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The Hands-On Home: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking, Preserving & Natural Homekeeping
Want to create an organized, productive, and beautiful kitchen and home? Popular Seattle blogger, Erica Strauss (Northwest Edible Life) shows us how in this modern homekeeping handbook for thrifty DIYers who care about sustainability. A fresh take on modern homemaking, this is a practical (and sometimes sassy) guide to maximizing your time, effort, and energy in the kitchen and beyond. With a focus on less consumerism, it will teach you how to organize your kitchen and home to make the best use of your time. For those yearning to live a more ecologically minded, grounded lifestyle, this book is full of practical, no-nonsense advice, fabulous recipes, and time- and money-saving techniques.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
174 people are currently reading
1638 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
June 18, 2016
I ordered this book from the library fully intending on mocking it and looking forward to writing a scathing review. Lo and behold, this is actually an excellent addition to the ever-growing sector of alternative home economics books! Strauss' writing is cheeky, self-aware, and (usually) shies away from the rural sentimentality that plagues this genre. Her food recipes are inventive, but not cloying; fresh, but not too trendy. Her personal care and cleaning product recipes take into account the actual chemistry of mixing substances together, rather than simply regurgitating the collective "wisdom" (read: hooey) of the blogosphere.
My favorite thing about this book was the "Basics" chapter at the beginning, which works through the nitty-gritty of how to create a home environment that you love, whatever that means to you. Most of these sorts of books expect that you will simply start doing projects; ostensibly, making strawberry jam will lead to container gardening and chickens and suddenly your life is a veritable Kinfolk photo spread. But Strauss has her readers make lists of goals--as well as impediments--in their homes, and gives solid advice on creating routines that make a home-based life more feasible, even if you never intend to take on any of the projects in the book. She is refreshingly realistic about the barriers that make running a "hands-on home" difficult for people, and she offers humorous, encouraging, practical strategies for overcoming them. This is far too often neglected by writers in this genre.
For me, this book easily joins the ranks with Eric Knutzen's and Kelly Coyne's The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City and Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World as a practical, creative reference for do-it-yourselfers and radical homekeepers.
My favorite thing about this book was the "Basics" chapter at the beginning, which works through the nitty-gritty of how to create a home environment that you love, whatever that means to you. Most of these sorts of books expect that you will simply start doing projects; ostensibly, making strawberry jam will lead to container gardening and chickens and suddenly your life is a veritable Kinfolk photo spread. But Strauss has her readers make lists of goals--as well as impediments--in their homes, and gives solid advice on creating routines that make a home-based life more feasible, even if you never intend to take on any of the projects in the book. She is refreshingly realistic about the barriers that make running a "hands-on home" difficult for people, and she offers humorous, encouraging, practical strategies for overcoming them. This is far too often neglected by writers in this genre.
For me, this book easily joins the ranks with Eric Knutzen's and Kelly Coyne's The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City and Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World as a practical, creative reference for do-it-yourselfers and radical homekeepers.
December 16, 2025
Such a good useful book for the home! Don’t need any land to start utilizing all the things you have around you and make your own vinegars, cleaners, and more! I am going to be buying this and consulting it often for all the very useful information it has. Can’t wait to can on my own this year 😍
October 16, 2015
I have been a follower of Erica Strauss' blog 'Northwest Edible Life' for quite some time now, and have gotten so much wonderful information from it. However, I have found that sometimes the successful blog does not translate well into book form. So I was alternately very excited and somewhat apprehensive when I saw this was coming out. I'm thrilled to say that it's fabulous!
Strauss takes the reader on a seasonal "homekeeping" journey, imparting hints, tips, recipes and more to help the curious, the lost, and the frustrated figure out a way to do it better. What I loved the most is that she never preaches, nor is it her way or bust. There's a very friendly "we're all in this together" kind of vibe going on, and it was...sort of...comforting?
The book is divided up into six sections: Basics & Techniques, Year-Round, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Within those sections are hints & tips, suggestions, and recipes for cooking, preserving, home care and personal care. Year-round recipes include flatbread, one-hour ricotta cheese, infused vinegar, all-purpose cleaner, and "potty powder". Spring has watercress salad with stir-fried beef and peanuts, vanilla cream tart with fresh strawberries, pickled asparagus, carpet freshener, and two-in-one facial exfoliant and moisturizer. Summer has grilled nectarines with red onion, basil, mint, and blue cheese, grilled strip steak with fresh herb chimichurri, simple jam with flavor zings (well worth reading for the "zing" information alone), lacto-fermented pico de gallo, stink stopper toilet spray, comfrey and aloe skin-soothing gel. And on it goes, season by season, full of amazing information and wonderful recipes. All easy to do, all with the goal of simplifying and making your home cleaner and more natural.
