The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Revised and Expanded Edition: 20 Years of Permaculture and Whole Systems Design

I’m a big fan of Ben Falk on instagram and saw how resilient his permaculture farm has been in the last ten years. This is an updated version, a 10-year check-in, and so valuable. Lots of amazing tips, lessons, tools and knowledge. Everything you need to become an experienced permaculturist and serious homesteader.

Excellent advice. Essential for New England based homesteaders, permaculture enthusiasts, and preppers. Ben Falk really knows his stuff.

Read it for the farming and homesteading advice. Approach the political commentary with a critical eye. The Covid addendum is where I part ways with him. His framing of Covid as essentially “a disease of preexisting conditions” glosses over a real ethical problem: disabled, elderly, and immunocompromised people aren’t a footnote in a cost benefit analysis… they’re real people whose safety matters equally. He brushes this aside. Calling the public concern “mass hysteria” is also uncharitable to those who had the most to lose from the disease itself. His broader point about over reliance on centralized systems is valid and important, very fair. But the dismissiveness toward vulnerable populations weakens what could have been a more nuanced argument IMO. It As someone who IS a farmer/homesteader, and who did become chronically ill after contracting covid, I was not impressed with his take on it. According to him I was one of the ones who could have died and it wouldn’t have mattered. Fun.

How can one book be good for both a beginner or advanced gardener or homesteader? Well, it boils down to that phrase, " You don't know what you don't know." This big dense book is packed with useful information gained from actual practice, successes and failures, from over 20 years experience on his property. Ben Falk has also helped others in that 20 years and can draw from the experience of other farms and homesteads. If you are looking to get out of the city and be more self sufficient you need to read this book first. Property choice can have a major impact on your success or struggles. I so highly recommend it that I have given copies out as gifts to friends.

Besides the incredibly information rich resource that Ben has cultivated that will help you get off on the right track (if you’re new to homesteading), or help you get back on track (if you’re struggling on your homestead), this book reads incredibly well. While I am not finished this book yet, I look forward to picking it up every evening and learning something new. If you’re looking to stay sane in an insane world, then this book is a must read.