A Book to Recommend: Homemade

I'm going to start showcasing on my blog homesteading books that I've read. (See the side bar for a list) There are so many out there, but it's not very clear how helpful they are or how good they are to read. As I read them I'll let you know what I think. Here's my latest acquisition:

Homemade: How to Make Hundreds of Everyday Products You Would Otherwise Buy

This book is awesome! It has recipes for all sorts of things from food to cleaning products to pet care. It's a dream come true! haha!

Here are the chapters:

1 - Replacements for Pantry Staples

2 - Pickled, Preserved, and Frozen Foods

3 - Baked Goods You Can Make

4 - Snacks, Nibbles, and Drinks

5 - Make Your Own Take-Out Food

6 - Easy-to-Make Sweet Treats

7 - Your Own Beauty Products

8 - Healthy Home Remedies

9 - Wholesome Natural Pet Care Products

10 - Spit-and-Polish Cleaning Products

11 - Useful House and Garden Products

Some of the things in this book are more obvious like baking your own rolls or canning your own jam. But there were some surprises like making your own ketchup and mustard and even a cure for hiccups!

I think the only thing lacking in this book are more recipes for dry mixes. (They only have two.) From all my research, there are so many dry mixes out there that deserved to be in the book, like cornbread mix. The other thing to take note of, is that switching from store-bought to making things at home requires a little bit of investment up front just so you have the ingredients you need on hand - something the book doesn't really mention.

Overall, this book is a lot of fun to read through and I think you'll be surprised, like I was, by all the things you can actually make yourself.