This book is aimed at the majority of us who live in terraced houses, high rise flats, town houses and semi-detached properties with a small garden and often nowhere to grow but the patio. It shows how to make the most of pots and planters; how to plan for a reasonable yield; and how never to run out of at least something to special eat.You might not have all the space in the world, but you can enjoy all the flavour in the world. With the step-by-step instructions in this book you will be able to grow, nurture and harvest your own fruit, vegetables and herbs in a range of pots and containers, including recycled ones such as plastic milk bottles, and kitchen sinks.
This book will give you the knowledge and confidence to choose, prepare, cook and enjoy fresh food and seafood. It explains simply how to gut, clean and fillet fish and how to deal with shellfish and crustaceans such as crab and lobster, and what knives and tools you'll need for the job.The numerous recipes take into consideration sustainable fishing and advise on which fish can be used instead of those at risk. The book also encourages the use of locally caught produce rather than those shipped around the world.As well as recipes for cooking sea and river fish, shellfish, crustaceans you'll discover how to preserve fish.
This book was originally published by The Good Life Press, and has been re-edited. "A Good Life" is a celebration of John Seymour: self-sufficiency guru, political activist, environmental campaigner and author of "The New Complete Book of Self Sufficiency", a book together with the man, that became in the inspiration for a whole generation. Through interviews with family and friends and archival research including hitherto unpublished material this important book details the larger than life character of John Seymour and describes his passions and philosophies that helped inspire, amongst others, the writers of the popular 1970s BBC Television situation comedy, "The Good Life", starring Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers. Paul Peacock charts John Seymour's early childhood years dreaming of being a cowboy, his life in Africa, his early farming experiences and the gradual formulation of his philosophy. He discusses at length the all-important later years with the move to Ireland and his part in the infamous Arthurstown Monsanto Trials in the 1990s when, in his eighties, he argued passionately and eloquently against the rise of Genetically Modified crops."A Good Life" analyses the extent of John Seymour's influence. How his farm became a beacon to many who had read his book and how they travelled from all over the world to work with him. These included such visionary thinkers as Leopold Kohr and E F Schumacher. It takes an objective look at many of his thoughts on the future of the developed world, his fears about the rising dominance of supermarkets and their ultimate stranglehold on agriculture and the land, his major concerns about genetically modified crops and intensive farming and his impassioned and reasoned stance on animal welfare issues.
There is a trend towards artisanal food preparation at home and preserving your own meat in the kitchen is increasingly popular. This book is based on traditional recipes and is a practical guide to curing all sorts of meat, from the ever-popular sausage and bacon through to making your own salamis, pates and galantines.
Paul Peacock shows you how to: find the best poultry for the small garden and house them properly, feed your birds, tune in to their daily needs and enjoy your own eggs; avoid annoying the neighbours by showing that it is possible to keep poultry without attracting unwelcome pests; recognise healthy happy birds and learn their daily routine; recognise poorly hens; treat them or get help; and, incubate and care for fertilised eggs and raise chicks.
From clamping to dark room storage, drying to bottling, shelving to curing, discover how to keep as much of your crop as you wantIf you grow your own food you will be aware that the job's not done when the harvest is gathered in. You have to make this bounty last all year through - until next year's crop replaces it. This book explains how to store food in the traditional way, and then goes one step further and shows how you can grow your food in a way that will ensure it is in the best state for storing - an art that is lost to many of today's gardeners and growers. The author focuses on methods by which the grower can keep vegetables and fruit for long periods without altering their fundamental form or flavour. Contents: Introduction; 1. Extending the Growing Season; 2. How to Harvest; 3. Stopping Your Harvest from Spoiling; 4. Techniques: Clamps, Cellars and Sheds; 5. Techniques and Recipes for Preserving Food; 6. A-Z of Growing, Storing and Preserving Vegetables; 7. A-Z of Growing, Storing and Preserving Fruit; 9. Growing and Preserving Herbs for the Kitchen; Index.
Grandma's Ways represents a large repository of knowledge that we have mostly forgotten. With a little modification for these busy modern times. Techniques for preserving food, keeping hens and bees, growing vegetables and fruit, making your own cosmetics and a host of other things will bring us not only closer to the products we enjoy, but closer to benefiting from the work we do for ourselves. There's nothing more satisfying than cooking wholesome food from scratch at home, baking your own bread, growing your own vegetables, foraging in the wild and even making your own household cleaning products. Not only will you live a more sustainable life in terms of the environment, you'll save money too.Contents: Introduction; Make Better And Mend; Making Your Own Beauty Treatments; Making Your Own Household Cleaners; Making Your Own Soap; Growing Your Own Herbs; Growing You Own Veg; Growing Your Own Fruit; Keeping Hens; Keeping Bees; Keeping Ducks; Foraging From The Wild; Baking Your Own Bread; Making Your Own Butter; Making Your Own Cheese; Making Your Own Sausages And Bacon; Making Your Own Stock; Making Your Own Pastry And Pies; Hearty Meals From Grandma's Kitchen; Preparing The Christmas Feast; Making Cakes And Puddings; Preserving Fruit And Veg; Making Toffee, Treats And Sweets; Making Squashes, Cordials And Teas; Making Your Own Beer And Wine; Index.
Less than 200 years ago, beers, ciders and a myriad collection of country wines were generally brewed at home. Beer, whether it was 'best' or 'small' was drunk by everyone in preference to water. Beer and cider nourished, as well as slaked thirst. With just a few utensils you can make your own tax-free beer, cider and country wine. Inside this book you will find recipes ancient and modern, some as simple as dissolving malt extract in sugary water and adding yeast. You can also read the best ways to get really professional results from kits. More than anything you will find really tasty, excellent beers and ciders and home-made wines to quench your thirst for a decade to come. There are recipes for stouts, ales, beers (and the difference between them explained); and for lagers, fruit beers, and ciders of many kinds including rough, orange, scrumpy, perry, natural and yeasted. Also included are the fundamentals of tasty home-made wine-making showing you how to make amazing wine from the contents of your fruit and vegetable garden.Contents: 1. Drinking responsibly; 2. Basics of brewing; 3. That magic touch; 4. Beer - the basics; 5. Beers from the UK; 6. Beers from Belgium; 7. Beers from Europe; 8. Ales; 9. Ales ancient and modern; 10. Ciders peeled to the bone; 11. Apple types and their traditional drinks; 12. Scrumpy; 13. Fine ciders; 14. Apple wine.
A detailed biography of Jack Hargreaves, well-known for his television programmes 'Out of Town' and 'Old Country'. Jack had an unlikely start (sent away to live on a farm because of unruly behaviour) but he succeeded in all his work ventures. His private life did not go so smoothly - not surprising for such a complex man.
