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0 pointsrunjake1y ago0 comments

Good to know. I'm trying to dig up direct links to those USDA guides.

I mostly value the Encyclopedia of Country Living for it's old world skills (canning, food preservation, etc), but I'm fortunate also to live in a rural area with a lot of farmers and I have ready access to relatives and friends who are well-versed in those old world skills and they've been happy to teach them to me.

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3 comments · 2 top-level

dsr_1y ago· 1 in thread

In the US, "County Extension" is usually the phrase you want.

Loughla1y ago

Correct. "Indigenous plants/animal [insert state] USDA" brings up good listings on Google, too.

Your county extension probably has all the guides in print form for you, generally for free.

The farm animal and plant guides are in the resources for new farmers. They're buried and I can't find them back, but they're there.

Loughla1y ago

Best resource are the people who lived it. My grandfather was 102 when he passed and (when I could get him to stop talking about world war 2 for five minutes) filled in a lot of blanks for me in old time food storage.

My number one piece of advice for people learning this stuff: Nursing home activity staff know who the residents are who grew up on farms and in the country and are DESPERATE for volunteers. Go to a home and ask to spend time with those residents. That's what I do. It's how I learned most of the wild craft skills I have. The residents love it, it helps the community, and you learn.

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