The Urban Farm Handbook: City-Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat

Have you ever thought it possible to wean yourself from the grocery store? If I was asked this question 5 years ago I would have said no way, not possible in the city. But the last 2-3 years I have been working toward that end. This book will take me even farther into making it a reality and that excites me! I am about half way through the book and can't seem to put it down. I even took the book to my local Kinkos to have it made in to a spiral bound so that I can read it hands free, while drying my hair, cooking, nursing baby etc. You will learn about bulk buying, grinding your own grains, composting, gardening, preserving, keeping animals on your city lot and oh, did I mention recipes? Yes, there are those too. Don't think you have time? Both the authors have young children and I have three young ones of my own & home school. This book will inspire you to make the time commitment to your health. The authors also give different examples of how you can implement to compliment your family dynamics and time. I have met both the authors through our local bulk buys. They are as inspiring in person as they are in print. Their real life stories of how they are living this life is written with humor and experience. You will not be disappointed with this valuable purchase!

This book arrived a week ago, and since then I've been trying to soak in all the useful information. It's a beautiful book - great photos, well organized. You might think from the title that it mostly covers gardening, but it's not limited to that...it's a collection of closely related subjects that, added together, helps people move toward a more sustainable lifestyle (mostly food-related, but there are some recipes for soaps and such)...eg growing food, composting, recipes for what to do with all that food you grow (including preserving, and not just through canning), how to organize a buying club to support local farmers and get large quantities of food for storing and preserving. It also covers other food topics, like chickens and bees and dairy (including cheesemaking) and meat. Lots on grains: grinding flour (easy, and not a crazy as it sounds - trust me!), and then what to do with that flour. The authors have small kids, so there is some commentary on involving kids in all of this. There are also a number of profiles of various folks engaging in sustainable food-related activities...small farmers, cheesemakers, and such; it's interesting and inspiring to read about these folks who are working on changing our food system. All in all, a great book; I'm glad I bought it.

To be 100% upfront: I gave this to my girlfriend as a present, so I did not read the book myself. However, I'm reaping all the benefits from it, and I have perused a few of the chapters to better understand what is happening in the yard and the kitchen. The book seems very thorough, covering the range from growing your food, to preparing it, and storing it. Since I got it, I've enjoyed home made breads, fermented and pickled foods, and next season we'll be rearranging the planter boxes to minimize the damage done by herbivorous bugs. The book certainly doesn't appear to be the end all, be all of urban farming, but it is a great place to get started and optimize your existing home farming operation. It doesn't just stop at telling you what to do, but explains why you're doing those things. There are plenty of seemingly useless tips out there, but this book does a good job of dispelling myths and offering clear background information on not just how, but WHY you have to do things a certain way.

I borrowed this book from the library and renewed it until they wouldn't let me renew it any longer. I bought a copy and within weeks it was dog-eared and worn. I have read it again and again. I have been making bread for years, but after reading this, I started grinding wheat at home and we love it! I've made yogurt, and kefir and we purchased a share of a cow. I have started making tinctures, lip balm, lotion and laundry detergent. I've stuffed sausages, made sauerkraut and have learned about how to make the most of the local foods available to me. All of these things have brought me and my family closer to the sources of our food and have taught us that meat doesn't magically appear at the grocery store wrapped in plastic, fruit from Chile in the middle of winter isn't necessary, and homemade ALWAYS tastes better. This book provided me with the courage to try things I had been reluctant to attempt. If these two authors can do it, why not me?

This book pulls you in, and takes you on a journey, all the while showing you how much an urban dweller can do, right now, to take control of his or her food choices. You will want to do some of these things because they are the right thing. They may help your body or nurture the earth. But others are just downright fun, and throw you into communities and ways of life that are sadly scarce, but that are within reach even in the city. Even if you just enjoy the stories, it's worthwhile, but there are many helpful instructions, the best garden planning table I've seen yet, and much guidance on sourcing and enjoying local, healthful, organic foods, whether you produce them yourself or discover farmers who are closer than you think.You might want a copy for your nightstand and one for your kitchen, so you can keep one volume tidy while dragging the other one out in the garden, or splattering it with bread dough, or otherwise putting it to work for you.

I LOVE this book! I have to confess I dog-ear pages when I am reading a book. There are twenty-three dog-earred pages in my copy of The Urban Farm Handbook. 23!!! That means there are twenty-three fantastic ideas, things I didn't know, facts I want to remember, DIYs and recipes that I don't ever want to forget. It's that good!!Written by two city-dwellers, this book suits us perfectly right now. Being in the city, it is so hard sometimes to think of other ways to become more self-sufficient. I mean, you're in the city! There is absolutely no need to be self-sufficient. Author Annette Cottrell has turned her small urban lot into a garden with chickens, bees, fruit and vegetables enough to share. While these may seem like lofty goals, each task is broken down and thoughfully conveded through listes, instructionals, photos, and diagrams.The chapter on hand ground wheat hit home big time for me as good flour has been on my mind for some time. We have been slowly changing over other foods, but I am stuck on flour. "Organic" ground flour at the market is about five times as expensive as conventional flour. We use a lot of flour, so could easily be spending over $80 a month on flour alone. Yikes! So, now on my to-do list is to find a local farmer who may wholesale his grain to me. Ahhh where do I start?? The fantastic grain mill recommendations in The Urban Farm Handbook help with that end of production, but we need to the grains to start with.

This was just what I was looking for. lots of info and a warm read. Makes you want to go out and grow and do.