The classic USDA handbook to self-reliant living, now completely revised and updated.

A passport to freedom that shows how to find fun, food, shelter, and income on land that may be within easy-driving distance of the city and suburbs. Why work a lifetime, asks Angier, to accumulate enough money to retire from the rat race during the last, least active years of life, when a little ground can provide healthful, relaxed living—now—and income too? One Acre and Security explains how “three-squares-a-day” and money to spend can come from the earth with instructions on: sheep or pig farming, raising bees for honey, keeping dairy herbs of cows or goats, making money with herb culture, raising and selling rabbits and earthworms, running a poultry farm, raising fish, frogs, and turtles for profit and fun. Angier, the man who has done it all himself, shares too what he has learned about some of the ways to eat from nature’s free banquet table, how to stretch country-living with hikes on famous trails or on any untrammeled path, where to find the best hunting and fishing, and how to catch bigger, healthier fish. “This book is written for those who want to move—not to the distant wilderness—but just far enough away from the smog and the screaming traffic to be where meat will be theirs for the raising, fish for the catching, fruit and vegetables for the picking, fuel for the cutting, home for the satisfaction of building…breathing cleaner air, beholden to none, doing what they want to do most and giving it their best,” says Bradford Angier in One Acre and Security…

As food prices continue to rise, more and more people have discovered that they can create their own food supply, right on their own property, and at a fraction of the price of conventional farm food that's been shipped to their local grocery from locations unknown. By raising and harvesting their own fruits, vegetables, chickens, bees, milk-bearing animals, and more, people are growing locally, sustainably, and at a fraction of the cost. However, poor planning for needs, proper use of available space, and a lack of preparedness for preserving or selling the harvest can quickly lead to wasted time and sweat. Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) is written by people who have planned and run a successful small-scale backyard farm. The authors guide readers through the essentials of planning a small-scale farm from a 1/4 acre all the way up to an acre and beyond. Readers will learn how to decide how large (or small) their farm should be, what they should plant or raise based on their invidual wants and needs (and available space), and how they can prevent their efforts from being wasted. Proven, sustainabile techniques will be presented to readers so they can yield the maximum benefit of their harvest through proven best practices. Readers will also learn how to raise small animals such as chickens and goats for milk, eggs, and meat, and will learn the crticial practices for successfully parenting bees, growing fruit tress, and much more.

Lloyd Kahn and Lesley's story of building their own home, establishing a garden, and practicing crafts on a small piece of land on the Northern California Coast, with over 500 photos.

This book, Living on a Few Acres, is intended as a practical guide for those who make the journey back to the countryside and for some of your who are already there. It is mainly for those who intend not to gain their principal income from the land, but rather to have a job in town or live on a pension or some other source of income.Living on a Few Acres describes both the pitfalls and the satisfactions of country life. There are plenty of both. And there is nothing quite like country living.

There are twenty million acres of lawns in North America. In their current form, these unproductive expanses of grass represent a significant financial and environmental cost. However, viewed through a different lens, they can also be seen as a tremendous source of opportunity. Access to land is a major barrier for many people who want to enter the agricultural sector, and urban and suburban yards have huge potential for would-be farmers wanting to become part of this growing movement. The Urban Farmer is a comprehensive, hands-on, practical manual to help you learn the techniques and business strategies you need to make a good living growing high-yield, high-value crops right in your own backyard (or someone else's). Major benefits include: Low capital investment and overhead costs Reduced need for expensive infrastructure Easy access to markets Growing food in the city means that fresh crops may travel only a few blocks from field to table, making this innovative approach the next logical step in the local food movement. Based on a scalable, easily reproduced business model, The Urban Farmer is your complete guide to minimizing risk and maximizing profit by using intensive production in small leased or borrowed spaces. Curtis Stone is the owner/operator of Green City Acres, a commercial urban farm growing vegetables for farmers markets, restaurants, and retail outlets. During his slower months, Curtis works as a public speaker, teacher, and consultant, sharing his story to inspire a new generation of farmers.

Start a mini farm on a quarter acre or less and provide 85 percent of the food for a family of four and earn an income."

A former journalist describes her passion for gardening and her efforts to transform the land surrounding a historic house in a pre-Revolutionary Connecticut village into her own private Eden.

When Spring Warren told her husband and two teenage boys that she wanted to grow 75 percent of all the food they consumed for one year, and that she wanted to do it in their yard, they told her she was crazy. She did it anyway. The Quarter-Acre Farm is Warren's account of deciding, despite all resistance, to take control of her family's food choices, get her hands dirty, and create a garden in her suburban yard. It's a story of bugs, worms, rot, and failure; of learning, replanting, harvesting, and eating. The road is long and riddled with mistakes, but by the end of her yearlong experiment, Warren's sons and husband have become her biggest fans, in fact, they're even eager to help harvest (and eat) the beautiful bounty she brings in. Full of tips and recipes to help anyone interested in growing and preparing at least a small part of their diet at home, The Quarter-Acre Farm is a warm, witty tale about family, food, and the incredible gratification that accompanies self-sufficiency.