Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Win a Complete Homesteader’s Library

Holy cow! Enter to win a complete library of traditional skills — $475 worth of books, magazines, and preserving products to get you started!


We all know Mother Earth News, right? Well, Mother Earth News has declared September International Homesteading Education Month, and we think that sounds like the perfect time to give away a doozy of a homesteader’s library: almost $500 worth of books, magazines, and preserving supplies!

Maybe this’ll give you a leg up in the Mother Earth News Holy Cow! Homesteading Sweepstakes. It can’t hurt!

The Prize Package

How to Enter 

Comment below, and tell us how this prize package could help you build your dream homestead!

Entry Rules

  • A panel of Storey judges will select their favorite entry. 
  • Entries must be received by Monday, September 17, 2012. 
  • The winner will be announced on InsideStoreyStorey’s Facebook Pageand Storey’s Twitter Feed on Friday, September 21. 
  • No purchase necessary. 
  • A mailing address will be required for delivery. We will not save, sell, or use this address for any other purpose.

289 comments:

1 – 200 of 289   Newer›   Newest»
Chris Meyer said...

Oh yes please! We have started gardens and raising chickens this last year but we have so much more to learn! Especially about canning! This would be awesome to win!

Mom Of Twins said...

We are hoping to move out of this apartment in about a year to our own little bit of land that we have been saving for. These would be so helpful towards that dream. (and a few could help even now) Thanks for this opportunity.

Unknown said...

Well, I am currently in the process of trying to start a farm and/or rural home. And I love to read books like this, so this library, as well as the other gifts would be a great help. Books can really be expensive. They really add up, and I can't afford all that I want to get right now. This would be a tremendous help to me. Thanks! -Shawn

Anonymous said...

I have 14 acres of land but only use a portion of it. Would love to learn what we can do with the rest and I'm positive these books will lead us in the right direction and help us in becoming self sufficient. Thank You for this opportunity.

Unknown said...

Wow! This definitely would complete our new homestead library! We are learning new things every day from our ever growing garden and would love to add on to the farmette! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Stephanie said...

IT will certainly help us with our urban homesteading. I love reading homesteading books and getting great ideas from them.

Kristy said...

With a large family, we would love to learn more about what we can provide for ourselves and lessen waist too! Thanks for the chance!

Caroline Galbraith said...

Well these books would be a blessing! We're in the process of moving from Suburbia to a rural farm in Texas. My chicks are getting bigger, plan on planting a sustanible garden, getting some livestock and trying to live off the land more, these would do the trick and a tremendous help!

Thanks :) Caroline

R. Van Vleet said...

Wow! This would certainly help me get the most from my 'little piece of heaven'!

Samantha said...

I've always been into gardening and having a pretty big veggie garden in the summer months. A few years ago, right after graduating college I was diagnosed with stag 4 cancer. During treatment I became very interested in knowing what I eat and where I live- knowing that it was something in my life that gave me cancer- most likely pesticides. I went out and bought one of your books about chickens and from there on I was hooked. Treatment ended in the winter and that spring my father and I built a coop and we are now raising a dozen free range chickens with hopes of more. I've also doubled my garden size - heavily focusing on cancer fighting veggies. We are also in the process of bringing in a goat or two. My dream is to have a place that my family can live off of and knowing where it came from, free of anything that may harm us. I know that I will be buying your books for each step of the way. It would be amazing to win this ! Thank you for the chance.

Kimberly said...

My husband and I are in the process of purchasing our first house together and moving outside of NYC(!). I was raised in a tenement and lived all my life in apartment buildings. For the first time EVER I will have my own basement - room enough to can! - and a garden(!), a kitchen and, holy cow, a pantry! We can start our own small veggie garden! He's talking about learning to grow herbs and tomatoes. I'm hoping for other veggies. One day, we hope to have kids and eventually another home after this one with some land. (LAND!) Who'd a thought for a kid from the Lower East Side in NYC?

-J-A-M- said...

Wow, this sounds amazing! My partner and I bought our first house just over two years ago, and have just over half an acre. We're trying to learn how to use our land in the best possible way. We got three chickens for the first time this past spring, and are trying to learn about canning and preserving. Our dream is to be able to grow enough fruits and veggies to last us through the winter and to gift, and to eventually have hives too! This package would help us out so much! We want to learn, but are "house poor", and books aren't usually in the budget!

Anonymous said...

Despite having grown up in a more modern era I remember some of these processes from my childhood. (We often lived with some old-fashioned materials/appliances/processes!) Unfortunately, I didn't get to actually learn any of them to use myself. All I'm left with is the memory of how amazing things tasted and how rewarding it was knowing that it was all done by us!

I've not had a pickle like that since! :-) I'd love to be able to have those skills and be able to pass it on/share with others. Especially since now, as an adult, I can also see the health benefits of knowing what goes in your food. So many of these things are a lost art. And good, home grown food is an amazing gift.

Anonymous said...

Oh Wow - so many of those books are on my wishlist! We are in dream phase right now - looking to buy a little place in the country after the first of the year where we can start becoming self-sufficient & these books would help so much in the planning! We are able to garden where we are, but that's it - city ordinances prevent us from doing very much >:( - but we have great hopes for a new homestead soon!

FreshLocalTasty said...

I am a single girl and a big Storey fan. My goal of turning my modest 3 acres into a homestead is taking shape thanks, in part, to your informative books I've borrowed from the library (again and again). I currently have ducks, chickens, and guineas, and a 1/10 acre garden. My plans include adding fruit trees, a small smoke house, fencing to allow goats and other 4-legged critters, a preserving kitchen in a barn, and HOPEFULLY a Homesteaders Library housing a great assortment of Storey books to live by.

BrennaScott said...

Oh this would be fantastic!

We're just building our first house right now (first-time homebuyers, first-time builders, and first-time urban famers all at once!) and we have big hopes and dreams for transforming the bare backyard into our own urban homestead. We're currently living in a condo with a small concrete patio and our limited selection of potted peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, and herbs just aren't enough anymore.

Our house will be finished in October and I'm so excited to plan out our backyard so that we can have plenty of fruit trees, lots of berries, 4 cheery hens (hoping to find two Americaunas and 2 Cuckoo Marans to call our own!), and a huge vegetable garden! I even made sure that we have a big walk-in pantry in the house plans so that we can learn how to preserve and dry our harvests and enjoy them all year long. We're just beginners so that extensive library would be such a big help!

And it just so happens that a copy of Chick Days that I stumbled upon at the public library started this whole urban homestead dream of mine! We're sticking to a strict budget right now while building our house, but I have the link bookmarked to buy my own copy after the house is complete. But winning a copy of Chick Days PLUS a magazine subscription and all the books on composting, gardening, preserving, and natural cleaning would be such a bonus! (Not to mention all the great preserving goodies!)

Keeping all of our fingers and toes crossed!

Coreena said...

Ooooh! Little by little, we make progress, and this could help make our dreams of self-sufficiency a reality. We know what we want, but this would help with the how. I picture a Pennsylvania winter spent in our cozy ranch, pouring over these books and making notes for ACTION!

Beccie said...

after learning about GMOs, i wanted to learn all i can about homesteading and being self-sufficient!!
one of my goals is to have a huge feast and brag to my guests that everything i serve came from my backyard! how awesome is that?!!
and what a great way for your friends and family to come hang out with you! i come from an Italian family and good food always meant love. the more food, the more love!
my biggest goal is NO MORE GROCERY STORE!!

Coreena said...

Ooooh! Little by little, we make progress, and this could help make our dreams of self-sufficiency a reality. We know what we want, but this would help with the how. I picture a Pennsylvania winter spent in our cozy ranch, pouring over these books and making notes for ACTION!

tara lynn said...

I actually have a few of these books on my bookshelf because my husband and I have been dreaming of homesteading for years. We tried our hand at it several years ago and couldn't make it work. That experience showed us that we need a lot more knowledge and all the help we can get so these supplies would be incredibly helpful.

Mark said...

Sweet! We would love to use this either in our suburban homestead or on the land we hope to get sometime in the future. Thanks!

Carla W said...

Oh my! I would absolutely love to own this collection! We are hoping to continue or homesteading adventure in the next year by adding larger livestock and slowly transitioning to off-grid living. These resources would be absolutely amazing to have on hand.

mostlymindfulmama said...
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mostlymindfulmama said...

Oh, this would be so helpful. As a relatively new mother, I am trying to learn how to integrate DIY into my family's lifestyle. This would be so inspiring and informative!

SpiralSpark said...

We started our own company and were eventually able to both quit our jobs and move (away from fracking) to Vermont where we are transitioning.

This material would offset our current library perfectly and greatly help me envision and plan our future months. I have been downloading information and storing it, but printed material? Awesome!

Wise decisions early mean better quality living later on. I want to eat that knowledge!

Please let me be the one to put it to use. -Phil (and Charlotte)

Unknown said...

