Self-Sufficiency Handbook By Alan and Gill Bridgewater

First part of the book is about the land and using it. It holds information about the advantages and disadvantages of living in the country, animals and going abroad. The second part goes into the self-sufficient house. They go into a little bit of three different types of homes – passive, high-tech and the natural house. They go into different heating and cooking options. The advantages and disadvantages are in list form and not in paragraphs and are not overly explained. you get the point, and if you want to know more you can get another book on the topic. Tells what would be a poor or good choice in firewood. The book does have images and diagrams to show things talked about – like solar tubes. There is a slight focus on alternate power sources. Part three goes into a food garden. It talks about common wild food, soil care, saving rainwater and so on. There is an A to Z section of vegetables, fruit, and herbs. Part four goes into animal husbandry and part five is about the pantry. Talking about different animals you could keep. And making different foods and doing different things – drying mushrooms and smoking cheese.

As a complete guide, it does go into a whole variety of things. If it did explain everything, it would be a lot longer. But it is a good start to have a look at the different things out there. It is a good starting point.