The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself

This is a great guide to just about anything you would want to know about living off the land. Not something you would want to read cover to cover, but very interesting to look up a topic and learn about it.

I have waited a few years because of the price of this Bible of Country advice to come down to where I could afford it for our 4 acres. It must weigh in at about 5 pounds. I have only read about half of it but even though I grew up off the grid there are still things that I didn't know or if I did I didn't remember them. There is more information in this book than you will ever need, depending on how you use this book I will tell you that you will be satisfied with it.

I'm very happy with this book, its informative yet easy to get sucked into! It's a great reference to look up something particular and provides links for further reading. I also love the personal stories.

We were very excited to find this product on the store. We purchased this book because we recently moved out into the country. My 9 year old has been reading the section on chickens and we have recently purchased chickens and he is taking care of them based on what he has learned in the book. This is a great starter book for anyone. We also found it for a great price on the store. We would highly recommend.

But I heard great things about this book and I know it will be very useful. I hope I don't regret buying it.
Though there was an issue with wave like patterns of the pages that looked almost like it was damaged by moisture at first but now is gradually going away.

I ordered this book as a memento to a greatv lady. During our Mother Earth days in the late 60's and 70's we subscribed to an ideal. We were one of the couples that received Carl's memeographed books... one chapter at a time. We learned to survive on our two acres by being self sufficient. I don't think there is a better "how to" book on the market.

We were very excited to find this product on the store. We purchased this book because we recently moved out into the country. My 9 year old has been reading the section on chickens and we have recently purchased chickens and he is taking care of them based on what he has learned in the book. This is a great starter book for anyone. We also found it for a great price on the store. We would highly recommend.

But I heard great things about this book and I know it will be very useful. I hope I don't regret buying it.
Though there was an issue with wave like patterns of the pages that looked almost like it was damaged by moisture at first but now is gradually going away.

I ordered this book as a memento to a greatv lady. During our Mother Earth days in the late 60's and 70's we subscribed to an ideal. We were one of the couples that received Carl's memeographed books... one chapter at a time. We learned to survive on our two acres by being self sufficient. I don't think there is a better "how to" book on the market.

Had the dark green edition.Can't find some of its recipes.think I would have rather had a paper copy of the dark green edition.a lot of unnecessary sources etc.in this one. Not worth what I paid for it. Would have been worth half the price.

Gave as a gift but this book seems like a handy resource for those that want to become more self-sufficient or learn skills that weren't passed down by their grandparents. It's the perfect counterpoint to the technology that overcomes life skills as we move toward easy living and forget country living.

The Country Living book was thoroughly enjoyed by my granddaughter, however in the same order was an order for
2 amber glass bottles. Only one arrived in the box. Please send one more of the bottles, ordered and paid for. I
have no order #. All I received was shipment details. The delivery timing was great. This was a Christmas gift,
and until I went to wrap it, just before Christmas, I discovered the one bottle missing. Not a good feeling to not
have a completed order, and find out about it by opening the box. Please send a response as to when I can expect
the other bottle. Thank you [email protected]

Had the dark green edition.Can't find some of its recipes.think I would have rather had a paper copy of the dark green edition.a lot of unnecessary sources etc.in this one. Not worth what I paid for it. Would have been worth half the price.

Gave as a gift but this book seems like a handy resource for those that want to become more self-sufficient or learn skills that weren't passed down by their grandparents. It's the perfect counterpoint to the technology that overcomes life skills as we move toward easy living and forget country living.

The Country Living book was thoroughly enjoyed by my granddaughter, however in the same order was an order for
2 amber glass bottles. Only one arrived in the box. Please send one more of the bottles, ordered and paid for. I
have no order #. All I received was shipment details. The delivery timing was great. This was a Christmas gift,
and until I went to wrap it, just before Christmas, I discovered the one bottle missing. Not a good feeling to not
have a completed order, and find out about it by opening the box. Please send a response as to when I can expect
the other bottle. Thank you [email protected]

I had the original and got this for my daughter and family. Couldn't resist a read! So much info and more organized than the first one! I will never forget my husband going out to butcher a rabbit with book in hand and then coming in with rabbit (still wiggling it's nose) and book, saying, this just doesn't work! He did not have the heart to twist it's neck like she said to do!! I suggested he turn it loose and shoot at it like he did the wild rabbits, he was appalled! We wore that book out!

I bought this to replace my old and worn copy that had been previously loved by someone else. If you are looking for a book that has a wealth of knowledge about being self sufficient and if you have some common sense this book is great.

