Self-Sufficiency Handbook: Your Complete Guide To A Self-Sufficent Home, Garden, And Kitchen is a newly released book in 2017.
The book is written from a British viewpoint, so for American readers, you may need to look up some terms, however it plays across easy enough. The authors Alan and Gill Bridgewater have been at it long, starting in the late 1960’s. While the book doesn’t cover it all, it is a good starting point for anyone interested in living more self-sufficient, whether or not they actually live off the grid. There is nothing wrong with electricity and running water, and this book works with that.
The main topics covered are:
- The land
- The Self-sufficient house
- The organic garden
- Animal husbandry
- The Pantry
The land section is a hue part of the book – because land is everything. What I liked in particular is the benefits and cons on each style of land: off-grid, country, in town. Each one has cons, and that is a huge decision.
The remaining sections touch lightly on the topics. You will need further books to do DIY projects, but you might learn of these items through this book, if you didn’t know about them before.
Is it a complete book? No. It is however an excellent starting point.
FTC Disclaimer: We received a review copy.