True Story: Family Details How They Lived Off the Land For One Year

I am a junk food junkie admittedly. I wish that I wasn't. Late nights find me on the couch snacking on stuff that has no nutrients and/or is deep fried and full of cheese. Moving way out away from the stores I knew and loved....things got tough for me. The foods that I could easily attain in other cities, just were not available to me any longer. Not that that means I have quit eating junk food...noooo. It only means that when we do get to a bigger city, you will find me junk food shopping! Also I have found local junk food, that while it seems really different to me, is actually just as junk food-y as my favorites. So I am always amazed at people who live off the land....I mean, you just can't grow or produce a deep fried cheesestick! In comes this book and off we go.

Right off a diagram picture shows us each vegetable that is grown and when. Am I the only person who does not know this off the top of my head? I printed it out and hung it up. As you know if you buy vegetables and fruits in season, they are much cheaper! This diagram shows a plant with seasonal vegetables growing on it...May is at the bottom and it goes all the way to a pumpkin on top for October!

The premise of this story is in the blurb by the author which I will quote here: This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew...and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced from the same place we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air. Sounds unusual in this day and age of McDonald's http://www.epinions.com/content_430640434820?linkin_id=8003929 and Pizza Hut http://www.epinions.com/content_430532890244 on just about every corner. So my thought at the beginning of the book and many times through it was this is a lot of work for a meal! The thought process, the gardening, the worrying about the weather and season, it all seemed a little much! While the family is discussing what they can't buy for groceries (not in season or available locally), things looked depressing then they start thinking of what they can buy.

Not only will you get a fascinating tale of a family living off the land but also meal plans for different seasons and tasty recipes! Learn about raising hens and turkeys and what the family found out about this. Home cooking from scratch and growing their own food is a big part of the book with many details that are unexpected along the way. I was happy to see the children's reactions to not being able to buy/eat certain fruits at off season times. I don't know about you but when I want mayonnaise, I don't automatically start thinking of how to make it up in my kitchen! This mother also makes cheese and puts in a recipe for mozzarella cheese so you can too! Well you can say one thing, they were eating the freshest foods possible! The author does give tips on how to live this way even if you own no farmland or even a yard of your own...as in an apartment. The family grows cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, squash, onions, chard, peppers, and eggplants at one point and their house is overflowing with the produce. So you know what comes next: canning! Even some special secret canning recipes are shared in this section.

I did not grow up on a farm and am the most squeamish meat-eating person you may ever meet....so the killing turkeys part made me a bit ill. I was into this romantic non-junk-food-eating lifestyle until this point, now I am totally disgusted. I think that if I ever live this way, I am going vegetarian all the way! The family completes a full year of learning to live this lifestyle and the children learning more about farming while living the lifestyle. The readers find themselves right in the mix as the process of learning to do all of these things to live off the land basically is right before them. Factual articles are placed within some chapters so readers know the facts about different aspects of the book as well as recipes. There are few illustrations but the best I have already described....the picture diagram pointing out when seasonal vegetables are grown. Most of the pictures are small black and white generic illustrations showing for example a cutting board and knife. The last pages include resources and websites for more information.

I would recommend this book highly for it's riveting tale of a family living differently than 99% of Americans today. Sure some parts get a little tedious especially the facts in the shaded areas of the book but the true story inside makes up for it! 370 pages later and I am still enthralled by this family's accomplishment and would love to follow them to see if they kept it up or not.

What is so good about THIS book?

True story of family living off the land with recipes and details

What is unique about this book?

Family lives off the land.

Is it worth the price?

Yes, interesting book!

There has to be some bad to this book, right?

Facts get a little dry and boring.

Any warnings people should be aware of?

None.

Final verdict:

I would recommend this book highly for it's riveting tale of a family living differently than 99% of Americans today.

Other resources that I have reviewed for living off the grid:
Mother Earth News http://www.epinions.com/content_433513729668
Backwoods Home Magazine http://www.epinions.com/content_430442516100

pablo the reader
You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. Jim Rohn