This is a story from the back-to-the-land movement of the 70s written by a couple as they were living it. The book is filled with their pleasure in the experience and the humor found in making mistakes while learning new skills. Lots of good gardening tips-organic, of course.
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Beginning homesteaders, help has arrived. Gardening For Independence by Barbara and Mort Mather is a thoroughly absorbing and educational account of one couple's introduction to homesteading life. The Mathers, both former theatre people, moved to their farm in wells, Maine, in 1972. The book details their first five years on the land, from their beginning 15-by-30 foot, largely unplanned garden, to a one acre market garden and small livestock venture.
Mort Mather humorously shares the family mistakes as well as successes-and there is something to be learned from each. He warns beginners to start small to avoid frustration. Successes are important to the new homesteader, he points out, and, unfortunately, over-extending one's self tends to minimize them.
His explanation of the importance of various soil minerals and the interaction of earthworms and micro-organisms manages to bring soil fertility to life in a fascinating way few authors manage.
He takes the mystery out of soil testing and composting with easy-to-follow explanations of what has worked well for them, as well as a few variations. The reader isn't overloaded with information. The book leaves one with an eagerness to begin.
While most of the book is devoted to gardening, the book ends with short chapters on raising livestock. Barbara and Mort have raised chickens, pigs and a steer, and their butchering experience will reassure the novice.
The Mathers have raised pigs on their acreage for themselves, as well as others. They buy piglets and immediately sell them to interested families. The new pig owners pay for the feed and are free to take the pig any time they choose. However, most of them leave the entire management to the Mathers and pick up their fresh pork chops later.
The Mathers designed a wise and witty contract designating responsibilities of both the pigor (the one who raises pigs) and the pigee (the one for whom the pig is raised). The contract alone is worth the price of the book and should prove most helpful to Countrysiders considering similar joint ventures.
Perhaps the over-riding virtue of the book is the Mathers' obvious joy in what they are doing. They are neither purists nor proselytizers. Rather, they share useful information with those who choose a similar lifestyle. They also comment on the commitment in time and work that such a lifestyle requires. It is not, Mather says, the path to instant gratification many Americans have come to expect.
The book's closing paragraph provides insightful advice for those still in the thinking stages of self-sufficiency: "It is easy to hate chickens, hogs, gardening, bees, cows, and even country living in general. Just because the Mathers are having a ball on Bald Hill Road doesn't mean anyone else could stand our lifestyle, let alone enjoy it. But for the right people with the right outlook, there can be no more satisfying way to live. Outlook is not something a person is born with. It is acquired. Barbara spent a good part of her life stuffing Twinkies into her mouth. Now the thought gags her. I once felt that fame and fortune were the keys to success. Now I know that happiness is success, and if I felt there was any likelihood this book would change our lifestyle, I would not let it be published."
I believe him. -- Sue Pfrang, Countryside Magazine 1978
Gardening For Independence is the most practical book on the subject I've ever seen. You'll love it! -- Joy Cuhwell, KVMC Colorado City
From the Author
When I reread my book recently I thought I would be embarrassed. After all, I have been gardening five times as long now as when I wrote it and I have been writing five times as long also. I'm not embarrassed. In fact, I'm rather proud of that young fella who wrote the book. I like the freshness and enthusiasm of discovery I had which came naturally then. I try to keep it in my writing now but sometimes worry that I sound like an expert. All the ribbing I have given experts in the past, I sure don't want to get that label. I don't know what I'm doing. Really. I'm just having fun with this thing called life. Please don't take me seriously.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for anyone into organic farming!,
By Scott Supak (scott@supak.com) (LA, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gardening for Independence (Paperback)
Gardening for Independence is a must read for any organic gardener or organic farmer! Funny, witty, well researched, well written, and more important now than ever, Gardening for Independence is the handbook for anyone who takes pride in land and work. Full of practical information and laughs, this book is a necessary addition to your gardening library!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Please America; WAKE UP,
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This review is from: Gardening for Independence (Paperback)
We need to wake up before we destroy the greatest country known to man. Don't let liberal greed for power win!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book!,
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This review is from: Gardening for Independence (Paperback)
34 years ago my parents and I traveled up the east coast to Maine. Part of our travels brought us to the new farm of Mort and Barbara Mather where we visited for a few days. In that short visit I witnessed Mort's gardening practices and experienced a bit of the 1970s back to the land movement. This book is a fantastic gardening reference with the added experiences of Mort's battles with weeds and the like. It's a good how to book that gives practicle advice on gardening subjects with the intention of surviving on the garden. Mort and Barbara are great teachers and started me on my homesteading adventure. Today, I live off the grid in a house that my wife and I built, raise my own produce and livestock, and preserve the fruits of our labors for future use. It all started on the trip to Maine many years ago. I hope that this book get's you aboard the same adventure.
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