I was so excited when my copy of Sustainable Living came in the mail for me to review! I expected it to be a typical cookbook with some recipes, but instead I was literally blown-away with the quality of it, the recipes, pictures on every page, and especially the life of Stacy Harris!
I think the only complaint I had with the book is she makes me look bad – real bad ;) I have to keep it hidden from my hubby so he doesn’t realize how jipped he got when he got stuck with me ;)
Stacy Harris left her career as a lawyer and model and instead has focused her life on her 7 beautiful kids that she homeschools and teaches to live off the land. She has learned to hunt, fish, garden, cook delicious dishes with whatever her husband or kids drag through the door, and really anything she sets her mind to.
Her passion for sustainable living is contagious and I appreciate what she does to help us all live a more sustainable life no matter what our circumstances.
Historically, just about every home had a kitchen garden and a few chickens in the back yard, if not out of necessity, merely for the pleasure of raising nutritious food for their families. As our lives have gotten busier and space increasingly sparse, people have relied on supermarkets for their food source. Supermarket produce and meat are subpar to the simply grown vegetables, eggs, and meat of the backyard garden. Besides most of the supermarket fruits and vegetables being genetically modified and sprayed with pesticides, they have lost much of their nutritional value and taste once they reach the supermarket shelves.” – Stacy Harris
I love how she shares parts of her life throughout the book and creates a feeling like you are in the backyard watching the kids play with baby chicks, picking vegetables from the garden for dinner, or cooking up rabbit with her in the kitchen. It was like I was transported back to a time when this type of living wasn’t rare, but part of everyone’s regular routine.
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE LIVING ALL ABOUT?
The self-sustainable lifestyle is one that contributes to superior food and health, extraordinary competence, responsibility, and financial stability, as well as gives us a connection with our ancestors, families, and the land. I am a believer that home should be a place of industry, adventure, and rejuvenation to be a better service to others. – Stacy Harris
Sustainable Living is broken into 3 parts: The Garden – Beyond the Garden – Woods and Water. This book won’t teach you everything you need to know about living a sustainable life, but it definitely can get you started in the right direction.
– The Garden –
I am new to gardening and this section gave me the inspiration I needed. It has some great tips for heirloom gardening, saving seeds, herbs, vertical & container gardening, canning, drying, and even composting. This section is filled with recipes that make vegetables look like dessert (or at least close)!
Eating more vegetables is something I struggle with, but just glazing over this section I don’t think I’ll have a problem eating any of the dishes she recommends!
Squash is something we usually have so of course I had to try a squash recipe first! You should too; you won’t be disappointed! (Just click on the pictures below to enlarge.)
– Beyond the Garden –
Have you ever thought of foraging your own wild fruits, herbs, and greens? How about becoming a beekeeper? This section gives a brief overview about each of these skills her family enjoys doing and even includes tips for raising your own chickens.
I love how she includes her family in learning these skills and makes it such a wonderful experience for everyone involved. They go on a berry competition each year and whoever fills their bag the fastest with wild berries gets the 1st piece of the homemade pie she makes with them. That would definitely motivate my kids to get off the couch and explore nature.
– Woods and Water –
I won’t lie, I immediately jumped to this section of the book because with deer season here I desperately could use some more ideas to cook the venison we bring home! About the only thing I make from deer meat is roasts and hamburger. I’ve tried branching out some, but never really found any great recipes that worked with wild game.
She has recipes you can use to cook almost anything you bring home including – Deer, Wild Turkey, Duck, Quail, Small Game, Seafood and Fish! Even if you don’t hunt or harvest your own animals don’t worry, she does include substitutions!
I laughed when I read the part about how anytime she mentions wild duck, “people respond negatively.” I can only imagine, because I get the same stares, eye-rolling, & gasps, whenever I mention anything about cooking wild game. I truly feel bad for my friends, because they don’t realize what they are missing out on!
Addition to the exceptional taste of venison, the health benefits far outweigh those of beef. Not only is deer a free-ranging consumer of healthy herbs, grasses, acorns, berries, and nuts and exempt from harmful antibiotics and hormones, its meat is lower in fat and cholesterol and is higher in vitamin B6, B12, and Omega 3 fatty acids. – Stacy Harris
I’m not a huge mushroom fan (they scare me) so I haven’t tried the Venison Scaloppine below, but the Stuffed Venison Meatloaf scored me huge brownie points with the fam!
