Table Of ContentTHE CONCISE GUIDE TO
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
JOHN SEYMOUR
THE CONCISE GUIDE TO
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
THE CONCISE GUIDE TO
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
JOHN SEYMOUR & WILL SUTHERLAND
CONTENTS
London, New York, Munich, Melbourne, and Delhi
Produced for Dorling Kindersley by
Editor James Harrison
Designer Edward Kinsey 4-5 Contents 51-53 Protecting from Pests
Digital colour enhancement Simon Roulstone 6-7 Why a Concise Guide? 54-57 Maintaining a Healthy Plot
Linocut illustrations Jeremy Sancha
8-9 The Self-Supporting Life 58-70 Vegetables
Line illustrations David Ashby, Sally Launder, John Woodcock,
Kathleen McDougall, Peter Bull Associates, Simon Roulstone 10-11 Foreword from 2002 Edition 71-79 Herbs
12-17 Introduction 80-83 Vegetables Through the Year
For Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Editor Peter Jones 84-85 Winter
Designer Sara Robin
DTP designer Traci Salter 1 THE MEANING OF 86-87 Spring
Production controllers Stuart Masheter, Elizabeth Cherry
SELF-SUFFICIENCY 88-89 Early Summer
This edition first published in the United States in 2007 by 20-25 The Way to Self-Sufficiency 90-91 Late Summer
DK Publishing, Inc.
375 Hudson Street 26-27 Humans and their Environment 92-93 Autumn
New York, NY 10014
28-31 The Urban Garden 94-95 The Greenhouse
A Penguin Company
32-35 The Allotment 96-99 Soft Fruit
07 08 09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
100-103 Tree Fruit
Copyright © 2007 Dorling Kindersley Limited 2 FOOD FROM THE GARDEN 104-106 Caring for Fruit Trees
Text copyright © 1976, 1996 Anne Sears; 2002, 2007 Anne Sears,
Will Sutherland 38-42 The Food-Producing Garden 107-109 Clearing Land
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright 43-45 The Deep Bed 110-114 Making Use of Trees
Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, 46-48 Sowing and Planting 115-121 Hedging and Fencing
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written
49-50 Growing under Cover 122-123 Scything
permission of the copyright owner.
A Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the
Library of Congress.
ISBN 9780756628895
Colour reproduction by MDP, UK
Printed and bound in China by Hung Hing
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3 FOOD FROM NATURE 178-179 Meats 6 CRAFTS AND SKILLS
126-129 Pigs 180-181 Fish 216-217 The Workshop
130-138 Poultry 182-183 Vegetables 218-221 Building
139 Rabbits 184-185 Brewing Basics 222-223 Knots and Ropework
140-143 Bees and Honey 186-189 Making Beer 224-229 Working in Wood
144-145 Plants, Nuts, and Berries 190-194 Making Wine 230-231 Basketry
146-147 Mushrooms 195-197 Making Cider and Vinegar
7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
4 IN THE KITCHEN 5 ENERGY AND WASTE 234-240 Becoming a Self-Supporter
150-151 The Storeroom 200-202 Food for the Garden 241-242 “Getting it Together”
152-155 Harvesting and Storing 203-205 Managing Waste 243-246 Contacts and References
156-159 Making Bread 206-208 Saving Energy
160-161 Preserving 209-211 Heat from the Sun 247-255 Index
162-165 Freezing 212-213 Power from the Wind 256 Acknowledgements
166-168 Bottling
169-171 Making Pickles and Chutneys
172-175 Making Jams and Syrups
176-177 Cakes, Biscuits, and Puddings
6
Why a Concise Guide to Self-Sufficiency?
I’m delighted you’ve picked up this book and started where I went to live when I gave up my London career
reading. Perhaps you’ve come across other titles by John in 1993. Now Angela and I are husband and wife. We
Seymour, heard about his self-sufficiency books from a continue to run the School at Killowen and in 2002 I was
friend, or just spotted the cover while browsing in a book delighted to be able to help John update and expand his
shop, library, or on the internet. You are probably intrigued original Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency and, thanks to
about the idea of self-sufficiency, and more likely you’ve the expertise of Dorling Kindersley, it has been selling
been asking yourself whether some of those dreams you tens of thousands of copies every year since.
have about changing the way you live could actually
become a reality. John Seymour’s legacy
So I am equally delighted that Dorling Kindersley have John died in 2004 at the age of 90 years. Throughout his
decided to publish this concise version of The New long and extraordinarily varied life he always cut his own
Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency with its emphasis on furrow, and held on to his straightforward philosophy. John
practical things which busy people in cities, towns, and never wanted to be a “guru,” nor to tell other people what
villages—and those who don’t have the wherewithal to take they should do; but he did everything he could to preserve
the whole plunge—can do to change the way they live. For and explain many of the old practical skills that allowed
most of us the prospect of keeping a cow or even human beings to live well, eat well, and enjoy life over
managing one acre, let alone five, of rural smallholding is many centuries on planet Earth. And more than anything
quite simply not realistic—but there are still many other he set an example of how to take charge of one’s own life
ways of doing ordinary things differently. We hope this without the need for fast cars, plasma screens, and all the
book will inspire you to do just this. accoutrements of our throwaway, technological society.
