Homemade Living Series giveaway
Do-it-yourself stuff is all the rage these days. We’re reclaiming our autonomy over marketing campaigns and industrial food, like our parents did in the 70’s, or, maybe your parents, because mine were working. My parents didn’t hop on the organic food movement when it started in Berkeley, nor did they have any idea how or why we’d ever want to raise chickens, keep bees, make our own jams or cheeses. They were busy building careers, trying to bring up their kids differently than they were raised. And I’m glad they did; I’ve had a lot of opportunities and life-phase-stuff that they never had, e.g. there was never any doubt that I’d go to college (neither of my parents were able to finish).
Here’s where the promise of a happy-holding-hands DIY future meets the demands of present day reality (we have jobs and bills and things to do outside of the home), right here, on your own terms. It doesn’t matter if you grew up doing this stuff because people like Ashley English are out there writing excellent, beginner-friendly guide books. No matter how you come to try these kinds of projects, via your own grandma, someone else’s grandma, or the internet, the outcome is the same. New skills, new experiences, possibly new relationships with your food and home.
Ashley and I became friends after I won one of her blog giveaways, her signature 5-spice kumquat marmalade, in fact. (The recipe is in her canning book!) Ashley’s Homemade Living books are an essential resource for any person, girl or guy, getting hip to the homefront and all the things you might do there. I adore her four books (that her publisher so graciously sent me): Canning and Preserving, Keeping Chickens, Keeping Bees, and Home Dairy.
Her style is warm and inviting. Her photos are top notch.
This is one of my fave features in her Canning book. When you’re a beginner, how are you supposed to know what recipe to use if you don’t know what the end result is supposed to look like, if you even like the kind of preserve you’re making!
She helps you ease into those projects you’ve been curious about for sometime. I can’t say bees are on my agenda anytime soon, but I really enjoy reading about what goes on in friends’ hives. Even if you don’t have plans to try these kinds of homemade life projects, it’s great to understand how things come to be that we often take for granted, as they appear magically on store shelves.
Here’s how to enter: Leave a comment on this post by midnight West coast time, Sunday June 19:
Tell us what you most appreciate about your upbringing. We’re in the cusp between Mothers’ and Fathers’ days here, so let us know how they influenced you the most. It doesn’t have to be home-related!
Restrictions: You will NOT win if you don’t include your email address in the little box on the comment form, no one but me will see this, I promise. Also, Ashley’s publisher has asked me to restrict the winner to US Residents only. I’m sorry my Canadian and UK (& elsewhere) pals. Presently, I can’t afford to ship the series myself. Thanks for understanding!
Kate
Thank you all for entering, what wonderful responses.
Congratulations to lucky number 186, Heather from New Kensington PA!
Cookbooks, Giveaways, Why Homemaking? 
Reader Comments (213)
I would love to win these books! I have checked out two from the library so far, the one on beekeeping and one on the home dairy and am thoroughly enjoying them. Hopefully I can be the lucky winner! Love your blog! And thank you so much for all the information and new things I have learned.
My parents raised me (and my brothers and sister) with a restriction on TV watching: we could watch 30 minutes (except news, news was a freebie) on weekdays and 1 hour on weekends. That meant a lot of imaginative playtime, inside and out. I hated it when I had no idea what movies/tv shows other kids watched, but now I love the idea.
Wow, generous give away!!
I love that my parents supported and loved me, unconditionally. My mom sure couldn't cook (we called her burn-it-Brenda) but with lots of love, it didn't matter!
I appreciate my parents being very supportive of whatever I wanted to do. And instilling in me an open mind and free spirit!
My upbringing made me who I am today so...even though much of the past was difficult, I love who I am NOW and I am thankful for everything that brought me here!
My mother has raised me to keep an open mind and that nothing is out of reach. She is my best friend and I have no idea what I would do without her. Her mother taught me how to cook when I was very young and I know she would be proud of my latest accomplishments with canning! :)
I was fortunate to be raised by parents that grew a lot of their own food (gardens, orchards, greenhouses, bees, chickens, cows, etc). I grew up helping in the garden & putting up all the food up for winter use!
