Book Reviews

I love to read books and I have a whole library of farm books, self sufficiency, homesteading, etc.  There are some I think are amazing and then there have been some that I thought I wasted money on.  So, I thought I would review a book periodically and hopefully that could help with decisions to purchase or not.  The content of this page will change - so check back to what's new.  We will also post the current "book in review" on our Facebook page.

September 2018 - "Four Season Harvest"

I first read about Eliot Coleman and "Four Season Garden" from a Mother Earth News article in February 2000.  The article intrigued me as I love growing fresh vegetables but always hated the end of the season and the long wait before the beginning of the new gardening season.  I added Coleman's book "Four Season Harvest" to my library.  This is one of my top gardening books.  What I love most about "Four Season Harvest" is the concept of gardening year long - not just in the spring/summer months.  Eliot Coleman and his wife Barbara Damrosch grow year round not only in the northern state Maine, but without using electricity to warm their greenhouses in the winter time.  In addition they have a thriving business supplying fresh produce to their local restaurants, farmer's markets and their farms stand. You can learn more about Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch at the link: Four Season Farm 

I used some of Coleman's methods a few years back in my very small garden area and was super pleased with the results.  I was able to extend my harvest and start planting earlier than in years past. 




greenhouse



greenhouse broccoli



vegetables grown in greenhouse

This year I will be implementing more of those methods that are explained in  "Four Season Harvest."  There will be more photos on the Gardening page as this progresses. This book is easy to read and part, some or all of the concepts/ideas are easy to implement in your garden.  Highly Recommended! 

The book is offered by Amazon for around $18.68 (new) and the link will take you to it:  Amazon - Four Season Harvest.



August 2018 - "Goats Produce Too!"

So for my first book, I decided on one of my old cheese making favorites, "Goats Produce Too! The Udder Real Thing Volume II" by Mary Jane Toth.  The first time I tasted fresh goat cheese was at a dairy goat show in Calhan, Colorado.  It was delicious and I was hooked!  A fellow goat owner told me about "Goats Produce Too!" which I promptly went out and bought.  I love cheese and what better way to use up extra milk than to make cheese!  This book has goat milk recipes for soft and pressed cheeses, as well as, buttermilk, yogurt, soap and paint.  The book also explains about different cultures used in cheese making, problems and solutions.  My absolute favorite recipes are the ones for Chevre (French style soft goat cheese) and Lemon Juice Ricotta.  The Ricotta is hands down the best ricotta I have ever tasted! This book is easy to read and the recipes are easy to understand and follow.  Highly recommended!




This book is offered by Amazon for around $14.95 and you can find it with the link:

Amazon: Goats Produce Too!