The Country Living Handbook ─ A Back-to-Basics Guide to Living Off the Land

Packed with step-by-step instructions, useful tips, time-honored wisdom, and both illustrations and photographs, this compact guide has everything you need to dive into a more self-sufficient life. From canning and preserving to keeping chickens, fermenting vegetables to soap-making, Gehring covers all the basics in this easy-to-read, approachable collection. Topics covered include:
Generating your own energy
Herbal medicine
Cheese-making
Maple sugaring
Farm mechanics
Building a smokehouse
Dyeing wool
Composting
Disaster Preparedness
And 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.

Abigail R. Gehring is the author or editor of more than a dozen books on country living skills, cooking, and baking, including Back to Basics and The Homesteading Handbook. She lives in New York, NY, United States.