I would so love to win this!
My family doesn't come from a family of farmers, so we're learning as we go and these books would defiantly make it easier. And maybe with the help of these books some of our tries would actually turn into success..

Trina said...

I so could use this.
I grew up with a garden in KY, now as an adult in TX what knowledge I have doesn't work to well in the heat and dryness we have here.
I am sure that the library in the prize would be of great use in new knowledge for me.

Unknown said...

An abiding interest in ecological sustainability has formed my morals and guided my actions throughout my adult life; recently my fiance and I have become empowered to create decisive change in our lives to better our health and the world around us. Documentaries, books borrowed from the library and the experiences shared with local small-scale farmers and members of the blogging community have opened our eyes to the very real possibility that we can become self-sustainable homesteaders.

While my fiance finishes his commitment to the U.S armed forces I am focusing on relearning the "lost arts" of homemaking such as sewing, gardening without chemicals, canning and preserving, pickling, cheese-making and raising chickens. While we have plans in the works to marry and start our family later this year we are also dreaming of our future homestead; a living ecosystem teeming with life. Chickens as well as meat and milk grazers will provide nourishment for not only our family but a thriving garden and its host of beneficial insects and pollinators as well. Where we take from the land we will give back in kind, realizing our goal of self-sufficiency in the long run.

While we take these "baby steps" in our urban environment we plan for building a future home on a plot of land on the east coast. At the heart of this hand-crafted home will be a vibrant library of books; as avid lovers of books we know this library will complement the land and lives we build for our children and future grandchildren. The titles offered in this contest would serve as the bedrock for this legacy.

Thank you for this opportunity!

MsShanadair said...

Everything I know how to do or make I have learned from books and family. A library like this would be huge!!! It would be directions for building the life my hubby and I dream about.

Simply david said...

I frequently ship books in the making from one of your editors back to the author, or back to Storey.

I've seen some interesting manuscripts & hope I can win this contest!

Unknown said...

We are building a house on a few acres, and this would be awesome to help us get started with our little mini farm!

Dream Life Farms said...

Post how it would change me? It would give me hours of wonderful reading!!!

BethAnn said...

WOW! Thank you for this chance!!! Me and my husband are a young couple who bought a major fixer upper so we could afford some acres out of town, We have 3 little children, ages 5,2, and 6mo.s. Having children really makes you think about what you expend as a family! But OH the JOY in watching them eat a vegetable they grew in the garden, or a prized chicken egg from the bosom of their feathered friend! It has been a hard road to take and we learn everything as we go, sometimes the hard way, but we love this life! We cant wait to get the house finished (fixed up) this fall so we can start learning more!! One of the best parts weve learned is seeing the surprise, and excitement on friends faces when they find out we have a chicken or a garden and learning that they can do it too! Its still relevant and more important than ever!

Cat said...

At age 59, my hub received a bad medical diagnosis. So at age 60, he quit his corporate job to do something he has always wanted to do in whatever time he has left. He's going to be a farmer. After 41 years of marriage, I never imagined I would be starting over as a farmer's wife, but what could be more exciting! Winning those books could really help us to embrace this adventure.

RevCerridwyn said...

I am gardening with OP vegies and herbs, starting to get to know rabbits and keeping in touch with the friends who do chickens and those who keep goats. Our canner is doing classes this fall and we have learned the seed saving as the plants get to that point. So far I know the Storey books from the library. We take them out often. It would be wonderful to have them at hand when we needed them, not when the library is open.

Lisa Ohliger said...

I moved to NE PA with my family and day dream of some day having my very own farmette complete with chickens, goats, sheep, a smoke house, veggie garden, apple and blueberry grove. This is my lifes goal. In an effort to "will" myself a farm, I have been reading/learning as much as I can about homestead in my free time. My Son has many allergies which has made eating healthy, homemade foods a priority in our home. I have a small veggie garden, but hope to start a new larger raised bed garden next year. I have so much more to learn, and hope to grow my little homestead with love and hard work. Many Thanks,Lisa

Jamie said...

My mom is starting a nonprofit to teach teenagers traditional skills such as foraging for native foods, canning, cooking over a fire/woodstove, and other "survival skills" so that the knowledge isn't lost and they can provide for themselves if things get tough. So, I would pass the prize package along to her...but probably read all of the books myself first. :)

me said...
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nick said...

I already have quite the "Storey's" section in my library, but there are still quite a few titles missing. We planted out first garden this past spring, and play on expanding it duing the winter. Winning this Prize would provide me with more useful knowledge in becomming self-sufficient, and help me better convice my wife to move out of the city. for more on our quest please visit OUR blog... www.the-urban-agarian.blogspot.com

Doc DuraMater said...

This is a completely dreamy give-away!!! It will be so hard waiting until Sept. 21st for the results. Thanks for this!!!

Kelsey said...

I would absolutely LOVE to have this book collection to help enhance our knowledge and power of being self-sufficent, living off the grid. Currently we live on the grid but have ripped up the grass in our backyard and planted a large garden of everything imaginable, of which I can large amounts of food to preserve for us during the winter. We also have chickens and even wrangled a pig into our backyard last year to raise for meat. A year ago we had an unbelievable opportunity to purchase a small peice of land that is completely off the grid. We would like to move up there someday but many things need to be set up such as water catchers and solar power to live up there. But our goal is to be 100% self sufficent, buy we still have a lot of things to learn and many how-to's needed. This collection of books would be a huge help in giving us knowledge we need to live our dream. Thank you, Kelsey

Johannah said...

My best friend and I live 1000 miles apart but one thing we have in common is a fascination with homesteading! She lives in Denver and I live in Dallas so we are always looking for great resources that will help us now in our urban environment and inspire us for the future we hope to have out in the country one day. Even though we are apartment dwellers, we are canning, knitting, sewing, making our own cleaning products, cooking lots of treats instead of buying them, and making our own soap and other beauty products. We are slowly transforming every area of our lives to be more self-sufficient and green. We love Storey books and have tons of them already! We just started a blog together, hipsteaders.com, and we are having such a blast inspiring each other to try new things. Hopefully we will be able to help others make a steps toward a better life. We are such big fans of Mother Earth News and Storey and would love to have these gifts. We're currently making products from the Organic Body Care Recipes book, and it's fantastic. Keep up the great work Storey! I can't wait to read more of your titles!

Phyllis Guyton said...

It would be wonderful to win this prize. We live out in the country with our goats,chickens,fish in a small pond, cats and a dog. We plant a small garden each year and we are always looking for information to improve on what we know how to do. We are never to old to learn knew ways of doing things. Thanks ... Phyllis

Steven Ringler said...

We're gardening already and are looking forward to adding chickens and start canning. These books would be wonderful additions to our knowledge.

Mama Elizabeth said...

I would love a set of homesteading books. My husband and I live on an acre, but could use so much more of it if we knew what we were doing. Both of us have been out of work for the last 2 years, we would be able to eat and sleep much better if we could grow more of what we eat.

Kelly Adkins said...

We are in the process of closing on our dream home to make into a mini-homestead (2.5 acres). I spent my summers on my grandma's farm, so I know is the "old school" way to do things. I would love to learn the new ways to homestead, so that I can add it to my knowledge. Also, my soon-to-be hubby is a total city boy, so having books to help him through the confusing things would help so much. Considering that I spent an hour explaining why you can have eggs without a rooster but you have to have a pregnant cow & goat to start getting milk. I spent half the time laughing at his reaction to the explanation. So him having the references that won't get into giggles would be a great help.

Unknown said...

My interest in living off the grid came after Hurricane Katrina. We were forced to evacuate and unable to return to assess our home for a month. Although we lost most everything, we remained in our property for nearly 2 months without clean water or electricity (under the martial law) to protect it from the destruction of the looters and squatters. We relied on FEMA and Red Cross for water and MRE’s which were dropped by the case from helicopters above. We had to fight for supplies as they hit the ground and as the weeks went by the shipments were getting few and far between. We resolved to learn to become more self-sufficient and live like our ancestors did! My mother and her brothers passed away in 08 and took with them the knowledge of canning and preserving. Through failed attempts at vegetable gardens, dehydrating, etc our family would benefit hugely from have a library as a resource!! I have collected a few books on country living and put some things into practice in our most recent reminder of the importance of these lost skills: Hurricane Isaac!

Rachel Byrd said...

We own 16 acres. We garden and preserve, we have chickens and a hog. I make homemade lye soap. But I want to do so much more. I would love a cow to milk because I want to learn how to make cheese. I want goats to milk to make goat milk soap. I want to be self-sufficient. These books would go a long way into helping me reach that goal. Thank you for the opportunity to win!! - Rachel Byrd

Unknown said...

We live a basic life here in rural Maine.we grow and make what we can from potato chips to mayo.We have a small homestead.and work hard to make our own and live the rustic way of life ..it is hard nut it is very honest and rewarding

John & Suzanne

Lista said...

