The Made-from-Scratch Life: From-Scratch Living Guide for Growing Food, Preserving Harvests, and Building Self-Sufficiency

by Melissa K. Norris

Podcaster and author Melissa K. Norris introduces readers to the basics of modern homesteading with expert advice on how to live a healthier, more self-sufficient life.

Are you concerned about the rising costs of feeding your family, where your food comes from, or what’s in the cleaning products you use every day? Melissa K. Norris, host of the popular Pioneering Today podcast, wants to help you embrace a simpler, more natural lifestyle.

In The Made-from-Scratch Life , Melissa shares easy-to-follow instructions (and plenty of inspiration) on how to… Filled with helpful charts, checklists, and recipes, this guide gives you the know-how you need to incorporate time-tested homesteading practices into your everyday life.          
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Food

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 16, 2024

About the author

Melissa K. Norris is a 5th generation homesteader who helps others use old-fashioned skill sets and modern homesteading to grow, cook and preserve their own organic food no matter where they live. She's a Mason jar addict and thinks one can never have too many because everything looks and tastes better when it's in a Mason jar.

Reviews

[Donna]

The author talked about gardening, plants, preserving, fermenting, dehydrating and so much more. I liked the way she organized it all. I'm old and have been doing all of that for decades but I liked the way she talked about and the stories she shared when it came to her recipes. That was heartwarming.

I listened to the audio, so now I think I need to take a look at the paper pages for the recipes she shared. So 4 stars.

[Sherri]

Podcaster and YouTuber Melissa K. Norris brings you her real-world experiences through trial and error.

Food preservation, recipes, livestock, gardening, pantry needs, etc are highlighted in this volume. It's more of a 10,000 foot view than a nitty gritty detailed. For example, she says tomatoes are her nemesis so after a long time of research viola she walked out and there were red ripe tomatoes. She doesn't explain what she learned or did or changed in her environment. Just that it happened.

There are some nuggets though. And the recipes sound delish.

[Sarah]

Very basic overview, didn't learn much new information (except about raising livestock). If you already preserve food and cook/bake from scratch, you will want to pick up a more in depth resource.

[Kelly S]

Lots of different tips and tricks that are good to know from gardening, cleaning, and emergency preparedness. Really enjoyed the cleaning section. I didn’t realize how many chemicals I have in my home, that can now mostly be replaced with vinegar!

[Jenn.]

Read as an audiobook from Audible. Disappointed that it wasn't read by the author. Also disappointed that it didn't come with a downloadable PDF as there were several charts and recipes referenced within the book that should have been in the quoted "included PDF". The book itself is good and offers an easy to follow guide for starting homesteading but unusable because of the missing support materials.

[Alley Propp]

Super informational! I learned a lot and it was an easy read.

[Karen]

Another one I'll keep. Just too may good recipes and ideas not to keep.