Borrowed this from the local library (Markham is a local farmer/author). It was so well researched and written that I went to the local bookstore and picked up a copy of his expanded _Mini Farming Bible_, which includes this book, _Maximizing Your Mini Farm_ and other writings. ( )

I found this book much less satisfying than others of its type (Backyard Homestead and The New Self-Sufficient Gardener are better). The chapters were basically an outline of what should be covered, but the coverage of various topics, from compost to accounting, often left a lot to be desired. The thing which sets this book apart from others is its focus on the economics of mini-farming. The back cover says that this book: "will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just one-quarter acre -- and earn $10,000 in cash annually." It failed to deliver on that promise. The author leaves a lot out when calculating the average family's food consumption, and the section on making money boiled down to, "Yes, you can do it! Look at these numbers." I don't get the sense that the author has done this himself, or that he has much business sense.

This book has a lot of big pictures which mostly take up space, to make the book seem longer. There are also some interesting and useful charts, and I did find the author's economic calculations interesting and fun to read, but I don't think they're particularly useful. ( )

Covering materials found in many other gardening books. The value lies in chapters 15, 16 & 17 - raising chickens. Some very pertinant advice, especially on homemade equipment for housing the birds and processing the meat. Chicken tractor, killing cone and plucker. ( )