What Stacy Harris Can Teach Us About Sustainable Living

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

(Take a look below for the giveaway of a signed copy of this book! Don’t worry you don’t have to show your spouse if you win

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!

All right, start commenting! (By the way, what do you think of the blog makeover in the works?)

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