And that doesn't even include Mr. LH's history and film books or the "Pickles" books or the collection of old children's books I can't bear to part with like my set of Little House books.
What does all that look like? Many full bookshelves, piles of books on my nightstand and dresser and more boxes of books in the garage.
Then there are the couple thousand Kindle books and many, many pdf issues of Colorado Gardener magazine.
I really need to pare down the collection but I hate to get rid of books. Here are some of my favorites:
| Gardening: | |
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 The Western Garden Book by Sunset - I moved to Colorado thinking only that my particular area was a "Zone 5" hardiness zone. However, this whole area has so many different micro-climates because of the mountains, valleys, plains, altitude, etc. This book breaks up the area into smaller regions so it's even easier to find appropriate plants that will survive AND thrive. |
| Canning: | |
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Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving - This is my go-to canning book. It covers both waterbath canning (high acid foods) and pressure canning (low acid foods). It includes instructions for canning a wide variety of basic ingredients (fruits, vegetables, meat, beans and stock) as well as safe, tested recipes for jams, jellies, chutney, relishes, pickles and more. I have several other canning cookbooks, but I tend to use this one the most. |
| Cooking: | |
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 The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook - I have yet to try a recipe from America's Test Kitchen that didn't "wow" me. Even the basic recipes like "French Toast" are great! Now, when we watch an old episode of America's Test Kitchen, chances are, I can find the recipe they're making in this cookbook. |
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Little House Cookbook - This book has recipes for the foods that were enjoyed in the Little House stories. If you've ever wanted to make vanity cakes, here is your chance! |
| Finance: | |
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The Total Money Makover by Dave Ramsey - This book literally changed our lives. It is a no nonsense book that tells you exactly how to get out of debt, save for the future and change the way you deal with money. After reading this book, it's hard to not look at money and debt differently. |
| How-To: | |
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Reader's Digest Back To Basics - This book is great whenever we want to dream about a homestead. There are instructions on everything from finding land to setting up water and wind power, to regional recipes and folk crafts. This is the book my favorite fried pie recipe comes from. The one pictured here is the edition we have. There is a newer version available. |
