Homesteading Books by Leigh Tate


This is the first book in Leigh Tate’s 5 Acres & A Dream homesteading series. It begins with the Dan and Leigh Tates' purchase of a 1920s farmhouse on five acres in the foothills of Southern Appalachia. This first book in the series shares how they defined their dream, developed property hunting criteria, faced setbacks, and finally found the right place. It describes how they set and prioritized their goals and mapped out a plan. It shares the difficulties and obstacles they faced, and what they’ve learned about energy, water, and food self-sufficiency for both themselves and their livestock. More information here.


The second book in Leigh Tate’s homesteading series takes a hard look at what happened to their dream. Has it changed? Are their goals and priorities still the same? Leigh updates their progress toward food, energy, and water self-sufficiency, sharing how their self-reliance goals have expanded and changed. She shares how they've learned to prioritize projects in spite of distractions and discouraging times, and how they deal with feeling overwhelmed. She discusses how their relationship with their land and animals has changed the way they see themselves and their homestead. More information here.

Prepper's Livestock Handbook: Lifesaving Strategies and Sustainable Methods for Keeping Chickens, Rabbits, Goats, Cows and Other Farm Animals

This prepper's resource by Leigh Tate focuses on sustainable and self-reliant methods for managing your land and your livestock. Covers livestock choices for homesteading, options for shelter and fencing, homegrown feeds and hay, breeding, birthing, veterinary care, and dairying. Learn pitfalls to avoid and how to keep things manageable. Learn simple, low-tech, off-grid ways to preserve eggs, milk, cheese, and meat. Prepper's Livestock Handbook will help you make the best livestock choices for your personal homestead needs and goals. More information here.


Baking powder is a common kitchen staple, but did you know you can create your own leavening power with common foods  you already have on hand? How To Bake Without Baking Powder will teach you basic kitchen chemistry, so you will never have to discard expired baking powder again. Discusses the science behind baking powder, plus substitutes for both cream of tartar and baking soda. Includes how to make sour milk, buttermilk, and sourdough starter, plus the author's hardwood ash baking experiments, 20 baking powder alternatives, 12 easy reference charts, and 54 recipes. Read more here.

The Little Series of Homestead How-Tos

Leigh Tate's how-to eBook series is geared toward helping homesteaders gain the knowledge and skills they need to work toward greater sustainability and self-reliance. Topics cover gardening, chickens, goats, dairy products, herbs, and more. Click here to see available titles and formats.


Where the 5 Acres & A Dream series reveals The Tates' journey of discovery into homesteading, Critter Tales focuses on their learning about sustainable animal keeping. It presents an entertaining but honest exploration of the challenges of sustainable critter keeping on a self-reliant homestead: suitable breeds, numbers of animals, housing, fencing, growing one's own feed, health issues, mysterious disappearances and deaths, dealing with predators, critters that won't stay put, and how the animals themselves don't always agree with "the experts." Discusses ... (read more).