The nourishing homestead
Subtitle: one back-to-the land family's plan for cultivating soil, skills, and spirit
By: Ben Hewitt with Penny Hewitt
Contributors: Hewitt, Penny, author
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 340
ISBN-13: 9781603585514
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Urban homesteading; Urban agriculture; Self-reliant living; Sustainable living
Description: The Nourishing Homestead tells the story of how we can create truly satisfying, permanent, nourished relationships to the land, nature, and one another. The Hewitts offer practical ways to grow nutrient-dense food on a small plot of land, and think about your farm, homestead, or home as an ecosystem. Much of what the Hewitts have come to understand and embrace about their lives of deep nourishment is informed by their particular piece of land and local community in northern Vermont, but what they have gleaned is readily transferable to any place--whether you live on 4 acres, 40 acres, or in a 400-square-foot studio apartment. Ben and Penny (and their two sons) maintain copious gardens, dozens of fruit and nut trees and other perennial plantings, as well as a pick-your-own blueberry patch. In addition to these cultivated food crops, they also forage for wild edibles, process their own meat, make their own butter, and ferment, dry, and can their own vegetables. Their focus is to produce nutrient-dense foods from vibrant, mineralized soils for themselves and their immediate community. They are also committed to sharing the traditional skills that support their family, helping them be self-sufficient and thrive in these uncertain times. Much of what the Hewitts are attempting on their homestead is to close the gaps that economic separation has created in our health, spirit, and skills. Ben uses the term "practiculture" to describe his family's work with the land--a term that encompasses the many practical life skills and philosophies they embody to create a thriving homestead, including raw-milk production, soil remediation, wildcrafting, Weston A. Price principles, bionutrient-dense farming, permaculture, agroforestry, traditional Vermont hill farming, and more.--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 327-328) and index.
Table of contents: title: The evolution of our homestead; title: Practice and philosophy; title: Homestead design and layout; title: Real food and deep nutrition; title: Soil and gardens; title: The nourished animal; title: Animal slaughter and processing; title: Infrastructure, skills, and tools; title: Money and "stuff"; title: Children on the homestead; title: Conclusion : What the day holds.