February 28, 2021

The Self-Sufficiency Bible by Simon Dawson

The Self-Sufficiency Bible is a wonderful reference for anyone wanting to survive on their own, and for those who just want to know how to do basic stuff on a small homestead.

Book Contents

The book contains 12 chapters on everything you need to know: The Kitchen Garden; The Home Baker; The Home Dairy; The Home Brewer; Natural Solutions: Health, Beauty and the Home; Arty Crafty Bits; Livestock; Meat Preparation and Basic Butchery; Curing and Preserving; Foraging; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; and Greener Energy.

I can’t decide which chapter is my favorite because every topic is a wealth of information. There are brief illustrations throughout the book, and they more are illustrative and decorative than actually are guidelines of what to do.

The butchery section has basic cuts of meat, and the garden chapter has a nice growing chart. The foraging section tells where and when to look for food, along with tips to be legal, ethical and safe when foraging. The livestock section is brief but the info here is great for people looking for an introduction on raising animals. There are many recipes to try but as a baker, the stinging nettle cupcake recipe in the foraging chapter looks very interesting to try.

Below is a recipe from the book, and since this comes from the UK, you may not be familiar with HP Sauce. It’s a cousin of sorts to ketchup and both are made by Heinz. It’s a savory condiment with a bit of spice and it goes great with roast meats. This version contains apples and prunes with malt vinegar and just enough cayenne to give it some legs.

Brilliant Brown Sauce

A tangy brown sauce similar in use as HP Sauce.

Author: Cultivate to Plate

Ingredients

4 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 pound pitted prunes, chopped
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
7 1/4 cups malt vinegar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons salt
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

Place the apples, prunes and onions in a large non-reactive pot and cover with water. Bring to boil, and cook until everything is soft. Drain and pass everything through a non-metallic sieve and return to the pot.
Add in rest of ingredients and mix everything together. Bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer until it has cooked down and reduced to a saucy paste.
Pour into a container with a lid, and store in the fridge. Author of the book says indefinietly.