The definitive manual of basic skills and country wisdom for living off the land, being prepared, and doing it yourself--whether it's a farm or homestead, suburb, or city. 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 to modern life. 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 sustainable lifestyle, while lowering your carbon footprint in the process. Find inspiration and know-how to live independently in this comprehensive guide, including how to: Can, dry and preserve food Plan your garden Grow your own food Forage for wild food Make your own natural skincare products Spin wool into yarn Mill your own flour 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 Make 20-minute chees * 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.

#1 The Best Country and Rural Living Books list: "This comprehensive resource is the most authoritative guide available to a sustainable lifestyle and living off of the land."
—Bookscrolling.com

#1 15 Best Homesteading Books for Beginners in 2021: "This book is one of our favorites…many aspects of basic farm life fill the (tremendously) detailed 928 pages. You’ll find gardening tips, how to prepare food, and how to buy land. …If you want to know more about keeping bees, raising rabbits, and taking care of cows, then this is the book to get!
—Outdoor Happens

“For the suburbanite with just enough space for a little garden to the die-hard homesteaders and everyone in between, The Encyclopedia of Country Living makes for both fascinating reading and a truly essential reference source. You won’t find a more complete source of step-by-step information about growing, processing, cooking and preserving every kind of food—from the garden, the orchard, the field or the barnyard!”
**Rodale Book Club

"If you're dreaming about moving "back to the land" someday, or if you're already there and want to live more self-sufficiently, you'll want a copy of ... The Encyclopedia of Country Living."
*Organic Gardening*

“This book is a monument to the coevolution of a person and an idea. . . this book should be shelved in your collection between the Foxfire books and Alicia Bay Lau­rel’s Living on Earth.”
*Whole Earth catalog***

"Packed with old wisdom as well as up-to-date websites and mail-order sources to make country living easier."
Country Almanac

“As one aston­ished browser acclaimed, ‘Is there anything this book doesn’t tell you how to do?’”
Library Journal

"If you’re thinking about ditching the city and reconnecting with a simpler, more direct way of life . . .  The Encyclopedia covers a wealth of information to keep you on target."
Lehman's Country Living

"If I could only have one comprehensive how-to book on self-reliant living, this would be it."
Backwoods Home Magazine

"The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery is one of my favorite finds. It is a guide to all things country..."
The Jefferson County Post

"While it is impossible for one book to have everything you need, 'The Encyclopedia of Country Living' does an exceptional job of giving you the most bang for your buck when it comes to needing a single resource where you are likely to find the answer to your country living questions."
Outdoor Self Reliance

"Practical advice, invaluable information, and collected wis­dom for folks and farmers in the country, city, and anywhere in between."
Territorial Seed catalog

Autorentext

Carla Emery

Klappentext

OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD: The 50th anniversary edition of the classic manual for sustainable living—with 900+ pages covering basic country skills and wisdom for living off the land!

Whether you’re homesteading, prepping, or living off-grid, keep your family healthy, safe, and self-sufficient—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 and self-sufficient natural lifestyle that allows you to survive and thrive—even in uncertain times. Carla Emery’s classic guide will teach you how to live off the grid, be prepared, and do it yourself.

• Can, dry, and preserve food
• Plan your garden with a beginner's guide to gardening
• 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 natural remedies
• Make fruit leather
• Forage for wild food
• Spin wool into yarn
• Mill your own flour
• Tap a maple tree
• And so much more!

The Encyclopedia of Country Living has been guiding readers for more than 50 years, teaching you all the skills necessary for living independently off the land. Whether you live in the city, the country, or anywhere in between, this is the essential guide to living well and living simply.

Zusammenfassung
The original manual of basic skills and country wisdom for living on the land--whether it's a farm or homestead, suburb or city.

Leseprobe
What This Book Is
 
This book has been written—and rewritten—over a span of 32 years. Like a geological deposit, it has layers. The first layer was the ambitious 12-page table of contents I started compiling back in 1969. That’s when I first got to thinking about this book. I wanted to put into one work everything someone would want or need to know about family food production. I wanted it to be a complete reference, an encyclopedia of information and skills, a practical resource anyone could use.

The “back to the land” movement had started happening then—a tremendous out-migration from cities to country. I was living in a tiny town in northern Idaho, and the newcomers were everywhere, full of urgent questions about growing plants and raising animals. So the next layer of the book got written as I tried to answer their questions, encourage them in the hard moments, and help them adapt to the harsh realities of country living. I was struggling to create for them an affordable, single-volume reference work on raising and preparing food—every kind of food, every step of the way—from planting a seed in the garden or mating animals to preparing a meal.

I was also trying to preserve the precious knowledge of an older generation of homesteaders—knowledge that was rapidly disappearing as that generation passed on. It seemed that traditional, “old-time” technologies were being cast aside as people flocked to petroleum-based technologies and centralized supply systems. I wanted to help record and preserve the traditional methods. They offer a workable alternative to petroleum-dependent technologies, and as we continue to deplete the earth’s oil deposits, the old, self-sufficient methods w…