I first met John Seymour in 1991 when his simple Since moving to Ireland I have had the privilege of
teaching and his energetic way of life were like a beacon of sharing John’s vision with over a thousand students and
sanity in a world driven mad by consumerism. John spent would-be self-supporters, teaching courses on all aspects of
over 20 years of his most unusual life living in Ireland with smallholding. Visitors have included people from all walks
his partner Angela Ashe and together they created their of life: bankers, teachers, policemen, civil servants, chief
home, which became the Killowen smallholding. In 1992 executives, self-made businessmen and women, doctors,
they started the School for Self Sufficiency and this was and many high-flying young graduates. One thing these
7
“students” have in common is that they have all been constant dynamic equilibrium – nature is extraordinarily
extremely successful in conventional terms. They have bountiful, but she is also a ruthless taskmaster with no pity
dived into the deep end of competitive society and come for the weak, dithering, or ignorant.
out as “winners”. But somehow in the very process of • I have seen how the modern competitive world trains
“winning” they have discovered their lives to be empty of us all to be what the management consultants call “goal
something which the worlds of career and money cannot oriented”: we work by setting targets and trying to achieve
provide. Being steered by John’s work is one step they them. So satisfaction only arrives when the target is
choose to make in their search of that missing something. reached. We have for the most part forgotten that
And do they find it? Well only they can tell you that, but the satisfaction can and should come from the “doing” itself. If
fact that The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency has been in you are turning over half an acre of garden, or digging out
continual and increasing demand ever since it was first tonnes of cow manure this distinction is important. I will
published in 1976 does tell its own story. never forget my first lesson in this when I was given my
first job as a farm apprentice after leaving Cambridge
John’s continuing appeal to smallholders University. “Just cut that large reinforced concrete girder
John’s influence is wide-reaching and continues through his into three pieces please and here’s a hammer and chisel to
books, as well as through our courses. Working with John do it!” It took three days, several badly bruised fingers, and
Seymour and those seeking a self-sufficient way has also never was the motto “more haste, less speed” so apt. I have
made me aware of four key facts. followed John Seymour’s footsteps and been in less of a
• Everyone’s needs and capabilities are different. Some love hurry ever since.
gardening, others building, others rearing animals, others • Most important is the realization of the truth in the old
doing basketry – but very few of them actually know this adage that the longest journeys begin with the first step. So
until they physically do it. even if you are only able to do just one of the things which
• There is a vast gap of misunderstanding about the natural are covered in this book, you can count this as success.
world which is absolutely not some cartoon dream of order And once your journey has begun who knows where it
and beauty but instead a melting pot of dynamic “eat or be may end? Three cheers then for John Seymour, many thanks
eaten” warfare. As human beings we can, if we are clever, to all at Dorling Kindersley, and the best of luck to you.
put our oar in so to speak and nudge things in helpful Will Sutherland
directions. But in reality the ordered vegetable garden is in KILLOWEN, IRELAND
8
The Self-Supporting Life
As John and Sally Seymour‘s daughter I was born into the urge to contribute by singing, dancing, or telling
a self-supporting way of life. I can appreciate the stories. It was a life worthwhile and fun, and I am
special effort involved and the many years of work reminded of the good times we had when I read
which went into the creation of The Complete Book of this book.
Self-Sufficiency. It is a pleasure to see that John‘s work John and Sally developed a philosophy and a
continues to be a success. practical, wholesome way of life which made sense in
When we were children we joined in with all the the hectic, disposable society that we have created for
daily activities which were part of the life of a self- ourselves. A message of increasing importance now
sufficient family. We had to look after the animals, that we understand the escalating damage we are
milk the cow, and help to make butter and cheese. inflicting on our planet. They each brought to their
We worked as hard as the adults on the land, with marriage many years of skills and experiences which
sheep shearing, hay making and all the other complimented each other perfectly. He had worked at
harvesting and preserving activities. Of course we various farming practices, and she had a natural
would grumble, sometimes homework had to be done affinity with the lifestyle. She was eminently practical,
late at night as it was low on the list of priorities, but intuitive, and sensible and worked consistently with
there was never a question in my mind that this was dogged determination to overcome the difficulties, of
the right way to live. which there were many. She was also a very skilful
Our house attracted many willing and interesting artist and potter, and she and John wrote and
people, and we celebrated as hard as we worked. If illustrated books together. They had a partnership that
there were a few people, and a barrel of brew half was to remain successful until he died.
drinkable, and the work of the day had been done, The first edition of the Complete Book of Self-
there was a party. My enduring memories as a child Sufficiency came out in 1976. It was a collaboration
are of these occasions and of my father, who was between my father, with Sally’s practical support, and
loud, entertaining, and hospitable. In his expansive Dorling Kindersley, a then emerging publishing
way, he made everyone feel welcome and an company. John felt that he had found something good
important part of the story, and everyone would have enough to share, and Dorling Kindersley gave him the
