The Hands-On Home: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking, Preserving & Natural Homekeeping Hardcover – September 29, 2015

My pre-ordered a copy of The Hands-On Home by Erica Strauss finally arrived last week. I regularly stop by Erica’s blog Northwest Edible Life because I enjoy her writing style and humour, so I expected I’d like her book. Well, this was not the books I was expecting! I thought I’d be getting a floppy cookbook, instead I got a tome like the fluid mechanics textbook I used for years to hold up my computer monitor, and it’s pretty enough to go on the shelf with my pretty cookbooks. Likely it’ll join the pile of cookbooks that live on my kitchen counter that I refer to all the time (a pile my neat-freak husband kindly hasn’t tried to put away).The Hands-On Home is more than a cookbook extending into preserving, cleaning and self care with recipes fitting into each category. The book is broken down by season, so I started by trying out a couple of fall recipes.Cambazola went on sale last week and there was a red cabbage in the fridge, so I decided to try ‘Red Cabbage with Cambazola’ first. I was perfectly prepared to try a new recipe by choosing a day my husband was late getting home from work and my toddler was grumpy and hungry (she snatched most of the apple for the recipe right out of the bowl before it even made it into the pot). I had no red wine, and if I did I likely would have poured myself a glass instead of cooking with it. The cabbage was quickly ready and served beside some left over pulled pork harmony was restored to my house.The second recipe I tried was ‘Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Caramelized Apple and Cider Cream.’ This soup was a simpler squash soup than I normally make (tomatoes and coconut milk tend to find their way into my invented squash soups). The recipe had curry in it, and I prefer my squash to be curried. Like the cabbage, the soup was quick and easy to make – and it was tasty enough that it will likely be making a weekly appearance in my house for the fall.Finally, I was impressed with Erica’s discussion of cleaners. I’m now clear on when to use an alkaline based cleaner or a acid based one and I’m likely to remember now. After I use up the cleaners already in the house, I’ll try making my own. Erica has even inspired me to start thinking about cleaning up the bug mausoleum that’s been amassing in the light fixtures – a couple of my lights magnify the silver fish within creating quite a horror show effect.my full review is here: http://jeannettebedard.com/2015/10/14/the-hands-on-home-book-review/

I do not follow Erica's blog, but I heard her interview on the Living Homegrown podcast, and shortly thereafter I purchased her book. I am interested in a more natural lifestyle, but I also live in a city - so I felt unsure if the book would be a good fit since she lives on a true homestead. However, I have found that I would be able to take advantage of about 75% of the recipes in the book with a limited investments in equipment/supplies.Looking at the sample pages provided in the preview will give you a good idea of what recipes are included. You will see that the book is divided by season, and each season is subdivided by cooking, preserving, home care, and personal care. There is also a year round staples section. I’m focusing this review of a few things that you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at the table of contents.Normally I skim introductions and just jump into the book, but not only have I read the introduction, but have referenced it several times afterwards. She provides a comprehensive how-to for canning, lacto-fermentation, soap making etc. I was already familiar with canning, but I definitely needed the tutorials for the more advanced techniques!A few "gems" that I have found in the introduction include her food preservation calendar and a long discussion about developing daily and seasonal cleaning routines. Bets are if you’re researching this book, then you are likely to enjoy these sections as well.Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of what I would consider bonus items like the essential oil blend recipes, and several recipe charts for salad dressings (20), fruit fillings for crisps or pies (7), and infused vinegars (9). Throughout the book, you will find helpful explanations on why certain things work. For me, I found this really invaluable. It gives more credibility to the recipes when you know that she took into consideration the proper pH level for your scalp/hair when recommending a shampoo and conditioner, or the acidity needed to remove mineral buildup.I have two reasons for taking off a star. First, the reliance on working with lye for soap and shaving cream. This is certainly one method – but there are other methods as well so it would have been nice to have options that didn’t require proper ventilation, face masks, industrial gloves and the risk of acid burns (again, I live in an apartment, so this is definitely not an option)! To be fair, this method only includes 3 recipes - so I will simply have to look for shaving cream/soap recipes elsewhere. The second reason was the number of recipes that require a pressure canner. As I mentioned in the beginning of the review, this falls into the 25% category that would require a significant investment.Overall – I would consider this book perfect for a person who has experimented with diy homekeeping and wants to take their skills to the next level.Happy experimenting!

I'm so impressed - not surprised - being a follower of nwedible.com as Erica does a wonderful job with her blog. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be so big and beautiful and inspiring given that I thought I was well on my way to happy homesteading. Lots of amazing recipes and new things to add to my list of DIY stuff to try. My husbands first response when he started perusing the book was "quick - get the post-its - there's a ton of stuff in here we will want to cook". Actually, now that I think about it - he was the one that introduced me to nwedible.com in the first place when he bought me a stick blender for my birthday a few years ago so I could make Erica's "magic mayonnaise" with our chicken eggs. BTW - it IS magic - it got him off of the hook for buying me an appliance for my birthday!The look and feel of the book is just lovely - the pictures are gorgeous, the cover is yummy, and of course Erica's words of wisdom are extremely helpful, easy to follow, a pleasure (and a crack-up) to read. I am thrilled to have this in my homesteading library and I might add that I can't believe the price on this book. I'd have gladly paid $35 for it without batting an eyelash if I came across it in a bookstore and wasn't already a huge fan who, of course, pre-ordered it. The quality of the binding, photos and content are more than worth it - it's a steal at Amazon's price.Now I better take those tamworth pork steaks out of the freezer and get started on post-it number one - Pork Porterhouse with apples, sage and Dijon-bourbon pan sauce - yum!! or maybe the Moroccan-spiced lamb shoulder chops braised with quince. Decisions, decisions...(Oh, and in case you were wondering why I took so long to review it having pre-ordered the book - it was a gift from "Santa" - *wink *wink)

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I loved this book. At first I thought the organization by seasons (breaking up cooking, cleaning, etc into multiple different chunks) would be irritating, but the book flows nicely and is clearly laid out for referencing. The recipes sound yummy, the tips and tricks are great, and she has a good sense of humour and takes the topic seriously without being in your face and pushy (or snobby).Cons: There were a few typos, and she put in some mentions of other home care tips and tricks that she doesn’t fully explain elsewhere in the book and I’d have loved to see that information in there.Still, I put quite a few sticky tabs in the pages for things I want to try immediately. And I started a list of things I want to look into/purchase to try other things in the book.

Love this book. My copy is dog-eared as I have used EVERY recipe in this book - extremely unusual for me. This has become an important resource that I now couldn't do without. The author's voice is no nonsense, intelligent, down-to-earth and encouraging. Love Erica Strauss ... I miss her blog terribly.

I love everything about this book. Really informative

Bought this as a gift for a friend. She says it is just wonderful and helpful. She can't wait to try the receipes and the photos are beautiful.