Avoid the Zombie Apocalypse (or, you know - bad weather)
Unlike a lot of books in this field - (Food Security for the Faint of Heart) ISN'T a hysterical threatening account of how we are doomed to huddle in caves clutching a last lone can of spam as the zombie hordes overwhelm the world. It's a calm, lighthearted, but well written manual for dealing with the simple fact that, well, crap happens.
No matter where you live, at some point you are going to have to deal with either a blizzard, a blackout, or just a night when the roads are too slick to venture forth to the grocery story... and how to prepare for those issues ahead of time. The moment the ice storm starts is a wee bit too late to realize you have nothing in the cupboard - and the author works really hard to explain how to avoid that scenario.
The world is too full of easily hysterical people who panic when the rain falls. Buy this book and avoid the herds of people who only remember AFTER the hurricane is sighted that they must, right now, this minutes, go to the store and buy water.
When even the government is telling folks that they need to be able to manage for a few weeks (or months) in times of crisis - this is a great book to start walking you through the process of preparing. Preparing for what?
Life.
And this book proves it doesn't have to be any more dramatic than that.
Something to Keep at Hand in Case the Worst Occurs
Worrying about where one is going to get their next meal is never something one wants to have to deal with. "Food Security for the Faint of Heart: Keeping Your Larder Full in Lean Times" is a book about preparation when crisis hits. In this modern world, everyone takes the existence of the supermarket for granted and has enough food for about a week, two at most. Covering the skills one needs to stay fed when disaster hits such as preservation, foraging, rationing, and more, "Food Security for the Faint of Heart" is something to keep at hand in case the worst occurs. From Amazon Reviews
Food security is a big issue, and growing bigger and more challenging by the minute--not just for people in the developing world, but for those of us lucky enough to live where food is abundant. If you're wondering where you would find food in an emergency--a natural disaster, an extended power outage, a labor strike--this book is for you. And if you're planning to grow some of your own groceries (who isn't, in these lean times?), you'll find plenty of help in this smart, funny and easy-to-read book.
Wheeler includes information based on personal hands-on experience about dealing with food supplies in sudden emergencies, stockpiling, buying organic, managing a garden (from seedtime to harvest and points in between), and wild foraging (for those hungry souls caught in the lurch without a pantry or a garden). She also offers suggestions for finding and preparing plant medicines, harvesting rainwater, and building a food community in your neighborhood. Very helpful: ten techniques for storing food and "compromise" gardens for people who lack the time, space, money, and energy for large-scale gardening.
While you may be able to find more detailed information elsewhere, Food Security for the Faint of Heart is a great place to begin. It will help you start thinking, planning, and preparing for the day when food may be suddenly scarce and you still have the urge to go on eating.
by Susan Wittig Albert for Story Circle Book Reviews
