Traditional Crafts and Skills from the Country

Time-honored practices for a more self-reliant and satisfying lifestyle.

Ever have the urge to raise your own chickens, grind your own flour, or start your own compost pile? If any of these ideas sound appealing, this is the book for you.

A growing number of people are intrigued by the "homesteader" experience and the idea of doing things themselves, whether they own a big spread in the wilderness or live on a small plot of land in the suburbs. Traditional Crafts and Skills from the Country presents the practical information necessary to become more self-reliant at home, pick up a new hobby, or even learn a skill that may provide a secondary income.

The authors' crafts and skills include: beekeeping; raising sheep and goats; starting seeds; composting; felling trees; building split-rail fences; making soap and candles; drying and preserving foods; laying stone; making butter and cheese; reading the weather; and much more.

From raising livestock to woodcrafting, from the garden to the kitchen, Monte and Joan Burch have a fresh and easy-to-follow approach to country wisdom that is sure to win over even the most die-hard city dweller.

About the Author

MONTE BURCH has been writing about the outdoors for four decades, and is the author of thousands of magazine articles and more than fifty books--including Field Dressing and Butchering Upland Birds, Waterfowl, and Wild Turkeys;Field Dressing and Butchering Deer; Field Dressing and Butchering Rabbits, Squirrels, and Other Small Game; and Solving Squirrel Problems.

JOAN BURCH, born a city girl, first joined her husband on his family's farm, even performing butchering chores. She and Monte have lived the country life together for over thirty years. They live in Fair Grove, Missouri.