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Again, great questions. Here's a video I did on hugelkultur a bit ago. I don't recommend going to my website at the moment though because it's been recently hacked and I'm working on cleaning it up. The youtube video will be fine though. Check out that video, if you have more questions, feel free to ask.

You can do the flat raised bed idea, and I did the same last year, but I believe you will get more benefit from doing the piqued hills.

Grey water collection and rainwater harvesting are excellent ideas. I don't know if you could make use of it, but here is a super cool idea for a ram pump which requires no external input other than elevation change. Other than that, I don't know much about water tanks.

One really cool thing I've seen used is where people dig a trench under their garden and bury weeping tile in that trench which snakes around their garden. Then they connect that weeping tile to their downspout from there gutters and when it rains, they get a massive deep soak in their garden.

Swales are a fantastic thing to think about as they will help keep water on your land. Swales mixed with heavy mulching are a huge force in keeping your land irrigated. Check out greening the desert for more on that.

As for the PDC, you don't even have to pay for it. I googled free online PDC and found this.

http://www.permaculturedesigntraining.com/

If you want to learn more about it, there are amazing books which can help.

Gaia's Garden and Sepp Holzer's Permaculture

That's awesome that your SO is taking that course. She'll probably learn some really cool sustainable farming things.

Also, check out http://www.permies.com. There's tons of info there, and super amazing people who are very helpful.

All of the posts so far are great. I would also suggest to anyone with less space, look into miniature or smaller breeds of certain livestock, possibly. There are quite a few books on working to get more out of small plots when it comes to gardening and farming. Rotational grazing and other wise pasture management can help you get the most out of your space without turning it into a manure-coated moonscape! There are many more, but here are a few of my favorites to homesteaders starting out. Others have already mentioned some I really like as well.

Desert or Paradise - Sepp Holzer
*Sepp usually works with larger tracts of land, but his methods and ideas often still apply to smaller scale.


The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It - John Seymour This one talks about a variety of DIY homesteading things. It also gives some basic layout and space allocation ideas for different sizes of homesteads. They're a suggestion, not an absolute template. Customize to your needs as with everything.



The Resilient Gardener - Carole Deppe Carole discusses growing the majority of food for her and her flock of dual-purpose (meat and egg) ducks. She's also a scientist and shows ways to work more efficiently. She has a couple other great books and sells seeds when she has extra. Her method of growing certain types of garbanzo beans to pop into a nutty treat is something I'd like to try. http://www.caroldeppe.com/

Also check out this site. They grow quite a bit on a well-tended suburban-size lot. It's about 1/5 an acre.
http://urbanhomestead.org/

Hey Satchkey, don't despair... there is hope and a way to fulfill your desires!

A year ago today I was 31 and still living in Ottawa (the capital city of Canada) working a desk job in an office cubicle for the federal government. I had felt exactly as you do for years, wanting to get away from the masses of people and get back closer to nature and capture that feeling that I also had whenever I went hiking or camping.

Fast forward to today. I still work the same job for the federal government, but now I work from a home office. This allowed me and my fiancee to buy some land and move (last July) back to my home town in the mountains of northwestern British Columbia (on the west coast of Canada). I bought 6 acres of land with a small (850 sq foot) cabin on it with outbuildings and we have been living the dream ever since. We had enough time last summer and into fall to build a chicken coop and we have a small flock of 9 birds that provide us with ~4 eggs/day. Just this last weekend we went up to the woodlot and starting cutting some trees down to chop up for firewood for next winter (the cabin is heated by an old fashioned wood cookstove). We're getting ready to plant a big garden this year and we're also finalizing plans to construct a hog pen this year so that we can raise a couple pigs for meat.

All this is to say that it can be done... if I can do it, anyone can.

On to your question about material! This is how I started formulating my dream into reality as well, and I can honestly say that of the MANY MANY books that I have bought, the one that I go back to fairly often is John Seymour's Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It. This book has the basics for everything you mentioned, and more. I highly recommend that you start there, and if you have any more specific questions or topics, feel free to ask and I'll let you know any other books I might have on the topic (I have a LOT).

Good luck, and keep striving for the dream! Despite what some might say, it is attainable. I even still have internet and can game online with my buddies like I always did! You don't have to trade in all the luxuries of a modern life just to have a simpler one!

