Gleaned from a faithful journal of more than a decade, this memoir about modern-day farmsteading describes how the author built and maintained a farm for self-sufficiency, acquired and cared for livestock, planted and harvested crops and kept to his simple lifestyle.
William Paul Winchester, the author, bought 20 acres of farmland in northeast Oklahoma with the intent of carving out a simple life as a farmer. He comes to this career with a degree in biology, some mechanical and carpentry skills, a knack for cooking and writing, but no actual experience in agriculture.
A Very Small Farm chronicles Winchester's daily life on the farm he calls "Southwind." Southwind has an apple orchard, a peach orchard, a poultry yard, and a quarter acre of garden. He describes his daily routines and management techniques at the farm including repairs to his house, planting and tending his crops, looking after his chickens, and collecting eggs. His main source of income is the sale of honey from fifty beehives and occasional odd jobs in the community.
Although he learned farming on the job, Winchester is also a skilled mechanic, carpenter, cook, writer, and naturalist. In A Very Small Farm, we learn of his life at Southwind through his thoughts about the weather, seasonal changes, machinery repair, vegetarian recipes, cooking, and the flora and fauna of the region. His thoughts about bees and their social structure are entertaining and insightful. We get to know Isabel, his Jersey cow, as he warmly describes how he raised her from a calf and continues to cater to her needs in return for the milk she produces twice daily. Berenice, his dog, and many cats, are also Southwind inhabitants.
“It was for the most self-indulgent of reasons I came to the farm—to be happy,” he explains.
If you have ever felt the tug to live independently, in tune with nature; this may be just the book for you. This book will inspire a desire to live more simply and happily. It is still possible -- and immensely satisfying -- to grow or make with one's own hands just about everything one needs to live.