Homestead Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Our Hearth … (2024)

I didn't love this and I didn't hate it either. I found a couple of recipes to make and try, but many of the recipes called for what I would call weird ingredients. I kept having to remind myself that this was Alaska, so things will be different. The homestead part of things was interesting and worthy of a good read. I cannot wait to make the banana bread, it was a different take on something so common. This is worth a look but for me it was not my favorite.

The pictures in this book elevated the story 100 fold! I gathered so much fun information as well as useful kitchen information and recipes. If you're in the mood for seeing a great homesteading journey unfold, pick up this book. You won't regret it as well as you'll get helpful information and tips for the garden, the kitchen and your health.

I just finished making and eating Elli's Kale Salad from this book and oh my goodness was it good! That salad is the only thing I have actually cooked so far, but I read through the rest of the recipes and they seem pretty solid. As an Alaskan (in the big city of Anchorage), I love seeing a cookbook filled with good-looking recipes that use a lot of local ingredients. For the people that live in the Pacific Northwest, things like berries, halibut and dandelion greens are pretty easy to find. For those that live elsewhere, they give helpful suggestions for substituting other things that you might have in your own local area.
I have not seen their tv show, so I am coming at this book purely from reading it on it's own. I really like their philosophy of finding connection to the land and the food you eat. As the authors themselves say, the homesteading lifestyle is not for everyone...but there are ways for even city-dwellers to do things differently than just buying mass-produced food products. Buying organic, having a small garden plot...etc. And for those that think this is an "elitist" way of thinking, Eve reminds us that there wasn't always the term "organic" or "free range" because that used to just be the way food was. It is only in recent human history that we started adding pesticides and growth hormones and doing factory farms. The Kilchers encourage us to return to a more natural relationship with food. It does sometimes take more care, but it is worth it for our bodies and the earth.

I'm a big fan of the TV show Alaska: the Last Frontier, so when I heard that Eivin and Eve were writing a cookbook I knew I would buy it. While I'm not trying to live the complete homesteading life of the Kilchers, I do try to grow my own food and make food from scratch. Sourcing food from quality and humane sources is important to me. This book is full of not just recipes from Eivin and Eve, but also writings about their views on food which I really appreciate. They are up front that not every ingredient they use will be available for the average home cook, but any of their recipes could be edited with ingredients you like and/or are available in your area. I was really impressed with this cookbook - both the recipes and the other content. If you're a fan of the Alaska: the Last Frontier TV show, it's definitely worth checking out this cookbook.

Great book for any fans of Alaska the Last Frontier. The recipes are interspersed with personal stories .com Eve and Eivin about life on the homestead and lovely color photos.

Many of the recipes call for ingredients that aren't readily available here but I will certainly be trying the ones that have locally available ingredients.

I reserved this book because I was curious about the couple's story. I didn't read recipes--just the commentary.

The pictures in this book are beautiful! I love the stories, explanations and recipes!

Not only a good cookbook but a great read as well. I really enjoyed all the stories about living in Alaska that were included in the book.

Interesting recipes & commentaries.

In addition to the really interesting information about their homestead, this book has truly unique recipes that I’ve never seen anywhere else (like crabapple pie).

If you're a fan of the show and of Elvin and Eve in particular, this is fun to flip through. Eve and Elvin are so damn likable. The recipes are appealing, but I haven't tried any of them and likely will not due to the mods I'd have to make to fit my restrictions. A number of the recipes feature specialized ingredients local to their area and it's not always clear what you would sub some of those out with if you don't have access. Still, I enjoyed reading through this and the recipes are accessible to most levels of chef.

Inspired to eat more healthy and be aware of loved family recipes from my relatives. I want to look for Pomona's Universal Pectin which doesn't require sugar in jam but is activated by calcium.

Loved it.

Inspiring.