Are you interested in homesteading but just not quite sure where to start? These homesteading books for beginners are a perfect gateway to a more self-sufficient and purposeful life!
Each of these books covers topics like gardening, animal husbandry, preserving food, cooking from scratch, old-fashioned skills, and forgotten hobbies that our grandparents used to do daily! But the difference is that these are not overwhelming and easily approachable.
The biggest challenge many people face with these topics is that they don’t know where to start, or they are afraid of making the time and money investment, yet failing in the end. Read these books first to gain the confidence and knowledge you need before diving in! Then, don’t be afraid to just go for it!
I understand, as someone new to homesteading myself. My husband and I both grew up without these homesteading skills and had to learn them one step at a time. And we are still learning! There have been plenty of mistakes and failures, yet we wouldn’t change this lifestyle for anything. It is so rewarding and worth it!
Let’s check them out…
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One reason I chose the name “GoodPointGrandma” for my blog was that I loved returning to the skills of our grandmothers. I was also nicknamed “grandma” by my college friends because of this old-fashioned thinking!
I was traditional, and I loved it. And I loved reading this book because it was so relatable! The first few chapters are all about returning to those old-fashioned roots so many of us crave (yet we think we are the only ones sometimes!).
The rest of the book is practical action steps to take on your homesteading journey, no matter who you are and where you live! I loved that the author touched on topics like letting children play and take risks, learning how to be outside in a sedentary indoor world, and learning how to be in a rural community when barn-raising parties aren’t necessary anymore.
At the end of each chapter, you will be given lots of action points on how you can start implementing some of these things today!
Check it out on Amazon here!
Related Post: The Top 10 Most Enlightening Books On How To Homestead
I included this book because it discusses all the skills we need to return to when we are starting our homesteading journey! It’s one of the best homesteading books for beginners because it reminds you of the simple tasks you can do yourself for more self-sufficiency.
Plus, it walks you through how to do each one in a simple and easy way to understand. If jumping into homesteading feels overwhelming, or you feel like you aren’t at the level you should be at, start with this book. It starts simple and lays the foundation. It reminds you to start with small tasks first, feel the reward for your labor, and then jump into the bigger tasks!
Check it out on Amazon here!
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This is the updated and revised version of the original book I first read, so I’m sure it has even more fantastic information than I saw! As someone who raises all our meat (meat rabbits, meat chickens, and eggs), plus fishing and hunting, I love the fact that this book includes all sorts of animals to raise.
We hope to expand to sheep and pigs soon on our homestead, but it was also fascinating to read about beef cattle, ducks, and goats. This is a large book, but very digestible. Different authors share on each animal of their expertise.
Each chapter contains everything you would want to know about that specific animal before getting started. It isn’t information overload, and the pictures and bullet points make it easy to read! I’m loving it as one of the best homesteading books for beginners because of all the pig and sheep information to get me acquainted before we dive in ourselves.
Check it out on Amazon here!
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This is one of the homesteading books for beginners that I wish I had had my hands on years ago! We can become so tunnel visioned with our homestead projects and goals that we forget that little projects that welcome in wildlife make a huge difference!
If you are homesteading with your family, this is a great book to keep on your shelf for projects to do together throughout the seasons. From building bat houses to bird feeders and amphibian houses, these family projects are a must-do on the homestead!
Interested in teaching your kids science? Just open up this book! You will learn all about native plants, pollinators, wildlife, and how it all affects your homestead property. As beginners, we should start by studying the microclimate, animals, and plants all around us first. This will open up a whole world of foraging and cultivating, and make our lives easier in the future!
Check it out on Amazon here!
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After I read The Women’s Heritage Sourcebook: Bringing Homesteading to Everyday Life and enjoyed it, I knew I would have to check out this book next. In fact, I first recommend the book in this blog post.
Even if you don’t have children in your life currently, you will gain lots of beginner-level information by flipping through this book and reading it. It has information on animals to raise, recipes to try, and skincare creations to make! Plus, it is beautiful.
It gave me lots of ideas as a beginner homesteader to try that were not too overwhelming or over my head. And, I love that I can take my children along with me as I do the projects and try the recipes. Books like these also help you narrow down what you are truly interested in before getting a deeper book on that subject.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Related Post: The 7 Best Cookbooks On Cooking From Scratch With Real Farm Ingredients
I’ve been reading Melissa’s book and listening to her podcast for years now because she is a wealth of knowledge and a wonderful teacher. This book is a great one to start with if you are just tapping into the homesteading culture!
I love that this book covers all topics on things that you can make yourself, saving you time and money. But, most importantly, making you a bit more self-sufficient. The key is not to worry about failing and just try each one!
Begin with her tips on growing your own food, preserving it, and cooking with it. Then, try your hand at making your own cleaning products and raising your own animals! Her charts are especially helpful in making everything so easy to start. If you’re like me and didn’t grow up learning these basic skills, then this book is a perfect teacher to get started with.
Check it out on Amazon here!
While there are lots of books on backyard homesteading, this one is a great option because it applies to all of us trying to squeeze homesteading into our already busy lives. As a mom of (almost) four children, four years old and under, there is so much I would like to do with homesteading, yet I am faced with my limits every day.
Family needs to come first. And other priorities often sweep in, making it difficult to have a large garden, several animals, and time to preserve produce. That’s where this book comes in for beginner homesteaders!
It covers all the homesteading topics but gives you practical steps on how to fit into your life and your budget, too! I especially appreciate the time-saving hacks. It’s a book you can turn to over and over again as you start to try out a new category of homesteading.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Which of these homesteading books for beginners will you be reading first? Let me know in the comments below!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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