My husband and I moved our three little boys out to the country almost a year ago, after years of city living. We're new to the country lifestyle, but we're learning as we go and loving every moment of it! Most of our knowledge has been acquired from books, and we look forward to become increasingly self-sufficient in the coming years. A whole library of how-to books would be a huge help!

Unknown said...

My husband is the crew leader in our quest to live off the grid. He thrives on self sufficiency and makes his own bread, sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, and other living foods. He also manages our garden and grows houseplants and herbs. We are fortunate to own some land and live where it is possible to do all this. We hope to add livestock, beekeeping, solar energy, and more to our lifestyle. I am a librarian and we both turn to books to fuel our interests. This collection would be so welcome to our family!

Unknown said...

This would be an amazing addition to help us along our Journey to live the life we dream of. We are a family of seven and we all think of how amazing it would be to live exactly like we want....more sustainable and off the grid. This would be awesome.....it would be great to know we had the resources at hand when we needed more information. We have been taking baby steps towards our goal with our flock of chickens, our rabbits and our newest addition of goats. We garden, but not as much as we would like and we preserve some of food again, not as much as we would like. Thank you for all your resources and wonderful books....

kitchensqueen said...

What an amazing library! It would certainly increase our knowledge and skill set to have reference guides and a few supplies to put to good use. While our dream is own a little acreage someday, we are doing our best to household where we are in suburbia. We grow and preserve as much of our own food as possible, DIY everything we can and try to be responsible in our use of fossil fuels and slowly-renewable or non-renewable resources. Our family philosophy is "it's not the destination, but the journey" and that homesteading isn't just about a place, it's a state of mind and a way of life.

Unknown said...

My husband and I bought our homestead last spring and we have so many projects on our lists to bring it up to where we'd like to be. Everything I've ever learned about homesteading, livestock and gardening has come from my dad, grandparents and books. Lots of books. I'm sure this collection of books would add a lot to our knowledge base.

Unknown said...

We started a garden this spring, and we had so many questions about all the different plants, bugs, and when to harvest that we were just lost.

Having all of these books would be a great help in the future, as well as canning. We had so many cucumbers we didn't know what to do with them and the kids LOVE pickles, but we didn't know how to go about starting to make pickles.

Our plan was to grow each year and incorporate farm animals, and having these books would take away the fear of owning animals we have never taken care of before.

Thank you for this contest!

Martha Waugh said...

I moved from the city to a rural area a few years ago and have been working at being more independent from commerce. I raise my own chickens for eggs and have learned to can my home grown vegetables. I'm very interested in learning more about self-sufficiency. This library would be such a big help in learning the skills I'm still lacking.

melonkelli said...

Though we live in the middle of a very urban area, we found a small home with a large yard. We are currently growing quite a bit of food, but we need to learn the ways of properly preserving the food that we produce. I would love to expand into keeping animals!

Unknown said...

I am a single dad raising two young children and am trying to teach them the importance of healthy and clean living as well as the importance of respecting food, nature and our planet. Winning this collection would help me gain more knowledge and allow me to better educate and raise my children.

Amanda said...

After two years living on a postage stamp lot, my husband and I have cooked up a big homesteading dream. While we've got two more years (and lots of Homeowners Association covenants to live by) in this place, these books would help us plan now to lay a strong foundation for our future homestead. The most fun is learning how much we can do on our tiny little lot: mushroom farming, heirloom tomatoes, everbearing strawberries, etc.

Unknown said...

My family and I are moving towards a more sustainable future, this includes raising our own food, making a lot from scratch and hopefully some day having chickens and a cow! I would love to read the homesteader's library!

Matthew Mitchell said...

I am currently gaining skills and knowledge so that I may be able to have a very sustainable home in the near future. I will be building my own home and trying to provide most of my own food including meat, eggs, honey, dairy, veggies, and fruit.

I also plan on using alternative means of energy: solar, wind, and water.

Eventually I would like to produce enough that I can sell the excess at the local farmers market to provide another source of local food to my neighbors.

This library would allow me to gain more information towards this goal without having to set aside money to purchase each item.

Carri Ann said...

Wow - what an amazing giveaway! My husband and I are slowly turning our suburban plot into a suburban homestead and trying to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. A lot of it has been done through trial and error, as neither of us grew up with parents (or grandparents, for that matter) who had any of these skills to pass on. Basically, we are learning it all from scratch! It's been an amazing experience so far, and we're determined that our son know as much of these skills as possible before he leaves home.

Lisa said...

I service low income housing and have been working with local extension agents to install a community garden. There has not been a community garden here since WWII. I have hit a roadblock with funding sources for the design. The library would help me design on my own.
I am also headed toward sustainability on my own homestead. I would like to install my own garden, rainwater collection, composting, power source from various origins, as well as reusing items for resale, conducting classes on reducing carbon footprints, canning, preserving, and minimalistic lifestyles.
I am a certified science educator who has 25+ years in the classroom as well as employment as an instructional designer and education reform consultant. I have recently authored my first book with NASA on nutrition in space.
These books would help me bring my dream to fruition.

Gaia Garden Girl said...

This prize package will enable our family to explore new ways to grow and produce our own food, use less energy and water and get back to a simplistic life. Most importantly, it will allow us to live healthier and save money!

Anonymous said...

After 7 years of trying to convince our local school, as a volunteer, I've finally have been able to start a school garden. (This after being told by many parents not to bother because things only grow in the summer and they didn't want to water and take care of the plants.) It seem to me that we need to start teaching all our children from the beginning, how to raise their own food, how to care for animals and how to respect nature. Even if the kids NEVER have their own farm, they should at least know about the foods they get from the farmers. 3 years ago I was taking a group of 6th grade science students through and orchard. One of them stopped to ask if they could pick apples to eat. This was at the end of May! She was so used to going to the store, she thought you could pick apples year round. I would like to use this collection to start a homesteading library at our school. This way our teachers would have the resources to suppliment our school garden. Hopefully as our small (5 large planter boxes right now) garden grows and we are able to expand the area we have, we can increase the basic knowledge that the next generation should have by the time they are adults. It is something we've lost along the way. Thank you for your concideration. Tammie Haley

Emily @Random Recycling said...

This library would be a wonderful gift to share with my children. The art of preserving will be lost if we don't teach it to the next generation. I would love the opportunity to show them the right way to preserve all the bounty growing in our garden.

Unknown said...

We are a homestead work in progress striving to not only teach ourselves, but share the knowledge and wisdom with others around us. Currently we are on property and seeking ways to use it wisely. Thank you for considering us..this library would not only help us, but be shared with families around us.

Anonymous said...

We bought a 7000 sq ft piece of property in the city last fall and everyone said I couldn't possibly grow enough veggies to feed my family of 4 adults for the season. Not only have I done that but I have also been able to help out a few others too! These books would help me prove to friends and family that I can and will be more self sufficient and provide for my family just as much as my husband who has a full time job!

Motherhen said...

Oh, I would love these books! We have been working towards self-sufficiency, but our family of 8 has outgrown our 2 acre homestead and we are hoping to buy a farm soon. We have learned a bit about homesteading, but these books would give us the knowledge that we will need to take that next step towards being fully self-sufficient! And they would be handed down to our 6 children, this knowledge could be shared with generations to come.

Sandi Ratch said...

There is so much to learn, I'd love to have this book collection to learn more about the gardening and partial self-sufficiency we have already started. You can find me at sandiratch@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Gosh this would be a huge help in our family. We've been expanding our veggie gardens and trying to be more self sufficient since moving out into the county. Would be so great to have this "library" to learn how to can, preserve and re-learn skills we thought we knew!

Traditionally Twisted said...

Homesteading is our dream and we, unlike most, are starting a bit later in life. We've got the land purchased, 20 acres, but it's 6 hours from our current home. We do what we can when we are up there and will be doing more "rustic" camping to get the orchard trees and nut trees in. We would truly love to have this collection to help us along on this journey. We are in our mid-50's and would like to see our dream come true and this would give us a huge headstart! Thank you for all your wonderful advice and publications. We get Mother Earth News and we have been wanting to attend the fair in PA the past 2 years, however we had our new grand-daughter to babysit while her momma went back to work and this year I have 8 five week old Wire-haired Pointing Griffon puppies that I'm raising. Thank you again.

Karen Ercolino said...

This would be so helpful to us. We live overseas and information in English is so hard to come by. Yes, there is the internet, but that's not so user-friendly when you're elbow deep in canning or composting! My goal is to turn our 1/4 acre lot into as self-sufficient a piece of land as we can for our family. This sure would help! Thank you for such a wonderful offer.

Sherrie said...

What an amazing giveaway! We've been doing more homesteading over the past couple of years, and will be moving from our house in town to the country, where we'll have some land, chickens, and a root cellar! This would be a great help as we transition. :)

Anonymous said...

