Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream For Pleasure And Profit [Paperback]

Carol Eckarius (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005 | Series: Hobby Farm

HOBBY FARM addresses every aspect of getting started and developing, including: * Tools of the trade from farm vehicles (tractors, trucks, composters) to handcarts, hand and electric tools * Gardening from selection of the site, quality of soil, fertilizing and pH adjustment, planting, methods of propagation and controlling pests * Selecting and raising farm animals, including how to figure out how they to feed and nourish, creating quality pastures, understanding poisonous plans, providing shelter and healthcare, common illnesses, reproduction * Preserving the harvest, covering storage options, preservation techniques (canning, drying, freezing) with recipes for spaghetti sauce, pear-apple jam, grape juice, and more * Production of dairy products such as fresh milk, butter, cheese, ice cream and yogurt * Finding the right spot for your agribusiness, with location decisions based on good roads and proximity to large groups of consumers for direct marketing * The economics of farm life--sustainability and self-sufficiency * Navigating legal, real estate and tax issues * And much more...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Carol Ekarius has taken her 20-plus years of farming expertise and compiled an essential guide for anyone yearning to move to a hobby farm. From the early stages of planning to the day-to-day life on a farm, whatever questions you might have, chances are Carol has thought of them and answered them in Hobby Farm." --Karen Keb Acevedo, Editor of Hobby Farms magazine

Review

"Many urban dwellers long to live in the country and dream of owning a small farm: if you're one of them, try Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream For Pleasure and Profit. Author Carol Ekarius' own extensive years of farm dwelling lend to a guide which tells how to not only choose and live on a farm, but how to make some money at the endeavor. From gardening the land and handling farm animals to handling the seasons, predators, and more, Hobby Farm, packed with color photos and insights, covers far more ground than competing farm guides for urban dwellers."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hobby Farm Press (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931993599
• ISBN-13: 978-1931993593
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carol Ekarius is the author of Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, Pocketful of Poultry, and several books on small-scale farming. Carol and her husband live with their many critters in Hartsel, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Condescending tripe, July 2, 2008

By 

Brad Gibbons - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream For Pleasure And Profit (Paperback)

Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream for Pleasure and Profit by Carol Ekarius is a collection of photos, "facts", and "helpful" tips for the urban adventurer looking for a new life in a rural farm setting. The book should be regarded as only Ekarius' opinion and not fact. It is based off of her experiences from living in a farming community. Coming from a rural farming background, I was appalled and disgusted with many of the skewed things Ekarius put in her book. Not only does it make the rural citizen seem backward (yes, she does use that word) but it comes across as being very condescending to the reader as well. Any farmer who reads this book is thinking, "She thinks I don't know about anything outside of the farm." Any non-farmer who reads this book is thinking, "She thinks I don't what a cow is."

Ekarius, apparently, is the only person who knows something about both the rural world and the urban. She considers herself to be "rurban"; a word coined by Ekarius and is used incessantly. Roughly it means something that is not entirely urban, but not entirely rural. Ekarius regards herself as an expert on the subject. She tells about a time when she set up an electric fence, something (she thinks) that farmers had never even thought of before. She made it seem as though her neighbor looked upon the fence like caveman looking upon fire for the first time.

She makes the farmer out to be a creature that has never had or heard of niceties found in "the big city." Ekarius tells her readers, "Rural people have long lived with different economic and social realities than their urban and suburban brethren. When they invite you for coffee, expect freeze-dried instant, not freshly ground beans or latte, and drink the former as though it were the latter".... Because farmers just don't know any better, right Carol? They've never even heard of Starbucks let alone tasted their coffee. Neanderthals.

The expectations Ekarius prepares her readers for are ridiculous. She says, "Get used to no privacy. Do you like to walk into a clean house, with shiny, polished floors and light colored furniture? Be prepared for mud and mess. Love to take in cultural events, like the opera or great museums? Instead, get ready for high school plays and cow-plop bingo at the town street-dance." Wow. According to Ekarius farmers are dirty, live like pigs and uncultured. This woman really knows her neighbors.

I have to ask the question, "Has she even met her neighbors?" Ekarius warns the reader, "Be prepared, also, for the social challenges of moving into rural or rurban areas. These communities often seem backward and closed to newcomers.... They are friendly and warm once you penetrate the surface, but penetration can take awhile." It sounds like all "rurban" people are stoic and misanthropic. If you had Ekarius as a neighbor you might be too!

I'd give this book negative stars if I could. Hobby Farm can be useful, however, if it used for kindling or toilet paper.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to farm living and farm business, August 19, 2007

By 

L. Cole (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream For Pleasure And Profit (Paperback)

Carol Ekarius gives a great introduction to farm living and farm business. Ekarius encourages readers to ask themselves probing questions such as whether the farm will be a lifestyle or commercial enterprise. Most importantly, she compels us to ask if we and our families are ready for the country. Are we prepared to work long hours on the land in the spring, summer, and fall in order to have relaxing winters? Are we prepared to go without the amenities of the "big city"? Do we want to make our living off a farm or just live on a farm?

What I like most about this book is the pictures. The farm scenes with children in orchards gathering apples and caring for livestock, tractors plowing fields, and animals grazing the land were key to getting my family to seriously consider a move to the farm. (I am the only one really into the business aspects right now.) While I cannot remember pictures of junk piles or trash heaps, I do remember Ekarius informing readers that farming culture varies from time and place and that it is important to respect neighbors. (You can trap more flies with honey than vinegar.)

Ekarius' descriptions of farm-related activities such as figuring out which land to buy, farm safety, gardening, livestock, harvesting, and preserving the harvest covers the basics of what to expect after a move to the country before you move to the country. This is a great introduction for anyone interested in going back to the land for either pleasure of profit.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From gardening the land and handling farm animals to handling the seasons, predators, and more, November 4, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream For Pleasure And Profit (Paperback)

Many urban dwellers long to live in the country and dream of owning a small farm: if you're one of them, try Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream For Pleasure And Profit. Author Carol Ekarius' own extensive years of farm dwelling lend to a guide which tells how to not only choose and live on a farm, but how to make some money at the endeavor. From gardening the land and handling farm animals to handling the seasons, predators, and more, Hobby Farm, packed with color photos and insights, covers far more ground than competing farm guides for urban dwellers.