Start Your Sustainable Living Journey!
Stacy understands not everyone is able to have a huge garden, raise chickens or do some of the things she describes in her book, but we can all start with some of the basics.
Using God’s natural resources that He so bountifully supplies is a privilege and honor that inspires me to be a “keeper” of the land. My hope for you is to start with the basics of at least cooking with fresh vegetables and free-range animals, or for those who are seasoned gardeners to continue on your journey to health and self-sustainability with the sustainable recipes and information in this book. – Stacy Harris
You can learn more about Stacy Harris and how to live a Sustainable Life on her Blog – Game and Garden
Win A Copy of Sustainable Living!
I love not only talking about how amazing something is, but giving you a chance to see for yourself. Stacy Harris sent me an extra signed copy of her book (Recipes & Tips For Sustainable Living) for one of you!
To enter for your chance to win the signed copy LEAVE A COMMENT below. Feel free to share how you currently are, or want to live a sustainable life!
The winner will be picked at random and notified next Tuesday – November 5th (the winner has 24 hours to respond so check your email)!
All right, start commenting!
Giveaway Has Now Closed:
Random.org picked comment #9 – John R (Congratulations!!!)
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Thanks for the review of this book, it sound so inspiring! I am an urban gardener and can, dry, and freeze the bounty. Hoping my hubby gets a dear this season!
Wow, you are already doing a great job! Good luck getting a deer! If you try any of her recipes with it you’ll have to let me know!
I raise chickens now for eggs and meat. I have raised turkeys for thanksgiving. I live on 5 acres and would like to raise more food animals but need to put up fencing. I will buy this book, it sounds amazing. My dream for retirement is living just like Stacey Harris, and passing on this way of life to my grandchildren.
sounds like stacy is living my dream life, good for her. I will continue on with my tiny (much loved) garden, and pray for my someday chickens. will buy book now, so I am prepared.
That’s exactly what I thought Linda! I seriously want to move in! At least be a fly on the wall and see how she does it all!
We don’t have chickens now, but maybe some day! That’s one pet that’s actually useful ;)
So cool! I could see this making a great Christmas present, too!
It really is! It’s a great way to introduce people to being prepared too, without overdoing it or scaring them!
This lady understands whats really important in the one life we all have on this fantastic earth.Thanks for sharing.I hope I win the book.
Yes she does! Not many people leave a life as a lawyer and a model to raise 7 kids and 50 chickens! I’m impressed, that’s for sure!
OK, you have convinced me. I set here with a salivating mouth. Just send me the book. Ha, ha. Really Jamie. I try real hard to be prepared. I have the goats, piggies, rabbits, and chickens, along with a greenhouse and sq foot gardens. The trouble is I have never eaten goat nor have I butcher a goat or a pig. I am prepping for bad times but I don’t really know what to do with all this “stuff”. I am inclined to believe this book would help. What do you think?
I’m right there with you! I was writing this post way too late and think I started dozing off and trying to eat the food right off the pages ;)
Sounds like you are already doing fabulous, but she could definitely give a few ideas of how to cook up your rabbits and chickens!
Sounds like a great book! My family expanded our garden this year and enjoyed all of the fresh produce and was even able to dehydrate some for soups and stews for the winter.
I’m one of those people who gasps at the mention of a eating a deer or wild duck. However, within in the last year as I have begun this journey towards self-reliance, I realize that hunting is an important part of self-reliance. So…. I need this book because frankly, I have a hard enough time cooking with things in my pantry, I wouldn’t have any idea where to begin if my husband came home with wild game. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
I would probably be the same way if I didn’t grow up eating it weekly. Even when we ate it though we cooked the exact same thing each week – roast ;) I’m excited to mix it up and try some of the other recipes!
We are in our mid 50s and about to start a new chapter in our lives. My goal is to show my husband that we can live comfortably, self-reliant and prepared. This book will be a God send and a step in the right direction. Thank you, Densie
What great goals! Wish you the best of luck on them!
This book sounds delightful. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of this book. Good luck everyone.
I’ve been gardening and dealing with the harvest for a few years now, but this year was the first time I’ve ever even touched a live chicken–and that was when I helped butcher about 100 chickens. Now I need to see if we can raise our own.
Holy Chicken ;) That’s one way to be introduced to chickens! We could learn a few things from you!