The book itself is gorgeous. The cover is embossed and thick, the pages are thicker-weight, and the bookmark ribbon was the best touch. Sadly, there is only one ribbon, and I have already marked multiple pages.
If you're in a rut with your home, frustrated, or just want to explore new options to benefit your family and your home, this book is well worth the purchase price. I highly recommend it for just about everyone who wants to be a little more hands-on while feeling less overwhelmed.
Strauss takes the reader on a seasonal "homekeeping" journey, imparting hints, tips, recipes and more to help the curious, the lost, and the frustrated figure out a way to do it better. What I loved the most is that she never preaches, nor is it her way or bust. There's a very friendly "we're all in this together" kind of vibe going on, and it was...sort of...comforting?
The book is divided up into six sections: Basics & Techniques, Year-Round, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Within those sections are hints & tips, suggestions, and recipes for cooking, preserving, home care and personal care. Year-round recipes include flatbread, one-hour ricotta cheese, infused vinegar, all-purpose cleaner, and "potty powder". Spring has watercress salad with stir-fried beef and peanuts, vanilla cream tart with fresh strawberries, pickled asparagus, carpet freshener, and two-in-one facial exfoliant and moisturizer. Summer has grilled nectarines with red onion, basil, mint, and blue cheese, grilled strip steak with fresh herb chimichurri, simple jam with flavor zings (well worth reading for the "zing" information alone), lacto-fermented pico de gallo, stink stopper toilet spray, comfrey and aloe skin-soothing gel. And on it goes, season by season, full of amazing information and wonderful recipes. All easy to do, all with the goal of simplifying and making your home cleaner and more natural.
The book itself is gorgeous. The cover is embossed and thick, the pages are thicker-weight, and the bookmark ribbon was the best touch. Sadly, there is only one ribbon, and I have already marked multiple pages.
If you're in a rut with your home, frustrated, or just want to explore new options to benefit your family and your home, this book is well worth the purchase price. I highly recommend it for just about everyone who wants to be a little more hands-on while feeling less overwhelmed.
January 14, 2022
I read this book slowly over the year, picking it back up at the start of each new season and soaking in each word. I have learned so much from it and hope to incorporate more of the clean home and personal care recipes into my life this year.
September 13, 2020
As someone who is often skeptical of the practicality and safety/sanitation of DIYing *everything* in your life, I enjoyed looking through this book and feel I gained good information to change some habits in practical ways that work for me. While I know that I will certainly never make my own shampoo, toothpaste, or toilet bowl cleaner, the explanation on how soap works in general and how different soaps can clean has convinced me to give a petroleum-free dish cleaner a try as well as making my own general purpose cleaner. And as much as I would love to try preserving foods or make my own ricotta cheese or yogurt, I know that is not a realistic thing I have the time, drive, and money to do. But this book did make the idea of baking my own bread every once and a while feasible and some of the other recipes looked good, too.
For as much as I probably wouldn't personally use or do in this book, it does offer ideas, encouragement, and information to make some changes you might have been thinking about, but just didn't know where to start. The writing is clear, informative, and succinct. I like that Strauss encourages you to pick the things you want to try and not feel like you have to do it all at once. This is a rare 4 star rating from me for a DIY natural/homekeeping kind of book. I think most people would get a few things from it no matter their skill set, time investment, or level of interest.
For as much as I probably wouldn't personally use or do in this book, it does offer ideas, encouragement, and information to make some changes you might have been thinking about, but just didn't know where to start. The writing is clear, informative, and succinct. I like that Strauss encourages you to pick the things you want to try and not feel like you have to do it all at once. This is a rare 4 star rating from me for a DIY natural/homekeeping kind of book. I think most people would get a few things from it no matter their skill set, time investment, or level of interest.
October 13, 2022
Erica makes me want to air out my mattress and get over my fear of canning.
August 22, 2018
Great book written by the season with recipes for meals, preserving and DIY cleaners and personal care items.
March 22, 2025
3.5 stars
May 17, 2020
Really helpful guide to eating seasonally and preserving your own food. Also, amazing presentation of DIY cleaners and personal care products--not just "it's natural and smells nice," but detailed explanation of the chemistry behind the ingredients. There's something in here for everyone--just starting out in eating seasonally to advanced pressure canning. I'll be using this book again and again.