I love books and I would love to own these books! We have a few acres but I just don't have the knowledge to make it what it should be. I want to have an orchard. I want to be able to have a book in my library to seek any questions I might have about it. There are other skills I would like to learn as well and these books would make it possible!

Anonymous said...

I love books and I would love to own these books! We have a few acres but I just don't have the knowledge to make it what it should be. I want to have an orchard. I want to be able to have a book in my library to seek any questions I might have about it. There are other skills I would like to learn as well and these books would make it possible!

kamra shaneck said...

I think the real question should be how would it not help me build my dream homestead, I love all of the old traditions that have stuck around through the ages canning, growing your own food(which i think a lot more people should do), and raising your own meat. I want to get where we are self sufficient for our food, no store bought meats with preservatives added to them, no apples dipped in wax just so they can be eaten at the wrong time of the year. I love the old way of life (which is ironic since im only 25) where if something wasnt ripe on the tree or you didnt can it you didnt eat it, I love teaching my children and our friends how to do things and i think these books would expanse my knowledge of the things i love!!

"C" said...

I have slowly been making my way into urban homesteading and am now considering moving to a rural area. These books would be an awesome asset to any library!

Boss Lady said...

this is probably the best giveaway i have seen.
How wouldn't this help my family on our journey to self-sufficiency with our homestead? Books to brush up on old skills. Books to begin new skills. Tools for both sets of skills.

Binky said...

Wow! This is fantastic! I am a reference book junkie, budding urban farmer (with a CSA coming next year!) and I would love to be able to offer better produce and products to my customers in my hometown and on-line.

Bring on the how-to reading!

Unknown said...

WOW!! this would be such a blessing!! My husband and I just purchased our first home at the end of March and had our first baby in June. We tried to do a garden this summer but were not successful, only had a few things here and there. We have quite a bit of space on our property to do a compost and a large garden but we just dont have the knowledge base on how to begin. It would save us so much money to beable to compost, grow and preserve our own food! we have been trying to become more green and self reliant, and we only buy local food; but to become more independant would be amazing and so much better for our new family. We are also super interested in raising rabbits and dairy goats and think it would be a great addition for our homestead in the making.
Thank you so much for the oppertunity to win this amazing package.
Best of luck to everyone. :)

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Unknown said...

WOW!! this would be such a blessing!! My husband and I just purchased our first home at the end of March and had our first baby in June. We tried to do a garden this summer but were not successful, only had a few things here and there. We have quite a bit of space on our property to do a compost and a large garden but we just dont have the knowledge base on how to begin. It would save us so much money to beable to compost, grow and preserve our own food! we have been trying to become more green and self reliant, and we only buy local food; but to become more independant would be amazing and so much better for our new family. We are also super interested in raising rabbits and dairy goats and think it would be a great addition for our homestead in the making.
Thank you so much for the oppertunity to win this amazing package.
Best of luck to everyone. :)

Kristi said...

I have been working on integrating more homesteading into my life these past few years. From growing my own garden to preserving to working with my former City Councilors on drafting an ordinance for urban chicken ownership! My children have started to have a good understanding of where their food comes from and make better choices in regards to food.

While I currently rent, my future plans for home ownership include living off the land as much as possible. This opportunity from Storey would definitely enhance all my plans!

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Unknown said...

My husband and I are currently trying to sell our home in South Carolina and paying off debts so we can buy something in Mississippi where we now live. He is a stay-at-home dad and I work full time. We are both in school right now. He will be an EMT and I am getting my PhD in English. Within 2-5 years, we hope to buy a small farm outright for about $50K (you can get them for that in MS) and begin our homesteading efforts in earnest. Being an EMT will allow my husband time to work at night and continue to take care of my daughter during day and later garden. For now, we maintain a small herb and veggie container garden and we do alot of research on what we want to do with our future homestead. These books who go a long way toward helping us plan but more importantly keep us motivated while we pay two mortgages and other various debts on one full time salary. It would remind us that better and more self sufficient days are comin'!

Nicole said...

Where do I begin? This win would be a huge help to my homesteading efforts. I recently started my own blog about those efforts at blogspot.ducttaperequired.com. I am a new mom and living more sustainably is so important to the health of my family, especially to my premature son. I not only want to provide him healthy food but to demonstrate another way to live. Hopefully this will inspire him to live sustainably and want to share that with other people. I am also a big reader and studying to be a librarian. I would love to be able to connect patrons to these wonderful resources so I can help spread homesteading in some small way. Of course, there are my own small dreams of owning a little bit of land, perhaps a few chickens, a token goat and lots of space to grow food. Not to mention including solar and wind in my home. I want to be the example...please help me to it!

AngelaMichellex said...

I would love to win this! I'm still young yet, but I've been scrimping and saving so I can buy a home when I finally move out. I want a home, I want to eat things from my own garden, I want to depend on myself and no one else.

Unknown said...

I would love to be able to inlude all these items to my bookshelves. Right now, I cruise the internet and try to put all the information into my memory for the what if times. I have raised chickens, turkeys, and ducks and think I may be ready for the four legged creatures but am still lacking a bit of confidence. I have a garden with salady type veggies and know that I really need to expand to canning and drying goods for the future. So far, I have tried my hand at pickles and salsa. These things are very good but don't make for a well rounded lifestyle. For me, I want a complete change in m,y life, with respect to the earth and my use of her. I strive to teach others and share the things I've learned. That is where these items would come in so handy. I would no longer need to rely on my limited filing system in my head! :) Please consider me for the prizes. I will be happy to share some of my journeys into self-suffiency the hard way.

Anonymous said...

We are just starting out and still learning what my grandparents knew and I simply took for granted. Now I could kick myself for not learning and listening! these books would mean the world to us!

Yvonne
Yvonne_paint@hotmail.com

Gardners53 said...

This library would be wonderful to help my family build a better quality of life. I think we would be more prepared for the worst while enjoying the best. We are currently putting our lives back together after a short job loss with nothing to fall back on. We look forward to enjoying the best that is to come. Tips tools and techniques are very important to reaching our goals of living the best life we can.

Kia Haynes said...

A good friend set me on the path to becoming a good homesteader. I am steadily learning things and getting better as I go, but I am still a work in progress. I would love to win this library and all the goodies that go along with it because I would like to become as good as my friend, my mentor, is and then, hopefully, be able to teach others the way she has taught me.

alke said...

Oh my word! This is a complete library!
I'm slowly learning the old crafts and I'm collecting books on the subject - in Europe. I would love to have such a treasure to start to teach others - using the knowledge I slowly build.....

Jenette said...

My homesteading education has been steadily growing but lacking in some major areas. My chickens are thriving after a setback from a neighborhood dog, and my garden is growing as long as you don't count the dwarf ears of corn. I just haven't quite figured out how to stagger the crop growth or preserve the food, which my friends and neighbors are quite happy with as they have been getting my extras. So, I need to jump on the wagon and get canning or freezing and figure out if I will be able to kull and process that cutie chick for dinner and a need to answer a question lingering in my mind, "Can I use any of that fur flying off my daughters rabbit? as I see her brushing it.

Jess Williams said...

This would be a great addition to our fledgling homestead. So many of those title cover topics that we hope to incorporate into our lives, especially keeping sheep and goats! We planted our first garden this year, and starting raising some chickens as well, but need to learn a ton more about preserving food, larger livestock, and herbal medicine.

Thank you so much for offering this contest, hope for some of these things is all that keeps us going sometimes.

mama appleseed said...

Yes! We would love this package! Not only will it help us on our homesteading journey, but also our little one who is at home with us, learning through life. As natural learners, this would be an invaluable resource for us and our children! Thank you! x

Liz Stabbert said...

I'm a total homestead noob ( I was really excited that I made jam :D and my small garden mostly failed :( ). A library like this would be absolutely amazing! And hopefully help me out of noob status! ;)

Michelle said...

Self sufficiency and simplicity - I so deeply admire these attributes. My grandparents were the first people to model the simple life for me. They had to live simply, fix things, and grow a garden out of necessity. I'd love to make them proud by producing and preserving more of my own food, living more naturally and having a small farm one day!

Noelle said...

WOW! That's a heckuva good list of books.

We recently moved from the burbs to a small acreage property in the country, in order to produce more food for ourselves. The list of tasks we want to accomplish sometimes seems overwhelming: vastly increase the annual garden area; put in a permaculture patch of perennial trees, shrubs and herbs; learn about and get chickens by next spring; learn how to preserve all of the above in an energy-saving manner; install rain barrels and drip irrigation by next summer; prep for emergencies, such as extended power outage or earthquake. Etc, etc. A good library would be most helpful!

Michelle said...

No matter how much I think I know, I realize on a regular basis how much I need to learn! I have chickens, meat rabbits, dairy goats, and gardens... but I know I could be doing a better job with all of them. And the canning/freezing from the garden - I want to learn MORE! Ever so hopeful about this fab book set....

