Back to Basics: #2 Best Homesteading Book Review

I read about 20 books in an average year, and can’t believe I hadn’t found this one before! Back to Basics, A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, is absolutely packed full of illustrations and how-to’s.

Most of my reading materials are borrowed from our state’s inter-library system, but this is one that I knew I had to have on my shelf permanently!

 

Back to Basics

Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

 

I have long considered The Encyclopedia of Country Living to be the best homesteading book out there, but I have to say that Back to Basics rivals it!

While The Encyclopedia has more information as far as words and more detail on specific topics, Back to Basics is packed full of illustrations showing you exactly how to do a variety of things on the homestead. The newer editions have color photographs as well.

While The Encyclopedia is about 30% larger, Back to Basics is by no means a small book. The 3rd Edition has 456 pages. The Encyclopedia devotes more pages to growing food, while Back to Basics has a lot more information on tools and skills.

Back to Basics covers just about every homesteading topic you could imagine, and then some!

 

Homesteading Topics in Back to Basics

 

• Finding and buying land for a homestead
• Planning a homestead
• Setting up a lumber mill at home
• Hand tools for cutting and milling lumber
• Harvesting wood
• Building a road
• Building your own house step by step, including a log cabin, stone house and adobe house
• Saving energy
• Underground houses
• How to build a barn
• Finding water and constructing wells
• Building a sauna or hot tub
• Waste disposal
• Building a fireplace
• Stone masonry
• How to build a fence
• Wood stoves and chimneys
• Heating with wood
• Characteristics of different kinds of wood
• How to set up waterwheels
• Dams
• Windmills
• Passive solar energy and solar panels

 

• Garden planning and methods
• Soil Improvement and fertilizers
• Starting seeds indoors
• Cold frames and greenhouses
• How to grow each kind of vegetable
• Watering methods and mulches
• Gardening in limited space
• How to grow an herbs garden
• Plant propagation
• Planting trees and starting an orchard
• Pruning fruit trees
• Grafting methods
• Growing nuts
• How to grow berries
• Pest control
• Growing grains at home

 

• Beekeeping
• Raising fish
• Chickens for eggs and meat
• Waterfowl
• Raising rabbits for meat
• Pigs
• Raising sheep
• Diary goats
• Dairy cows
• Work horses

 

• Preserving food for winter out in the garden
• Setting up a root cellar
• Canning
• Brining and fermenting
• Vinegar pickling
• How to make jelly without added pectin
• Dehydrating
• How to preserve meat and fish
• Building a smokehouse
• Jerky
• Curing and smoking fish
• Sausage
• Making butter, cheese, ice cream and fermented milk products
• Harvesting maple syrup
• Making cider and hard cider
• Old fashioned soda and soft drink recipes
• Homebrewing beer, ale and wine
• Baking bread
• Cooking on a woodstove

 

• Making dye from plants
• Spinning yarn
• Weaving
• Rug making
• Quilting
• How to make a rope hammock
• Tanning hides and making leather
• How to make moccasins
• Woodworking tools and methods
• Woodworking projects, including  an 18th century style bench, open cupboard, colonial baby cradle, two different tables, a chair, and furniture made from twigs.
• Broommaking
• Scrimshaw
• Potpourri
• Herbal medicines
• Natural cosmetics
• Recipes for paint, glue and cleaners
• Tinsmithing
• Blacksmithing
• Gourd craft
• Flower drying methods
• Soapmaking
• Candle making
• Basketry

 

• Time tested games such as Cat’s Cradle and Jacks
• Square dancing
• Homemade toys
• How to make a dulcimer
• Holiday craft projects
• Canoeing and kayaking
• Wilderness camping
• Using a map and compass
• Wildharvesting and cooking over an open fire
• Fishing

The Chapters

Each chapter is packed full of pictures and sketches illustrating exactly how something is done. This really helps for visual learners! I’ve already learned a lot from reading the book once, and plan to try a lot of the projects this winter, including the simple tree grafting methods included.

I think my favorite part of the book was about older methods of food storage. For example, there are three different methods of storing cabbage, celery and other leaf crops right out in the garden. Each uses combinations of trenching and insulating materials such as straw and soil. There are makeshift root cellar ideas that will work for almost anyone.

I also really enjoyed the section on preserving meats.

 

The Book

As you can see from this list, Back to Basics includes quite the broad range of topics. Whether you want to learn almost lost to time skills, or keep a handy reference book, this one should definitely be on the shelf of every homesteader!

You can purchase the book below, or borrow it for free from your local library!

 

 

Check out more of our recommended books here!