The Encyclopedia of Country Living

895 Pages·2006·35.71 MB·English

by  Carla Emery

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
Country Living
A N O L D F A S H I O N E D R E C I P E B O O K
U P D A T E D N I N T H E D I T I O N
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
Country Living
A N O L D F A S H I O N E D R E C I P E B O O K
U P D A T E D N I N T H E D I T I O N
by Curia Emery
I L L U S T R A T E D B Y C I N D Y D A V I S A N D D A V I D B E R G E R
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Copyright ©1994, 2003 by Caria Emery
Updated ninth edition
Illustrations on pages 10,17, 26, 57, 65, 72, 73, 76, 77, 81, 90, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 125, 133,134, 135, 145, 151,155, 158, 162, 181,
243, 244, 416, 417, 425, 428, 430, 447, 451, 543, 549, 554, 574, 580, 595, 609, 610, 612, 620, 621, 622, 623, 626, 633, 634, 639, 641,
643, 671, 674, 679, 681, 689, 692, 693, 722, 769, 785, 787, 791, 793, 801, 803, 806, 813, 817, 824 copyright ©1994 by David Berger
Illustrations on cover, title page, and chapter opening pages copyright © 1994 by Dave Albers
All other illustrations copyright ©1994 by Cindy Davis
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the
prior written permission of the publisher.
First printing of updated ninth edition, 2003
Printed in the United States of America
Distributed by Publishers Group West
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 6 5 4 3 2 1
The following authors and publishers have generously given permission to use extended quotations from copyrighted works: From Gardening
Under Cover by William Head. Copyright 1984, 1989 by Amity Foundation. Published by Sasquatch Books. Reprinted by permission of the
publisher. From Winter Harvest Cookbook by Lane Morgan. Copyright 1990 by Lane Morgan. Published by Sasquatch Books. Reprinted by
permission of the publisher. From Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon. Copyright 1989 by Steve Solomon. Published
by Sasquatch Books. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. From The Complete Guide to Landscape Design, Renovation and Maintenance: A
Practical Handbook for the Home Landscape Gardener. Copyright by Cass Turnbull. Reprinted by permission of the author. From "Remove the
Toxic Waste Dump from Your Home . . . " by Rodney L. Merrill as published in Backwoods Home Magazine (January/February 1991). Copyright
by Rodney L. Merrill. Reprinted by permission of the author. From "Bury Your Own Dead" by Carl Watner as published in Backwoods Home
Magazine (May/June 1992). Copyright by Carl Watner. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Cover design: Karen Schober
Interior design: Lynne Faulk Design
Composition: Valerie Brewster, Lynne Faulk, Magrit Baurecht, pdbd.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
The encyclopedia of country living : an old fashioned recipe book / by Carla Emery : illustrated by Cindy Davis and David Berger.—
updated 9th ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-57061-377-X
1. Home economics—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
TX158.E45 2003
640—dc21 2002191140
To contact the author:
Published by Carla Emery
Sasquatch Books RO. Box 133
119 South Main Street, Suite 400 San Simon, AZ 85632
Seattle, Washington 98104 520-678-2271
[phone]
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vi
WHAT THIS BOK IS vn
W H O THIS BOK IS FOR vm
ABOUT THE TIME TRAVELING IN THIS BOK vm
1 ODMENTS I
2 INTRODUCTION TO PLANTS 59
3 GRASES, GRAINS & CANES 127
4 GARDEN VEGETABLES 23
5 HERBS & FLAVORINGS 361
6 T R E E , V INE, BUSH & BRAMBLE 415
7 FOD PRESERVATION 489
8 INTRODUCTION TO ANIMALS 549
9 POULTRY 631
10 GOATS, COWS & HOME DAIRYING 721
1 BE, RABIT, SHEP & PIG 789
CHRONOLOGY OF THIS BOK 865
VARIOUS EDITIONS DESCRIBED 870
WORLD RECORDS THIS BOK MAY HAVE SET 870
YOUR ACHIEVEMENT CHECKLIST 871
A FINAL EXAM FOR YOU 871
INDEX 873
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Here are some poems readers have shared with me. A dear lady
named Maude Dougharty sent thef irsto ne to me back when I
So many people have helped me during the years I've been work- wasf irstp ublishing this book, and it's appeared in every edition
ing on this book, I can't begin to list everyone here. Please forgives ince. The second poem was sent to me in January 1994 by Julie
me if you should be named and you aren't. Ryan of Connecticut. I love it!
