A rational approach to self-sufficient living. What's it all about? ; The new self-sufficiency: doing without ; The philosophy of self-sufficient living ; Bloom where you're planted ; Your homestead business -- The kitchen: heart of the homestead. Scratch the itch to cook from scratch ; Conservation in the kitchen ; The well-stocked pantry ; Look what I made! -- The self-sufficient gardener. Gardening fundamentals ; The dirt on garden soil ; What's your (garden) type? -- How does your garden grow? ; Tools of the trade ; Saving seeds ; Adam and Eve did it -- Meat, milk, and eggs. The truth about meat ; Chickens in your backyard ; Raising rabbits for food ; Dairy goats ; More small livestock -- Shelter and its appurtenances. Self-sufficient shelter ; Cool ways to keep warm ; Your water footprint ; The conservation of energy -- A plan for the future. Looking back, moving forward ; Let your imagination soar.;You long to live a more self-reliant lifestyle, less dependent on fast food, consumerism, and other undesirable aspects of modern civilization. How do you begin to change your corner of the world without giving up everything you know and love?