Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
For twenty years people have relied on these hundreds of recipes, instructions, and morsels of invaluable practical advice on all aspects of growing and preparing food. This definitive classic on food, gardening, and self-sufficient living is a complete resource for living off the land with over 800 pages of collected wisdom from country maven, Carla Emery--how to cultivate a garden, buy land, bake bread, raise farm animals, make sausage, milk a goat, grow herbs, churn butter, catch a pig, make soap, work with bees and more. Encyclopedia of Country Living is so basic, so thorough, so reliable, it deserves a place in every home--whether in the country, the city, or somewhere in between.
Book Description
Initially self-published 20 years ago, The Encyclopedia of Country Living has become the trusted guidebook to sustainable, self-sufficient living. Filled with memorable anecdotes, crucial advice, and a generous helping of good humor, this compendium provides detailed information about food production — growing, processing, cooking, and preserving — together with hundreds of illustrations and recipes. With updates of over 1,100 mail order sources, including websites and email addresses, this revised edition is the definitive classic text for living off the land.
Customer Reviews:
Review #1: This is my 'desert island' book
2007-03-24 
If you have to choose only one book for your 'back to the land' bookshelf, make it this one.
I have owned the last three editions of this book, and I have been reading this type of book for over 30 years, now, since I picked up my grandmother's copy of the first 'Foxfire' book. This is the best, most comprehensive book I have ever read. On any topic. And I have read it cover to cover, too many times to count.
I was born and raised in metropolitan Tampa Bay, Florida. Even then, I dreamed of having a farm. I bought this book when my husband was in the military, we were moving every 18 months, and had never owned a house, much less a farm. It gave me something to dream on. I have memorized most of it by now, and my copy is ragged from actually using it to learn from. We now have a very small farm, raising veggies, fruits, goats, ducks, and chickens naturally. 'The Country Recipe Book' gave me the courage to follow my dreams, and enough basic knowledge to figure out how. (Learning to milk the goat, while reading the directions out loud to my husband and 12 year old daughter, was worth every penny I've ever spent on it...).
Review #2: Do it all book!!
2007-03-16
This is a required read for anyone wanting to get back to the Country. It is chock full of information on the old ways of doing things.
Review #3: The encyclopedia of Country Living
2007-02-16
Wow!! full of info, ideas, almost overwhelming! I keep it on my coffee table!
Review #4: WOW!! SO MANY TOPICS, VERY WELL EXPLAINED!
2007-01-19
This is truly a great book! An excellent resource for those of us who like the idea of living "off the grid" and being self-reliant. Covering everything from births at home to making breads from your own home-grown grains, this is a practical reference that is easy to read and very down to earth. Lots of information, but in a easy-to-follow casual style which makes it very easy to apply the knowledge yourself and get a jump on a homesteader's life. Even if you aren't interested in homesteading, the country skills she teaches are practical in emergency situations or during a loss of power. And it is just plain interesting to read!
Review #5: My bible of family survival techniques
2007-01-16 
I first read Carla's book in the 70's when I married a part-time farmer. She helped this city girl learn how to manage a large garden, livestock, preserving, milking,and storing the surplus. Her humorous anecdotes about family also helped while raising my children. I recently purchased a new book for myself and my nephew. He had returned from a 2 year stint in the peacecorp in Africa and had an interest in living a more basic life back home. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in getting back, not to a simple life, but to a meaningful, full life! |
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