Here’s a little holiday gift for my readers. The Lost Arts of Hearth and Home: The Happy Luddite’s Guide to Domestic Self-Sufficiency by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger Henderson.  I’m giving away one copy to a lucky reader.

The book is not for people who raise their own chickens, weave their own clothes or forage on a daily basis. Instead, it’s meant for folks who live in the city or burbs and are looking for ways to do a little more themselves. About 3/4 of the book is about food – making, preserving, etc. Want to make your own soy sauce or mustard, or make dumplings from leftover bread? You’ll find out how here. There are recipes for things I’ve never heard of, like Beef Rindsrouladen and Durian. This definitely will expand your cooking routine and show you some techniques you might have been afraid to try (like pickling). The rest of the book has small projects like making a broom, making a quill pen, quilting, and sewing.

If you want to learn to do some projects around the house in an old-fashioned, low tech kind of way, you’ll enjoy this book.

The book was sent to me for review by the publisher without any expectations or requirements.

To enter, leave a comment on this post. You must enter by midnight ET on Friday, December 14, 2012. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering; not responsible for email transmission problems or postal delivery problems or failures. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 12/14/12. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. I reserve the right to announce the name of the winner on the blog.