Caswell - Little house in the suburbs: Backyard farming and home skills for self-sufficient living

LITTLE HOUSE IN THE SUBURBS

BACKYARD FARMING AND HOME SKILLS FOR SELF-SUFFICIENT LIVING

DEANNA CASWELL AND DAISY SISKIN

INTRODUCTION

SELF-SUFFICIENCY SUBURBAN STYLE

Most people think that to live a simple life, you have to quit your job, sell your house, and move to the boonies.

Thats a bunch of hooey.

When you reminisce about the simpler times, before the industrial revolution heralded in the age of convenience and consumerism, remember that not everyone lived on a farm. Consider the village blacksmith, the schoolteacher, and the general-store owner. Maybe some had a garden or some had chickens, but they lived in town and had jobs. The town cobbler wasnt saying, Boy, I need to get back to basics and quit making shoes. I need to move to the country and start farming so I can sustain myself. These people lived simple, self-reliant lives within city limits.

And so can you.

Plenty of books out there will tell you how to thrive in the boonies: building cabins, digging wells, slaughtering your own meat, and growing grain. This book is not one of those. This book is about those simple-living behaviors that fit easily into a typical suburban neighborhood.

Humans are makers. We always have been. We look at our environment and build, mix, or cobble what we need. But presently we dont need to make much, and when we do make something, its as a hobby not a necessity. Weve lost touch with that take-care-of-yourself-ness that people had before discount megamarts.

Make one batch of lotion or soap and see how good you feel. Its like having super-powers. That sense of confidence and accomplishment is what years of comfort have taken away from us.

Again, there are plenty of books out there about remaking your universe from little more than tree sap, birch bark, and a can-do attitude. That lifestyle will certainly give you back your sense of self-reliance, and make no mistake, we think those books are cool, but this just isnt one of them.

Remember the village schoolteacher we talked about? Theres plenty of empowerment to be had within the town limits. Were not advocating going whole hog, but we are advocating filling that little need we all have to stay in touch with our resourceful side. Its about finding what weve lost, having fun, and stopping when youve had enough.

Page through this book and learn how things are made. Then try your hand at a few. Dont worry about screwing it up. We sure have. And none of this stuff is carved in stone. Sure, we tested and re-tested the recipes for you, but we dont know everything, yet. So, jump in! If something doesnt work out, blame us and try something else.

You dont have to go as far as we have, raising plants and egg-laying hens, but try making a fruit roll-up or some mayo. Youll never get over the sense of accomplishment you get when you make something with your own two hands out of stuff around the house. Did you know that you can make a Pop-Tart? Deanna found a recipe online just the other day. Amazing!

Theres a good, wholesome sense of empowerment and grown-up-ness that comes with being able to create from scratch something you previously thought was hatched in a store.

We sincerely hope that this book does several things for you:

First, that you, like us, have that wonderful, you-can-really-make-that-stuff? experience. Theres a childlike joy in finding out that things arent born in boxes.

Second, that you find at least three things in here that can become part of your life and give you the satisfaction of having made something yourself.

And finally, most of all, we hope this book gives you a greater sense of power and control over your world.

Theres something comforting in knowing that weve equipped ourselves to look at our environment and, out of it, make something we want or need. That training reassures us that if we were in a crisis or dropped on a desert islandor that zombie apocalypse Deannas husband keeps practicing for on the Xbox ever happenswed be better prepared to function.

So why go self-sufficient suburban style?

Superpowers.

Fine. Family health and superpowers.

WHY SIMPLE LIVING IN THE SUBURBS?

Getting back to basics is just plain good for you! In this chapter, well outline some of the million reasons why you should try it, and well address some of the most common objections. Well tell you why its great for your body, your soul, and your planet, and why its all possible right in the middle of the burbs.

Its Good for the Body

HOMEGROWN PRODUCE IS HIGH IN NUTRITION AND FLAVOR

DAISY My five-year-old and her faithful two-year-old shadow (her sister) stood at the edge of the fall mesclun bed, eyeballing it hesitantly.

I confess, I can be a tiny bit, shall we say maniacal when it comes to children in the vegetable garden. Give em an inch and they take a mile. Or, more accurately, they will plow in the dirt like giant groundhogs and decimate an entire crop. Ive had to lay down ground rules, so the older one knows to ask first.

Can we have some? she inquired politely.

This is a normal suburban child, not some alien wunderkind from Planet Whole Foods. Im saying this kid knows how to pry open a SnackPak and how to pop open a bag of chips.

Of course, I answered. Have as much as you like. How many mixed salad greens could people whose combined age is lower than my ring size possibly eat? I reminded them how to pick leaves without pulling up the entire plant (a hard-won lesson), and went about my business.

The next day, as I prepared to water the garden, I stared in alarm at an entire four-foot row of arugula, mixed mustards, oakleaf lettuce, and kale. It was nibbled down to stubs. Rabbits? Ravenous caterpillars?

Then I remembered. Rug rats.

My babies ate about a pound of fresh-as-it-gets, organically grown leafy greens straight up.

I shouldnt have been surprised. Theyre fascinated by the vegetable garden. It has so much of their favorite things: dirt, dirt, more dirt, blossoms, bugs, watering wands, and stuff growing in it that you can eat! Who cares that its vegetables? Its out there in the yard! You pick it yourself!

Its not just my kids. Experts have compared the eating habits of children receiving garden-based nutrition education with that of kids getting classroom-only nutrition education. The group who got the hands-on learning increased their fruit, vegetable, fiber, and vitamins A and C intake significantly compared to the classroom-only group.

Seeing it, feeling it, smelling it, tasting itthats how you get comfortable with something and learn to accept it as a part of your life. This is so important because the habits children pick up early on impact their eating patterns throughout their lives.