I have a start down the sustainablity path with a few chickens, garden and some berry bushes. Though with my busy schedule, working outside the home full time I need all the help and encouragement I can get.
How do you balance it all? Impressive! Working full time is definitely tough. I would love to give some amazing time management advice, but since it’s 3 am as I’m writing this I probably shouldn’t ;)
Mostly I delegate to my kids and am stressed out most of the time! That is the honest truth!
I think this book looks inspiring. I garden and preserve the food I grow, but I’m afraid that’s about as far as I’ve gotten.
I wouldn’t be afraid at all! Your progress is amazing! I just started a garden this year, so you are ahead of most!!!
She looks like she could be my new hero! Wowza!
Seriously! She is out of control amazing! Just not fair ;)
Those recipes look delish and it’s always been a goal of mine to live a sustainable lifestyle. As a newly single mom, I feel like I have a new chance to take on this goal and teach my 3 kids a better way of living. This book will probably help me get in the right direction. Thanks for the recommendation!
Don’t the recipes look yummy? I keep trying to lick the pages – j/k.
Your kids are lucky to have you as their mom. I admire anyone that teaches their kids that there’s more to life than sports and candy. I’m still working on that with mine!
Sounds like an excellent book! I would love to win it, but I’ll probably buy it even if I don’t! :)
Thank you for the opportunity to win a book that I am sure will have lots of information pertinent to sustainable living. I feel that now, more than ever, that it’s important to be more frugal and learn how to live on less. There is so much to learn! I look forward to hearing from you. Once again –
Thank you,
Mary Rector
I think learning to live on less is one of the greatest skills we can learn and pass on. I know my hubby would love if I eventually learned it ;) Good luck!
First – Am loving the look of the site! Nice, clean, easy to see links. Colors are great choices so stuff doesn’t all run into each other – at least to my eyes. Which, after staring into a monitor 10+ hours a day, means a lot!
Second, with regards to the book. Like so many others, I’ve struggled with my weight for a good portion of my life. About 10 years ago I was looking great, got my weight down under 200 for the first time since grade school – but then I started blacking out. One problem started another and by the time all was said and done my hard work was obliterated and I was heavier than ever and had to take more medication. After being on Facebook for a while I started getting into eating healthier. I researched GMOs, organic foods, home health aids… and we started hearing about the economic crisis in Ireland, Greece… and the problems in the US. Hubby and I started talking about stockpiling and what we needed to do, opening us up to prepping. When you combine the healthier living with the prepping, you end up at sustainable living.
In the past nine months since I started this long journey, I’ve found myself buying stock pots and canning jars instead of concert and movie tickets. I’ve canned up a lot of produce from the local farmers markets, and the extras from our yard. We’ve planted two apple trees, two apricot trees, a mixed pear hybrid and a “fruit salad” tree. We’ve invested a lot in heirloom seeds and are planning our garden layout for next season. I’ve done a lot of research on the internet, but think this book would come in handy bringing it all together for us.
I want this book very much so I hope I win!
My wife and I are just starting out toward a more sustainable lifestyle, made more difficult by her chronic medical problems. Still, this year I grew over half the tomatoes we ate this summer, so that’s a step in the right direction. I figure as long as we keep moving forward, we’ll gradually do better and better.
I will have to order this book if I do not win it.
Great review. This looks like a book that could help everyone new and experienced with sustainable living.
I have been canning this fall. I like to do this. I was not able to put in a garden this year, but plan on doing so next spring.
Like to win for my son who loves to cook thanks for the giveaway
Looking forward to possibly learning more.
I need all the help I can get. My husband says I have a black thumb. I have literally killed countless basil plants.
This book wil be handy whether you live in the country or an urban area. I try to do a little more eat year. This fall, I got my first pressure canner and a pressure cooker. So far I have canned 16 pints of chicken, 9 pints of sweet n sour chicken and 7 quarts of beef stew in it. :)
I love to learn all I can about this subject and appreciate the chance to win this awesome book! Thank you!
This book looks great! thanks for the chance. Will have to buy if I don’t win it :)
My husband and me trying to change our life style to healthier choices and he us into buying wild meat now and recently he bought me a wild game and had no idea how to cook it and followed directions from ths place he bought it from but it still turned a little tough! So would love to learn how to cook wild meats!
I don’t really know anything about this lifestyle but would like to learn more!
