Of all the times to be living off the land, I think that today is the most exciting. Savvy farmers who came before us and the modern homesteaders of today have paved the way for today’s backyard farmers who have even the most modest amounts of land. Families that are drawn to farming, looking for better nutrition and excellent flavors, find that it’s no longer necessary to have acres of land to reach their goals.
We’re incorporating small-space techniques such as vertical gardening to grow our vegetables—which allows us to grow in the narrowest places. Experimenting horticulturists have brought us petite-sized fruit trees compared to its full-sized cousins, which offer a delicious bounty in a miniature landscape. There’s been a renewed interest in keeping livestock such as dairy goats, chickens, and rabbits.
The backyard farmers of today enjoy all the good parts of growing, raising, and harvesting their own food—along with other necessities—without the fear of a potentially dangerous new land, or the physical hardship that farmers of the past endured. In general, we’re more independent due to advanced modern technologies.
It’s a powerful thing to realize that we can actually provide the basic necessities for ourselves and our families. Yet rising food prices, control of the chemicals that we consume, plus farm-fresh goodies are only a part of the picture. Self-reliance and handicrafts feed our souls. I believe this sense of empowerment spills over into the rest of the areas of our lives and gives us hope and happiness. Of course, at the very core of it all is the pure joy of being able to offer these things to our family and friends—it’s perhaps the sincerest act of love.
Americans are waking up, becoming wiser, healthier, and taking a more hands-on approach to self-reliance. Many are pleasantly surprised to notice that in their search for a more self-reliant lifestyle, they are more like their farming ancestors than they may have thought.
With her commonsense strategies and step-by-step guidance, Angela England brings you a book that will inspire you to plant, raise, build, harvest, make, and preserve home-grown bounty from your own backyard…all in an acre, more or less.
—Chris McLaughlin, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Small-Space Gardening and Vertical Vegetable Gardening (A Living Free Guide)