cover image The City Homesteader: Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage

The City Homesteader: Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage

Scott Meyer. Running, $20 (272p) ISBN 978-0-7624-4085-6

Whether readers want to simply grow some basil for pesto in a window box outside their apartment or build their own chicken coop, former Organic Gardening editor-in-chief Meyer (Grow Your Own Giant Sequoia) shows city-dwellers how to enjoy fresh herbs and farm-fresh produce without owning an acreage%E2%80%94or even a yard. Under Meyer's tutelage, readers will learn how to make homemade cheese and yogurt, grow a litany of herbs and preserve them for use throughout the year, compost with confidence, and more, all with minimal investments of time or money. Urban homesteaders with a little more green space and gumption will appreciate tips on beekeeping (including a DIY beehive) and rabbit-raising, but the vast majority of the book is centered around practical, useful applications like homemade pickles and green tips such as using baking soda to clean tubs and toilets, and how to make your own flystrips (duct tape and honey or maple syrup). Even if readers never get around to building that chicken coop or take up goat herding (stick with females; males can get loud and stinky) they're sure to find a couple useful applications in this concise and readable guide to getting the most green out of small spaces. (May)