We just moved from a ‘Suburban Farm’ on the wet Westcoast where we had chickens and I grew my own, to dry and not so lush Colorado where we are renting a house with no yard. I’m having to learn to do things differently here, very very differently. Any tidbits are welcome.
This would be an amazing book to own. Thanks for the opportunity to get a signed copy. Much success to you in this endeavor……….
I love what, and more importantly why you do it! You truly are amazing. Good Work. :)
This book sounds amazing. Would love to have it and use the ideas and recipes. I have a feeling it’s one I will use a lot!
Love this book already and would welcome it to my library. The recipes look great and the tips too :)
This looks great! Working on my first garden!
Changing to sustainable living, buying organic, and getting ready to grow my own veggies. next spring. Would enjoy having a copy of your book. The recipes look inviting and I’m ready to learn as much as I can. Thx for the opportunity… :)
Looking forward to reading your book for inspiration to get me started on my backyard garden. Thx for the opportunity.
When I read the book review it made my heart race and I keep asking myself – are you a coward seeking refuge in suburbia or should you follow your heart and move? Stirring questions for me. By the way, canned over 80lbs of Zaycon chicken and I am hooked on canning. Will be doing potatoes next. Thank you for always making me feel like being self reliant is achievable.
I’m hoping to move at the end of the year to a more sustainable area than the desert.
My mom’s side of the family has a history of gardening/small scale farming (well, farming until my family’s farmland got snatched up to build a middle school in the ’50s) and I’ve always been interested in it but have had little success with my attempts at gardening in pots in apartments. I will be optimistic for next growing season, though!
This book sounds great! I currently live on 3 acres with my husband & children. We have a big garden & I preserve as much as possible. Our animals are chickens, ducks, pigs, & of course a couple of cats & dogs. I hope to get a couple of dairy goats in the spring. I would really like to be as self sufficient as possible and would love to learn more. Thank you!
Thank you for the chance to learn more, love the ideas I’ve seen so far.
I want to live a sustainable life but need the tools to do so…this book would be perfect.
would love to win this book. I have so much to learn. Love having a garden and fresh vegetables. I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. I want to learn about becoming more self reliant. Thank you
I would love to win this book. I am returning to gardening and healthy living and I am turning a shed/chicken house back to a chicken house. My mother use to have chickens and after a few years of store eggs I just could’t take it any more. I will be spending the winter getting it all ready for chickens in the spring, I can’t wait!!
My husband and I try to be as self-sufficient as possible…..making soap, gardening canning etc….but there is still a lot to learn.
ooohhh so cool i’d love to learn how to live more sustainably!! i have my own chickens, a garden every year, and buy local meat, but other than that I know very little…. This book looks great! :)
My family and I work a garden every year and have procured several acres. We are going to begin building our home on our acreage in the spring. We have a start but we are always looking for new ways to learn how to be more self reliant. We also are homeschooling our children and incorporate sustainable self reliant living into our education plan. This book would be a great addition to our back to the land library.
I am brand new to your blog . This book would be a great tool for me to learn all of those skills I wish my grandmother and mother would of taught me. I need to learn how to live a sustainable lifestyle so I can pass it on to my daughters!!(my husband would be thankful)
thanks for the review of this book, It sounds amazing. i have been gardening for a few years now. we can or dry every thing that we get. It is always wonderful to get new information and recipes to try. i would love to have a chance to read this book.
I have been play around the edges of Sustainable Living by reading and thinking about it. Never really lived that way seriously. But I have started trying to this last year. I would love to move to the country but I don’t think it’s possible. At least not yet! This book would be wonderful to help me on my way.
If I don’t win I may have to buy this one!!! We are slowly getting things together. Had a garden this year, got some chickens, goats and guinea!
Wow she sounds amazing. Just like you do on how you inspirer me on food storage. I would love to learn how to grow my own food and prepare it. I have 2 boys that I homeschool and want to try to teach them how to grow and hunt. I think it’s important to teach them because I know there could be a time everyone has to. Thanks for all you do on your blog I love it!
Looking forward to reading this book
Wow! This sounds great! Thanks for sharing! I’d love to win. I don’t currently grow the food I prepare, but it is certainly something I’d love to try.
This is a new area to me so I’d love to read the book.
I have only just begun this wonderful journey. I would absolutely love to have this book as a guide and reference to add to the learnings from my last year. I want so much to be successful for my family and pass down sustainable living for my children and grandchildren. Thank you for this opportunity to get a valuable resource. Be blessed!