Self-Sufficiency – serie

Welcome to the world of safer, greener household cleaning. This friendly book will help you become more self-sufficient and benefit your health, the environment, and your bank balance. Natural Household Cleaning is packed with clear, easy-to-follow cleaning recipes to replace common commercial cleaning products with natural alternatives. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover that your kitchen cupboard already contains many harmless options for transforming your home into a clean and fresh-smelling haven. Lemons, salt, vinegar, baking soda, and club soda are just some of the natural ingredients that can be used to clean the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, floors, and everything in between. Many of us don’t realize just how easy it is to make your own cleaning products and achieve truly amazing results. Turn a chore into a pleasure and discover a whole new way to clean!

Self-sufficiency and organic living have never been more prominent and hen keeping is becoming increasingly popular. Part of a growing series of authoritative and inspirational titles, this book provides an introduction to some of the key aspects of aspiring to a self-sufficient lifestyle by keeping your own chickens and benefiting from the produce.You don't need a large garden to keep poultry and an average family only needs a couple of hens to keep them well stocked in fresh eggs all year round. The set-up costs are minimal and you don't need a whole host of expensive gadgets or equipment to care for your chickens.Packed with information on poultry keeping (housing, food and water, daily care, disease prevention and cure, encouraging egg production and breeding), there is also comprehensive information on breeds and a list of useful contacts should you need them.

This book will appeal to anyone with a love of cheese. The text covers every aspect of making cheese at home, from the tools and equipment needed and basic recipes to making more complex cheeses and advice on setting up a small cheese business. You do not need to be scientifically trained to make cheese, nor do you need to be an accomplished cook or possess expensive specialist equipment.Here Rita Ash shows just how simple the process is and how, with a little care and attention, anyone can produce delicious hand-made cheeses at home. Each of the recipes are clearly explained and include suggested uses for each of the finished cheeses. As no prior knowledge is assumed, the book is suitable for beginners and more experienced cheese makers alike.

Arranged in a directory of categories divided into wild plants, herbs, fruits, nuts, mushrooms, seaweeds and shellfish, this book has all of the information you need to forage for yourself.You'd be surprised at the bounty of wild food you can find practically on your doorstep: some native plants, some escapes from ancient gardens and all delicious. Most of these foods are within easy reach - however, you've got to know what you're looking for and where to go and when.Clear illustrations to help you identify a wholesome and natural food store, all for free. Hints on how to prepare and eat your foraged bounty are also included, along with advice on seasonality.

Most fruits and vegetables can be used for preserving, and what better and more satisfying way to use up home-grown or local produce than to puree, pickle, bottle or salt it and consume it throughout the year! There are several different methods of preserving fruits and vegetables and all give delicious results. Jams, jellies, fruit butters and curds, bottled fruits, chutneys, pickles and salted vegetables are all practical and economical ways to preserve seasonal produce. And you don't need a load of kitchen gadgets and equipment to get started: a heavy-based pan, a funnel, a sugar thermometer and a selection of glass storage jars are all you need.

This book gives information on the origins of smoke-curing, the basic smoking processes, raw materials, equipment and storage. In addition there are 25 recipes for meat, game, fish and shellfish.These days, home smoking and curing food is all about creating the best possible flavours. Surprisingly, preserving food is quite simple and all it takes is some basic equipment and a degree of organization. This practical guide reveals the ways to retain the subtle flavours of fresh produce by smoking, from simple smoked salmon to more unusual ideas such as smoked mussels or smoked sausages. With informative text, clear instructions and charming illustrations throughout, this will be an invaluable guide for anyone looking to create their own cured and smoked products.

Our skin is our largest organ. We often think about how the things we put into our body affect us, but how much time do we take to consider how the things we put onto our body affect us? This timely book is packed full of helpful advice about how to make your own luxurious and beautiful soaps at home, using only the best natural ingredients.Not only are the soaps good for you, they look great and are wonderfully indulgent too. Sarah Ade begins by listing the natural ingredients available and their properties, before describing how to put ingredients together for a specific purpose.She also discusses the benefits of a macrobiotic lifestyle and holistic skin care and why your body will thank you for it. The recipes range from the fun and frivolous to sensible and serious and the text is packed with homemade skin care ideas. This is an essential guide for anyone interested in what they put onto their body as well as what goes inside.

In this comprehensive book, an expert textile arts instructor reveals everything readers need to know to make their own fabrics. This book explains where different fibers come from, how to grow and harvest your own vegetable fibers, and how to prepare them for spinning. The principles of spindle and spinning wheel spinning are covered, along with home dyeing using natural dyestuffs, and hand weaving with or without a loom. Finally, there are a number of simple projects, such as a rug, shoulder bag, bed cover, and jumper and mitts to put your newly learned skills to the test.

In this timely book, John Parkes demystifies the brewing process and explains in easy-to-follow terms how anyone can produce delicious beer with the help of just some basic equipment and a few key skills. Those new to home brewing will love the easy-to-follow instructions and the detailed explanations of the brewing process and anyone already adept at home brewing will be delighted by the original recipes. Made without unnecessary chemicals and additives, the beers featured here will appeal to anyone seeking a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

In this book you'll discover how to treat non-serious complaints, such as coughs, colds and sore throats, as well as suggestions for easing the strain of more permanent conditions like eczema, arthritis and asthma. Packed with easy-to-follow recipes using herbs, essential oils and ingredients found in your kitchen, the book will ensure you'll be making your own natural remedies in no time.

This clear and concise directory provides all the essential information readers need to grow, use, and store a wide selection of flavor-enhancing herbs and spices. Some herbs are annuals, some are perennials, and some can be grown indoors—but all of those highlighted here can be grown either in pots or directly in the soil. Each individual plant profile includes detailed growing advice. Home and garden expert Linda Gray tells how to prepare the soil, when to sow and plant out, and when to harvest and gather. Linda also examines the culinary uses of each herb and spice, and explores other uses from medicinal remedies to insect repellents and sleep remedies. Tips on container growing and hints on how to store the harvest make Self Sufficiency: Herbs and Spices an indispensable guide.

Making your own bread by hand is a simple pleasure and a great starting point for anyone looking to become a little more self-sufficient. Making bread can be therapeutic and creative and is achievable with even a basic level of culinary skill. Filling your kitchen with the delicious smells of baking bread is reward enough in itself but it is important that the finished product tastes great too. Food writer and culinary stylist Kathryn Hawkins covers the basic steps to get you started, including essential equipment and simple breadmaking techniques. Also included are 40 tasty bread recipes, from plain white to whole wheat loaves, sourdough to French baguettes, as well as recipes for flavored bread and international fare from every corner of the globe, including brioche, pita bread, naan, stolen, and soda bread. Charming artwork, simple instructions, and informative writing make Breadmaking an invaluable guide for anyone who’s always wanted to make warm, delicious bread in their own home while becoming a little less reliant on processed, pre-packaged food. Get started today, and get ready to enjoy a lifetime of hot, fresh bread straight from your own oven.

This is a simple and systematic guide to growing a selection of the tastiest fruit and vegetables. The aim of this book is to start you off with some easy-to-grow produce such as carrots, onions, radishes, tomatoes and strawberries. Once you have the confidence of the first growing season behind you, you can then progress to crops requiring slightly more labour, such as peas, beans and raspberries. When you grow your own produce, you can be absolutely sure that everything has been organically cared for and you can grow just the variety you like. You can pick the fruit and vegetables at their freshest without a tiresome journey to the supermarket. It's satisfying, it's economical and it's delicious.