Made From Scratch

About a month before the bees arrived I was looking for books at the Library when I stumbled upon Made From Scratch. I decided it looked interesting and checked it out along with a couple of other items. It sat on my counter for a few weeks while I worked on my bee research but I recently got around to actually reading it.

It was a quick read, only taking me 4 days to complete. It is a book about enjoying simpler things in life, slowing down, and disconnecting from our over stimulated world. I enjoyed reading about her experiences with gardening and beekeeping which I could relate to and understand. Her adventures in raising chickens only continued to further my desire to join her in this endeavor someday. And her skills in sewing and knitting has only continued to ignite my curiosity to learn how to sew. While the book has a few resources it is more for entertainment purposes to connect with someone who is living in ways similar to you or to find out about her experiences in ways you are striving to be like. Jenna definitely have some hobbies that extend beyond my interests but I enjoyed commiserating with someone else's trials and tribulations of leading a simpler life.

From the Introduction:

"The work in this book isn't about playing farmer, it's about being more responsible for the tasks we've become numb to. We expect food to be waiting at markets and entertainment to be a few buttons away. When you start producing your own food, even the simplest plot of potatoes, your life regains some of the authenticity we've all forgotten about. When you sit back against a tree with a mandolin on you lap instead of lying on the couch with three hundred channels of instantly recordable distraction, you gain a little more from your downtime. You'll find yourself more humbled, satisfied, and grateful to have found a balance that simplifies your life with the skills of the people who came before you."