I would really like to reccommed the book linked here: book. I used this book to select my country property and used the sample contracts to make my own contract. We bought our country property and house without a buyers or sellers real estate agent. I actually found our dream place by stopping to ask for directions to a listing. I visited with the 90 year old farmer and he said he was interested in selling his place, but had just never got around to listing it yet. The title company I hired to do the title work was the only expense and they covered the closing for us. I figured I saved thousands in commissions and bought into equity. The farmer said he wanted a family to love the land as he did, and his kids were not interested in country living. He gave me his price, and when the appraisal exceeded his price by 30%, he said he was still happy with his asking price, as we were "the right family" for the land.
This book covered so many things I hadn't considered when looking to country properties (easements, well flow rates, zoning, etc.) it's really a good start to getting your homestead going.

Good luck!

This book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602399840/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1602399840&linkCode=as2&tag=theprescat-20

covers that subject in good detail. It's not perfect, but it is a good start for someone just starting out.

I will say that if you're looking to 100% self sufficiency, you're going to need approx 1/4 to 1/2 acre (around 10 to 20 thousand square feet) of land. Your entire space is 1200 square feet. Planted intensively with an eye to crops that produce a lot of food per area planted, you could provide a very large harvest that would feed you for a good part of the year, but I don't think you're going to get to full self sufficiency in that space unless you become a true expert at it.

At first, I would suggest 6-12 laying hens and a rooster. Choose a dual purpose breed that can also be a meat bird. Consider hatching eggs periodically, keep whatever hens you deem necessary to maintain your flock, and butcher the rest. You'll need a decent sized coop and run (unless you can free range) and you'll need a quarantine area to keep young birds so they aren't beat up by older birds in the run. I'd guess you'll never have more than 25 birds at a time (12 hens 1 rooster and 12 birds to butcher when mature), and if I was doing it that would mean about a 150 sq foot coop with a run about 4 times that size. All food and garden scraps are chicken food. Compost is made in the chicken run, need to feed the chickens and whatever is left over is compost covered in chicken manure.

Focus on calorie dense foods, especially root crops and things that can do a second or third planting in a year. Potatoes, carrots, etc are great, they store well and provide a lot of calories per square foot of space.

Some thoughts anyway. It's really a matter of fine tuning efficiency. I've been working towards similar goals for 4 years now and I'm nowhere near where I wish I was.

There's really no such thing as a "best state" for homesteading. There's just too many factors involved, some of which work against each other, and there's personal preferences also. What's perfect for one person would suck for another. Personally I think most states east of the Mississippi will work just fine--just avoid places with a whole lot of local laws and codes and regulations that will make your life real hard.

And climate is only one small factor among many that you need to consider. Cost of the land? How much can you afford? How will you make a living? Commute to work? How's the local economy? The local government and regulations and fees?

The viability of homesteading can vary a lot not just within a state but also within a single county, or even between adjacent parcels, due to deed restrictions and local conditions such as one property is on a flood plains and the adjacent one isn't. Stuff like that.

Take your time researching all this. No need to hurry. Laws are going to matter, so will land and living costs, and your ability to generate sufficient income in a given area.

I suggest you start with your library and with amazon, look into books on homesteading and on how to find and buy a place in the country.

Two books I particularly like:

How to Find and Buy Your Place in the Country.

and

Country Property Dirt Cheap

"Place" is extremely thorough and detailed, will help you avoid a lot of pitfalls. I found it an overwhelming and somewhat discouraging read, t hough--but it has important information I found in no other book.

"Dirt Cheap" is my favorite of all the "how to move to the country" books. It's an autobiography of a guy who did it, on not a whole lot of money. Talks a lot about his journey, the things he tried, what worked for him what didn't. Fantastic tips. Lots of adventures and surprises--and it left me feeling very heartened and encouraged. He found his place and loves it. He made me feel I could do it too.

And I did. Finally got out of the city for good just a year ago. I researched it for years before I found and got my little piece of paradise. It feels real good.

Depends on the food item and your infrastructure.

Drying is good for a lot of fruits and for herbs and such.

Cold storage. We have multiple freezers. A stand up 23 cu ft, a 19 cu ft chest plus the regular fridge freezer and the freezer on the back/beer fridge in basement. We have been buying half pigs and half or 1/4 cows for the freezers and we freeze a lot of vegetables. Sweet corn does really well frozen, so do a lot of the squashes and green beans.

Canning. Canning does quite a lot of foods. There are two types, pressure canning and water bath canning. The water bath canning is for high acid, high sugar, low risk foods like jellies and most tomato sauces if prepared correctly. Pickling is also usually water bath. All the low acid, higher risk stuff goes in a pressure canning systems.


