The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 50th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living Off the Land & Doing It Yourself (3-Ring Binder) - Spiral
by Carla Emery (Author)
OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD: The 50th anniversary edition of the classic manual for sustainable living--with 900+ pages covering basic country skills and wisdom for living off the land!
Whether you're homesteading, prepping, or living off-grid, keep your family healthy, safe, and self-sufficient--no matter what's going on in the world.
- Plan your garden with a beginner's guide to gardening
- Grow your own food
- Make 20-minute cheese
- Make your own natural skincare products
- Bake bread
- Cook on a wood stove
- Learn beekeeping
- Raise chickens, goats, and pigs
- Create natural skincare products
- Make organic bug spray
- Treat your family with homemade natural remedies
- Make fruit leather
- Forage for wild food
- Spin wool into yarn
- Mill your own flour
- Tap a maple tree
- And so much more! The Encyclopedia of Country Living has been guiding readers for more than 50 years, teaching you all the skills necessary for living independently off the land. Whether you live in the city, the country, or anywhere in between, this is the essential guide to living well and living simply.
Author Biography
Carla Emery lived on a farm in Idaho for more than thirty years as a wife, mother of seven, home-schooler, goat-keeper, garden-grower, writer, and country-living instructor. She wrote and self-published the first editions of The Encyclopedia of Country Living during the early 1970s and also ran her "School of Country Living." Carla sold nearly 90,000 copies of her self-published editions, traveling the country to promote it and appearing on such shows as The Mike Douglas Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Phil Donahue Show, and Good Morning America, where she demonstrated country-living skills such as goat-milking, bread-making, and butter-churning.
When Sasquatch Books published the 9th Edition of Encyclopedia in 1994, Carla continued to travel the country promoting and selling the book, and teaching the timeless skills of country living. Carla cultivated a large and loyal following across the country. Carla passed away in 2005."A prudent person foresees danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. - Proverbs 27:12"
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