Back to Basics A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills

This is just the right book for everyone who is interested in the "simple life" and a greener, more sustainable lifestyle. It teaches you all the basic skills you need to know for a more self-sufficient life, and may also be of interest to those who would like to know how our grandparents used to live and want to know more about the "old-fashioned" ways of doing things and skills that have come to be forgotten in our modern, technicized world. The topics covered include shelter, energy, growing and preserving food, home crafts and recreation. You´ll learn skills like planning and building a log cabin or adobe house and everything that has to do with it and generating your own energy, then how to grow food, including urban gardens, beekeeping, and how to preserve food (canning, drying) and skills like baking bread, making cheese, jam, maple syrup or beverages. The next section covers all sorts of handicrafts like natural dyeing, spinning, weaving, making rugs and quilts, woodworking, broommaking, metalworking, stenciling, making soap, candles, baskets and the last part is dedicated to recreation (you´ll learn how to build a dulcimer, and some traditional American dances), and outdoor activities like wilderness camping or building an igloo! A drawback of this book, though, is that all measures are only given in American units as the book was written for a US-audience, and the scientific Latin names of the plants discussed are missing throughout, and the "helpful addresses" given in the book are US-based only, too, so are not very useful for European/international readers. All topics are only discussed concisely on a few pages, so if you want to know more about a specific topic in depth, you´ll have to get another book on it (book-tips for each topic are provided in each chapter). All in all, a wonderful book and excellent introduction to many traditional skills and a self-sufficient lifestyle!