I was brought up to a large degree by my grandparents, who were both hardworking and independent people who ran an inn for over twenty years. What I appreciate most as an adult (though I did not always as a child or sullen teenager) was the lesson that hard work CAN be enjoyable if you are employed in something worthwhile. Some of the happiest people can also be the hardest working. I understand that more and more the harder I work at my friend's farm and the many tangible and non - tangible rewards I see from doing so.
I grew up spending lots of weekends in the summer camping with my family and close family friends and loved every minute of it. When we weren't camping we were over at my grandparents farm with all my aunts, uncles and cousins helping with chores, eating dinner together and just hanging out. I loved all the family time!! I love these books too! : )
A love of travel, of history, and reading!
My mom stayed home with me when I was really little. I had an overactive imagination (to say the least) and she used that to her advantage. Instead of going to McDonald's, we would pretend McDonald's and I would eat a cheeseburger that she made me. When we were curious about foods, we grew them so that we could see how it got to our plate. We made jams when I asked how they were made. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed my time with her.
I appreciate my parents agreement to always support one another in my brother's and my upbringing. What one said was the way it would be. Even if the other might have answered differently, If something came up which they felt required discussion, they would take the time to do so. This resulted in a united family unit and a great model of healthy communication.
I appreciate the 10 years I had as an only child. I know that may sound terrible, and I love my sister dearly, but I believe all that "alone" time taught me to be independent.
I learned to love books and reading as a child. It has served me well throughout my life.
What a great set!
I most appreciate that my parents stressed that it was better to spend money on experiences, instead of things.
Mom was widowed at an early age with 6 kids. She kept going, doing, and living for her kids. Having only one tv, we were kicked outside to play most of the day and encouraged to find ways to entertain ourselves. We didn't eat out - we ate together in the kitchen and she encouraged us to learn to cook. Books were our friends, not a chore. And she never complained about how our creative projects messed up the house! At 89, she continues to be awesome.
What I appreciate most about my childhood is my parents' (and grandparents') willingness to give me enough autonomy to make my own mistakes and learn from them while still providing guidance and support.
I love that my parents let me be who I wanted to be, as long as my obligations were met. I had multi-colored hair, but I also had good grades and a bunch of enriching activities outside of school!
There's a lot to chose from - I have some top-notch parents. But the thing I'm still most thankful for is the time they spent reading to me and my sister. I cannot recall a time before stories and books. The time my mom or dad spent reading to me, and later listening to me reading to them, has played a crucial role in who I've become. I can't get enough of the written word and love discussing books I've read with others. Ashley's gorgeous books are at the top of my to-read list!
Hah, I actually just wrote about this, somewhat similarly. My father is a from-scratch purist. Basically, his Palestinian upbringing made him more of a food snob than any hipster could be. But it's a good thing - I greatly appreciate the time and effort that goes into food fully from scratch. It's a blessing and a curse.
As a child, we moved around a lot. At the time, I hated it because it meant always being the new kid, making new friends and trying to fit in AGAIN. Now that I'm an adult, I'm so thankful I had the exposure to different places and people. I feel it made me a more well-rounded individual with an open mind. As a teenager into college, I wanted to stay on the move. Today, I'm happy thinking about growing roots and developing a home while continuing to welcome new place and people into my little world.
My parents taught me nothing comes without hard work! Instead of whining, take action. they both worked a lot, and my sister and I were by ourselves a lot, but we always knew we were loved. Ahhhh....so sweet.
I was always supported when I brought home wounded birds, tree seedlings I'd saved from lawn mowers, and other small critters in jars. I was also taught to befriend and stick up for the kids in my class who were picked on, teased, or on the margins. That has been the biggest and hardest lesson of my life.
I grew up a midwestern farm kid. Though I couldn't wait to get out of there when I graduated high school, I sooooo appreciate now the wonderful childhood in the country that I experienced.
My parents recycled everything, and I've tried to continue that tradition. Even paper towels (when they were used) were hung up to dry and reused until they were no longer functional.