Root cellar storage. Cool/cold room storage. If you have access to the right conditions, this is a great way to store lots of stuff like potatoes, carrots, beets, etc.

Some sources to get you started:
The starter book that is indispensable for canners: Ball blue book

The more advanced Ball full book
You can find either one at a book store, online, or at most used book stores.

USDA site has a lot of info. You want tried and tested recipes and methods. Botulism sucks. https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html


Purdue University has a really good set of links and add ons to the USDA guides as well. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/usdacanning/

You can also search the (food item, canning, extension) and there is probably a state agricultural extension that has some guide for it.

NDSU has a good guide for freezing stuff. It will get you started. Each food item will have specifics to getting a good freeze. Some things need blanched and some don't. Some need to be pre-frozen spread out on cookie sheets then dumped in a bag and some don't, etc.


Interesting root cellar idea that can be done fairly cheap. https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/root-cellaring/a-precast-septic-tank-root-cellar-zbcz1503

Root cellar list of what to store and what conditions. https://extension2.missouri.edu/mp562

Best way to get started: get a big ass boiler and a couple of dozens of pint mason jars and a couple of dozens of 1/2 pint mason jars. Start with a couple of batches of different pickles/pickled vegetables. Make a batch or two of jams and jellies. If you get a couple dozen wide mouth jars you can practice a little freezing as well. The idea is to build up your equipment.

For a full canning rig you need all kinds of stuff and if you really get into it usually large stuff. Like the ginormous pressure cooker that holds a goodly number of quarts or two full courses of pint jars in it. something like this guy. But you can start with whatever you have available. If you do the water bath stuff and start to get into it and want to get into pressure canning you should get a larger pressure canner that will do at least 6 quarts at a time. We have a medium one that we can do a limited batch of stuff in, or one round of jars and then a huge one like I linked to. Just slowly build up your equipment as you can and get the best quality you can when you buy stuff. If you try and do the I will buy the cheap one, and see if I like it, it costs you more. Usually the cheap one is crappy and wont do a good job. And you will either decide it is not worth the trouble or will eventually realize the quality one is worth the money and buy it anyway.

Get a good set of tools. You can can without them, but shouldn't. Decent set with the basic pieces.

I also find that a pair of the latex coated gloves are helpful. We have one person pull jars form the hiow water bath (keeping them sterile) and the second person will put the funnel in and spoon the food into the jar. You have to wipe the top of the jar and place a heated lid on it and screw the top onto the jar. The jar will be close to 200F. I will be the jar person and wear the heavy latex coated glove on my left hand to hold the jar stable and to screw the lid on so I don't get burned. Never have seen anyone give the tip before, but it works really well and I have less burnt fingers and fewer spills or dropped jars that way. Something like this.

I am relatively new to this subject and these books have been useful for me:

The Urban Homestead A good introductory book that touches on a lot of relevant topics.

Gaia's Garden This is not specifically a homesteading book but it is a very useful book for growing food and learning about small scale permacultural design.

Four Season Harvest Another useful book for growing, especially for those of us in cold climates.

Country Wisdom & Know How A fun reference for many homestead topics.

Everyone has made some excellent points on size. You don't need a whole lot of land if you're just looking at wanting a plot for yourself. There are a million authors out there, but here is one which is really good in my opinion

http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Farming-Self-Sufficiency-Brett-Markham/dp/1602399840

Another big question that comes up with homesteading is how exactly you want to live. Obviously climate plays a big part into this, but how attached are you to the grid? Electricity? City Water? Septic?

The entire landsofamerica.com site has been a great tool for me to look at land and keep daydreaming. I also like http://www.landwatch.com/

Yeah the greenhouse was about $30 on Amazon (here), I got an ultrasonic humidifier as was recommended for $40.

The controller was really reasonable, about $25. It doesn't have a fan, it just turns the humidifier on/off to maintain a target humidity inside the tent.

Yep it's really not too expensive at all, especially considering none of this will really need regular replacing except the bags which are 80 cents each. Those mushrooms are definitely hard to find and not cheap! Lion's mane in particular is very rare in the wild and pretty pricey in a store. It's also extremely delicious, tastes something like lobster. Sweet and meaty.

