The Back to Basics Handbook

A full-color, comprehensive guide to old-fashioned know-how and simple living, from farming to furniture making to bread baking.

With hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations, The Back to Basics Handbook is a wealth of information for homesteaders about how to:
• know what to look for when buying country property
• dye your own wool with plant pigments
• graft trees
• raise chickens or other livestock
• get energy from wood, water, wind, or sun
• grow fruits, vegetables, and nuts
• craft a hutch table with hand tools
• make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese
• build a log cabin or adobe brick homestead
• keep bees
• preserve food, and much more

Along with all the practical advice, this book also provides inspiration for dreamers—even if you live in a city apartment you'll 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.