Grow your own vegetables and herbs, indoors in containers or outside in a garden. Raise chickens or goats. Build a beehive. Make your own nontoxic cleaning sprays. And more! Gehring's books on country living have sold more than 500,000 copies. In this book, she offers a guide to homesteading skills that is as charming as it is practical. Full of sweet illustrations and gorgeous photographs, step-by-step instructions for essential skills such as building a chicken coop are interspersed with country lore and old-fashioned tips and tricks. Readers will learn how to: Container gardenRaise chickensChurn butterGrow vegetablesCan tomatoesBrew kombuchaMake shampooRepel garden pestsMilk a goatImprove garden soilMake strawberry-rhubarb jellyFerment vegetablesMake yogurtSprout grainsAnd more!The Essential Guide to Self-Sufficient Living combines the know-how of Back to Basics with the charm of The Farmer's Almanac. This is the perfect gift for anyone interested in a more self-sufficient, greener, country lifestyle.