The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-to-Basics Guide

Description

Embrace off-grid green living with a new edition of the bestselling classic guide to a more sustainable way of life from the father of self-sufficiency. For over 40 years, John Seymour has inspired thousands to make more responsible, enriching, and eco-friendly choices with his advice on living sustainably. The Self-Sufficienct Life and How to Live It offers step-by-step instructions on everything from chopping trees to harnessing solar power; from growing fruit and vegetables, and preserving and pickling your harvest, to baking bread, brewing beer, and making cheese. Seymour shows you how to live off the land, running your own smallholding or homestead, keeping chickens, and raising (and butchering) livestock. In a world of mass production, intensive farming, and food miles, Seymour's words offer an alternative: a celebration of the joy of investing time, labor, and love into the things we need. While we can't all move to the countryside, we can appreciate the need to eat food that has been grown ethically or create things we can cherish, using skills that have been handed down through generations. With refreshed, retro-style illustrations and a brand-new foreword by Alice Waters, this new edition of Seymour's classic title is a balm for anyone who has ever sought solace away from the madness of modern life. Contents Foreword by Alice Waters Prefaces to the 2018 Edition Prefaces to Earlier Editions Introduction CHAPTER 1 THE MEANING OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY The Way to Self-sufficiency Humans & the Environment The Natural Cycle The Seasons The Urban Garden The Community Garden The One-acre Farm The Five-acre Farm CHAPTER 2 FOOD FROM THE GARDEN The Food-producing Garden The Deep Bed Sowing & Planting Growing under Cover Protecting from Pests Pests, Fungi & Diseases The Illustrated Index of Vegetables, Herbs & Fruits The Edible Parts of Plants Roots Stems Leaves Flowers and Vegetable Fruits Seeds and Pods Fruits Green Manure Crops The Cultivation of Vegetables The Cultivation of Herbs The Cultivation of Fruits Caring for Fruit Trees Vegetables through the Year Winter Spring Early Summer Late Summer Fall The Greenhouse CHAPTER 3 FOOD FROM ANIMALS The Living Farmyard The Cow Beef Goats Pigs Sheep Poultry Rabbits Bees & Honey CHAPTER 4 FOOD FROM THE FIELDS Clearing Land Draining Land Irrigating Land Making Use of Woodland Hedging & Fencing The Working Horse Horse & Tractor Power Preparing Land & Sowing Harvesting The Cereals Wheat Milling Grain Oats & Rye Barley Corn Rice Growing Crops for Oil Growing Root Crops Grass & Hay CHAPTER 5 FOOD FROM THE WILD Game Fish & Sea Foods Plants, Nuts & Berries Mushrooms CHAPTER 6 IN THE DAIRY The Hayshed & Cowshed The Dairy Making Butter & Cream Making Cheese CHAPTER 7 IN THE KITCHEN The North-facing Storeroom Harvesting & Storing Making Bread Preserving Freezing Canning Making Pickles & Chutneys Making Jams & Syrups Bakery & Desserts Meats Fish Vegetables CHAPTER 8 BREWING & WINE-MAKING Brewing Basics Malting Barley Making Beer Making Wine Making Hard Cider & Vinegar CHAPTER 9 ENERGY & WASTE Food for the Garden The Dry Toilet Managing Waste Saving Energy Power from Water Heat from the Sun Power from the Sun Fuel from Waste Power from the Wind CHAPTER 10 CRAFTS & SKILLS The Workshop Building Springs & Plumbing Knots & Ropework Basketry Pottery Spinning Wool & Cotton Dyeing & Weaving Spinning Flax Curing & Tanning Making Bricks & Tiles Working in Stone Working in Metal Building & Thatching Scything Woodworking Household Items Making a Pond & Fish Farming The All-purpose Furnace Becoming a Self-supporter Glossary Index Resources About the Authors