February 11, 2024
I loved learning about preserving and homemade natural skin/self care and household cleaners but the recipes were a little funky. Awesome read!
November 8, 2015
It's probably no coincidence that my two favorite genres currently are post-apocalyptic fiction and canning how-to (thanks, Walking Dead), but the end result is I've read pretty much every back-to-the land homemaking book to cross my library's shelves. This one is exceptionally good—not just because of the quality of the recipes, but also because of the friendly, witty (e.g., "Make hay when the sun shines and make sauerkraut whenever"), approachable writing. I already do some of the stuff covered I this book—gardening, canning, scratch-cooking, and chicken raising—but the author inspires me (rather than pressuring/shaming) me to do more. I'd recommend this to anyone looking to begin or further his/her living-off-the-land pursuits.
December 14, 2019
Useful and inspirational home management book. I find the canning directions simpler to follow than many, and think the cleaning product recipes are particular gems. That said, the fact that it's a "seasonal" guide seemed to mean that some things were split strangely, or chapters ordered strangely (like laundry products being multiple chapters away from cleaning products). The seasonal cooking recipes worked for what's fresh when, but I feel everything else could be better organized. Regardless, I had this one from the library, but I'm adding it to my wishlist to own: it would be good to have.
January 25, 2016
Similar subject matter as Little House Living, but the author's voice and POV in this one appealed to me a bit more/was more relatable for me on some levels. As living in Japan gave me a healthy appreciation for the seasons and their changing (read: obsession with), I liked that this one was organized by season, with different recipes and activities for each. A beautifully photographed and designed book. I definitely want to try some of this stuff out!
May 3, 2019
My review of The Hands-On Home 🧺
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Finally finished this bad boy! It’s a large book full of legit, VERY “hands-on” DYI home keeping. I gravitate towards family and consumer sciences, and this book pulled me in when I saw it on display at @sunrivergardens. I checked it out at the @provolibrary, and have enjoyed going through it! If you are wanting a less consumerism approach to home care, this book is it. If you want to get into canning/preserving, this book is it. If you want to eat seasonally and get some great recipes, this book is it.
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I enjoyed learning while reading this book. I don’t can food (it actually kind of scares me haha!) or have a lot of knowledge of seasonal eating, and this was great information. When I’m ready to try, this book would be a great resource. For now, I was ready to pull out some yummy recipes to try, a couple DYI home-care solutions to think about (grease grime spray for vent hoods, softening shine hair spray, oven cleaner), and the knowledge of seasonal eating and being more proactive in my attempts for our food industry and my taste buds. .
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Finally finished this bad boy! It’s a large book full of legit, VERY “hands-on” DYI home keeping. I gravitate towards family and consumer sciences, and this book pulled me in when I saw it on display at @sunrivergardens. I checked it out at the @provolibrary, and have enjoyed going through it! If you are wanting a less consumerism approach to home care, this book is it. If you want to get into canning/preserving, this book is it. If you want to eat seasonally and get some great recipes, this book is it.
.
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I enjoyed learning while reading this book. I don’t can food (it actually kind of scares me haha!) or have a lot of knowledge of seasonal eating, and this was great information. When I’m ready to try, this book would be a great resource. For now, I was ready to pull out some yummy recipes to try, a couple DYI home-care solutions to think about (grease grime spray for vent hoods, softening shine hair spray, oven cleaner), and the knowledge of seasonal eating and being more proactive in my attempts for our food industry and my taste buds. .
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December 10, 2018
This is the best compendium of DIY household cleaners that I have ever read. The introduction section at the start explains the chemistry of cleaning very simply and then the recipes are simple permutations of just a few ingredients: borax, vinegar, baking soda, essential oil, rubbing alcohol. I spent about $12 and made glass cleaner as good as Windex, a good oven cleaner, and a grout cleaner that is the best I’ve ever used.
There are also food recipes, which are fairly basic. If you’re new to seasonal cooking, these would be a good start.
I liked a lot of the seasonal reminders: like a spring mattress airing, sunning white linens in summer, etc.
This is a beautiful book that is relaxing and do-able.
There are also food recipes, which are fairly basic. If you’re new to seasonal cooking, these would be a good start.
I liked a lot of the seasonal reminders: like a spring mattress airing, sunning white linens in summer, etc.
This is a beautiful book that is relaxing and do-able.
June 28, 2017
I loved everything about this book. It's a sturdy, hard backed large book, with thick pages. It has a variety of DIY ideas- from cooking to canning to cleaning. Everything seemed pretty simple and straightforward. I have done a little canning before but I loved her explanations for why to do things certain ways. I have only done water bath canning up to this point but I am eager this try pressure canning now! I really like her cleaning products, not sure if I will venture into the beauty side of things- but if I do, she has some great things to try.
