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Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life |  | Author: Jenna Woginrich
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Category: Book
List Price: $20.95
Buy New: $9.00
as of 11/21/2009 23:35 MST details
You Save: $11.95 (57%)
New (47) Used (11) from $9.00
Seller: lea_antoinette
Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 26583
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 192
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 160342086X
Dewey Decimal Number: 640
EAN: 9781603420860
ASIN: 160342086X
Publication Date: December 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Starting off as a young, single woman with a desk job and a city apartment, Jenna Woginrich set out to build a more self-sufficient lifestyle by learning homesteading skills. She didn't own land or have much practical experience beyond a few forays into knitting and soap making, but she did have a strong desire to opt out of what she saw as a consumer-driven culture. After moving across the country to a rented farmhouse in northern Idaho, she learned to raise chickens, keep bees, and grow her own food.
This is the story of her joyful, dramatic, and sometimes sorrowful journey toward self-reliance. Along the way, she learned that an abundance of enthusiasm and a willingness to experiment could make up for a lack of knowledge, and that reaching out to others for mentoring and guidance could help her reconnect with her community.
From the satisfying work of starting a new garden and installing honeybees, to the bliss of gathering fresh eggs to be baked into a quiche served with warm-from-the-oven bread and hand-churned butter, Made from Scratch shares the deep satisfaction that comes with providing for oneself. In an encouraging and entertaining voice, Woginrich weaves into her narrative easy-to-follow instructions for making your own clothes, teaching yourself to play a musical instrument, and much more.
In any setting — urban, suburban, or rural — with any level of experience, it's possible to take small steps toward self-reliance. Windowbox vegetable gardens, a batch of homemade strawberry jam, a handknit sweater, or a small flock of backyard chickens all satisfy the craving to homestead. It's not about having a rustic cabin on five acres, complete with a pickup truck and a barn full of livestock. For Woginrich, it's about being more receptive to learning the simple skills most of us have forgotten, and finding joy in the process.
Praise for Made from Scratch —
"The book...is simultaneously a lighthearted fish-out-of-water, city-girl-turns-homesteader memoir, and a more serious primer on making a lifestyle change. Perfect for environmentally conscious, do-it-yourself readers." —Booklist
"This fine, simple book is the real deal — and it will come as a great relief to people feeling some silent dread in a time of rising gas prices, food shortages, and the like. Much can be done -- in your home!" —Bill McKibbon, author of Deep Economy
"A delightful introduction to the simple (and not so simple) life." —William Alexander, author of The $64 Tomato
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 30
 Could have been a masterpiece! November 17, 2009
Lois Lain (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)
I have mixed feelings about this book. I adore the premise (the exchange of the consumable society with a lifestyle that is more authentic), and the author is a great writer. There are moments of pure brilliance, like the introduction. But there were some things that bothered me.
The structure felt wrong to me. The book was set up as a series of stand-alone chapters on different topics (bee-keeping, working dogs, cooking, etc.), but this was very disjointed because Jenna Woginrich's story seems more of a cohesive journey than a set of chapters. It was disconcerting to have her living in Tennessee in one chapter, and then find her in Idaho in another chapter, with no clear explanation of how she got from one place to the other.
I also had some problems with her almost flippant approach to her animals' deaths, whether it was her chickens, her rabbits, or her bees. I know that these events couldn't have been easy for her, but she comes across (and even says in one place) that she was more surprised than anything. What about horror? Shame? Fear? It just seemed cold-hearted, and I don't think she intended to come across that way.
The chapters that shone for me were the ones rife with personal experience -- the dog-sledding chapter, for instance, or the one on music. It's interesting because I was not clear why the dog-sledding info was included in a book on "Made from Scratch." But the luminosity of her writing made up for any questions about why it was included. In contrast, though, other chapters (most notably, the one on sewing and knitting) seemed almost to be written from afar, with no real personal detail or anecdote.
I would love to read another book by Woginrich that was more a storybook, with lots more information about her personal journey, and a little less of a resource book.
 Easy Read! November 13, 2009
Natasha M. Duncan (Belton, MO)
This book is worth buying. It is easy to read and the author's account of her experience on homesteading is humorous and entertaining. The book has a great section at the end of each chapter and at the end of the book for "Research, Son!" The only complaint is i bought the book to learn more about urban/city homesteading and it has very little on the subject. the book only mentions urban homesteading here and there. It was still worth buying.
Made From Scratch September 11, 2009
M. Ward (Steep Falls, ME)
I read the excerpt in Mother Earth News magazine which kicked off this whole self-sufficiency thing. I bought this book along with many other home steading books. This was a nice story of her many adventures. It really takes you through actual homesteading on a small scale - the ups and the downs. Many helpful hints and I liked the resources at the back.
Don't believe this is a homesteading book September 8, 2009
Jessica Ferguson (Woodbury, NJ)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a fun, quick read with some personal stories and a few tips for getting started on things like beekeeping, training working dogs, sewing clothes, keeping chickens and rabbits, cooking, making music and generally making the most of everyday life. This is not, however, (nor do I think it was meant to be) a book for someone looking for detailed information on becoming a homesteader or on becoming self-sufficient.
For those who already practice "the lifestyle" this will be a fun diversion - it is always interesting to hear how others are faring in their attempts - but it is not anything that most homesteaders will find new.
As a beekeeper/chicken raiser/gardener/cook myself, I found her chapters on those to be a fairly good overview of the work involved. I was, of course, disturbed at the outcomes of both of her initial forays into chickens and bees but these things do happen and there is something to be said for being completely honest about our own failings and the willingness to keep trying and set things right.
Personally, I found her chapters on working dogs, rabbits and music most interesting as these are things not currently in my life. And I found a little extra nudge towards starting to learn a musical instrument based on Jenna's story of her own beginnings and her excellent list of resources.
Jenna talks about research ad naseum and while some may find this repetition a bit annoying the bottom line is that she is right and you really can't say it enough. If this book inspires to you get started with any of the projects she talks about, use her Research, Son section like a bible and expand on it every chance you get.
Jenna's writing is charming and you feel as if you know her, to some degree, when you are finished reading. I would "talk farm" with her anytime.
 why? August 25, 2009
Sue Atwell Keister (Baltimore, MD)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
why do people write books advising people about things they themselves cannot do?
this book was very disappointing. she has chapters on how to raise bees and how to sew your own clothes when she can do neither. she killed all the bees she bought and has sewed a cape and a pair of pajama pants. i did more sewing than that in 7th grade home ec class. if you actually want to discover the pleasures of a handmade life, pick up a book written by people who know what they are talking about. this book is not it.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 30
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