When the farm is a lifestyle, but not quite a way to earn a living, it's considered hobby farming. Most of us want to live a sustainable and healthy life in which we protect the environment and keep it safe from development and overproduction. But we can take this a step further by learning how to grow our own produce, while still maintaining an alternative, successful career to fund this passion. In this back to basics guide, Michael and Audrey Levatino share how to:
Grow your own food Raise chickens, horses, llamas, bees, and more Practice being (a little) off the grid Sell the bounty in your local community Balance a professional career with a rural lifestyle
The Joy of Hobby Farming is a guide that will excite armchair farmers and inspire any do-it-yourselfer. While this book won't help you become a farmer by trade, it does provide step-by-step instructions and various tips and tricks to maintain a thriving farm. It will surely teach those who aren't farmers by day to raise their own livestock, plant their own fruits and vegetables, and live out their countryside dream.
"As the title of the book suggests, this is not a guide for those who want to become full-time, year-round farmers. It's for those who want the ground they live on to nourish their bodies as well as their spirit."
The Daily Progress
"Detailed but never excessively so, and richly illustrated with color photos, the Levatinos' book is a useful manual for would-be hobby farmers and a world of entertainment for readers with a passion for going green or simply with fond recollections of farm life."
Richmond Times-Dispatch
"The Joy of Hobby Farming will guide you toward self-sufficiency and restore your faith in your own two hands, if you'd just start digging."
Ferenc Maté, author of A Vineyard in Tuscany and A Real Life