As other reviewers have said, this book is not put together very well. Its very random and all over the place. She does make a note of this in the book, because it was written over many years. However, I think that there should be some revision so it is easier to find things. Also a lot of topics that I was really interested in, were only briefly covered in one or two paragraphs.

I bought this book for my wife. I wanted us to improve our garden, and maybe even freeze or can some vegetables. The book is like an encyclopedia; it's massive, heavy and packed with info.
This book will live on our coffee table for a long time. It may never make it to the bookshelf.

Appears to be very thorough but print is so small it is difficult for me to read even with my glasses. Such a big book ought to be in hardcover as I can imagine with much use how fanned out it could possibly be.

Buy this book with a "take what you want and leave the rest" idea. Honestly, the best part is the references. I'm sure that I will refer to it for some stuff, but other stuff is just silly. The very idea of raising your own livestock, and then, only eating well-done meat, bizarre, just to name one oddity.

I just got the Kindle version of this 40th Anniversary Edition of what I know as Carla Emery's Old Fashioned Recipe Book.

I own one of the first actually bound-book editions (vs. the loose leaf, three-ring binder, subscription editions.) From what I understand, Carla numbered that one, the first completed, professionally printed, and bound edition, the second edition. I bought it in the late 70's... probably 1977, would be my guess and I carried it all over the world with me for all these years, unbelievably it's still bound like new and every page is in place! Granted, I treasured it and was careful of it, but that's still a testament to its hardiness and my care over the years.

I also own an Encyclopedia of Country Living version from a couple of years ago.

And now this Kindle, 40th Anniversary Edition.

Money well spent; all of it. This book, all editions, is an entire University of Self-Sufficiency in one fat volume (928 pages) all for only, ONLY, $14.99! This book represents the work and learning of an entire lifetime well-spent, if curtailed too early. We are all poorer for the loss of Carla back in 2005. I miss her, there's a Carla shaped hole in my Universe; and I never even got to meet her.

I read my first copy, front to back, several times and referred back to it over and over, over the last many decades. I skimmed the more recent Encyclopedia version once, maybe twice--I can still get sucked in when consulting for one particular piece of information... and surface hours later. Tonight, I decided to read this new Anniversary Edition again, front to back. I want to see what's new. I know there's updated information, in particular source information, and that should be interesting. Besides, the more times we revisit information, the more we make it our own. What could be more profitable or more fun than going back to school with Carla and the Old Fashioned Recipe Book family?

Speaking of what I like to think of as the Old Fashioned Recipe Book Family, one of the criticisms I have read in reviews of other editions is that Carla's style is too "chatty" or some such similar adjective; that she brings in too much information brought to her by her vast correspondence over the decades. I most heartily disagree. Yes, she's chatty, just as though you had sat down for a cup of tea and a conversation with her, her correspondents, her friends and her family. That is precisely the traditional way of transmitting culture, knowledge and tradition, all the things this book and Carla's life's work is all about. What I'd give for the time again to talk with my almost-Amish grandmother; I lost her far, far too early. This book is the closest I am ever likely to come and I am grateful for the heart-transmission of this age-old, priceless, information and tradition not only from Carla, but from her vast network of correspondents.

I only have one teeny-tiny complaint about this book: Carla totally ignores all of the vast tradition of brewing of beers, ales, (hard) ciders and such and the making of liqueurs, and wines, and traditional distillates. I kind of suspect that Carla herself didn't hold with the uses of the various alcoholic preparations, but it's just a guess based upon nothing at all save intuition and the vast silence in her book on the subject. My complaint is that this leaves a gaping, ragged hole in the tradition of agricultural product preservation and in the tradition of medicine-making and traditional healing works. However, given that the rest of what Carla covers is so broad and deep, I am willing to make allowances for this one (pretty large), deficiency and go find that information elsewhere. Sadly, that subject is so huge that I am unable to give just a single reference (or even ten) on it like I can with most other self-sufficiency issues by just referring to this, Carla's book.

Sometimes, when I get to about this point in other product's reviews, I say to myself "yes, I know you liked it, but what's IN it?" To that, about this book, I can answer, "Everything between the end of Hunter/Gatherer and the beginning of Earl "Get Big or Get Out" Butz (Nixon's Secretary of Agriculture); everything but the alcohol! Ok, so that's probably an exaggeration... so here's something I know to be completely true: Everything between raising, killing and butchering a hog, through raising and preparing almost all plant foods, to the ancient, authentic, Mid-Eastern recipe for Marzipan complete with rose water (more authentic than all I have found on a recent extensive search of the internet!)

Once I complete my revisit of the University of Carla with all the upgrades, I will revisit this review and edit it if I think there's anything productive or interesting to add.

