The Encyclopedia of Country Living
I have numerous gardening books but the Carla Emery's book is certainly the one that has been most helpful. Carla could probably be described as a homesteading hippie in the 1970's and she spend twenty years writing down everything that you could possibly need to know about growing and raising your own food and much more. The book went through many editions but is still in print, which may be proof of how valuable others have found her information. From making butter and soap, to raising goats and butchering chickens, to recipes for almost anything, you can probably find it in these almost 900 pages! The gardening section is huge and contains vegetables I have never heard of! I am amazed every time I turn to it at the volume of information contained in this one book! If you are interested in "getting back to the land", this book would give you a good start. Carla has a "chatty" style of writing which makes you feel like you are talking to a friend over the back fence, not like reading a impersonal encyclopedia. As a printer's wife, I have to mention that the printing job is poor. Especially in such a huge book, it would be nice to have a hard back quality book. But Amazon sells it for less then $20.00 so I guess you can't expect flashy color printing. I've had this book since I was a teenager, and it certainly has been worth it.
I have numerous gardening books but the Carla Emery's book is certainly the one that has been most helpful. Carla could probably be described as a homesteading hippie in the 1970's and she spend twenty years writing down everything that you could possibly need to know about growing and raising your own food and much more. The book went through many editions but is still in print, which may be proof of how valuable others have found her information. From making butter and soap, to raising goats and butchering chickens, to recipes for almost anything, you can probably find it in these almost 900 pages! The gardening section is huge and contains vegetables I have never heard of! I am amazed every time I turn to it at the volume of information contained in this one book! If you are interested in "getting back to the land", this book would give you a good start. Carla has a "chatty" style of writing which makes you feel like you are talking to a friend over the back fence, not like reading a impersonal encyclopedia. As a printer's wife, I have to mention that the printing job is poor. Especially in such a huge book, it would be nice to have a hard back quality book. But Amazon sells it for less then $20.00 so I guess you can't expect flashy color printing. I've had this book since I was a teenager, and it certainly has been worth it.
Love your site!
ReplyDeleteI just found you from Tammy's.
I have a borrowed copy of one of this lady's books like this and I love it! She has a wealth of information in it on everything imaginable! Great book!
I love your bread label...you have some very pretty breads!
I also like marked your dressing/seasonings post for future use.
Love your sewing posts as well. Your sewing is very pretty! Love the bow on the blue-striped curtain/valance. Beautiful job!
Also loved your post about the quilt! I've been wanting to try one of those but haven't found the time or simple instructions! ;-)
Great work on your blog!
Thanks for taking the time to post so many good things!
I have had this book for a long time, but I have not read very far into it because the printing is so small and so light that it's very hard to read. Thanks for your recommendation, I'll get it off the shelf and give it another try. Maybe use my magnifying goggles.
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