Living the Country Dream: Stories from Harrowsmith Country Life.

Beryl Hamilton is a freelance writer in Thunder Bay who specializes in
home gardening.

Harrowsmith Country Life has been around since 1976 when James and Elinor Lawrence inaugurated their first magazine, written at their kitchen table, not knowing if it would claim a readership. The magazine became, in fact, a great success. Tom Cruickshank has been an editor of this magazine since 1997, and the material compiled here—feature articles along with more than 200 colour illustrations—represents his favourites over the years. Included in this selection are tips on country gardening, do-it-yourself projects, alternative energy, livestock, and an assortment of popular recipes.

The book is divided according to the four seasons. The “Spring” section includes a description of a home built off-the-grid, with detailed information on how it was built and how it functions. Also to be found here are articles on constructing bird boxes for different species of birds, the characteristics of the so-called un-garden, how a parcel of damaged land was revitalized, and various stories about local produce generated on different sorts of acreage. “Spring” concludes with a taste of spring recipes such as cream of asparagus soup, spinach salad, maple shortbread cookies, and rhubarb sour cream pie.

“Summer” includes the story of Bill and Mary Kendricks’ B&B on the south shore of Prince Edward Island, along with George and Karen Maiers experience with their stone house near Durham, Ontario, and a feature on an heirloom garden. There is an extensive look at the building of an adobe oven, followed by recipes for such delicacies as smoked salmon pizza and granola wood-baked bagels. The “Autumn” section offers features on straw bale homesteads, beauty-and-the-beasts livestock shows, country people and animals, the atmosphere of country living in the autumn, along with a selection of recipes. The last section, “Winter,” begins with winter musings, then proceeds to articles on rammed-earth houses, building with stones, heirlooms in the barnyard, and the tapping of maple syrup, before concluding with winter recipes from chocolate truffles to hot mulled cider.

Living the Country Dream offers a rewarding blend of memorable Harrowsmith magazine articles, along with some charming supplementary material. The book’s glossy presentation should appeal to those who are familiar with living in the country or who are merely curious.