animal, etc.
Homesteaders, Smallholders and Backyarders Community
Instagram is a great resource because you usually see more of the behind the scenes stuff from bloggers and other homesteading enthusiasts. You can also ask them direct questions about things they post there.
YouTube
YouTube is a great resource for videos on just about any topic you can imagine. For homesteaders, it gives you a real opportunity to learn skills even if you have no one nearby to teach you. There are tons of homesteading, gardening, animal raising and cooking videos on YouTube that can help you on your homesteading journey.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Jill brings all of the knowledge that she shares on her blog to life on this YouTube channel. She shows her Wyoming homestead and everything that goes on week to week.
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Melissa shares her years of experience as a 5th generation homesteader on everything from gardening, preserving, cooking and so much more.
Shaye shares her life on her homestead in Washington State with her husband and kids. She shows the behind the scenes of homesteading and cooking real food for her family.
108 Videos that chronicle a young couple as they live in their rv while they build their off-grid house on 5 acres. They stress self-sufficiency, living off the grid and thriftiness.
Appalachias Homestead with Patara
Patara teaches homesteading skills and shares her adventures in these 540 videos.
A three generational family moves to the country and shares their homesteading tips, tricks and adventures. There are 261 videos in this series so far.
Noreen has 1755 videos about cooking real food for real people. She shares her recipes and cooking instruction.
This series has 1463 videos about real food cooking instruction, crafts and food preservation.
Community
The local community for your area is a vast wealth of knowledge for farming, gardening, homesteading and other skills. This valuable resource should not be overlooked. In today’s age of technology, nothing beats getting a direct lesson from someone close by. Here are some of the local resources that I depend on for helpful information and guidance. These resources will obviously vary by location, but I’ll bet there is more local information out there than you realize:
University Ag Extension Office and 4-H Programs
We have a Colorado State University Extension Office for our county. They have an u-pick orchard in the fall and classes for agriculture throughout the year. They also help with the 4-H programs in the area.
Local Nurseries
Hometown nurseries (not Home Depot or Walmart) are very helpful with knowledge about what plants grow well in your area and local freeze dates.
Farm to Table Initiatives
In our community, we have several school gardens that teach children about agriculture and gardening. We also have a local restaurant that serves grass fed beef and local produce.
Farmers Market
Almost every community now has some kind of farmers market. It is wonderful to get to know these farmers and see the variety of foods that can be produced in your area.
Ag Expo
Each year our county has an Agriculture Expo, where there is an immense amount of resources available for farmers and homesteaders. There are tools and tractors for sale, livestock shown and vendors present to show the consumer the latest and greatest in agriculture.
County Fair
Along with the Ag Expo, our County has a Fair each summer: 4-H animals are shown and sold, craft exhibits and activities for the family (such as the chicken chase and dog show), etc.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to gain more information about all kinds of topics. They are like the old time radio shows of the past but in the modern era.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Pioneering Today Podcast with Melissa K Norris
I don’t know how she does it all. From the blog to YouTube to this podcast, you can consume Melissa’s awesome content in many ways. If you enjoy listening to learn new stuff, this podcast is excellent.
This podcast has been on the air since Dec 2011 with 163 episodes so far. It is about homesteading and small farms where they discuss all kinds of food from pasture to plate. Although they discussed in the most recent podcast that they may not be continuing, there are many past episodes to listen to and learn from too.
Living Homegrown with Theresa Loe
Since April 2015, Theresa Loe has 82 episodes of this podcast on making farm fresh food without the farm. She is a PBS personality from the show “Growing a Greener World” and teaches a Canning Academy on her website. Theresa wants to help you live closer to your food and also conducts interviews on the show with like minded individuals.
This podcast has been broadcast since May 2014 with about 40 episodes in the series. They discuss homesteading and living a more sustainable life. The most recent episode sounds like they may not be continuing in the future (what is going on with these podcasters?), but it is still worth a listen.
Started in Jan 2015, this podcast includes 50 episodes of interviews with people throughout the homesteading community.
Since Sept 2016, Tim Young hosts this podcast about homesteading and self-sufficiency. He also interviews people about how they support their farms by unconventional methods.
I hope this ultimate resource guide has helped you find the information you are looking for on any homesteading subject. Learning is a constant part of homesteading and we want to help in that process however we can.
Where have you found great homesteading resources? Please leave a comment and let us know. And if you found this post helpful, please share. Thanks!
Don't know where to start with homesteading?
Grab our checklist to show you how to make your dreams a reality, step by step.
When you sign up for our email list, you will get this PDF for free, along with weekly emails covering topics on gardening, homesteading, etc. Don't worry. We won't spam your inbox. You can unsubscribe any time.