Living the Country Lifestyle All-In-One For Dummies

Living the Country Lifestyle All-in-One For Dummies features six books in one, including: Country Cooking (cast-iron cooking, canning, pickling, and outdoor cooking, among other topics) Traditional Crafts (sheering animals and producing wool, knitting, hand sewing, patchwork and quilting, candle making) Kitchen Gardening (growing and caring for vegetables, herbs, and fruit) Outdoor Skills (camp skills, fishing, navigation, outdoor family fun) Raising Farm Animals (buying, housing, and raising animals, beekeeping) Natural Health (herbal remedies, an encyclopedia of herbs, and healing foods) Living the Country Lifestyle All-In-One for Dummies 3 Contents at a Glance 9 Table of Contents 11 Introduction 27 About This Book 27 Conventions Used in This Book 28 What You’re Not to Read 29 Foolish Assumptions 29 How This Book Is Organized 30 Icons Used in This Book 32 Where to Go from Here 32 Book I: Country Kitchen Skills 33 Chapter 1: Cast-Iron Cooking 35 Selecting Cast-Iron Cookware 35 Prepping Your Cast Iron for Use 40 Cleaning and Storing Cast Iron 43 Getting Familiar with Cast-Iron Cooking Techniques 45 Cooking Up Cast-Iron Classics 48 Chapter 2: Canning and Preserving 59 Before You Begin 59 Canning Fruits via the Water-Bath Method 61 Pressure Canning Your Veggies 72 Making Sure Your Food Is Still Good to Eat 83 Chapter 3: Preserving by Way of Pickling 87 The Art of Pickling 87 Getting an Education in Brining 89 Packing and Filling Your Jars 91 Making a Pickled Topper 92 Pickled Cucumbers Are Just Pickles 93 Pickling Veggies 96 Chapter 4: Drying Fruits and Other Foods 99 Drying Fruit 99 Drying Herbs 110 Making Jerky 111 Chapter 5: Outdoor Cooking 113 Outdoor Cooking Techniques 114 Rounding Up the Hardware 115 Temperature Control 118 More Tips for the Outdoor Cook 123 Experimenting with Some Favorite Recipes 124 Book II: Traditional Crafts 131 Chapter 1: Making Fabrics from Animal Fibers 133 Shear Brilliance: Collecting and Processing Fiber 133 Dyeing in the Wool 142 Spinning and Using Yarn 143 Locking the Fibers with Felting 146 Using Up All the Fiber Leftovers 150 Chapter 2: Knitting Basics 153 Yarn: The (Quick) Consumer’s Guide 153 Getting to the Point with Knitting Needles 161 Casting On 163 Now You’re Knitting and Purling 167 Stitches Every Knitter Should Know 171 Binding (Or Casting) Off 174 Practice Projects 175 Chapter 3: Hand-Sewing Basics 181 Assembling Your Sewing Kit 181 Choosing the Right Fabric 184 Fundamentals of Hand-Sewing 187 Working with Patterns 195 Projects You Can Sew by Hand 202 Chapter 4: Patchwork and Quilting Basics 211 Patchwork and Quilting Lingo 211 Fabric (And Other Stuff) You Need 213 Basic Know-How for Patchwork and Quilting 215 Country Potholders 223 Patchwork Pillow 227 Stuffed Patchwork Cat 232 Pinwheel Baby Quilt 236 Chapter 5: Making Candles 241 Equipment and Supplies 241 Candle-Making Know-How 247 Candle Projects 259 Book III: Edible Gardening 269 Chapter 1: Planning Your Edible Garden 271 Planting Plots with Personality 271 Mapping Out Your Garden 274 Frost Dates and the Length of the Growing Season 278 Chapter 2: Vegetables, Glorious Vegetables 281 Vegetable Basics: Hybrids, Heirlooms, and Growing Seasons 281 Getting Your Vegetable Garden Ready 286 Choosing among Seeds, Seedlings, and Transplants 294 Getting Your Veggies into Your Garden: Planting and Sowing 299 Caring for Your Growing Veggie Garden 301 Composting for