| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| natesgirl |
Posted - Apr 29 2011 : 6:30:14 PM
I'm tryin to find books about life without modern conveniences.
I want to know how to make all my own supplies. I don't want to buy yeast, vinegar, cheese, I want to make it!
I want to know how to preserve meat, eggs, cheese, the whole thing if you don't have freezers.
I want to learn to smoke meats, dry herbs, age cheese, can food, manage a root cellar, raise animals, create the circle of life!
I want to know how to do it all for when it all becomes neccessary.
I have learned to bake bread, cakes, pies, brownies, cookies all from scratch due to income loss. I would have rather been able to learn it without the pressure of 3 little sets of eyes and 1 large set starin at me.
I want to know I can provide for them before it's crunch time. I was blessed that everything I made was edible, even if it was misshapen and sometimes a little burnt on the bottom. The girls just cut the bottoms off and ate it anyway. I cried a lot and stressed off about 20 pounds, which I really needed to lose anyhow, but I want to be able to stand strong next time. Not hide in the bedroom most of the day.
I need any information anyone has on the real way to do things. I've found a lot of books that say things generic like 'cut wood for a wood burning stove'. I know that! I don't know the safe way to drop a tree or the right kinds of wood to burn. I know some burn hot and fast while others will burn forever and low makin them good for overnight.
I need details, and lots of them!
I didn't know what it meant to knead dough. I learned from a youtube video. I was doin it wrong the first few times by the way. Same with proofin my yeast. I know now though.
I also need to know how to make my own tools for farm work and how to do my own repairs.
We have learned alot through the last year, but not enough to survive on our own if we needed to. We didn't go without electricity or city water. We wouldn't know what to do to light the house at night. If we couldn't pay for electricity we wouldn't have money for lamp oil or candles. I know there were times we read by the open door of the woodstove when I was growin up and it was stormin real bad, but surely there is other ways for lighting. Right?
I don't know, but I need to. I need to have things in place for if they are needed.
We are buyin a foodsaver vacuum system and are gonna create a staples stockpile, flour, sugar, salt, grains, baking powder, baking soda, coffee, tea, dry milk, dry beans, and anything else we know we can't actually make on our own.
We are learnin to grow our own veges and have begun collectin all the wild fruit trees we can find, mulberry, perrsimmon, plum, crab apple, and we may have a lead on some good eatin apples and a few peach trees from some neighbors. I am trackin down the walnut trees at the bottom of our hill this year and a ladies down the road said there was some 4 or 5 year old pecan trees I could have from here property.
We are takin some classes on seed savin and growin out the 2 year veges for seed this summer.
Oh yeah! Buildings! I need books with reliable info about chicken coops, barns, and such.
If you have any good titles for me or anything I missed here on my list let me know. Please!
Thanks Ladies!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Lindsay C |
Posted - May 23 2011 : 7:49:19 PM
I have to throw in a vote for Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of County Living. I can't think of anything that you'd need to know that's not covered in there, it's huge! :)
Lindsay
Farmgirl Sister #1452 |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 20 2011 : 07:33:57 AM
By the way, I made some soap and it turned out really nice. I need to get a little more comfortable with it, then try makin my own lye for it too!
I'm learnin!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 20 2011 : 07:32:36 AM
My library doesn't have it. They said that probably 10 copies of it have been stolen from them, so they refuse to get another copy. I've filled out the papers to borrow it through intra-library loan, but it could take weeks to get here.
I also have a huge hold list goin and a list of other things for intra-library, which you can only get one at a time.
Hubby and I have picked up several books at yard sales and such lately, we'll have a whole library soon.
I ordered some bayberry seed to grow my own bayberry wax. It can be blended with tallow to make hard, longer burnin, pleasant smellin candles. I'm gonna order a few candle lanterns from Lehmens. They are really nice, reusable, and a friend told me they work great.
I'm startin on my stockpilin. Slowly. Steadily. I will get there!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| FieldsofThyme |
Posted - May 20 2011 : 04:18:54 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Fiddlehead Farm
The only book you will need is Carla Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living". I have a large library of homesteading, prepper, and small farming books, but this one has it all.
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World!
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White
I agree on this book too. I just borrowed it from the library. Lots and lots of stuff in it.
Farmgirl #800
http://pioneerwomanatheart.blogspot.com/
http://scrapreusedandrecycledartprojects.blogspot.com/
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - May 18 2011 : 09:33:44 AM
I haven't read every thing here, but I think it's just basically a good idea to have lamps (oil ones) and candles saved up. If you join your local freecycle I would ask on there for any people may give you (it's ALL FREE). Lamp oil is MUCH cheaper then electricity so I think if you couldn't afford electric in fact you could afford lamp oil. At least the amount you would need. You would learn how to conserve it and how little to use etc. Like by putting mirrors behind your lamps or candles, especially those three sided type mirrors (that keep reflecting off each other back and forth forever!) you get like 3 to 4 lamp amount of light from one lamp. My mom collected the sconces for oil lamps and candles (different kinds of sconces) that had the mirrors for years from garage sales, and estate sales etc, till we had all she wanted to light our home.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| Nigella |
Posted - May 18 2011 : 08:38:10 AM
I second Carla Emery!
