Information Sources

Information sources shown are Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, The Rodale Cookbook, The Encyclopedia of Country Living, Countryside magazines and the More-with-Less Cookbook.

Sources of information are greater now than ever before for growing, cooking and preserving food. In the past we relied only on books, magazines and talking to others who had knowledge in the areas we were interested in. Now we also can do searches on the internet for information.

Recently someone asked us if we knew how to pickle walnuts. We said no, but while talking to them we sat down at the computer and typed “pickled walnuts” into a Google search and sure enough there was information on how to pickle walnuts! It doesn’t look like something we would ever try, but the information is available for those who do.

The book we have found most useful for the things we do is “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by Carla Emery. She has gathered practical advice and information by talking to folks and farmers from all over the country. In about 1969 she began the process of gathering information, mainly for her own personal use. Then in 1974 she mimeographed the first edition.

Other editions quickly followed as she gathered information. The latest is the updated ninth edition with more than 1,500 mail-order sources, checked and updated and the addition of websites and e-mail addresses. At the back of the book there is an explanation of the chronology of the different editions printed.

Information given in the book includes old-fashioned methods as well as updated methods for raising farm animals, making a chicken coop, catching a pig, growing plants, to cooking and preserving food. Other information tells how to cook on a wood stove, churn butter, grow herbs, make sausage and more.

We first came across the ninth edition in 1994, but used it so much it was falling apart and had pages missing. Our current copy is the updated ninth edition printed in 2003. It has so much information it is the first place we look when we have questions about how to do something.

Cookbooks that are useful are “The Rodale Cookbook” by Nancy Albright and the “More-with-Less Cookbook” by Doris Janzen Longacre. The first is good because they avoid sugar and use many kinds of flour instead of just wheat. They stay away from using white flour. The second uses basic ingredients focusing on recipes that are economic as well as nutritious and good tasting.

Two basic cookbooks that get used at our house are “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook” and “Better Homes and Garden Cookbook” for general information. Usually older cookbooks are more useful to us as newer cookbooks list ingredients such as a can of this and a bag or box of that. Older cookbooks don’t use as many processed foods in their ingredient lists.

The “Countryside and Small Stock Journal” magazine has also been useful for information in many areas. Many people write in about their experiences with raising animals, growing gardens, using alternative power sources, food preparation and even building houses. Hearing information first hand from someone with experience is always most desirable but not always possible. Being able to read about the experiences of others is the next best thing.

Nowadays the internet is becoming a better source to find information even faster. Search engines such as Google can quickly locate a vast variety of information for every topic imaginable. The more places one can find information the better. Gathering differing methods and preferences from others helps us make more informed choices.