April 7, 2021
This book is an absolute treasure chest! I just checked it out from the library for a couple of weeks, but it would be a great resource to own. Loads of fun recipes and tips to try in the kitchen and all around the house, from preserving produce to DIY personal care products. I wasn't quite brave enough to attempt canning anything...there's a whole section on the dangers of botulism that effectively scared me away. However, I did make some simple cleaning solutions for us, which turned out to be a cool lil' weekend project. 4/5 stars for helping me channel my inner housewife/chemist.
February 6, 2018
It does what it says on the tin, perhaps too literally. It stays exactly on path devoting all of its pages to cooking, recipes for home care products and preservation techniques. This is a good overview but I was hoping for more niche material. I suppose I was thinking this'd be more of a homesteading book, but its a bit too focused (yet not focused enough as I'd rather read a preservation book for example) for me
July 5, 2018
This felt like she had done a lot research and practiced what she preached. I felt like the cleaning product recipes would do the trick and were scientifically sound. The recipes for food were seasonal, but had lots of meat and cheese in them so I didn't make any. He ideas for cleaning were good and practical. If you are looking for a book to help you be a thorough homemaker this is the one to get.
October 5, 2018
To be completely honest, I only skimmed through this to see what it looked like, so I can't speak to how well the recipes and ideas offered here work. Look to other reviews for that. It looks like good information, though -- lots of step-by-step images with captions, as well as immediately useful information, all organized into seasonal sections. The photography is beautiful, but this isn't a photo-heavy book.
February 12, 2020
Will definitely be coming back to this one for some canning recipes, but I'm not the biggest fan of the DIY personal/home care recipes. They tend to include a lot of ingredients that I don't feel super keen on having hanging around my home like lye, washing soda and borax. With all this in mind, I would still recommend this book if you're interested in trying to skip the store bought products and making things yourself.
July 22, 2023
What a great resource for the basics of preparing and preserving seasonally. Not to mention making homemade, cleaner toiletries and cleaning products. The recipes go beyond basics, providing innovative ways of using foods in every season. She gets a little unnecessarily sciencey about acids and bases but her unpretentious voice makes you know she’s just passionate. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet but this is one I’d buy.
October 16, 2023
At first I wasn’t sure I was going to finish reading—other than that information on types of soil and cleaners, most of the first section (basics and techniques) covered things I already know and do. I am glad I kept reading as the year round and seasonal sections all included new things (or variations on familiar things) that I want to try. This was a library read, but I’m tempted to purchase my own copy.
August 1, 2017
This is a beautiful book. I've tried a couple of the cooking recipes and they've been great. Her jam flavor combination ideas are spectacular. I made peach jam with whiskey and vanilla, which was delicious. I'm going to stay far away from the personal care recipes, though. I don't trust anyone who says to put essential oils on your face.
August 4, 2023
This was a library book read for me, but I enjoyed it so much and found it so handy I might get a personal copy for more frequent perusing. Divided into seasonal interests and tastes, this fresh homemaking guide takes the reader through cleaning, cooking, food prep, and personal care. Awesome recipes (the writer was a professional) and great ideas for older home-help skills.
May 21, 2023
Fantastic resource; I’ll be looking to buy my own copy. The recipes for homemade cleaners and body care products are worth keeping on a shelf for reference anyway; the seasonally-organized recipes are just as enticing.
A great book for anyone looking to dabble in the crunchy lifestyle.
A great book for anyone looking to dabble in the crunchy lifestyle.
January 6, 2024
Tons of helpful information for starting to live a more self reliant lifestyle.
Recipes for canning, basics of canning.
Information laid out in seasonal increments - foods, cleaning, etc.
Good way to get corporate hands out of your pockets buy making own cleaners and utilizing food preservation
Recipes for canning, basics of canning.
Information laid out in seasonal increments - foods, cleaning, etc.
Good way to get corporate hands out of your pockets buy making own cleaners and utilizing food preservation
January 6, 2024
It might have had great info but it was fixed format ebook and difficult to navigate and visually see with the set orientation and sizing. Could have easily been a foldable ebook with photos embedded.
October 10, 2024
most definitely the best house keeping book that ive come across so far. teaches not only dinner and cleaning product recipes but how start caring properly for your home by setting up a schedule. a lot of thought and effort went into creating this guide!!!
May 31, 2017
Fun collection of recipes and DIY home projects for each season.
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