Sister #1213
Handmade and vintage goodies
www.thecapriciouscorgi.etsy.com
Knit on with confidence and hope through all crises. ~ Elizabeth Zimmermann |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 12:29:57 PM
I just got a copy of 'Country Wisdom'. I love it! It is still missin alot of the stuff I am lookin for, but it's a huge start.
I have 'Backyard Homestead', 'Root Cellaring', and 'Stocking Up'. I am workin my way through them and tryin to figure out exactly what I am missin.
Keep 'em comin Ladies! I love this!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| beekeepersgirl |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 12:13:10 PM
Hi Angela -
I have a book called Country Wisdom - it has a lot of what you are looking for. This is the book description from amazon.com:
"Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom & Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing's landmark series of "Country Wisdom Bulletins," this book is the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind. Organized by general topic including animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home, it is further broken down to cover dozens of specifics from "Building Chicken Coops" to "Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt" to "Improving Your Soil" to "Restoring Hardwood Floors." Nearly 1,000 black-and-white illustrations and photographs run throughout and fascinating projects and trusted advice crowd every page.
I got my copy at a Tractor Supply store.
Good luck!
Luanne
beekeepersgirl #691
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
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| JennyJKerr |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 11:24:07 AM
Also, try some of the PBS/BBC "house shows" like 1800 House, 1940's House, COlonial House, Texas Ranch House, Frontier House. Because they are authentically set in time periods when people HAD to make some of their own things or survive in environments without modern conveniences you get a TON of great ideas! I've always been a stock piler. LOL I don't know why, I'm only 33 so it's not like I've lived through the depression or rationing or anything, but I've always felt more comfortable if I had at least a months worth of food and about 6 months worth of hygeine products stocked up in the house. I might not WANT stew or pasta every day, but in the even of an emergancy, we wouldn't starve! I have recently bought a few books on the subject myself "The Backyard Homestead", "Country Wisdon & Know-How" and "The Home Creamery". My husband is in the Navy, so we usually rent apartments or homes wherever we go, so it makes it hard to follow through on many self-sufficiency ideas sometimes. I have so many plans for when he retires and we finally get to go back and live in our house in Indiana! We don't have a large plot, but I could at least keep a couple of chickens! LOL
My Blog ~ http://www.kerrfect.com
My Etsy ~ http://www.etsy.com/shop/beletvieux |
| JennyJKerr |
Posted - May 04 2011 : 11:06:56 AM
Thats a great idea! We have been moving more to making our own things from scratch. You should watch a BBC series called "Victorian Farm" it might be available to order via Netflix. They live a year on a farm as the victorians would have. She cans and makes cheese. I loved it, I actually bought the DVD. They have a new one called Edwardian Farm, which I've bought but haven't watched yet so I don't know if it's as good about making your own stuff as the other one is.
My Blog ~ http://www.kerrfect.com
My Etsy ~ http://www.etsy.com/shop/beletvieux |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 01 2011 : 6:35:42 PM
Thank you! I'm gonna start huntin these books up at the library so I can see which one's will work best for me and which one's I just need to copy a few pages from for my binders.
This is so fun for me. I love research and learnin new things!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| Fiddlehead Farm |
Posted - May 01 2011 : 5:28:55 PM
The only book you will need is Carla Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living". I have a large library of homesteading, prepper, and small farming books, but this one has it all.
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World!
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
| Lorraine Michelle |
Posted - Apr 29 2011 : 8:57:54 PM
I know how hard times are, especially with the price of gas... I went out and loaded up on everything I need to make my own cleaning products and laundry soap ans even scrubbies... good luck. If any one has good money saving recipies please post them.
thank you and good luck,
Lorraine Michelle
Chickens are like potato chips...
You can't have just one! |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Apr 29 2011 : 7:42:43 PM
"How to build Small Barns & OutBuilding" by Monte Burch
"The Independent Home" by Michael Potts
"The Foxfire Book" edited with an Intoduction by Eliot Wigginton
"Farm Conveniences and How to make them", by The Lyons Press
"The Have-More Plan" by Ed & Carolyn Robinson
"Root Cellaring" by Mike & Nancy Bubel
"Stocking Up III" by Carol Hupping
Older relatives, neighbors are a great source of info, our local assisted living /nursing home combo always allows people to come in and visit, make friends and ask how they did it all in their day...
"Google" what you are trying to learn about, the internet is a wealth of info, I am constantly researching for info, either new and improved or the always good old fashioned way...
lighting when the power goes out, go to Wal-mart and by those cheap solar garden stakes, they are $2 & $3 dollars here, they will give you a couple of hours worth of light, use cans with sand in them to poke them inside the house, and set them outside to re-charge in the morn...
firewood: you want hardwood to burn slow and hot, i.e., oak, euc, fruit, as fire starter, use pine...
this is a start, just ask if you have questions, I will answer as quick as I can... |
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