Karin said...

Just picked my first batch of tomatillos; tomorrow we'll roast and freeze them. I'd can them except I'm clueless about pressure canning. I homeschool our tween in the burbs and self-sufficiency is how we show the neo-cons around us how patriotic it is to DIY (or with nice neighbors). This giveaway would seriously bolster our curriculum!

Unknown said...

What an exciting prize! My husband and I are settling in to our new land and learning lots of new skills, driving a tractor, building a chicken coop, caring for the chickens, canning, clearing land and soon building our own house. What better "landwarming" gift than a set of Storey guides and canning supplies! Our friends on the farm down the street will benefit from them as well! Happy farming everyone!

Mama E said...

Oh, wow! This is so timely. Just started our own little "farm" of sorts -- bought a house with 3 acres, have some chickens, just planted a cherry and peach tree and have big plans to expand the small raised beds in place here. Hoophouse in the work for a 4 season harvest (we hope) AND we just started homeschooling. You have no idea how lucky I'd feel to win this and add these books to our homesteading library. My children have pitched right in to help, too -- and my oldest just asked me how to can! Keeping my fingers crossed up here in Maine!

PamG said...

How would these help me? I am trying to pay off my bills and especially my stupid credit cards. So...along with all the other "dream" books I have...these would definitely help encourage me to get everything paid off so I can actually LIVE my dream!

simply living said...

For years we have maintained different parts of having a homestead with gardens, chickens, goats, horses, making jam, drying food, herbs, searching for free sources of free apples or plums, maintaining a kombucha culture. I am trying out the use of whey for culturing vegies (so far I don't care for any results yet). My daughter is also learning many new homemaking skills with a big garden (in it's 2nd year), chickens, goats, kombucha, cheese making, herbs, 4H, homeschooling, etc. I would love to have a comprehensive library of books and would share them with my daughter!
Thank you, Marcia

Lily said...

My husband and I are working on making our 1/4 lot a productive suburban homestead. We are learning as we go and, while I have a couple of these books, this set would round out our collection and give us a great reference library from which to learn!
We dream of one day having more land so we can expand our livestock and growing options.

Lizzie Bordello said...

I am slowly but surely converting my single city lot into my backyard farm. More and more grass is making way for food plants, and I have a designated "orchard" area, as well as the Berry Patch, along with, of course, the main vegetable garden. Bit by bit I am turning this place in the city into my country dream, as I convert lawn to food sources, along with supporting what I consider a healthy full ecosystem of local plants and wildlife.

Anisa/The Lazy Homesteader said...

Wow - what an incredible package! I would love to get my hands on this. Especially the books about preserving in ways other than canning (and for meat!), and for livestock other than chickens. What an amazing collection!
We are working towards self-sufficiency in the city, and are close to giving up the CSA share and just eating from our garden, but still have so much to learn. I really love blogging about what we're learning too so that I can pass on what we know and help others. Fingers crossed!

Lisa Brawner said...

I am learning to be self sustaining in my little plot of land in town. I raise a garden and just got couple of hens ..so many things i need to learn . Would love to get a goat and maybe even raise meat rabbits
YOU are so great to be having this giveaway . Books are such handy tools and a good library is a awesome tool

DianeVar said...

I have this dream of turning my little plot of land into the "Backyard Homestead"' just like the book. I won't be able to have all the aminals, but I will be able to grow most of my own food. I would like to lease some land to keep some animals. This prize pack would help me so much. I am starting with my gardens this fall, and plan to continue adding trees, bushes and raised beds for my little slice of heaven. I think it is so important for people to at least grow some things on thir land. That's what it's there for!

Amanda said...

My husband and I moved to the country a year and a half ago. We already have a gorgeous laying flock of hens, a 1200 square foot garden and perennial beds full of herbs. I'm planning to add two beehives and possibly rabbit to the livestock mix next year with an eye for a couple of goats the following year.

I'm a big fan of Storey books already. Even before I started my little homestead, I relied on Storey for information on food preservation, gardening and other sustainable practices.I've just started brewing this summer (mead, apple wine and blackberry wine!) and would like to learn more soon. My next goal is learning about meat curing. We have a fantastic source for local meat and I've become fairly handy with a smoker.

Books have been the best learning and reference tools for me all along my path. I love having a question and being able to put my hands on an answer from my own shelves.

Kristen Eaton said...

Wow! Thank you for holding this giveaway!

How could these books help me build my dream homestead? Well, when you don't have unlimited resources you have to make the best of what you have - and these books would give me the knowledge to do that. My dream is for my significant other and I to each have a tiny home (A "Compact Cabin"!), so we each have space alone to work on our projects and space to share, with the two buildings connected by a grape arbor. I look at this list of books, and I don't see a title we couldn't make use of - from composting to growing to harvesting to preserving, not to mention raising animals for meat, milk, wool - and even brewing some of our own refreshments. By putting by a little money at a time and storing up and making use of a lot of knowledge, even those of us with limited resources can realize dreams like these...

Anonymous said...

My husband and I recently bought an old ramshackle house out in the country on 10 acres. I grew up in the suburbs always begging my parents for a horse. They turned me down and I knew they were right-a horse would not be happy on 1/3 of an acre of mostly vertical ground! Now I have the chance to live out my homesteading dreams. We are turning our garden shed into a kitchen coop and are hoping to fence our property better and get some cows and sheep. These books would give us a great start!

Hannah. said...

After meeting as interns on a biodynamic farm, we started our own farm together this year as husband and wife. We have been leasing land and running a small, organic CSA in Kentucky - Rough Draft Farmstead - with chickens and rabbits and bees and lots of homemade wine. It has been a difficult year - mostly dealing with the longing for a place of our own where we could plant and grow and invest in a forever homestead. We just decided LAST WEEK to move back to Bugtussle, KY, where we met! and where we will be building an off-the-grid cabin and starting work on OUR VERY OWN piece of land with draft horses and spring water and solar power - our DREAM! SO many of these books would be helpful to us on our quest for sustainability! Thanks for a great giveaway, and for all the great information you publish!

Anonymous said...

how do i love your publishing company, let me count the ways!
this is a great list of goodies that would help us in our own journey as homesteaders and market growers. we host apprentices here on the farm as well. adding these timeless works to our growing library would help all of us in our attempts to live the life we all dream of and work towards. with thanks for the offer

lezlie said...

I would put these books to a very good use. We live on the homestead of my great-grandfather. Would love to continue to farm the land and pass it on to my children and grand children and these books will help me know how to do so many things to keep it in the family.

Anonymous said...

My wife and I moved out of town in 2003 and built a a home on her Grandpa's farm. It took a little while before the spirit of the farm would awaken in us. We are even seeking to increase that knowledge. This seems the perfect opportunity to impoer ourselves to take Fair Haven Farms to the next level. Our sparce landscape in 2003now has orchards and over 80 animals. We are always looking for ways to better utilize the small parcel of land that we have. Thanks for the opportunity.
brojasonmullins@yahoo.com

Coral McNabb said...

I live in Florida, and it's a dream of mine to start a homestead on the coast, raising everything from Gulf Coast Sheep to seaweed. I started my first garden after my best friend died, to create something new and beautiful to help fill the hole. A couple years later, I've added a big fish tank that will hopefully someday be replaced by a pond, and I've been studying up on all kinds of animals--even birds of prey! I would deeply appreciate this set of books, and put them to good use! lynxbrighteyes@yahoo.com

Shannon Hamner said...

We live in TX and have 3 boys. I have really started learning how to grow my own vegetables and my husband and sons love to hunt. I want to learn how to do a lot of things myself such as canning, making my own soaps and cleaners. I think learning how to homestead will be beneficial to my children and also instill a sense of satisfaction in doing something that is easily taken for granted. Plus the way the economy is right now, all of this information will come in handy to save money!

Dave said...

My wife and I are both autodidacts, and this collection of books is right in our happy place these days. In the past year we have started growing produce at the local community garden. We built and populated a chicken coop in our back yard. And both of us have developed a serious case of Barnheart. This wonderful collection of books and suplies would keep us very busy this winter, and would give us much to write about on our website. Thanks for the opportunity, and good luck!

rika said...

Goodness. I can hardly compete with others more deserving, but at least my story will prove how popular your books are:)

I'm the single, grown-up daughter of my house in suburbia and I'm currently the homemaker for 5 adults. I cook, clean, knit, spin, garden, dry, preserve, pickle, fix, sew, can, launder, and heal; but the job market doesn't want me.

I want a few acres, some sheep, bees, chickens, two apples trees, a big garden, a wood cookstove, and yellow curtains in my kitchen window.

I have a few friends who would help me, but we are all full of enthusiasm and not as full of knowledge. I read and I read, but still those books would be helpful to share among us.

