Hello! I'm just about over jet lag following a two-week solo trip to the States to visit my parents. My daughter, who is a college freshman, was able to spend her spring break with us, and we had a delightful time together doing not much of anything. Though I meant to take some pictures and do a blog post about my hometown, I couldn't be bothered. So there--that will have to wait!
Just before I left for Louisiana, I got in a Spring-y mood and ordered the book Modern Pioneering, by Georgia Pellegrini. It was waiting for me upon my arrival back in Germany, and I'm really enjoying flipping through it. Pellegrini, who learned to hunt and wrote about it in Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat One Hunt at a Time, has turned now to a diverse array of projects, recipes, and introductions to skills that just about anyone (living anywhere) can learn, if they want to live a bit more self-sufficiently.
Pellegrini encourages readers to make small but thoughtful attempts to garden, cook from scratch, forage, put together a pantry, use resources wisely, and maybe pick up a few new skills. Much of the content is food-related, which makes sense as Pellegrini is a professionally-trained chef. To be clear, this isn't a book about homesteading, and there's no info about raising animals. Crafts are not a focus, either. This is more of an introduction or overview--something to whet one's appetite for learning and making, especially with regard to food. It's packed with great photos and easy instructions, and I really do think I'll use it often. I'm happy to add it to my burgeoning collection of books on cooking, gardening, and self-sufficiency. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, too!
