SOME OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES...
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Just In Case/ How To Be Self-sufficient When The Unexpected Happens,
Kathy Harrison/ Storey Publications, 2008.
Just In Case describes the decisions you need to make, the things you need to do to prepare your family for an emergency. You will learn about storing food and water, making preparations for staying home, making preparations for leaving home in an emergency. There are chapters dealing with specific disasters, on skills needed for self-sufficiency, on ways of preparing food for storage. There are recipes for using the food you store and a discourse on heat sources with which to cook them. There are lists of things to buy to make your own kits instead of purchasing ready-made ones.
Written in the first person, this down-to-earth, practical family guide is a great source for making all the preparedness plans you might need for meeting the emergencies of today's world. If you had this book for background and "A Checklist" as an action plan, you'd be set.
After reading about solar stoves, though I thought I'd build one, but I bought one. See "Resoures".
I keep Cathy's book out and about in the living room and scan parts of it again when it pops to the top of the stack.
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Preparedness Principles/ The Complete Personal Preparedness Resource Guide For Any Emergency Situation, by Barbara Salsbury 2006.
This is the ultimate reference guide to preparing your home, your family and your resources for whatever may come. Barbara Salsbury has lived through a number of emergencies and brings all her expertise and her years of teaching preparedness principles to the fore. She takes an in-depth look at and provides detailed explanation of all her topics, from building a pantry for storing food to discussion of what foods store well, the importance of storing water to advice on how to stay warm. This book has three sections on preparedness at home and a forth section on evacuation. Learn how to sprout seeds, grow an indoor vegetable garden, squirrel away your stores in unlikely places, preserve documents, deal with utilities, stay warm and cook with a variety of fuels. This book has 355 pages of information that can help you make the best choices for making the best preparedness plan for your family.
If you're looking an expansive view of options on how to get along in the world of uncertainty, this is your source. Add my book, "A Checklist " as your task master and guide to getting it done and you'll have it made.
I keep this preparedness encyclopedia on the shelf next to my computer as a reference book.
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Crisis Preparedness Handbook/ A Complete Guide To Home Storage And Physical Survival, Jack A. Spigarelli/ Cross Current Publishing, Second Edition, 2008.
If books that "scare to prepare" get you going, this one qualifies. After noting how bad things can get, three-quarters of the book deals with food preparation, food handling and storage. There are items on canning, sprouting and gardening, charts on nutritional values, recommended daily dietary allowances, the water content of produce and dehydration ratios and other whimsies (more than I wanted to know) about the secret life of food.
The last part of the book covers all the emergency scenarios, the supplies and equipment needed to survive them. I find the length of the list of tools, auto parts, medical and dental supplies overwhelming and I know I won't be choosing a firearm from his list. I will not be reconstructing my masonry fireplace, fixing my car or doing dental surgery, but with Jack's list you'd be prepared to enlist someone else to take on the tasks.
I sort of resent the "crisis" in the title when most of my reading time was consumed by food storage. The food information is detailed and comprehensive. The over all tone of the book is definitely crisis mode. I keep this book in my general preparedness stash with my dehydrated food.
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Preparedness Now/ An Emergency Survival Guide for Civilians and Their Families, Anton Edwards/ Process Media, 2006.
If you can get through the first chapter and its litany of horrors that await us in the 21st century, you can find some practical and detailed information on everything from bird flu to home invasion to buying the best brand of gas masks. Edwards reads like Superman on speed.
But in-between and all around is sound advice on the basic stuff like keeping warm, sanitation and cooking. He recommends products by name and item number. I wish I'd had his lists before I purchased my supplies, because he compares brands and describes all the product attributes. My copy of the book is full of bookmarks, so as I refine my supplies, I will upgrade to his recommended flashlights and stoves. This book stays handy for reference in future purchases.
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Tom Brown's Field Guide/ City and Suburban Survival, Tom Brown/Berkley Books, 1984.
I love Tom's approach to survival: it's just a really practical and methodical look at basic human needs. Tom doesn't get excited. He just knows a lot of stuff that you should know that he's willing to share. He takes all his tracking and survival skills from the woods and turns them into street smarts for you and me. I may never build a snare trap in the city; but I'm glad to know ten ways to keep warm, six ways to build a shelter and three ways to distill questionable drinking water.
There are chapters on food, water, light, crime, weather and disasters. I keep this book in my "To-Go" bag.
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Beginners Guide To Family Preparedness , Rosalie Mason/ Horizon Publishers, 1977, 1998.
"The Church and its members are commanded by the Lord to be self-reliant and independent", Joseph Smith, First Prophet and president of The Church of Latter-day Saints.
Rosalie was asked by church members to write this book on food storage and self-reliance. The first third of the book discusses the "How, what and where" of food storage. The next third is called "Back to Basics" and covers dehydrating and fermenting food, sprouting grain, smoking and curing meat, tanning hides, making shoes, soap and candles. Laura Ingalls probably learned all these things from Ma and Pa, but even in the worst circumstances, I can't imagine that I need to know them.
The last third of the book has recipes for cookies and crackers, bread and cereals, main dishes from gluten and soy protein and desserts. It is truly a "back-to-basics" book.
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Apocalypse Chow/ How To Eat Well When The Power Goes Out, Jon Robertson with Robin Robertson/ Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2005.
Though the title might lead you to believe it might be all about cooking, this is a well-researched book about preparedness. If you're ready for some practical ideas and information on bracing for a storm, enjoy Jon Robertson's entertaining book on how to get through it.
With wife Robin, the chef, their life experiences in roughing it inspired a look into a dark refrigerator and a thawing freezer. They created a shopping list for food and kitchen equipment to challenge the perils of many a dark and stormy night. There is a discussion of heat sources for cooking and lots of recipes on how to prepare quick-cook (fuel efficient) cuisine from cans and boxes. And don't forget the wine.
You learn a lot about hurricanes and endless days of powerlessness, darkness, cabin fever; using the preparation of food as entertainment, camaraderie and a way to stay physically and emotionally well. A good read with a good dose of practical information. I keep this book on top of my canned goods in the shed.
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Making the Best of Basics, by James Talmage Stevens, 11th edition.
Here is another book that is filled with useful information and tips.
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USEFUL PREPAREDNESS PRODUCTS:
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We will be adding some great product suggestions to this page soon.
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