EDIT: Corrected humidifier price

I'm reading The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0756654505/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_uz5BybSTBMEXP

The thing I like about it is that it approaches things from the most simple way possible. Not simple as in easy, but simple as in low-tech (using animals to do your field prep). He also gives examples for everything from the urban raised bed to a full fledged farm (tho it reads like his primary model is closer to a 5 acre farm).

It also could be used as a bit of a users reference guide, meaning you don't have to sit down to read the whole thing in order to use it. If you just want to learn about growing beans, you could read that section and be set with the knowledge of which are good to grow in your area, soil type they need, planting and harvesting info, storing the harvest, and the common diseases / pests to watch for.

I'm about 1/5 of the way thru it now, and finding it a really wonderful resource.

To those who really want this:You can get a Knipex Pliers wrench, which is like a crescent wrench combined with pliers. It's doesn't automatically adjust but you get a TON more strength. I personally own this and it's about the only tool I carry with me around the farm along with a Leatherman.

I like the flat sides when compared to a set of channel locks as it doesn't mar up my bolts. You also get a really tight fit. I got this because I was constantly going back to the shop to get a stupid wrench cause I brought the wrong size when a bolt would fly off.

I also recommend the comfort grip model. I wish I had got the tether point as well so I could put a lanyard on it to attach to my belt so it doesn't come out of my pockets while riding on a tractor/UTV/mower.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3AE1HV/ref=psdc_553324_t3_B01AY0JXPS?th=1

Didn't mean to come across as hostile. And I still say you can't get all of your food from 1/4 acre. People typically cite the Dervaes Family but fail to realize that they use massive inputs for their systems and still don't get all of their food from their gardens. The best example that I've seen that has actually been self sufficient food wise and published info on it is Marjory Wildcraft of growyourowngroceries.org. She said in on interview you needed at least five acres. Paul Wheaton also did an interview with a couple that had been doing intensive gardening in their 1/5 acre urban plot for the past 7 years and they were only able to get about 50% of one person's diet. They stated that it would require several acres per person to really be self sufficient food wise.

So, are you talking about this book? That book is entirely unrealistic and I seriously doubt that anyone following that model would be successful. I would love to see someone who has actually done it but all the real world examples I have seen point to the fact that you need far more land than 1/4 to make this work.

I am currently reading "5 acres and Independence" which I am enjoying, its fairly old but still very applicable, i think his anecdotes and way of thinking are very inspiring. Lots of nice little tips and observations.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486209741/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At the same time I got "Handy Farm Devices and How to Make Them" haven't delved into it too much, but I am less excited about it now that I've thumbed through it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604595868/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've heard the "Raising Chickens for Dummies" book is actually worthwhile, so I'm thinking of picking that up next.

When we were first getting started (before we left the suburbs), we really enjoyed this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Backyard-Homestead-Produce-food-quarter/dp/1603421386/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525797710&sr=8-1&keywords=backyard+homestead

It's breadth is "a mile wide and an inch deep" but it helped to scratch the surface and help us find what we wanted to do and research more versus what we weren't interested in trying right away. It's a pretty easy read and just touches on many topics providing just enough information to get you started doing a project, basic troubleshooting with that item, and then moves on to a new topic.

I used a Schumacher Storm 700 once during a power outage to run my sump pump until I could get a generator up and running. I don't own it anymore but it was a nice device and would certainly be capable of handling the needs you mentioned. It was only $299 at Lowes at the time (no longer available) so you may be able to keep your eye out for a better price on it.

https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SBP1-Storm-Portable-Power/dp/B071K7D9K4

Might I then recommend Dirt Cheap Property

It's a pretty good resource for figuring all this out, and some of his ideas, like talking to local farmers if they have land they might parcel off, might be up your alley. As noted by another commenter, landwatch.com is also a good resource.

Depending on how much space you've got, this one is pretty nice: The Backyard Homestead. There's a little bit of everything :)

If you're into permaculture and that kind of thing, I'd recommend Gaia's Garden and Edible Forest Gardens, Vol 2. Be warned, Edible Forest Gardens is a bit like reading an engineering text!

Kind of expensive, but I got a steam canner last year, and it has revolutionized my canning process. So much faster, easier to use and operate. Uses less water. Integrated thermometer.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058SSUV0/

Edit: Wow. I paid almost $60 for it, and now it's under $40.

https://extension.umd.edu/hgic

Consider signing up for gardening classes, lectures, and seminars. Try your local extension service, garden clubs, botanical gardens, and plant nurseries. Youtube has a wealth of information, but it may not apply to where you are. There's a regional aspect to growing.

