At Loose in the Puckerbrush: Carving out a Homestead in Vermont

Can you get here from there? Bob Machin reverses the age-old Vermont catchphrase in this Story of building a homestead from scratch in the Vermont hills. With a pair of pony mules, a chainsaw and the optimism of innocents, he and his wife Jo put together Gingerbrook Farm.

Along the way we visit some extraordinary Vermont characters, delve into the secret life of maple trees, learn how to herd a pig, see how you might put together all of your buildings with just a chain saw and a hammer, paraphrase Hamlet’s soliloquy to your favorite wild apple tree, make shwitzle and shrub from your own honey and cider vinegar, promote the use of humanure, wrestle with fire, earth and water and give anything for a hot shower.