I got this one on recommendation from a forum on country living.
The PRO would be this has a ton of general info in one book.
The CON is the info is fairly general so not alot of details.

Not upset about it but was kinda hoping to get more detailed info as alot of the stuff in it, we already knew.

The book is defective : Pages 41-90 were inserted upside down and backward. If you ask the store for a replacement, there's no guarantee the one they ship will be any better than the one already foisted upon you. If they refund, you're out the book entirely. And in any case, you have to have a printer , which not everyone does (I do fortunately), so if you can't print off the label, you're completely SOL . Save yourself the trouble and just buy an older used copy, at least until a new printing with the defect fixed is published.

Too bad. Just leafing through it before seeing the defect, it looks like a good book filled with valuable information. :-(

This book arrived quickly and in excellent condition. I was looking for a book about the 'basics' - something similar to the great old Farmer's Almanac, but without the weather. From the description I thought this might be the book. I suppose on some level it was, but it is hard to over look the agenda the author obviously had when writing this book. There is an obvious slant towards the global warming issues, and if you are not a committed 'believer' then it can be distracting and annoying. I was hoping for more old-fashioned recipes, more old tips on making more with less, more common wisdom from the days past. This book covers all matter of subjects, some of which I had no use for - I do not need to know how to bury my dead! I did not want to live that far 'off the land' or on my own. If a person had a burning need to remove themselves from polite society, and live entirely off the land in a tent as the author apparently did for some period of time, this might be a grand volume to have handy. I must admit that I found it rather interesting that while living off the land and back to the basics there are plenty of internet references. Stuck me as odd, going back to old ways but not without an iPad and internet connection?

It is obvious that the author spent an extreme amount of time compiling this book, and for that I applaud her efforts, but if you are looking from the wisdom of times past and the basic tips and techniques that served our great grandparents so well, I would suggest looking a bit further.

Some useful information- such as butchering... But then, I've no practical experience there, so what I say is useful may actually not be.
Other information is outright wrong. Euell Gibbons died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, not from "eating the wrong weed." And her information on vaccines, though emotionally touching, is incomplete and partially wrong.
I bought this book because all the homesteading blogs said that I needed to. I would sell it if it was worth more. Waste of money.

This is quite possibly the best book I use for homesteading reference that I have bought to date. It covers everything from recipes to birthing babies (human AND animal!). If you are looking for in depth diagrams and illustrations, this is not the book for you...but if you want a giant how to manual that covers just about everything homestead-y under the sun with a practical and candid approach it will be one of the few books you will ever need. I've tried many of the straightforward, while ingredient recipes and gave not had a disappointing result yet, and have used many of the techniques written on my backyard animals. Never once when using this book for my little homestead did I feel overwhelmed, or that the techniques written were beyond my capacity. It's like having a farming mama give you her years of advice, inside a neat cover.

I'm not a verified purchaser (though I might buy an updated copy) but rather found it when I inherited my grandmother's cookbooks and this was in there with them. Why she would have had it I have no idea, I doubt she ever gave a second thought to moving out of her suburb (it was a pretty nice one lol).

Started reading it and got hooked. Now I myself also have no desire to go off grid, buy a farm or live out in the boonies. I did learn a TON about making bread, and I rarely if ever purchase bread. Learned a lot about making soap and made a TON of that. We bought a house slightly out in the country and did maple syrup. I doubt I'd have done any of those without reading this book.

It's also quite entertaining reading her stories.

I have very few homesteading resources that I completely love. I have a lot of them that I like, but not many that are so wonderful, so jam packed with helpful information that I can say I truly LOVE them. The Encyclopedia of Country Living is one that I truly LOVE.

It is an entire homesteading library all in one location. Just check out their table of contents:
1 Oddments
2 Introduction to Plants
3 Grasses, Grains & Canes
4 Garden Vegetables
5 Herbs & Flavorings
6 Tree, Vine, Bush & Bramble
7 Food Preservation
8 Introduction to Animals
9 Poultry
10 Goats, Cows & Home Dairying
11 Bee, Rabbit, Sheep & Pig
12 Appendix

Want to know about companion planting? It's there! Want to get started on beekeeping, goats, or poultry? This encyclopedia will hold your hand and walk you through the entire process, from what you need for shelters, coops, and hives to how to extract your honey, milk your goat, and collect your eggs. Its the all in all, one stop shopping homesteaders guide to happiness that you need!

The pages and spine have put up with a lot of use already, as we have studied the chapters on gardening and beekeeping extensively. It has answered all our questions, including the ones we didn't even think to ask!

