Description

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Whether you’re a suburbanite looking to live more simply or a die-hard homesteader interested in taking your garden to the next level, this guide is packed with step-by-step instructions, useful tips, vintage photographs and illustrations, and time-honored wisdom—creating one of the most comprehensive books on country skills available. This book is compiled of tested and practical experience passed down from generations of farmers and homesteaders.

Here readers can learn about:

Creating a vegetable garden
Canning and preserving
Keeping poultry
Soap making
Natural medicine
Bridge building
Farm mechanics
Crop rotation
Cattle and dairying
The basics of beekeeping
Foraging for wild food
Fertilizing, soils, drainage, and irrigation
Building a barn
And much, much more!
Success comes to the person who works the most efficiently—not simply the person who works the hardest. Learn invaluable advice and tips for how to create a sustainable lifestyle and live off the land.

About the Author

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Abigail R. Gehring is the author or editor of more than a dozen books including Back to Basics, Homesteading, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Living, and Classic Candy. She enjoys writing, gardening, experimenting in the kitchen, and spending time with family. She lives with her husband and two children in an 1800s farmstead they are restoring in Marlboro, Vermont.

Praise For…

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"Over the years, I've seen a lot of different versions of humungous sized books that are basically homesteading and self-reliance encyclopedias, but The Ultimate Guide to Old-Fashioned Country Skills from Skyhorse Publishing is one of the best of this type of book that I've ever seen. --The Backwoodsman

"Over the years, I've seen a lot of different versions of humungous sized books that are basically homesteading and self-reliance encyclopedias, but The Ultimate Guide to Old-Fashioned Country Skills from Skyhorse Publishing is one of the best of this type of book that I've ever seen. --The Backwoodsman