Country wisdom & know-how : a practical guide to living off the land

3333 Pages·2004·47.06 MB·English

by  Country Wisdom Bulletins

COUNTRY
WISDOM
& KNOW-HOW
COUNTRY
WISDOM
& KNOW-HOW
Everything You Need to Know
to Live Off the Land
From the editors of Storey Books
Introduction
The joy of doing more for oneself, mastering a skill, being more
independent, connecting in a very physical way with our land, our
property, our earth—that’s why we are drawn to this book.
Back in the 1970s, during the “back to the land era” when hippies
were homesteading and gas and energy prices were sky high,
Storey began to publish a series of small booklets called Country
Wisdom Bulletins, each one addressing a bite-sized piece of country
know-how, a simple skill, some knitty-gritty information. The collection
of bulletins grew into the hundreds and eventually over 15 million
copies were sold to people eager to discover the fun and satisfaction
of doing more for themselves.
And now, collected between the covers of this volume, is a
compendium of treasured knowledge from hundreds of Country
Wisdom Bulletins. If you’re like most people, you’ll get stuck in it like
a fly to old-fashioned flypaper. Whether you want to build a stone
fence, make strawberry-rhubarb jam, or plant an herb garden, you’ll
find this book to be like your grandfather or grandmother at your
elbow, showing you how.
Everything old is new again. Enjoy!
Pam Art
President
Storey Publishing LLC
Copyright © 2004 Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
or by any electronic or mechanical means including information
storage and retrieval systems without the written permission of the
copyright holder.
Published by
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
151 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
Distributed by
Workman Publishing Company
225 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover and interior design by Platinum Design, Inc. NYC
Interior layout by Cindy Joy
Cover illustration from An Age of Barns by Eric Sloane © 1967 Funk &
Wagnalls, New York.
Reprinted by permission of Mrs. Eric Sloane.
Portions of the material contained in this work are from the Country
Wisdom Bulletin series, published and copyrighted by Storey
Publishing LLC.
ISBN–13: 978-1-57912-368-0
m l k j i h g
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available on file.
Contents
Introduction
ANIMALS
Birds and Bats
Attracting Birds
Easy-to-Build Bird Feeders
Bird Food Recipes
Building Nestboxes for Backyard Birds
Easy-to-Build Birdhouses
Easy-to-Build Birdbaths
Creating Habitat for Backyard Birds
Creating a Bird-Watcher’s Journal
Helping Orphaned Wild Birds
Building Bat Houses
Cats
Cat Toys: How to Make Your Home a Feline Paradise?
Teaching Your Cat Simple Tricks
10 Herbs for Happy, Halthy Cats
Breaking Your Cat’s Bad Habits
Dogs
Housebreaking and Training Your Puppy
Building a Doghouse
Homemade Treats for Happy, Healthy Dogs
10 Herbs for Happy, Healthy Dogs
Rabbits
Raising a Healthy Rabbit
Build Rabbit Housing
Horses
Buying and Selling a Horse
Tack: Care and Cleaning
Building or Renovating a Small Barn for Your Horse
Livestock and More
Eggs and Chickens in Least Space on Home-Grown Food
Building Chicken Coops
Raising Ducks
Raising Game Birds
Starting Right With Bees
Butchering Livestock at Home
COOKING
General
Cooking with Winter Squash and Pumpkins
Cooking with Dried Beans
Cooking with Tofu
Cooking with Honey
Cooking with Yogurt
Cooking with Cranberries
Great Blueberry Recipes
Green Tomato Recipes
Fast and Easy Ways to Cook Vegetables
Cooking with Edible Flowers
Salsas!
Breads
Basic Bread Baking
Making Quick Breads
From the Dairy
Making Cheese, Butter and Yogurt
Making Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
Meats
Easy Game Cookery
Cooking with Fresh Sausage
Preserving, Pickling, Canning, Distilling
Food Drying Techniques
Jams, Jellies & Preserves
Favorite Pickles & Relishes
Making & Using Mustards
Making & Using Flavored Vinegars
Making the Best Apple Cider
Building Homebrew Equipment
Making Homemade Wine
CRAFTS
For the Home
Stenciling
Quilting Basics
Making Hand-Dipped Candles
Making Baskets
Gifts from Nature
Making Grapevine Wreaths
Making Potpourri
Making Natural Milk Soap
Making and Using a Flower Press
Making Prints from Nature