This book is seriously amazing. It has everything in it you could possibly imagine for homestead and small farm living. My boyfriend and I are 23 and just moved onto a 10-acre property and we learned SO MUCH from this book. When I first got it, I assumed it would read like an informational encyclopedia, but it is NOT boring at all. I feel like I know Carla and have loved reading about her experiences and wisdom in addition to learning so much about living on what we call our homestead. :)

I highly recommend this book! You will enjoy reading it and learn so much!

I bought this book when I lived in rural New Hampshire, where there can be days with no power and 911 takes 45 minutes to arrive. This isn't a "tip book" but an actual how-to for self sufficiency in country settings. It covers all from managing livestock (cattle, goats, chickens, pigs) to sharpening knives and axes, bee keeping and home remedies. This book makes just plain good reading for everyone looking for alternative methods for everything. I used a suggestion for cleaning my oven using a preheated oven and a dish of ammonia - and it worked. (Cleaned my brown-stained Pyrex, too.) Take a look at the covers - you will want to give this as a gift to your earth-conscious friends and keep one for yourself.

I had to buy another one because I wore the covers and several pages off the book I bought in the 70s. It was used for reference many many times.

I don't always agree with Carla Emery's advice. I think bathing more often is essential. I think I want to wear boots that match when I go out to eat. And I don't think a nice green lawn is a waste of yard space. BUT, I learned how to do some of the lesser known country arts. One of her by scratch root beer recipes was a family favorite and high in demand, and I had a sour dough starter that kept me in home made bread yeast for years. Raised livestock on her advice. Grew grand gardens. Raised healthy children.

For me, it was great to have a book on the shelf that has just about all the info you would ever need to deal with anything involving country living.

The book is my favorite. There is more in the book than you will likely ever try, but it is amusing and folksy and a great read even if you don't try everything.

I bought my first copy of this book more than 35 years ago and wore it out. I had moved to Northern Idaho and had just purchased a small farm and being a "city" girl this book became my bible, I practically slept with it. It was an invaluable tool then and now here I am at 67 years old and retiring back up north to where my country life began to start all over again. Knowing I've probably forgotten all the wonderful things I learned from Carla made me look up on the store to see if the book was still in print and I thank my lucky stars it is. Everything you need to know about country living is in this wonderful book. I can't praise it enough!!!!!

Amazing book. Bought it for my mother as a Christmas gift and oh how she loved it! Would've bought it for myself.
If you love to do things yourself, create something out of nothing, or simply enjoy a country life, this book is everything you could ask for.
We however live in the city and owning a larger plot of land, animals and garden is a dream.

Carla's wonderful words shaped and inspired me. As a young woman I spent hours pouring over the original book - between age 19 and 35, when it was lost in a move, I often returned. The anniversary edition is a treasure for this now 65 year old grandma!

My edition was the 6th printing fro March 1981. It is held together with duck tape. It helped me a lot when I first moved out to the ranch and is still my go to book 34 years later when I am trying to figure out how to do something.

I started reading a digital version through my library, and decided that there was too much in here to just read and take notes on. This book is going to have a long life next to my gardening workbench, and I can see it helping me when I have more than just a backyard garden.

I wish that I could have this book printed in a good quality hardback. I have this 40th anniversary printing, and the paper quality was a great disappointment. The pages are very close to news print paper and tear easily. It will not survive very much page turning. It's ashamed that printing costs would require such a poor production for should be a long used reference tool.

My edition was the 6th printing fro March 1981. It is held together with duck tape. It helped me a lot when I first moved out to the ranch and is still my go to book 34 years later when I am trying to figure out how to do something.

I started reading a digital version through my library, and decided that there was too much in here to just read and take notes on. This book is going to have a long life next to my gardening workbench, and I can see it helping me when I have more than just a backyard garden.

I wish that I could have this book printed in a good quality hardback. I have this 40th anniversary printing, and the paper quality was a great disappointment. The pages are very close to news print paper and tear easily. It will not survive very much page turning. It's ashamed that printing costs would require such a poor production for should be a long used reference tool.

I looked forward to getting this, But its as big as a phone book, that would be fine, however having cheep phone book paper an printing so small is very hard to read can not be tolerated,,, info may be ok,, but try an find an read it, I expected more from the author than to give permission to print her work like they did,,,, I gave it to goodwill,,, maybe someone there can use in for camping,,, pages would make a good fire starter.

the key word here is suburbanite and this is NOT a homesteading book-it's a memoir from an established family farm and breaking the wilderness.Invest in the Foxfire series you'll live to write your own book.