Equipped with the knowledge of when to harvest, how to harvest, and what supplies are needed, anyone can learn what it means to create authentic, old-fashioned recipes in this age of grocery-store dependence. Carla Emery's in-depth knowledge comes from her years spent with farmers and homesteaders who truly lived off the land. Organized by food categories, this book — culled from and expanding on sections in the famed Encyclopedia of Country Living — features a wealth of recipes, each preceded by a discussion of our changing motivation as food consumers along with detailed explanations of the processes behind canning and preserving. From drying to pickling to freezing, Emery's preserving methods are as broad in scope as the recipes themselves. Do-it-yourselfers can welcome summer's arrival with chunky peach jam and oven-dried tomatoes, or host a fall harvest with fresh herb bouquets and smoked chicken. Step-by-step instructions, charts, and informational sidebars make the process easy and enjoyable.

No home, whether in the country, the city, or somewhere in between, should be without this one-of-a-kind encyclopedia — the most complete source of information available about growing, processing, cooking, and preserving homegrown foods from the garden, orchard, field, or barnyard. For more than 30 years, people have relied on its practical, step-by-step advice on basic self-sufficiency skills such as how to cultivate a garden, buy land, bake bread, raise farm animals, make sausage, milk a goat, grow herbs, churn butter, build a chicken coop, cook on a wood stove, and much, much more. First written at the height of the 1960s back-to-the-land movement, the book has been continually revised, updated, and expanded, and has grown from a self-published, mimeographed document to an exhaustive reference of more than one million words, 2,000+ recipes, and over 1,500 mail order sources. Emery’s personal advice, reflections, and anecdotes ensure that this incredibly detailed, diverse reference is as enjoyable as it is useful.