Thank you, God. MAMA'S MAMA
Mama's Mama, on a winter's day,
Thank you, all of my original subscribers. You bought into
Milked the cows and fed them hay,
a dream, not knowing it was then just a dream and not
Slopped the hogs, saddled the mule,
yet a book. Thank you, everyone who worked so hard in
And got the children off to school.
those early days to help me make that dream a reality.
Did a washing, mopped the floors,
All of you—and everyone who ever bought a book from
Washed the windows and did some chores.
me—made it possible for me to keep writing new, improved
Cooked a dish of home-dried fruit,
editions.
Pressed her husband's Sunday suit,
And thank you, all of my contributors. The larger and more Swept the parlor, made the bed,
complete this book has become, the more I have depended Baked a dozen loaves of bread.
on those more knowledgeable and experienced than I in Split some wood and lugged it in,
particular areas. You'll find their names in this book— Enough tof illt he kitchen bin,
people who contributed a recipe, a piece of advice, or an Cleaned the lamps and put in oil,
anecdote, as well as those who provided whole sections of Stewed some apples she thought might spoil,
information on specific topics. Those people are sharing
Churned the butter, baked a cake,
firsthand knowledge gleaned from y ears of experience;
Then exclaimed: "For Mercy's sake,
without them, this book never could have happened.
The calves have got out of the pen!"
Went out and chased them in again,
I'm also grateful to the people in the publishing and book trade
Gathered the eggs and locked the stable,
world who helped make this ninth edition a reality. I'm
Returned to the house and set the table,
grateful to Patty Merrill, from Powell's Books for Cooks
Cooked a supper that was delicious,
in Portland, for bringing my book to the attention of
Sasquatch. My thanks to Chad Haight, Sasquatch Books And afterwards washed all the dishes,
publisher, for making the offer; to editor Anne Depuefor Fed the cat, sprinkled the clothes,
wise advice gently given and for always being there; to food Mended a basket full of hose,
and garden writer Lane Morgan for her expert review and Then opened the organ and began to play,
suggestions; and to Pom Milbergfor updating and verifying "When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day."
the accuracy of my mail-order entries and for advising
—Anna Rees Henton
me on the section headings in each chapter. I'm grateful to
Age 85,1953
Cindy Davis for letting me reuse her classic set of illustra-
tions; to David Berger and Dave Albersfor creating addi-
tional ones; to the design and composition team ofLynne O U T IN THE FIELDS WITH GOD
Faulk, Magrit Baurecht, and Valerie Brewster for giving the The little cares that fretted me,
book a whole new look; to Joan Gregory and Nancy Deahl
I lost them yesterday,
for helping pull the design, illustration, and production
Among thef ields,a bove the sea,
stages together. And I'm grateful to the copy editors and
Among the winds at play;
proofreaders—Sherri Schultz, Kim Carlson, Marianne
Among the lowing of the herds,
Moon, Julie Hoffman, and others—for their expert atten-
The rustling of the trees,
tion and for making sure that I won't keep my world record
for typos and goofs! Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.
The foolish fears of what may happen,
Finally, my apologies to all the people who sent me information
and recipes that I couldn't individually give them credit for, I cast them all away
or that I wasn't able to include (we had to drop 60,000 Among the clover-scented grass,
words to make every thingf it).M aybe we can put them in Among the new-mown hay.
the next edition! Among the rustling of the corn,
Where drowsy poppies nod,
—Carla Emery
Where ill thoughts die and good are born—
Out in thef ieldsw ith God.