Start gardening where you are right now. Skip trying to start things from seeds (it's July), and just see if you can keep some herbs alive in pots for now, like basil or mint. Learn to cook from scratch and how to can/preserve/ferment your food. Reddit, youtube, and the internet in general is full of countless resources on this and other related topics, everything from r/gifrecipes to r/cooking to /r/EatCheapAndHealthy/ to r/baking to r/homebrewing - and of course there's tons of garden-related subreddits.

Buying your actual piece of land is step #4209 of homesteading, not #1. Without experience, you'll have no way of evaluating whether the land actually fits what you want to do or not.

Here's two books to consider, to help you learn how to garden where you are currently -

https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Great-Grub-Organic-Food-from-Small-Spaces/dp/0307452018/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/The-Urban-Homestead-Expanded-Revised-Edition-Your-Guide-to-Self-Sufficient-Living-in-the-Heart-of-the-City-Process-Self-reliance-Series/dp/1934170100/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8

>You know what might be cool? One of those plastic bead box things with all the segments.

My wife got me one of these for organizing my seeds:

https://www.amazon.com/IRIS-USA-Inc-585866-Multi-Colored/dp/B00GLQX3CO/ref=sr_1_28

Each inner box fits seed packets perfectly. I keep my packets grouped together by type "Peppers", "Greens", "Brassicas". It's been life changing for my gardening. All my seed packets are in one place, easy to find specific varieties and it's easy to stuff away on a shelf in a dark closet.

This is our favorite book. It's great for beginners and covers a wide range of topics. We keep it on hand to use as a quick reference.

https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Homestead-Produce-food-quarter/dp/1603421386/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1475154440&sr=8-3&keywords=homesteading

A thousand times: No! Debt is the last thing you want to start building your homestead on, especially a mortgage. Like others have said before...save until you can afford a small piece of unimproved land, and then build it up yourself as homesteaders for centuries have been doing. You could get the 10 acres and build you own home for a fraction of the cost and not be a wage slave to the banks. In fact, I would recommend 2 things: First, look for unimproved lots around 5 (10 acres is a lot more than most homesteaders need unless they want to grow a huge cash crop and actually be a farmer, not just a modern homesteader) acres all over the country to get a price baseline then focus on the areas and prices that fit your desires and budget. And second, get this book and look over the various layouts they have for different sized homesteads: The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It. It's an amazing and essential book for new modern homsteaders if you haven't already checked it out.

Between "Back to Basics" and a trusty copy of Fannie Farmer for cooking, you can cover a LOT of good ground. There are lots of great books, but those are two I can't live without. To be clear, both are about techniques and methods, not so much the theory behind it. They're fantastic reference books though.

Kind of a homesteading book, http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Complete-Traditional-Skills/dp/1602392331/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318997900&sr=1-1

I frakking love this book, I've read it over a dozen times since I was a kid. Next year I will be living my dream!!!!

My partner and I are embarking upon a similar journey. My advice is to read a lot, before buying land.

This book has been VERY informative, and remains practical despite its copyright date. Just keep in mind that there may be a more modern methods available, and you'll be in great shape.

As always I recommend referencing multiple sources for all important info, but Five Acres and Independence is an excellent one to start from.

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741

1. Passive solar...carefully placing windows facing south to catch the winter sun, no windows on north or west side, thermal mass to absorb the heat of the sun, shading the windows from summer sun. The home will heat itself in the winter and stay cool in the summer with few inputs and no mechanical parts to break. (This orientation is for the northern hemisphere.) There are many books & websites that can explain in detail. I recommend the Solar House by Daniel Chiras. http://www.amazon.com/Solar-House-Passive-Heating-Cooling/dp/1931498121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450661176&sr=8-1&keywords=Solar+House+by+Daniel+Chiras
   
2. Geoff Lawton of the permaculture world has a video called Property Purchase Checklist of what kind of land to buy. http://geofflawton.com/videos/property-purchase-checklist/
   
3. There's a book called Finding & Buying Your Own Place in the country. This is the legal aspects of buying land such as contracts and easements. http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Buying-Your-Place-Country/dp/0793141095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450661055&sr=1-1&keywords=finding+and+buying+your+place+in+the+country+by+les+scher
   
4. Consider how you will use the home. Plan spaces around activities such as your sewing, canning, or butchering. Also consider flow. How will you get the groceries from the car through the door and into the pantry? How will guests get through the front door, hang up winter coats, and find the bathroom without going through your private bedroom?
   
