A stack of gardening books.
I love how my book collection keeps growing, just like my plant collection!

OK, so I have a thing for books…

Gardening “How To” books, Ecological Gardening books, Permaculture, No Dig, Companion Planting, Preserving, Homesteading… I’ve read a lot of books. And, not all of them earn a place on my bookshelf.

Nothing quite compares to flipping open to a page to find that bit of info, recipe or inspiration. Below are some of my most loved Garden and Local Food books.

Each of the books listed below would make great gifts, and a welcome addition to any gardener, homesteader, or foodie’s library!

If you’re looking for more gifting ideas, I’ve gathered my favorites HERE.

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
-Cicero

Cover image of Small-Scale Homesteading book.

Gardening + Homesteading Books

Small-Scale Homesteading by Michelle Bruhn + Stephanie Thurow
First, our book… full of inspiration + information to get you started on your homesteading journey! Chapters on Gardening, Preserving the Harvest, Keeping Chickens, Maple Sugaring, and Healthy Home Projects!

Plant Partners by Jessica Walliser
This is the perfect Science-based primer to help you understand the power of companion planting.

No Dig Gardening + Compost by Chares Dowding
This is the bible of No Dig Gardening written by the guru himself. Step by Step. Charles makes you feel like this is attainable because it really is! His Compost book upped my garden game in many ways!

Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway
This really is the OG accessible permaculture book, and was the first I read on Home Scale Permaculture. Describes how to create self-sustaining backyard eco-systems naturally.

Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour
Extend Your Seasons and succession planting garden game.

Teaming With Microbes + Nutrients + Fungi by Jeff Lowenfels
A guide to tending the soil food web on a new level.

Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden by Gilbert Wilson
This is a compilation of stories interpreted by Wilson from Buffalo Bird Woman. I’ve gleaned both practical “How To” knowledge along with a deeper appreciation of how Indigenous people were able to work with nature to grow good food.

Cookbooks

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman
Game changer cookbook for how we look at our local foods and how we eat them.

The Perennial Kitchen by Beth Dooley
This book talks about how food provenance adds a depth to the dishes that starts and ends with the soil. Full of delectable recipes.

Attainable Sustainable Pantry by Kris Bordessa
Shows us how to make the most of our garden’s bounty and make so many staples on our own from basic ingredients.

Freeze Fresh by Crystal Schmidt
THE go-to guide on freezing your home grown produce, with techniques and recipes galore.

Can It & Ferment It  + Weck Home Preserving – by (my coauthor) Stephanie Thurow
My first books on fermentation, and I keep going back to the recipes time and again!

The Farmer and the Chef by the Minnesota Farmers Union
Written as a love letter to Minnesota farmers and the amazing foods they produce, it weaves stories and seasonal recipes to feed your soul.

Root Cellaring by Mike + Nancy Bubel
A book not on cooking, but on keeping your produce viable as long as possible with old storage techniques for the modern age.

Nature-Lover Ecology Books

Braiding Sweetgrass + Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Love letters to the reciprocal nature of nature written by an Indigenous botanist.

Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamay
A classic on how native plants bring back native wildlife of all sorts, and how we can rewild our yards.

Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants by Sam Thayer
The most comprehensive, photo-saturated book on foraging in the Midwest.

The Story of More by Hope Jahren
An eye-opening book about the behind-the-scenes science of climate change. A YA version was just released!!

For Fun

Author holding her gardening book in her garden.

The Garden Maker’s Book of Wonder by Allison Vallin Kostovick
Fun mix of projects, tips, and appreciation for gardens, what they produce, and how to PLAY with them.

And of course, my TBR pile just keep growing, and I couldn’t be happier to spend the winter cuddled up with a good cup of tea in front of our wood stove and a GOOD BOOK!

Cheers to books in the winter so we can better Dig In come spring!

-Michelle