Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less)
by Angela England
432 pages paperback, 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
Published by ALPHA (Living Free Guides) on December 4, 2012
ISBN 978-1615642144
Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) is written by someone who has planned and run a successful small-scale farm. Angela England guides you through the essentials of planning a small farm – deciding what should be grown or raised, implementing proven, sustainable techniques, and maximizing yield and harvest.
At about the middle of December 2012 I finally was able to hold the hard copy – paperback – of Angela England's book in my hands.
Angela had sent me a press restricted PDF copy just before the official publication date of the book as, so it would appear, the publishers had not gotten the copies into the mail on time.
Alas, while I do like PDFs in general I still like to print out such documents to read on paper. With a book of more than a hundred pages this is not a very good idea and option. But, I just do not get on well with reading a large document on screen.
OK, having gotten this off my chest let's look at the book...
Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) belongs into the library of anyone intending to or attempting to live a more self-reliant life and lifestyle, together with John Seymour's “The Complete Book of Self-sufficiency”.
The book, Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less), covers about every possible eventuality as far as backyard farming is concerned, including crafting from the backyard farm, with the exception of growing and using your own small coppice woodland (and yes, you can do that too in a small space).
Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) is well written and makes for easy reading and the author has done her research well, but not only that, she lives it too with her family. Very much unlike other writers and producers of videos I have encountered Angela write from experience and not from something gleaned from others. One cannot teach others something that one has not – as yet – mastered but there are many who do just that.
Angela England is a freelance writer who, along with her husband and four children, cultivates a 1/2-acre farm in their backyard, where they raise dairy and meat goats, keep free-range chickens, and maintain a productive garden of fruits and vegetables. They started with a small garden and took on chickens, goats, bees, and fruit trees over time, eventually managing a larger plot while shedding the conveniences of urban life. Angela is the Founder of Untrained Housewife (untrainedhousewife.com), which guides others in the arts of rural living. She also manages and maintains the Blissfully Domestic web community and contributes to other sites and forums.
In summing up let me say that this is a most valuable resource for anyone who wishes to get more self-reliant in growing the food for himself and his family and it can be done in a rather small space; if not all then at least a great amount of it.
© 2012
