The Encyclopedia Of Country Living

From the garden or barnyard to the kitchen table, here is a comprehensive resource for step-by-step information about food production. Filled with more than 1,000 recipes, 700 mail-order sources, how-to instructions, and earthly wisdom gleaned from a lifetime of self-sufficient living, this thorough, reliable treasury should be in every home. Features 300 illustrations.

Drawn from and expanded on the bestselling Encyclopedia of Country Living, this is a complete manual for setting up a vegetable garden—whether it’s just a few rows of lettuce or a year-round field that produces enough for a whole family to eat. This book is informed by years of hands-on experience and the wisdom gathered from a generation of homesteaders and small farmers. Starting with planning the garden (plot size, seasonal considerations, getting the most from a small plot) and laying it out (rows, beds, plowing), this book addresses the planning and growing issues for all North American climate zones. Gardeners need to understand (and love) their soil, and the Growing Your Own Vegetables explains it in simple terms, with advice on composting and testing for contamination (so important since this is going to be your food source!). Carla Emery was a very early advocate of gardening without chemical fertilizers, so the approach here is organic all the way. The large part of the book is the crop-by-crop guide to planting, cultivating, and harvesting the delicious vegetables we love to ear: onions, leafy greens, stems and flowers (rhubarb, artichoke, broccoli), roots (spuds, radishes, jicama), grasses & grains (just imagine: your own wheat field!), legumes, gourds, and the nightshade family (that would be tomatoes, peppers, eggplant).

Packed with step-by-step instructions, useful tips, time-honored wisdom, and both illustrations and photographs, this might just be the most comprehensive guide to back to basics living ever published. Fans of Back to Basics, Homesteading, and Self-Sufficiency have been asking for a one-stop resource for all the subjects covered in that successful series. In response, Gehring has compiled a massive, beautifully presented, single volume that covers canning and preserving, keeping chickens, fermenting, soap-making, how to generate your own energy, how to build a log cabin, natural medicine, cheese-making, maple sugaring, farm mechanics, and much, much more. Whether you own one hundred acres or rent a studio apartment in the city, this book has plenty of ideas to inspire you. Learn how to build a log cabin or how to craft handmade paper; find out how to install a solar panel on your roof or brew your own tea from dried herbs; Cure a ham, bake a loaf of bread, or brew your own beer. This book has something for everyone.

Drawn from the perennial bestseller The Encyclopedia of Country Living, this guide offers even more expert advice on how to plan, can, preserve, and cook your own harvest Equipped with the knowledge of when to harvest, how to harvest, and what supplies are needed to preserve your harvest, anyone can learn what it takes to create authentic, old-fashioned recipes in this age of supermarket dependence. Carla Emery’s in-depth knowledge comes from her years spent with farmers and homesteaders who truly lived off the land. Culling from, and expanding on, sections in the famed Encyclopedia of Country Living, co-author Lorene Forkner offers a discussion of our changing motivation as food consumers, detailed explanations of the processes behind canning and preserving, and a wealth of recipes for fruits, vegetables, meats and fish, and herbs. From drying to pickling to freezing, Emery’s preserving methods are as broad in scope as the recipes themselves. Do-it-yourselfers can welcome summer's arrival with Chunky Peach Jam and Oven-Dried Tomatoes, or host a fall harvest with fresh Herb Bouquets and Smoked Chicken. Step-by-step instructions, illustrations, charts, and informational sidebars make the process easy and enjoyable.

Grow the best vegetable garden ever with timeless, tried-and-true methods and advice from The Old Farmer's Almanac! Created for new gardeners, green thumbs, and old hands alike, The Old Farmer's Almanac Vegetable Gardener's Handbook is loaded with advice and inspiration to help plants--and growers--thrive. -Step-by-step advice for success with more than 30 vegetables -Space for recording your observations and experiences -Delicious recipes -Ways to preserve your harvest -And much more!

#1 — The Best Country and Rural Living Books* #1 — 15 Best Homesteading Books for Beginners in 2021** For more than 50 years, this homesteading classic is the essential book of basic skills and country wisdom for living off the land, being prepared, and doing it yourself. Keep your family healthy, safe, and independent--no matter what's going on in the world. From homesteaders to urban farmers, and everyone in between, there is a desire for a simpler way of life: a healthier, greener, more self-sustaining, and holistic approach that allows you to survive and thrive—even in uncertain times. With its origins in the back-to-the-land movement of the late 1960s, Carla Emery’s landmark book has grown into a comprehensive guide to living a self-sustaining lifestyle. Learn how to live independently in this comprehensive guide, including how to: * Can, dry, and preserve food * Plan your garden * Grow your own food * Make 20-minute cheese * Make your own natural skincare products * Bake bread * Cook on a wood stove * Learn beekeeping * Raise chickens, goats, and pigs * Create natural skincare products * Make organic bug spray * Treat your family with homemade remedies * Make fruit leather * Forage for wild food * Spin wool into yarn * Mill your own flour * Tap a maple tree And more! Basic, thorough, and reliable, this book deserves a place in urban and rural homes alike. This 50th anniversary edition includes updated resources. * Bookscrolling ** OutdoorHappens

From craft culture to survivalists, preppers, homesteaders, urban farmers, and everyone in between there is a desire for a simpler way of life—a healthier, greener, more self-sustaining and holistic approach to modern life. The knowledge you need to survive and thrive off the grid is at your fingertips in The Encyclopedia of Country Living, the best-selling resource for the homesteading movement. With its origins in the back-to-the-land effort of the late 1960s, Carla Emery’s landmark book has grown into a comprehensive guide to building your sustainable country escape haven, while lowering your carbon footprint in the process. The 40th anniversary edition offers up-to-date and detailed information on the fundamentals of topics like homegrown food; raising chickens, goats, and pigs; beekeeping; food preservation; mail-order supply sourcing; foraging; and much, much more (even how to deliver a baby)—everything you need to lead a self-sufficient lifestyle in the 21st century. Basic, thorough, and reliable, this book deserves a place in urban and rural homes alike. Table of Contents 1 Oddments 2 Introduction to Plants 3 Grasses, Grains & Canes 4 Garden Vegetables 5 Herbs & Flavorings 6 Tree, Vine, Bush & Bramble 7 Food Preservation 8 Introduction to Animals 9 Poultry 10 Goats, Cows & Home Dairying 11 Bee, Rabbit, Sheep & Pig 12 Appendix