“Reading brings knowledge and knowledge is power; therefore reading is power. The power to know and learn and understand . . . but also the power to dream. Stories inspire us to reach high, love deep, change the world and be more than we ever thought we could. Every book allows us to dream a new dream.”

Emma Chase

In this age of technology, we have almost unlimited knowledge at our fingertips and yet many people are going through life with less useful knowledge than our ancestors. Many people rarely, if ever, pick up a book – but reading brings knowledge and knowledge is power! We need to take advantage of the knowledge that is out there just waiting for us to grab hold of and change the world with it. Or at the very least change the world for our own families.

I have put together a list of some books (and a few other educational resources) that I have in my own library and have found useful in my quest for knowledge as a homeschooling farmsteader:

Note: This list does contain affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. I will never recommend something unless I have first hand knowledge of it and genuinely believe it to be valuable.

The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods by Nicole Apelian

https://amzn.to/3RSUYpp

Home Apothecary by Nicole Apelian

https://amzn.to/44cGBUu

Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy

*Note: this book is how I taught myself how to can and I LOVE that I can preserve healthier, lower sugar recipes with this.

https://amzn.to/4jNkcC3

The Wild Food Gourmet by Anne Gardon

https://amzn.to/4d318gi

Wild Foraged by Rachael West

https://amzn.to/4cZTqDW

Foraging the Ozarks by Bo Brown

https://amzn.to/4jHf0iN

Wet, Wild & Woodsy by Carolyn Craig, Kathy Brown, & Schyrlet Cameron

https://amzn.to/4d3i9XQ

Best Served Wild by Brendan Leonard & Anna Brones

https://amzn.to/43inNC2

Wild Bounty by Jim and Ann Casada

https://amzn.to/3GITJH6

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies by Nicole Apelian, Ph.D & Claude Davis

https://amzn.to/43lr7fO

The Lost Ways by Claude Davis

https://amzn.to/4k8PVNN

Beehive Alchemy by Petra Ahnert

https://amzn.to/3Spxs3z

The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook by Sara Bir

https://amzn.to/4jJEU5D

Preserving by The Good Cook

https://amzn.to/43ag345

Back Yard Pharmacy by Rachel Weaver M.H.

https://amzn.to/3SnEtSu

Here are a few other resources that aren’t technically books but are still a wealth of educational information.

Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game by Learning Herbs

*Note: This game is amazing – period. My 4 yr old twins (and myself!) are learning to identify so many useful plants on sight and what they can be used for. It is their favorite game!

https://amzn.to/3RQU2SD

Hop over to homesteadingfamily.com if you want to subscribe to this magazine. I am not typically a magazine subscriber but I do subscribe to this and I have their 2024 summer recipe anthology as well! There is also a ton of information available on their website and they offer classes, blog posts, podcasts, etc, in addition to their monthly magazine.

I hope you all find this short list of resources useful. I am still working on adding to my personal library and as I discover more useful resources, I will share them with you all. After all, we’re all in this together! Let me know in the comments what your favorite books are!

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” 

– Helen Keller