Methodology
I have always had a fascination with homesteading. It began with my father’s stories of growing up on a homestead and his memories of the animals and the garden. His stories bloomed into reading autobiographies of homesteaders, such as The Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing, and Hard Times in Paradise by David and Micki Colfax. These stories are what led me to live in rural Hawaii where many collect rain water, grow our own food, and have learned to be less consumer driven. While not a homesteader, I have read many of the stories of how homesteaders lived their lives but never thought about why they choose to live this way. When searching for scholarly articles I used both the Hawaii State Public Library and the King Library …show more content…
The information needs of the modern homesteader at one time were met by talking to older farmers and through magazines such as Mother Earth News, and books like the Foxfire series and Living the Good Life by the Helen and Scott Nearing, to access information concerning gardening, food preservation, animal husbandry, and other skills “Homesteaders have much information at their disposal to apply to self-sufficient living, and they utilize sources and networks to gather information about gardening, farming, energy production and other aspects of postmodern homesteading.” (Campbell, 2016, p.163). The homesteader as a self -directed learner can refer information that is not necessarily written with their community in mind. Books that are specific to skills such as gardening or beekeeping. There are also books devoted to homesteading skills, such as Back to Basics and Backyard Homestead. These book offers step by step directions to complete a myriad of projects and skills needed to live an agrarian life from gardening to canning to butchering as well as choosing a building site for your homestead and basket
I have always had a fascination with homesteading. It began with my father’s stories of growing up on a homestead and his memories of the animals and the garden. His stories bloomed into reading autobiographies of homesteaders, such as The Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing, and Hard Times in Paradise by David and Micki Colfax. These stories are what led me to live in rural Hawaii where many collect rain water, grow our own food, and have learned to be less consumer driven. While not a homesteader, I have read many of the stories of how homesteaders lived their lives but never thought about why they choose to live this way. When searching for scholarly articles I used both the Hawaii State Public Library and the King Library …show more content…
The information needs of the modern homesteader at one time were met by talking to older farmers and through magazines such as Mother Earth News, and books like the Foxfire series and Living the Good Life by the Helen and Scott Nearing, to access information concerning gardening, food preservation, animal husbandry, and other skills “Homesteaders have much information at their disposal to apply to self-sufficient living, and they utilize sources and networks to gather information about gardening, farming, energy production and other aspects of postmodern homesteading.” (Campbell, 2016, p.163). The homesteader as a self -directed learner can refer information that is not necessarily written with their community in mind. Books that are specific to skills such as gardening or beekeeping. There are also books devoted to homesteading skills, such as Back to Basics and Backyard Homestead. These book offers step by step directions to complete a myriad of projects and skills needed to live an agrarian life from gardening to canning to butchering as well as choosing a building site for your homestead and basket