Growing the Good Life

There has been a lot of interest lately in living a more self-sufficient lifestyle and in particular people growing their own fruit and vegetables. Possibly this is a response to the economic climate, it may stem from a desire to grow more organic produce, or possibly a desire to return to the slower and simpler rhythms of life that fruit and vegetable growing both requires and encourages. Whatever the reason there are many resources available here at the library to assist those wanting to lead ‘the good life’.



Our gardening section has many titles dedicated to growing fruit and vegetables. Starter Vegetable Gardens by Barbara Pleasant provides advice and a selection of plans for small organic gardens. Get Fresh by Dennis Greville gives advice on growing vegetables and herbs, and is written from a New Zealand perspective. Also written from a New Zealand perspective is Palmers Vegetable Gardening by T.W. ‘Prof’ Walker, a regular on the much-missed Maggie’s Garden Show.


Once you’ve grown your food you have to decide what to with it. In his book Jamie at Home, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver provides sumptuous recipes related to the seasons and the fresh produce that is available. He also gives some information on growing the fruit and vegetables he uses in his recipes. Similarly Grow It, Cook It by local chef Sally Cameron is a combination cooking and gardening book which gives basic advice on growing different fruits, vegetables and herbs, and then recipes for how they can be used.


One of the disadvantages of producing your own fruit and vegetables is that often you have a whole lot of produce coming ready at the same time. You can of course give it away to friends and family or organisations such as the Food Bank, and there are an increasing number of schemes promoting the sharing and swapping of produce. Another option is to preserve your produce and we have a number of books on the different methods of doing this.


Fix, Freeze, Feast by Katie Neville gives advice on preparing and packaging homemade family meals, and storing them in the freezer for later defrosting. How to Store Your Own Garden Produce by Piers Warren gives advice and recipes on preserving a range of garden produce, something the author describes as the key to successful self-sufficiency. Preserved by Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton seems to cover every food preservation technique imaginable including drying, salting, smoking, pickling, infused oils, fermenting, bottling and canning.


For those that want to take their self sufficiency further than merely producing some of their own fruit and vegetables we also have books on keeping animals such as poultry, sheep , goats and cattle. These include Backyard Poultry – Naturally by Alanna Moore, Cows for the Smallholder by Valerie Porter, Running a Small Flock of Sheep by David G. Hinton, and Natural Goat & Alpaca Care by Pat Coleby. And to make use of your animals we have many books on knitting, several books on cheesemaking, and of course the aforementioned cooking books.


And for those who want to embrace the whole self-sufficient lifestyle we have a number of titles that cover the whole spectrum of self-sufficiency. Carolann Murray’s Mastering the Art of Self-Sufficiency in New Zealand gives advice on keeping cows, sheep, chooks and bees, maintaining an organic garden, producing alternative energy, and making cheese, bread, soap, and even wine and spirits. The Good Life: Your Guide to a Greener, Cheaper and More Fulfilling Life In New Zealand by Francesca Price gives advice on sustainable eating, shopping, housing, holidays, transport and travel, and greener parenting.


We also have a couple of magazine titles New Zealand Lifestyle Block and Grass Roots that cater to those choosing a self sufficient lifestyle. If this all seems a bit too much like hard work, or for those who just want a break, we do have Off the Radar by Te Radar which recounts the laughs, dramas, and occasional triumphs of his attempts to live off the land, and season 1 and 2 of the ever popular comedy series The Good Life available on DVD.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library