Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Independence Days book review

Sharon Astyk's new book, Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage & Preservation, is out November 2nd and would make a great holiday gift (for those of you buying gifts). If you've been reading her blog, Casaubon's Book, you'll know that she means business about local food and sustainability. I've got a copy of the book in my hot, sweaty hands because I was lucky enough to be able to include a recommendation blurb on the back, which also includes the following description:
Independence Days tackles both the nuts and bolts of food preservation, with tips on how to bulk buy and store food on the cheap, canning and dehydrating techniques, as well as a host of broader issues. In addition, it focuses on how to enjoy a delicious, high-quality pantry diet year-round, how to preserve food on a community scale, and how to reduce reliance on industrial agriculture by creating vibrant local economies.

Better food, plentiful food, at a lower cost and with less energy expended, Independence Days is for all who want to build a sustainable food system and keep eating—even in hard times.

The book includes chapters on food storage, food preservation, root cellaring, season extension, dehydration, recipes, canning, fermentation, medicinal application and creating and using community resources. It also includes a couple of my recipes, so I can't complain. My complete recommendation on the inside cover reads:
If you have any interest at all in where your food comes from, Independence Days is the perfect book to start with. Sharon Astyk makes a compelling argument for taking charge of your food security and is thorough in her coverage of food storage and preservation techniques including delicious recipes to get you started. But, make no mistake about it, this well thought out resources is more than just a food storage and recipe book - it is a call to arms to really think closely about the food that gives us sustenance and how it gets to us.

So, if you have any interest in food issues, sustainability, food storage and/or preservation, go order or ask for it from your library already!

4 comments:

Aimee said...

I bought this book last night! I didn't even notice at the time that it was by Sharon, whose blog I follow and absolutely adore. She is wonderful writer, thoughtful, smart, and spiritual. I highly recommend anything she has written.

Robj98168 said...

I get so confused with Sharon's books--- which one is out, which one is not gonna scare the bejesus out of me. Sounds like a good book. Of to the KCLS page.

jewishfarmer said...

Thanks, Deanna. And Rob, I promise, this one isn't scary ;-).

Sharon

Aimee said...

I've now finished the book, and while I can't agree that it isn't scary (just a little) it's a great read, chock full of important information and also very funny, in spots!