Lost Skills and Crafts Handbook

by Alan Titchmarsh

Overview

In this inspirational and practical guide to country life, passionate and hugely knowledgeable countryman Alan Titchmarsh explores the heritage of rural Britain, its landscapes and wildlife, its traditions, customs and crafts. The Lost Skills and Crafts Handbook will help you rediscover your love of the countryside, including: - a checklist of British butterflies and where to find them - how to keep chickens, ducks, goats and sheep - how to make soap, candles and your own herbal remedies - how to track animals and forage for food - essential knot tying - how to build a campfire without matches - how to create a kitchen garden - the origins of country superstitions And much more. With beautiful line art illustrations throughout, this compendium of the British countryside and its delights will be an essential read for any nature lover in your life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785947018
Publisher:	B B C Worldwide Americas
Publication date:	11/15/2021
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Alan Titchmarsh is the author of over 40 books about gardening, including How to be a Gardener Book 1: Back to Basics, the fastest- selling of all time in the genre; natural history titles including British Isles: A Natural History and The Nature of Britain; three bestselling autobiographies and a number of bestselling novels. He has twice been named 'Gardening Writer of the Year' and for four successive years was voted 'Television Personality of the Year' by the Garden Writers' Guild. Alan has appeared on radio and television both as a gardening expert and as an interviewer and presenter, and is the current presenter of Love Your Garden and Grow Your Own At Home on ITV.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Country Arts and Crafts 1

Grow your own Walking Stick 2

Making a Besom Broom 4

Basket Weaving 6

Making Trugs 10

Hurdle Making 11

Post and Rail Fencing 15

Hedge Laying 17

Dry Stone Walling 20

Making Whistles 24

Thatching 25

Tying Knots 27

Potpourri 34

Drying Flowers 38

Cutting Gardens 42

Pressed Flowers 44

Candle Making 47

Patchwork and Quilting 49

Spinning 51

Weaving 53

Natural Dyes 55

Woodturning 58

Canal-Boat Painting 59

Chapter 2 Home Craft Skills 61

Home Brewing 62

Country Wines 70

Other Traditional Country Drinks 71

Preserves 77

Pickling 85

Dairy Work 89

Cheese Making 95

DIY Hot-Smoking of Meat or Fish 98

How to Sweep a Chimney 101

Herbal Secrets 103

Chapter 3 Kitchen Gardening 117

Making a Compost Heap 119

Planning a Kitchen Garden 122

Growing Herbs 124

Protecting Crops Without Chemicals 125

Crop Rotation 128

Growing Cut Flowers in the Veg Patch 131

Grow Your Own Liquid Feeds 132

Growing Fruit 133

Aftercare of Fruit 138

Grow your own Firewood 140

Gardening with Native Trees and Shrubs 144

Coppicing with Care 146

How to make a Moth Trap 149

How to attract Birds 150

Chapter 4 Living off the Land 157

Poultry 162

Pigs 182

Goats 188

Cows 194

Sheep 198

Llamas and Alpacas 209

Bees 211

Growing Grass and Hay 219

Chapter 5 Go Wild in the Country 225

Identifying Birds 226

Identifying Butterflies 236

Identifying Wildflowers 242

Identifying Trees 253

Tracking Animals 258

Chapter 6 Countryside Skills 263

Foraging 264

Edible Plants Recognition 266

Seaside Harvest 273

Sea Veg 273

Shellfish 276

Shrimping 279

Crabbing 280

Sea-Fishing 281

Freshwater Fishing 285

Boatbuilding 288

Outdoor Survival Skills 290

Useful Rules of Thumb 295

How to Stay Safe in a Thunderstorm 295