Everybody's gotta have a dream.

Lanette said...

My husband has seven years left before he is eligible to retire from the Navy. After 20 years of constant moving and not being able to put down roots (literally AND figuratively), our dream is to return to family property and homestead. This library would enable us to really start preparing for life after the military.

Twisted Scrapper said...

In just a couple of weeks we will leave our old life behind to begin a new adventure. At first we will spend a few months in an RV, but plan to end up in Washington state owning our very own homestead. These books would probably make our chance of succeeding a lot greater.
Thank you very much for this chance.
Sincerely,
future homesteaders,
Ben, Rudy, and Inger (plus the zoo of 4 dogs and 3 cats, and hopefully chickens, a pig, cow, a couple of goats and sheep in the future).

Unknown said...

My family and I try to live off the land, but we could sure use these books to help us! I would love to be able to have a book to reference as we try to live a clean, honest and humble life. Thank you for the consideration.

nava said...

This prize package would be amazing, and not only help us but a bunch of our friends too! We live in a suburban area, and are slowly making our lot (we live in a duplex) into a productive garden and orchard. We've been learning from and sharing with several people in our city who are also working toward self sufficiency and these books would be a huge boon to all of us. The preserving supplies would be a huge help to my own family, as we are learning to make the most of the amazing food and shorter season we have here (PNW). Thanks for this opportunity!

Friar Dude said...

My wife and I and our 8 year old just got into our very first home together. It's a 100 year old house on a half acre in small town America. We have our first successful garden and we've started blogging about our experiences. Now we need to really know what we're doing. This nice little package would help us out quite a bit. Thanks for the opportunity!

Anonymous said...

We are hoping to find a minimum of ten acres & become completely self-sustaining. When my mom died, I didn't know how to can/grow/save anything. This would be a tremendous help to my learning curve. Several family members have food allergies, my niece (age 12) has severe Chrone's. We have seen the amazing difference in her health alone when we grow/raise everything organically. This would not just help one family but 3 families.

Chi said...

This would be an amazing aid in my family's quest to live completely off our land! Thanks for this opportunity! -The McVicker Family

Orla said...

(nursing a baby here so excuse the lack of capital letters)
living simply is my dream. we are getting there bit by bit. i planted my first garden while pregnant this summer. my older son was so excited with our first produce of beans and zucchini.
i want to be able to pass on these skills to my children, but first i must master them myself.
this prize would go so far to helping me on my way!

Lajanessa said...

I've bought and given away most of these books since the 1970's since I started urban homesteading. I would love to bring a complete set with me to my retirement finca (ranch) in Chile.

Tess said...

Delving more into this homesteading idea--the books would be a fabulous help!

Anonymous said...

We recently started to live off the land, unfortunately due to necessity, this is something I really wish we had done years ago. Another reason is my daughter has Adhd and our goal is to get her off the medication that she is on. I truly believe a life of non processed whole foods can do this. Winning this would give us a great start for a healthy and non medicated life. You have really given someone a great opportunity!!

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

Wow- great prize package! I would LOVE LOVE all of the books as it is all just a dream and a plan at this point for me.

KK

Elisha said...

This would be such a Blessing! We're getting there but we have so much more to learn!

Elisha said...

This would be a blessing! we still have so much to learn.

Amanda Rout said...

My husband and are poor. With a capital 'P'. I want to start to grow and preserve and stock food at home so we can eat well on our tiny budget. I recently came to this country from Canada to marry him and just it permission from the government to work. He is in the Army (National Guard) and just got off an active duty contract and we don't know if he's going to have a job at all after his last paycheque and we need to save money and I figure the best way is to grow our own food and save it. But I don't know where to start and we don't have money to invest in resources. I would love to have a shot with information hand picked by awesome people who actually know what they're doing! It would be a dream come true for me! Please! Thank you!

Tammy Herman Siko said...

I began my journey to a more natural life in November of last year, about a year after my Husband and I bought 12 acres of woods in Pennsylvania. It's been a long road trying to get the property ready for us to put a home on (we live in Ohio)and we still have a lot of work to do, but I just can't help but picture all the wonderful things I am going to be able do....gardening, canning, composting, rain barrels, raising goats, you name it, I have plans in my head for it! All new things that I have never tried before. I've already made the switch to natural and homemade cleaners and beauty products, and hopefully, with your help, the rest of this "Treehugger's" (as my friends so lovingly call me) plans will fall into place. Thanks!!

Mandi said...

Oh my goodness, this would be amazing! I am currently trying to plan how to turn our small city lot into the most self-sufficient space that I can! In fact, I just came home from the library tonight with more books on small space gardening, edible landscaping and 5 back issues of Mother Earth News!

Kylene said...

We have just purchased a 200 yr old, 1 acre homestead,in the country, after living in a rundown ranch next to a coal fired power plant. We have already began new lifestyle changes: eating organically, growing a small garden...our health has improved. My family would love this library to help us learn how to make the most of our 1 acre and learn to be self sufficient.

Tiffany said...

My story is called HOW CAN THESE BOOKS CHANGE MY LIFE?
3 years ago my life turned upside down. After 17 years in Horticulture, in one day it all ended. My Radial nerve in my right arm was crushed at work, resulting in the loss of function in my right hand. So after 5 surgery's I was told " you will never get to go back to what you did" then asked " What do you want to do"? After a long tantrum a question started to float up from the fog I was in. " How do I take what I love to do and turn it into something new"? You see, I live on 5 acres with my partner, 8 goats, 1 Llama, chickens,2 dogs and a house cat ( who's truly in charge) and have excelled in growing a stunning yard full of color, but not food. What I started to realize was that I could take my passion and funnel it into growing an organic veggie garden. So I started leaning, asking questions, swapping seeds, collecting materials from craigslist and stopped looking at the poop my herd was making as 'something to deal with' and started to see it as a pot of gold. This is the end of my first growing season, and I am proud. I was able to create a garden that feed us here and there well. The herd got most of the stuff because I am so new, but they never complained! I have much to learn, and it has taught me a new level of humility. After all, mama nature is in charge no matter what! I'm sitting here feeling in my heart that my injury is why I'm learning how to live more sustainably, to be more balanced with nature. Like I said I have a lot to learn, and these books would help me continue to change my life. Who ever wins, I want to thank you for offering this incredible gift! Stuff like this really can turn someones life around. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! Thanks, tiff

T-woman said...

It would be amazing to win all these wonderful books!!! We are in the process of growing/building our farm and being self-sustainable. We have five acres, and have expanded the garden this year and plan on expanding more this next year. Only have four fruit trees, need to do more of these. We are interested in solar power and wind turbine power to get off the grid! Thanks for the wonderful opportunity!

AdamsAntics said...

This is such a wonderful prize package! This would be perfect for getting the word out to friends, neighbors, family about the ease of being more self sustaining. Not to mention the giddiness I feel when I think of learning more towards our family's life mission - self sustainability. We began preserving the bounties of the seasons when we learned my now 5 year old son was living with severe anaphylactic food allergies. The safest way we knew how to keep him safe was to truly "know" where all our foods come from. We met our farmers and if we couldn't meet the farmer, we didn't eat it. So with time, those great farmers became inspirations to us - teaching us that we could learn to raise chickens (Gaining much knowledge from reading Chick Days many times over), tend an organic garden, cook our food from scratch, compost all our produce waste with vermicomposting, all while raising 3 elementary age kiddos and working 2 full time jobs. We have made incredible strides and our kiddos have learned more than we ever dreamed. We are thankful to be able teach hard work, thankfulness, and knowledge... all while living in suburbia. We are not "the norm", but we are the movers and shakers of the community. With these resources, we could help others gain confidence to join us on our journey of getting back to natural living. With a prize pack of this value, it only makes sense to share it - after all it take a village to raise a family and it takes Storey Publishing to help us succeed the first time!

The Rustic Cabin said...

What a great offer and chance to win much needed information. We have 5 acres but are looking to expand. We have chickens, ducks and just got meat rabbits. In our quest to become self sufficient we are looking forward to getting a milk goat, raising one hog per year and having bees next spring. We had two gardens this year both organic and I am working on putting up as much food as I can with as little waste as possible. I am currently replacing (as needed) electric devices with solar ones and am switching to manual items rather than electric ones. I think it is time for everyone to do what they can to alleviate the stress on our earth and try to become as self sufficient as they can. I am doing my best to get to where Id like to be, and these books would help me greatly, not to mention the other wonderful items you are offering. PEACE and GOOD LUCK to all!

Tomara said...

I am just starting over with most of these things, haven't done in years. I am working on getting my kids and I off grid and giving them the childhoods they should have instead of growing up in a city where they can't just go outside and play. Also love to be with nature and want my kids to learn and appreciate what god gave us instead of material objects. These books would help me gain knowledge to share with my kids and my mom and provide us all with a better life.