—Author Unknown
Attributed to Elizabeth Barrett Browning
VI and Imogen Guiney
W H A T T H I S BOOK IS
This book has been written—and rewritten—over a span subject to the market prices for those essential commodi-
of 32 years. Like a geological deposit, it has layers. The first ties. Many people spend their lives a paycheck away from
layer was the ambitious 12-page table of contents I started hunger or homelessness—because they must pay other
compiling back in 1969. That's when I first got to thinking people to supply their most basic needs.
about this book. I wanted to put into one work everything I love education and books because they empower
someone would want or need to know about family food people. That's what this book is all about: providing
production. I wanted it to be a complete reference, an ency- you with the information you need to do things on
clopedia of information and skills, a practical resource any- your own, instead of paying someone else to do them
one could use. for you.
The "back to the land" movement had started happen- Another layer of this book comes from the many
ing then—a tremendous out-migration from cities to coun- people who have contributed to it. I've been helped by an
try. I was living in a tiny town in northern Idaho, and the army of persons who have shared recipes, advice, and in-
newcomers were everywhere, full of urgent questions about formation gained from years of experience. And every time
growing plants and raising animals. So the next layer of the I finished another edition of this book, people wrote to me
book got written as I tried to answer their questions, en- with corrections, or with more information, or with impor-
courage them in the hard moments, and help them adapt tant questions I hadn't answered. The book grew and im-
to the harsh realities of country living. I was struggling to proved edition after edition, prodded by those interactions
create for them an affordable, single-volume reference work with readers. So this isn't only "Carla's Book." Often I just
on raising and preparing food—every kind of food, every had the humble task of stitching together information from
step of the way—from planting a seed in the garden or other people, guided by the knowledge and experience I do
mating animals to preparing a meal. have.
I was also trying to preserve the precious knowledge It took me four years to complete the first edition of
of an older generation of homesteaders—knowledge that this book. During that time, I was a lonely rural housewife,
was rapidly disappearing as that generation passed on. It grateful for my pen pals from all over the country—won-
seemed that traditional, "old-time" technologies were being derful people who read early parts of the book and shared
cast aside as people flocked to petroleum-based techno- with me recipes, advice, and encouragement. As I contin-
logies and centralized supply systems. I wanted to help ued writing the book, I kept thinking about those faraway
record and preserve the traditional methods. They offer a but precious friends, and I began including personal
workable alternative to petroleum-dependent technologies, thoughts and memories in my book, sharing with my read-
and as we continue to deplete the earth's oil deposits, the ers stories about myself, my past, my life. Thus, another
old, self-sufficient methods will become more and more layer emerged.
important to know. For this updated ninth edition, I added several more
Mrs. Harless and Imogene Kepford were among the layers. I described mushroom cultivation and aquaculture,
first old-timers I talked to. I visited their homes—where and updated the book to give advice on problems such as
they always made me feel welcome—and listened to them, killer bees, global warming, and pesticide contamination in
enjoying their blunt, charming, pioneer language. Their food. Because the international swapping of seeds has made
amazing knowledge about every aspect of home food pro- a multitude of non-native, exotic plants available, I added
duction humbled me. I began trying out what they told extensive instructions for growing and cooking those
me—and writing it down. Then I'd return to their homes plants. This information is useful to city folks as well, now
to ask more questions, and I'd write those answers down that so many "new" fruits, vegetables, and herbs are appear-
too. When Mrs. Harless died unexpectedly about a year ing in supermarkets. I also added websites and e-mail ad-
after I met her, I felt as though I'd lost a mother. And I dresses for over 1,500 mail-order sources.
realized how much harder and faster I needed to work In fact, as this book has evolved, I've thought of more
on my project. and more ways it could be useful to city- as well as coun-
Today, a general ignorance about food production— try-dwelling people. I've begun to think of it as—and have
as well as the lack of land on which to grow plants or raise strived to build it into—a basic kitchen reference work, so
animals—makes most people captive consumers. Unlike packed with reliable, practical information that any family,
their great-grandparents, the urbanized members of today's urban or rural, would want to own it.
society are almost totally dependent on other people to Is that the final layer? If the last 32 years are any indi-
produce their food, clothing, and shelter—and they're cation, probably not!
