My Trusted Books On Food, Seed Saving, & Herbs For Livestock ~ Collab With

Hello and welcome!
Today I am joining Jess from ‪@RootsandRefugeFarm‬ in her efforts to compile a playlist where viewers can look for sources of reliable information in a world where AI and digital anonymity make it hard to know who you can trust. As a long time follower of Roots and Refuge Farm, I really appreciate this project and I hope that I can help others and learn about some new resources myself!
This afternoon, I am sharing five books that I find very useful within the topics of farming, gardening, and the general homesteading way of life. My selections cover the topics of nutrition, cooking, food preservation, seed saving, and herbal medicine for livestock.
1. 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon is an excellent read to begin unpacking some of the modern mainstream advice surrounding nutrition, that unfortunately has caused a lot of damage to our collective health over the past several decades. It focuses on the work of Dr. Weston A. Price and his study of traditional populations and the dietary practices that kept them in good health for centuries.
You can find it on Amazon here:
amzn.to/3ueEkI6
2. 'The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care' by Sally Fallon Morell and Thomas Cowan expands on the general advice found in 'Nourishing Traditions' to specifically focus on the all important topic of nutrition during the child bearing years. This volume goes more into depth on the increased need for certain nutrients and the best way to obtain them for babies and children, pregnant mothers, and for both the mother and the father during the pre-conception period.
You can find it on Amazon here:
amzn.to/46czRmG
3. 'Complete Guide to Home Canning: Canning Principles, Fruit, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Meat and Seafood, Fermented food and Pickles,Jams and Jellies' by the US Department of Agriculture gives a thorough overview of the most common methods for home food preservation, how to implement them safely, and includes many basic recipes to try.
You can find it on Amazon here:
amzn.to/46azskJ
The information found in this book can also be found on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website here:
nchfp.uga.edu/
4. 'Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners' by Suzanne Ashworth is an excellent resource for information on how to grow various garden plants and how to do so in such a way as to allow for the preservation of various heirloom varieties when saving seeds. Isolation distances, tendencies for cross pollination, and manual pollination methods are all covered in this book, and I think it is a valuable resource for heirloom gardeners.
You can find it on Amazon here:
amzn.to/3SAgroG
5. 'The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable' by Juliette de Baïracli Levy is a wonderful resource on herbal care and treatments for livestock. Including an extensive Materia Medica and detailed information on using herbs to care for sheep, goats, cows, horses, poultry, sheep dogs, and bees, this book not only contains a wealth of practical advice, but also paints a lovely picture of the world of animal husbandry before modern industrial practices brought chemicals, confinement, and cost analysis to the center stage. The natural and holistic practices written about in this book are where we all came from and where many of us are striving to get back to as we try to implement more traditional and sustainable practices in the modern world.
You can find it on Amazon here:
amzn.to/462mQfz
In addition to the books mentioned above, I also think there is tremendous value in the practice of compiling your own information that is useful to you and your unique circumstances. Whether it is information on animal husbandry, beekeeping, gardening, or recipes, nobody can decide what is important to you better than you can!
Some of the above links are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and make a qualifying purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
If you would like to purchase any of these books, but are not in a position to pay the full purchase price, I encourage you to look into avenues for buying second hand. One of my favorite places to do this is:
www.thriftbook...
If you think you may want to check out any of these books, but aren't sure enough to actually buy them yet, I absolutely encourage you to see if any of them are available through your local library!
Thank you for watching, I sincerely hope this video is helpful to you, and I look forward to receiving feedback and watching the other videos on this playlist!