Kathleen said...

Amazing giveaway! We have multiple fruit trees in our (rental) yard and are starting to learn how to care for them and preserve their fruit (and give it away to food banks!). Would love to learn how to can but am definitely needing references to do so safely. I'd also be canning veggies from my garden. Thank you!

Garlic Girl said...

While I come from grandparents who were farmers, my dad and husband were career military. My mom passed on what she could while we were on the move and I planted a little garden spot wherever we were stationed, even in Germany. Now we're retired and I want to learn EVERYTHING. I've found that I can teach myself to do most anything if I have a good book to follow so this library would be amazing to have, not only for myself but to use to teach others. Thanks for this contest and the possibility of winning this great package of gifts.

Unknown said...

We have lived and grown food on our 3 acres for 30 years. We are just starting to raise animals. This package sounds awesome!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Well, I have been collecting information for years now and each time I think I have it all under control the hard drive on my computer crashes, This happened 3 times in just two years, yeah I know back it up, I did, that went to. I could never but all those books with cash, that just could happen any time soon. So any way I think I finally found the land I have been searching for now I have to pay for it so I will finally get to build my natural home.Not much longer I am thinking. This is a pretty great thing your doing, where it's me or someone else, It's a great thing your doing here.. 2 thumbs up for you guys...

Unknown said...

I'm just getting started in homesteading and have yet to learn the ropes, these books will be a total lifesaver! I learn far faster from books than I do listening to explanations, and I could absolutely use the extra info to make the most of my limited space and extremely limited funds. My square-footage garden needs all the help it can get, and it will give me a leg up when I finally get my dream farm I've been saving up for. Please please please I need these books! I don't even know how to can!

Jill said...

After 3 years of hard work, 8 families finally moved into their new cohousing community. I am part of one of those families. It took so much (so much more than I ever expected) to get here and living here has been incredible.

We have been here just about a year now. It's now time to move away from our focus on building our small, energy efficient homes and towards creating a community homestead. We are dreaming of things like community gardens, shared orchards, edible landscapes, cob ovens, chickens, goats, and brewing beer!

Today we harvested 25 pounds of plums from our one small, but fruitful, plum tree to make wine. Only one of us has done this before but we are all learning.

These books would become a part of our common library - a resource we could all use while working together to continue building this amazing community.

Evonne Smulders said...

Wow, I sure could use this! I live in a rural community where 52% of the population get in cars and drive over an hour to the city to work. We are building a test urban farm on our 1/2 acre lot. We are also building a lending library one book at a time as we can afford them. What a boost this would be to the lending library and the reeducation of our community.
Thank you so much for this offering!

healingbasketherbs said...

Would love a chance to be the proud owner! Information , in your hand, that you can refer too, without being an internet detective... would be a great blessing! With knowledge comes skill..... and with work.... a better, balanced life........

Amanda said...

My crunchy journey began a little over two years ago when my sister handed me a nice cold glass of raw milk and said, "Here, drink this." At that point in time I never even knew that a person could drink raw milk. I mean, it was RAW milk. From a cow. People die from drinking that stuff right? I was sure it would kill me too (or at least land me in the hospital for a few weeks!) but I drank it. To my surprise it was good. Not only was it good, it was really good. From that moment on I was hooked. I began learning more and more about what real food really was. I have read everything that I could get my hands on about the truth of what is actually good for us, where I could get it and finally how I could make it for myself. Currently, I have two chickens who leave me some nice little surprises in their nesting boxes every morning for breakfast and a few small garden beds producing enough veggies to get me by but I feel as though I have barely scratched the surface of all the things that I have to learn. Someday in the near future I hope for my husband and I to move out of our nice suburban neighborhood to start a real farm where we can grow to become truly self sufficient. Maybe I will even start producing Raw (!) milk. :)

Kendal said...

Whoa! This is a great giveaway, and there are so many entries here that would obviously benefit from the prizes. We don't have a lot of land, or even a home of our own - my daughter and I are living with my mother for the time being - but this year we dove into planting and harvesting in a little spot in the backyard. My daughter is obsessed with gardening, and I'm learning as I try to keep up with her energy - she is a driven 4 year old. Next year we intend to expand our garden and start keeping chickens. Would love to win these books to learn pickling, canning, chicken keeping, and beyond. Way beyond.

Mollie.Von.T said...

As much as I would love to say that this would affect me and my family in a huge way I simply can't. The reason is because with this information I can help educate hundreds if not thousands over the course of several years.Since my first foray into homesteading a few years back I have sought to research and document as much as I could to pass on to any and everyone who would listen. slowly but surly I have been able to not only affect the lives of those around me but I have been able to help those around me affect the lives of the many around them :) It is my hope that you will find me worthy of such a gift as this library knowing that it will be used to inform and educate the masses :)

Akannie said...

We have a small piece of land in the country for 7 years now. We have 8 gardens, fruit trees, berries and are trying to do everything we can to be self reliant. We have chickens for eggs, haven't tried raising meat birds yet, but it might be on the horizon. We have learned a lot by trial and error and are always looking for new ways to make our little place here on Honeysuckle Hill as self sufficient as possible. I grow about 75 % of the food we eat and can and dry and freeze as much as I can.

This would really be a great help to us, and I love that there are so many entries! I teach some workshops a few times a year at our local ecological center on canning and preserving foods as well as cooking..I really believe that sharing as much information as I can with others who want to learn it is the best thing I can do.

I was an early subscriber to the MEN back in the 70's and am still, when I have the extra money. I have been living this way of life for a long time....

Thanks for considering me.

Becky said...

Since I am a complete novice at all of these things it would be a great place to start!

Emilyplays said...

We are so in need of the information, inspiration and help this would provide! Our little family lives on a quarter acre in lot somewhere closer to urban than suburban. We have four lovely hens, from who we get about 1 egg a day (help!). Our garden is about 900 square feet and is currently only producing volunteer ornamental gourds, which my husband insists are edible and keeps cooking for dinner (help!). We're currently sporting one rain barrel, although I'm pretty sure it is mostly a mosquito hatchery at this point (help!). I'm not hooking up the second one without a mosquito abatement plan in place. As you can see our hearts and hands are willing, but apparently our minds are a bit weak. We could use an infusion of tried and true homesteading smarts!

* Mandy * said...

I'm a total newbie, and most of the time I'm just winging it!! I wasn't passed down any valuable homesteading tricks and secrets, nor did I even know people still did this today until a year ago! I am hungrily eating up any and all information I can get my hands on, but I need guidance in even what to read that is full of GOOD info. My parents, my kids, and myself, are planning on moving to acreage together. Right now we live separately in the city. We are planning to full-on homestead when we move, but we seriously need help. I'm learning as I go, and I have to teach my kids and my parents. Books would be VERY helpful to share info. Thanks for a wonderful giveaway!!!

Jessica Raav said...

Simply put: To help me along in my goal to become a better person and human being in my personal life as well as my community

Anonymous said...

I'd use it to help live more sustainably and locally.

lilacknits said...

My husband and I sold our too large house, too small yard property in the suburbs in order to have the opposite (small house, big yard) in Denver, Colorado. We will be moving in this weekend and have BIG plans for our homestead that include an organic garden and chickens along with a healthy dose of recycling and sustainable living. This prize package would certainly help us along our way!

freshnwild said...

Oh My!! My friend and I are in the shoestring start-up phase of a small-scale food and agriculture program in a lower income community and would LOVE the opportunity to share these resources with others. What a fantastic learning library. Thanks for the opportunity. Laura Cole

Fiona, Inner Pickle said...

My husband and I moved our family to a small holding of 18 acres at the beginning of last year. My father, a retired dairy farmer, has labelled our ensuing escapades involving accidentally pregnant pigs, foxes in the henhouse and some of the strangest looking homegrown vegetables know to humans, as 'fiasco farming'. Obviously we need help. Storey's professional help would be gratefully, gratefully received.

Unknown said...

As soon as I leave the military I could hit the ground running on my planned little-ish homestead. Every article I read adds a new item to the to do list on how I envision my little nest. Having some books on hand to impart some how to's and knowledge would be sooooooooo helpful

Peg Graham said...

I belong to the Virginia Urban Homesteaders League and I would actually have a 'library' to share with the other members if I won this. I would sooooo love to win this now!

LJN said...

Cicero said "If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need."

I have a garden and a homesteading library that I am slowly building. This prize package would put me closer to having "everything I need"...

As my family continues on our path to self-sufficiency by raising chickens, growing and preserving our own organic foods, and re-skilling we have found there can never be enough reference materials in our library.

erin @ from city to farm said...

Canning! Bees! Rabbits! Sheep! Grass fed cows! So basically I'd have the library to try out anything my little homesteading heart desires on my 22 acres. Yes please!!!

Todd and Dina said...

First off.. Thank you for making this possible for all of us! Good luck!

