The Women's Heritage Sourcebook : Bringing Homesteading to Everyday Life

by Emma Rollin Moore (Editor), Lauren Malloy (Editor), Ashley Moore (Editor)

The book of the movement that applies homegrown practices of self-sufficiency to modern life.

Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-reliance and sustainability, characterized by home gardening and animal husbandry, food preservation, and even the small-scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork.

This indispensable reference book is divided into three sections: food (from sourdough bread baking to pickling vegetables to fermenting kefir), herbalism (from growing an herbal garden to making skin and hair care products to foraging), and animal husbandry (from beekeeping to buying, raising, and owning chickens, cows, and pigs).

Lavishly illustrated with 250 full-color photographs and full of detailed tips, techniques, and recipes, this reference book is comfortable on the coffee table, in your kitchen, or even propped open for use in your backyard garden.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Reference, Lifestyle

392 pages, Hardcover

Published March 24, 2020

Reviews

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love absolutely everything about this book. Need to buy. Great all around resource.

[Karis DeHaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice, basic overview of homesteading. I appreciated the diversity in the material and all the recipes. As a bonus, this book is filled with beautiful photos that made it a joy to read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this book was well put together for beginners tapping into a variety of different homesteading topics, but it won't be your only source if you plan on branching out or needing more in-depth information. It has some beautiful photography as well. Overall, a good book for beginners.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better homesteading/self sufficiency books that I have recently read. A book I would consider purchasing to have around for projects.

[Adelaide · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the chapters felt super comprehensive and I liked that they brought in multiple authors. Only the foraging chapter felt truncated as she really only talked about California native plants.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful, well-written book. The authors each say that they hope their readers come away feeling like the skills they mention are attainable to everyone- no matter the life situation, but I felt like it was less attainable after reading! The book is broken down into 3 sections: food, animal husbandry, and herbalism. The food section takes up half the book and is mostly recipes, which are helpful, but not particularly unique. The animal husbandry is about chickens, dairy cows, and pigs and goes into enough detail to get you started. The herbalism section was very specialized and different from other traditional skills books I have read: foraging, herbal medicine, natural dyes, and beauty products.
Each author is knowledgeable and very passionate about their topics, but it feels very privileged: you either need to fully raise and grow your own food, medicines, and household products or pay a premium to buy someone else’s hand raised everything. It didn’t feel like you could start where you are and make little changes over time, but a total lifestyle change is needed immediately if you don’t already raise your own everything.
Overall, I would say that if a person is interested in herbalism or starting to ferment then this could be a good book to get started with, but I don’t agree that this book “bring(s) homesteading to everyday life.”
On a side note I, personally, would love if the author of the animal husbandry section wrote her own, more in-depth book.

[MaKayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Women's Heritage. It’s a great intro to homesteading, and it made me feel more confident about taking care of myself and running a household. The tips on self-sufficiency were super practical, and I loved the recipes—they are definitely someone I will continue to use. Whether you’re living alone or with a family, the book has a way of making everything feel doable and easy. It left me feeling inspired to try to be more self sufficent.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide on several different resources around sustainable living with sections on: food, animal husbandry and herbalism. I most appreciated the recipes for home cooked meals and recipes for homemade body products and immune support.

[Cheska · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of homesteading skills with biographical snippets, recipes, and photos. Good for beginners to have around in their home library.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covered a lot of different topics, great beginner info, lots of recipes.

[Rene · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good book. this is one I would like to have on the shelf if i were to for flower growing and making soaps.

[Miki Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reference book for those who need an intro to fermenting, chickens, homemade kefir, and tincture/elixir making.