5. How will you age in this home? When you get arthritis, will the door knobs and light switches be types easier for that condition? If you end up in a wheelchair, are the hallway and doorways wide enough to wheel a chair through? It's much easier and cheaper to plan those small details before you build rather than to modify after the fact. http://www.universaldesign.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=327:what-is-universal-design&catid=2196:universal-design&Itemid=113

Here on Amazon

I love this book, and the pickled carrots are awesome

Excellent cover-all type book, IMO: The Backyard Homestead.
Wife uses it, has good intro points on a lot of topics.
Be resourceful; pigs are garbage eaters, have variety in your veggies to spread out the burden of harvest season, and be prepared to give it some time. Like most quality en devours, it takes time.
But you can change your homestead around your land - depends on your willingness to work with what you've got. Not everyone needs hundreds of acres.

Great thanks! Is this it? - http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Homestead-Expanded-Revised-Edition/dp/1934170100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373064286&sr=8-1&keywords=urban+homestead

I'm a bit of a generalist. I always have lots of projects going on at once, each in a different state of completion. The books I have listed I do own, and read and pick through the most often.

The first two are generalist books. I say that because they both have such a breadth of information it's hard to describe them. The third is more specialist in that it covers only a single subject, but does so in such detail and in a recipe type format that it's easy to follow along. It starts with how to build a blacksmith shop, what tools you need, and how to use tools you make to build bigger tools to help build other, bigger tools.

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-40th-Anniversary/dp/1570618402

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FR7BRBKJ9CA3XRWW1N8H

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Modern-Blacksmith-Alexander-Weygers/dp/0898158966/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473081102&sr=1-15&keywords=blacksmithing

amazon warehouse has a couple poulan chainsaws on sale for $52 free shipping

I got one last year ... not bad at all.. its $50 and you can return it

I have been running it really rich on oil.. thats important to do

they do have a known problem starting when they are cold though.. you have to make sure you choke them and don't flood them with the primer button.. once they start and run 10 minutes they are good to go.. unless its super cold out which it has been but.. yeah you get use to full choking them until they warm up... what they probably need is a hotter / better.. sparkplug but i am not going to buy one now.. but you can i guess

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07972BQWJ/ref=sr_1_13_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1549926501&sr=8-13&keywords=poulan+chainsaw

https://www.amazon.com/Resilient-Gardener-Production-Self-Reliance-Uncertain/dp/160358031X

Or anything by the author, Carol Deppe. She also has a website, seed company, and a pretty loyal following.

This sounds like a job for The Backyard Homestead.

This book should have pretty much everything you need to know including layouts for tiny homesteads.

John Seymour has great suggestions and more in this book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0756654505/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_zm0HAbQHHZN63

www.amazon.com/Finding-Buying-Your-Place-Country/dp/0793141095 Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country by Les and Carol Scher. Fantastic reference.

This is a terrific book detailing exactly what you are asking.

Backyard Homestead

If you haven't already, introduce yourself to permaculture. A good start is Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway and this video right here by Geoff Lawton.

Mini farming has a lot of good info on making the most of a tiny spot.

I lucked out and found a book at my local Goodwill by John Seymour that discusses this and a few other topics. I think it might be the same or very similar to what dead_indian mentioned.

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505

I just purchased the updated and revised 4th edition earlier this year at my local Tractor Supply Co. but I never read any of the earlier versions to give a comparison.
Edit: Correction, I have the 3rd edition which is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Complete-Traditional-Skills/dp/1602392331

I amazed no one has mentioned 5 acres and independence yet.

Edit: Also, check our /r/backyardorchard. Tons of fruit/nut hobbiest info there.

https://www.amazon.com/Country-Property-Dirt-Cheap-Inexpensive/dp/0945959524

This book has been recommended to me.

http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Complete-Traditional-Edition/dp/1602392331/

&

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Homestead-Produce-food-quarter/dp/1603421386

Try this https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603421386/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_c_qVhsDb92CXXHA

This book was my guide for doing the same thing.
The Backyard Homestead: Produce all... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603421386?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Read this book: Five Acres and Independence.

It gives you all the information you need without unnecessary expenses.

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills

Possibly Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country, there's a checklist at the very end of the book.

Ball Blue Book or Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management : http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319032710&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741

>http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741