I would LOVE the chance to win this so that I can become more confident in my skills and be better prepared to give classes in my church for others to learn more about this.

Thank you again@

KellyK said...

Oh my!! What an amazing collection of books and goodies. My family is growing (I am newly pregnant with my 2nd child) and I want to raise my family with homesteading values. Not only is it a way for me to save money at home in order to be able to work less and spend more time with my children (working on preserving, gardening, building, creating alongside them instead) but it also allows me to instil values of saving resources in the community beyond our small family. I have been working to build garden beds, preserve, and make as much as possible from scratch while my family has lived in the San Francisco Bay area, but it has been a challenge since we have been moving so often. I am so excited to be relocating in several months to a my hometown in rural Northern California where we will finally be able to put down some roots (we are planning on staying there for good). I am very excited about setting up our little homestead, hopefully including chickens and definitely including a major food garden. Although my temporary gardens in our last 3 homes have taught me a lot through trial and error, I would benefit enormously from all these valuable resources. I would love to be able to share these resources with my new (but familiar) community as a well of building connections and an extended homesteading tribe.

amy j said...

Yes please! We NEED these! We are just starting our adventure of gardening, preserving and removing ourselves from the grid. And in our little cottage we want to build bookshelves into EVERY room! These would get LOTS of use!

Kat said...

We live in a small townhome with a tiny back yard, yet we have chickens and raised beds for gardening. My friends are always amazed by the amount of food I raise in such a small space. I'm saving to hopefully purchase a small piece of land and build a home and barn and gardens. My children are completely on board with the plans and are so active in helping with what we are able to do now. There are rarely complaints about the extra work involved and they have been begging to get pigmy goats! What we aren't able to provide for ourselves, we source from local farmers and the farmer's market. I learned to can food from my Grandmother, and feel that providing food as close to the Earth as I can is the best way to care for my family until we are in the position to be more self sufficient. The library offered is a huge step in the direction I want to go. I see so many titles there that I have been drooling over! It would be a dream to have them.

scarlett1110 said...

We have 6 children and have always gardened and picked local produce to preserve. We are now getting ready to move from the city into the country on a few acres. We will now be able to do the things we have only been dreaming about, such has having a small orchard, larger garden, raising chickens for meat and eggs, and our children will both be able to be safer with room to run. We are both excited and nervous as we haven't done some of these things and have only read about them. These library of books will give us the knowledge to be able to do the things we have only dreamed of and possible more things. Thank you for the chance to make our dreams come true.

Mama said...

Awesome! If I won, I would donate everything to the MITCH Collective a new local nonprofit encouraging creativity & sustainability in the Uppper Ohio Valley. After I read everything, of course. Wouldnt that be so cool? Thank you, Erin

Unknown said...

As a military family, we are used to moving around alot. Now that we are finally settling down, we have the opportunity to homestead and be a bit more in charge of our home and food. We currently live in Nevada where it is difficult to homestead. But having a larger yard in Las Vegas where we can have chickens, a garden, and spend time pursuing our homestead hobbies of soap making, knitting, and a more DIY lifestyle is huge goal for us, health and pocketbook-wise. Hey, if you can do it in Vegas, you can do it anywhere!

Unknown said...

The Complete Homesteader's Library would help serve as an invaluable resource if I were to win this contest.

While I have unlimited access to the internet, there are many in our communities that are not able to be exposed to such valuable information at their fingertips.

I would utilize this library to help educate individuals in the Light of Life Rescue Mission. A program that focuses on helping to teach life skills for those who participate in the program. Teaching men, women, and children about homesteading can not only provide them with valuable and attainable skills, but also provide affirmation of an independent lifestyle.

The many facets of traditional skills and knowledge that this library provides would create an unmatched level of exposure that would make Inside Storey proud - a platform to educate for generations to come!

Megan said...

This is an awesome giveaway!!

I'd love to put these books and tools to work on my new farm in New Jersey!! Sign me up!!

<3

Anonymous said...

I am new to the idea of homesteading. I am looking at doing less taking and more giving to this earth we call home. I have multiple issues with my health and believe many of them are related to the foods I eat. This library, for very selfish resons, will help on that path. Thank you for helping me to make a difference. A New Convert!

Jim and Paula said...

Getting closer to retirement, my husband and I, both "farm kids" just moved to a farmette, where we will be returning to our roots. We will be raising a couple of cows and pigs, as well as chickens for eggs. We will be planting a garden to serve our needs. The books would refresh and enhance our skills and knowledge. This package would be put to good use by a couple who enjoy this way of life!

Donna said...

Wow ,,,what a offer,,,thats a constant supply of information each day to use on your homestead! Very impressive. Odd how I received this information on my facebook page today and this very morning I signed up for Mother Earth news magazine from Valumags! Should receive my first one in 6-8 weeks! Would love love love to win this and share the magazine subscription with my brother.Mother Earth news covers so many things I cherish and want to accomplish,,raising chickens, goats, gardening,, frugal tips being more self reliant. Thanks again for this contest!!

Lizanne Eastwood said...

I have recently bought my first home, complete with a huge established garden, vineyard and orchard. This library would help me on my way to creating a true urban farm, smack dab in the middle of the beautiful small town of Grand Forks, BC. As a programing librarian I am trying to connect our library to the farmers that grow our food and the young families that want to learn old techniques of canning, brewing and becoming more self-sufficient. If I win this library I will share it far and wide with the citizens of our town. Thanks for the opportunity!

Jes said...

This would be so awesome! We are currently raising pigs and chickens but want to add to our "herd" next spring. If our daughters have their way, we will be adding goats!! I have borrowed the Storey's books from the library but it seems like something always happens after they are returned. It would be great to have a set here to refer to. I've also got a small canning obsession. There isn't nearly enough time in the day to do everything I want to do! I know canning isn't for everyone but I do try to educate as much as I can that there really is something for everyone! Thanks for the consideration.

My tangled path... said...

This would be a great learning opportunity for us! We moved out to the country a few years ago so our children would be more connected to the food they eat (growing veggies raising our meat ect). I do in home childcare and love teaching my "city" kids about the joys of country homesteading life. They learn to bottle feed babies and do farm chores as soon as they can follow us out to the barn! My husband, kids and I would love spending this long winter reading up on all of the skills we will need for a successful homestead. And we can pass that knowledge on to the little ones I care for! Thanks! Tori

Lori Hansroth said...

I grew up reading my mom's Foxfire books and dreamed of having my own homestead where I could do things the "old-fashioned" way. Now, I'm in a position to start building that dream and to share it! My sisters and I are all avid do-it-yourselfer's and are always on the lookout for how to best care for our families. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that my dreams are starting to come true but it's an even more amazing feeling that I can share what I learn with my friends and family!!

goodkarma said...

Almost every single one of these books are already on my to-read list. And some have already been devoured as we've been creating our homestead on a large-ish lot in town. We are utilizing more of our space every single year and are planning for chickens next year. These books would all help us get to our goal much sooner. And I'd love to be able to share the few that I already own with other budding homesteaders.
Thank you so much for this amazing giveaway!

Unknown said...

We are just finishing up the construction of our new passive solar home. It will be primarily heated by the sun, but we do have a back up wood stove. We have 53 acres on which to establish our homestead! I grew up on a farm, but as a kid I wanted to get away from the rural lifestyle. I resisted learning to can, bake, cook, and garden. Now I am wishing I would have been more attentive!

My husband grew up in the burbs, so he has little experience with gardens, animals, and food preservation. He and my dad have built our house from the ground up, so we aren't afraid of hard work and getting our hands dirty.

We have a 2.5 year old son and a new little one due this winter. We want our children to grow up knowing exactly where their food comes from. With all the scares of food recalls and GMO s, we are so happy we made the transition to a local organic diet a few years ago. My son has been super healthy and we attribute it to our lifestyle choices!

We plan to have large gardens, an orchard, bees, dairy animals, laying hens, meat birds, and my husband dreams of a vineyard. This library of books would be wonderful in helping us start our homesteading journey!

Gertrude Pickle said...

Currently we raise chickens, ducks, and turkeys. We are hoping to get a few goats in the spring for milk and cheese. also hoping to finally get that garden in next year. these books would be a great help in my dream of having a small homestead

Nichole said...

Awesome! In the coming years I will get my farmhouse and all this knowledge would come in handy. :)

Joy said...

Oh please pick me!

These books and products would give us hope that YES! we will have our homestead, it WILL happen, though we're in a low patch right now. A few months ago, we were so close to buying our homestead, but all our efforts and agreements fell through and finally we had to quickly move into an apartment (because our house lease was up). Now we're struggling to come up with the downpayment money again as many unfortunate issues have come up (including health problems).

But as we struggle to save against the odds, we're still gardening on our balcony and making our own laundry soap. These books and products would help me to find out what more I could be doing to prepare for our homestead in these dark, sometimes depressing, days.

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