The Back to Basics Handbook

The Back to Basics Handbook

A Guide to Buying and Working Land, Raising Livestock, Enjoying Your Harvest, Household Skills and Crafts, and More


Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills—the kind employed by our forefathers—and adapt them for a better life in the twenty-first century need look no further than this eminently useful, full-color guide. With hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations, The Back to Basics Handbook will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will find instructions on how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead.

More than just practical advice, this is also a book for dreamers— even if you live in a city apartment you will find your imagination sparked, and there’s no reason why you can’t, for example, make a loom and weave a rag rug. Complete with tips for old-fashioned fun (square dancing calls, homemade toys, and kayaking tips), this is the ultimate concise guide to voluntary simplicity.

Abigail R. Gehring

Abigail R. Gehring is the editor of Back to Basics, Homesteading, and Self-Sufficiency, and author of Odd Jobs and Dangerous Jobs. She’s practiced living self-sufficiently since her childhood in Vermont, being home-schooled, home-canning jams and jellies, and enjoying natural crafts. She lives in New York City and Windham, Vermont.

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Gluten-Free Miniature Desserts
Tarts, Mini Pies, Cake Pops, and More
Abigail R. Gehring, Timothy W. Lawrence
Handheld treats that are easy to make, fun to eat, and completely...



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Classic Candy
Old-Style Fudge, Taffy, Caramel Corn, and Dozens of Other Treats for the Modern Kitchen
Abigail R. Gehring
Homemade candies are easier to make than you think and more delicious to eat than you can...



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The Magic of Mini Pies
Sweet and Savory Miniature Pies and Tarts
Abigail R. Gehring
Irresistibly perfect pies that are just the right...



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Self-Sufficiency: The Card Set
A Handy Guide to Baking, Crafts, Organic Gardening, Preserving Your Harvest, Raising Animals, and More
Abigail R. Gehring
Self-sufficient living in the palm of your...



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The Little Book of Country Baking
Classic Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Breads, and Pies
Abigail R. Gehring
Bring a little bit of cozy country lifestyle right into your...



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The Ultimate Self-Sufficiency Handbook
A Complete Guide to Baking, Crafts, Gardening, Preserving Your Harvest, Raising Animals, and More
Abigail R. Gehring
A do-it-yourselfer’s dream guide to simpler, greener, and more sustainable...



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Odd Jobs
How to Have Fun and Make Money in a Bad Economy
Abigail R. Gehring
"Abigail is a terrific writer, and this book will both entertain and enlighten. Best of all, it will help you realize that what you do all day really is up to you." -- Seth...



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The Simple Joys of Grandparenting
Stories, Nursery Rhymes, Recipes, Games, Crafts, and More
Abigail R. Gehring
A charming illustrated anthology of classic stories, poems, games, recipes, and more to share between...



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The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Living
Abigail R. Gehring
From growing vegetables to crafting furniture to raising goats, this lavishly illustrated volume has everything you need to know to live off the...



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The Homesteading Handbook
A Back to Basics Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More
Abigail R. Gehring
The ultimate guide to self-sufficient living for country, urban, and suburban...



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Self-Sufficiency
A Complete Guide to Baking, Carpentry, Crafts, Organic Gardening, Preserving Your Harvest, Raising Animals, and More!
Abigail R. Gehring
All the helpful details and useful advice of Back to Basics and Homesteading—now with projects and tips geared toward...



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Homesteading
A Back to Basics Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More
Abigail R. Gehring
The companion to the bestseller Back to Basics for country, urban, and suburban...



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Dangerous Jobs
The Adventurer's Guide to High-Risk Careers
Abigail R. Gehring
The success of A&E’s hit series “Deadliest Catch” and Discovery Channel’s new reality show, “The World’s Toughest Jobs” prove that Americans are fascinated with danger and the people who make it their livelihood. Here readers will find all the...



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Back to Basics
A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills
Abigail R. Gehring
Over 100,000 sold! Now newly revised and up to date, with over 2,000 color photographs and...



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Odd Jobs
101 Ways to Make an Extra Buck
Abigail R. Gehring











Also of interest

Preserving
Self-Sufficiency
Carol Wilson

Series

Back to Basics Guides

Subjects

Home & Rural Living

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