W H O T H I S BOOK IS FOR
This book is written for everyone. I kid you not. It's inter- A spunky lady, Barb Lasley of Ramah, NM, wrote me,
esting reading, a valuable reference, and a useful source "Having been reared on a farm in southwest Wisconsin,
of recipes and how-to-do-it information. If you're in the I now exist as a parody to your book, because my mi-
suburbs with space enough for a little garden, you'll find crowave heats the lard to proper soap temperature and
it even more useful. If you dream of someday living on my Kenmore dishwasher cleans up after. My Oster Kitchen
enough land for a garden and maybe a few animals, it's a Center grinds my meat and turns out great pasta and bread
great wish book and guide to that transition. If you live out dough while my washer and dryer are busy doing the laun-
of town where you can have a big garden and livestock, dry. I can't imagine living better than we do, with fresh
you'll get even more use out of this book. Even if you food, homemade soap, clean air, non-chlorinated water,
already know a lot about growing food, I've tried to make and all the TLC that's necessary to make a house a home.
the book a resource that will help you learn even more, or If modern conveniences infringe upon those qualities,
point you to other places where you can network and get I fail to see where."
more information. But I want city-dwelling readers to know Although I've written this collection of food-grow-
they're just as important to me as the country folks, and ing information and along the way lived, loved, and
I've tried hard with this ninth edition to address urban extolled—and also probably idealized—the rural life,
needs too. I don't want you to feel pushed in that direction unless
I think there can be a satisfaction in doing your own it is truly right for you. Going back to the land is not,
thing, in learning new skills, in producing from scratch. for me, a religion. It's not the only right or happy way to
I also think the ability to act independently is personally live. And there are lots of country-type skills and food
empowering and can be a survival factor in crisis. I'd like self-sufficiency ideas in this book that you can make use
to make clear, however, that I don't expect you to do every- of even in town!
thing in this book. It would take 200 hours a day—or There have always been lots of Canadians, Australians,
more—to do it all! I did most of it at one time or another and New Zealanders in my family of readers and back-
and wrote about whatever I was doing while it was fresh in to-the-landers. I used to get happy letters from Americans
my mind. It may sound as if I was doing it all at the same who had moved to Mexico to make new homes there.
time, but that's not true. I also hear from missionaries all over the world who have
I also don't want you to think I'm preaching about moved from "modern" living to the bush and are having
"from-scratch" procedures as though they're the only to learn from-scratch cooking. I've tried hard to make
righteous way. You can cut down a tree using a cross-cut this book something that could be of use to ever more
saw or a chain saw. Some people get great satisfaction people in ever more places. I've added new grains, veg-
from working with a cross-cut saw, sharing the task with etables, and fruits—many of which are grown more
a neighbor on the other end of the saw. Other people, with frequently in other countries than in the United States.
family to keep warm and little time for other things, need So there are as many styles of "country living" as
the expediency of a chain saw. Modern methods can save there are people and places. Whatever and wherever
you time. I've learned to use a computer. It sure beats yours is, thank you for being my reader. You give meaning
having to retype a whole page just to change a few sen- and joy to my life by being out there on the receiving
tences. Every person has to strike a balance between doing end of this book, which has been, more or less, my
for themselves and letting themselves be done for. It's not life's work.
weak to compromise; it's absolutely necessary. This is sometimes a very personal book, a letter to a friend.
A BOUT THE TIME TRAVELING IN T H I S BOOK
The contents have gradually accumulated over 32 years me as a recently married young mother living on 3 acres,
(to date), expanding from all points like an accordion— or on a larger farm, or even in the city. I may be running
or a universe. I added new things as I learned them, a School of Country Living, doing media appearances to
rewrote sections I wasn't satisfied with, and confided new get out the news about my book for sale—or living very
personal events. So it enlarged—less regularly than the quietly. On some pages I'm having babies, surrounded
growth rings on a tree, but more systematically than a by toddlers; elsewhere I'm middle-aged, divorced, a
scrapbook just gradually gaining pages and mementos. grandmother.
That's why you may encounter perhaps jarringly I started writing this book around 1969. I'm writing
different styles, tones, and contexts. I can't change that; this section in 1994. A few entries are dated, but mostly
you'll just have to bear with me. This book is different you'll have to guess when I wrote each passage. So buckle
from most because of its time-jumping. You may encounter your time-traveler's quick-switch seat belt, and away we go!
viii