Denholtz - The Modern-Day Pioneer: Simple Living in the 21st Century

For all the pioneers,
from antiquity through today,
who have blazed trails and
changed the world.

How a Pioneer Tends:
Using the Land You Have

How a Pioneer Prepares:
Canning and Preserving

How a Pioneer Bakes:
Making Bread Without a Breadmaker

How a Pioneer Drinks:
An Introduction to Homebrewing

How a Pioneer Stays Strong:
Prairie Remedies for Injury and Illness

How a Pioneer Cleans Up:
An Introduction to Soapmaking

How a Pioneer Lights the Way:
An Introduction to Candlemaking

How a Pioneer Keeps Warm:
An Introduction to Quilting

How a Pioneer Mends:
An Introduction to Sewing

It is not easy to be a pioneerbut oh, it is fascinating!
I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment,
for all the riches in the world.

E LIZABETH B LACKWELL

F ROM THE LATE 1700S through the nineteenth century, thousands of Americans looked across the horizon, toward the setting sun, and felt an itch for adventure.

Hungry for freedom and a different way of life, the pioneers left behind everything theyd ever known. They were urged to Go West, young man, but women and families also migrated in droves. They traveled in covered wagons and caravans across the Great Plains and along the Oregon Trail.

Once they arrived, these daring men and women started their lives anew. They built cabins in the wilderness and lean-tos on the prairie. They braved deep snow and long droughts to grow their own food and raise their own meat.

The original pioneers were literally trailblazerscarving out paths where there were none.

But as the Wild West became tamed, and the rugged plains became suburbs and highways, we lost sight of the mindset that made the pioneers so inspiring. In modern times, life is quick and easy. You can eat tomatoes in the middle of December, get pizza delivered to your doorstep in half an hour, and buy anything you need with just the click of a mouse. But this comes at a cost. Hothouse tomatoes could never compare to vegetables plucked from your own garden. And theres no better feeling than nestling underneath a quilt youve made yourself.

Its hard to imagine living exactly like the original pioneers. You cant go backwards, and there are times when quick and easy is exactly what you need. But while most of you dont want to leave your lives behind and build a log cabin, many of you do want to be more self-sufficient. And sometimes, when you eat fast food or pull out your credit card for an overpriced bar of fancy soap, you feel the same itch that your forefathers had.

In The Modern-Day Pioneer, youll discover all of the secrets of simple living that America has forgotten over the years. Youll learn how to use whatever land you havewhether thats an acre, a backyard, or a windowsillto grow your own food. Then youll learn to can and preserve, allowing you to enjoy that food all year round. Youll learn how to keep yourself in fresh eggs, meat, and honey by raising chickens, rabbits, and bees. Inside The Modern-Day Pioneer are recipes for easy and economical meals, from hearty bread that a pioneer would eat on the frontier to nutritious cuisine that can cure everything from depression to a runny nose. Youll discover the magic of fermentation first hand with an introduction to brewing your own beer.

This book will introduce you to crafts that are both practical and therapeutic. Youll take the first steps toward becoming a master quilter, soapmaker, and candlemaker. Youll learn to mend clothes and sew buttons. You dont need to know these skills to survive, the way the pioneers did. But as a Modern-Day Pioneer, youll enjoy exploring each of these activities, discovering which ones bring out your frontier spirit.

The Modern-Day Pioneer connects you with an entire community of homesteaders. Like the original pioneers, who found camaraderie through quilting bees and barn raisings, these men and women are constantly meeting new people and striking up friendships through shared interests. More than a series of hobbies, The Modern-Day Pioneer is the doorway into an entire culture.

By holding this book, you have taken the first step toward leading a more rewarding life. And the next time you look out across the horizon and feel an itch, youll know exactly how to scratch it.

Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier.

C HARLES K ETTERING

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.

D OUGLAS W ILLIAM J ERROLD

W HEN THE ORIGINAL PIONEE RS TRAVELED W EST , they found an unmitigated wilderness vastly different from the gilded cities back East. It was up to them to turn the rugged frontier landscape into terrain that could support their survival. Slowly they cultivated the prairie, turning it into gardens that could grow vegetables and herbs, orchards that provided fruit, and farmland where they could raise cattle.

Modern-Day Pioneers live all over the world, in apartment complexes, suburbs, and farms. You can use your space to grow and cultivate foodwhether its a garden, a back porch, or a windowsill. In this chapter youll learn how to keep rabbits, chickens, and bees. Youll even learn how to make compost and recycle rainwater to keep your plants growing strong.

I F YOU HAVE ENOUGH LAND TO GARDEN , you must contemplate several factors when deciding what to plant.

First, look at your climate and the amount of sunlight your plot will get. If you get full sun all day, some plants will grow better than if the area only gets a few hours of sunlight. If your site is shady, choose the plants that can tolerate a bit less sun, or if it is a bit wet, make sure the plants can take a little extra moisture at certain times of the year.

Vegetables that do well with four to six hours of sunlight:

Carrots

Lettuce

Kale