Vegetable Gardens 311 Chapter 3: Spicing Things Up with Herbs 313 Planting Herbs: A Lesson in Adaptation 313 Taking Care of Your Herbs 319 Chapter 4: Adding Fruits, Berries, and Nuts 323 Fruit Basics: Choosing the Right Fruits for Your Garden 324 Getting Your Soil Ready for Fruits 331 Buying Your Fruit Bearers 332 Planting Fruits 333 Taking Care of Fruit-Producing Plants 339 Chapter 5: Maintaining Your Edible Garden 349 Watering Basics 349 Mulching Magic 355 Using Fertilizer in Your Edible Garden 358 Waging War on Weeds 364 Air! Air! Plants Need Air! 366 Book IV: Getting Outdoors 367 Chapter 1: Basic Camp Skills 369 Tying Basic Knots 369 Knife Sharpening 101 379 Building a Campfire Safely and Responsibly 382 Basic Survival Skills 390 Chapter 2: Map and Navigation Basics 397 Reading a Map 397 Compasses: A Primer 404 Navigation Basics: Using Your Tools 408 Chapter 3: Weathering the Outdoors 417 Predicting Weather Changes by Reading Clouds 417 Geographic Weather Variations 420 Portents and Omens from Mother Nature Herself 425 Surviving Weather Emergencies in the Great Outdoors 428 Chapter 4: Field Guide to Freshwater Fish (And How to Clean Them) 431 The Basses 437 Good Eats: Walleye 439 Pike and Its Cousins 440 Pacific Salmon 444 Panfish 445 Catfish 447 Shad 448 Atlantic Salmon 449 Cleaning and Storing Your Catch 450 Trout 431 Chapter 5: Outdoor Fun for Adults and Kids 457 Fun and Games 457 Nature Activities 460 Capturing Moments in Freeze Frame 467 Star Maps 469 Book V: Raising Farm Animals 477 Chapter 1: Selecting Farm Animals 479 Meeting the Common Farm Animals 479 Small and Medium Birds: Fancying Fine, Feathered Farm Friends 486 Llamas and Alpacas: Spinning Out Info on Camelids 489 Raising Creatures that Buzz, Swim, and Squirm 493 Clarifying What You Want 495 Chapter 2: Acquiring Animals 499 Factoring in Time and Distance 499 Evaluating Sellers and Animals 501 Finding the Best Source of Animals 503 Chapter 3: Caring for and Feeding Your Animals 507 Taking Care of Basic Hygiene 507 Feeding Your Animals Right 510 Providing a Continuous Source of Clean Water 514 Letting Your Animals Romp 518 Protecting Your Precious Critters 518 Handling Disconcerting Behavior 519 Chapter 4: Providing Medical Attention 523 Putting Together Your Animal First-Aid Kit 524 An Ounce of Prevention: Scheduling Vaccinations 527 Caring for Sick or Hurt Animals 529 Bracing Yourself for Birthing Season 535 Chapter 5: Beginning Beekeeping 541 Evaluating Your Beekeeping Potential 541 Bee Basics 543 Basic Equipment for Beekeepers 546 Getting Your Initial Bee Colony 552 Welcoming Your Bees to Their New Home 554 Inspecting Your Hive 563 Chores throughout the Year 569 Recipes for Sugar Syrups 576 Book VI: Natural Health 577 Chapter 1: Healing Foods for Women and Men 579 Healing Foods for Women 579 Healing Foods for Men 596 Chapter 2: Making Your Own Herbal Teas, Tinctures, Oils, and Elixirs 605 Getting the Gist of the Jargon 606 Looking at Tools of the Trade 606 Stocking Your Pantry 610 Making Teas 613 Mastering the Art of Tincture-Making 617 Preparing Herbal Cough Syrup 620 Producing Elixirs 621 Concocting Creams 622 Creating Infused Herbal Oils for the Skin 625 Making Massage Oils 627 Aromatherapy Baths: A Stirring Experience 628 Formulating a Hair Rinse 630 Savoring Sprays and Mists 630 Producing Potpourris 632 Making a Compress 633 Simmering Your Own Salves 634 Preparing Liniments 635 Chapter 3: A to Z Guide to Common Herbs 637 Index 673