Destiny Survival

I think most people would agree that what happened economically in 2008 was the equivalent of an economic earthquake. And we’ve had several smaller aftershocks since then.

The authors of a book called Aftershock saw the trouble signs ahead of time and predicted the events of 2008. Aftershock predicts more to come.

The complete title of the book is Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown, by David Wiedemer, Robert Wiedemer, and Cindy Spitzer, published late in 2009.

In spite of all that has happened, the media can’t publish or broadcast a news story about the economy without referring to “the recovery,” or how the recovery is slow or even in danger. It’s as if there’s an unwritten law that sets forth some kind of quota about mentioning recovery.

If you’ve lost your job or home, or if you know those who have, you’re no doubt saying, “What recovery?”

The authors of Aftershock are right there with you. Things will never be the same again. We’re in uncharted waters. More bubbles will pop.

The real estate bubble, stock market bubble, private debt bubble, and discretionary spending bubble have supposedly already popped. Yet to pop are the dollar bubble and government debt bubble, which will change the face of the world, so to speak, when they go.

Get ready for inflation and perhaps 40-60/% unemployment. Expect national sales and value added taxes.

Of course, predictions are just that. They may or may not happen. But reviewers say Aftershock is excellent for its analysis of what’s happening in the economy. And I’d hate to bet against the predictions.

So what’s a person to do? If you’re prepping, you may already be on the right track. Do whatever you can to get liquid. Get out of the stock market. Have currency you can use. Have barter items.

Here are some more suggested solutions from an article you can view in full here.

One thing seems certain. We’re being lied to by the government and the media about the economy, and it’s likely to get worse. Brace for the long haul. Keep prepping.

If you want to check out possible scenarios of what may soon be in our future, buy your copy of Aftershock by clicking on the image of the book below and order it through Amazon.com.

Lahey founded the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York and obviously knows something about bread. But this bread making method isn’t complicated. It’s revolutionary in its simplicity.

Lahey explains his method and how the process works. Time, moisture and enzymes are key. He also shares several photos with the recipes. Incidentally, recipes use Metric measurements, but aren’t difficult to convert, according to reviewers.

This no-knead dough technique calls for flour, yeast, salt, and water, which are mixed together and left for 12-18 hours. It can then be baked in a Dutch oven or something similar. No special baking equipment or bread machine is necessary.

But you can make more than just a loaf of bread. Make pizza, ciabatta, foccacia, rye bread and more. Part of the book focuses on sandwiches. Plus, you can experiment with different kinds of flour.

When you’re thinking survival, you want something basic, but good. Jim Lahey’s My Bread fills that need. Get your copy by clicking on the image of the book below, and place your order at Amazon.com today.

Isn’t it a relief knowing bread making doesn’t have to be complicated?

You don’t have to be a wealthy yacht owner taking world cruises to live on a boat. Those who make the break from traditional housing often experience pleasant surprises. For instance, there’s a sense of community and a different mentality among those on the water.

Home is Where the Boat Is gives the account of Thomas sailing the Pacific and Caribbean for 13 years with the man she loved. It’s not a how-to book or boating encyclopedia, but an easy read about their lifestyle on a low budget. She simply tells what it was like.

Thomas brings to light practical matters, such as handling laundry and garbage, getting food and water, making it through sickness and storms, making a living, and encounters with people along the way.

Discover what’s possible when it comes to escaping the rat race. Click on the image of the book below and order your copy of Home is Where the Boat Is, by Emy Thomas from Amazon.com.

If living on a boat as a means of survival appeals to you, buy Home is Where the Boat Is and consider what it takes to do what you want to do.

But have you considered growing your own grains in your survival garden? An article called “Growing Your Own Wheat” offers a brief primer.

A reader’s recent inquiry prompted me to bring this up. He asks, . “Does anyone know about emmer wheat? Could it have survival value? Where can you obtain seeds?”

A company I’m not affiliated with, called the Sustainable Seed Company, offers emmer wheat as well as other heritage and heirloom grains. They sell in small quantities to gardeners. By the way, they offer another wheat with the unusual name of Wit Wokoring.

Emmer wheat was one of the earliest wheats grown in the Near East and was widely grown in the ancient world. It’s able to produce well in poor soils and has a high disease resistance.

A hulled wheat known as faro, emmer is experiencing a resurgence among gourmets and health conscious people. That’s because it’s nutritious and flavorful. Emmer combined with legumes makes for complete protein for vegetarians.

Wit Wokoring, originally from South Africa, is a tall wheat that’s good for organic growing. It can outgrow many weeds and is said to be easy to harvest. Reportedly it makes a good bread flour.

If you’re ready to make a place for some grain in your survival garden, below are three book suggestions to get you going. Click on any one of the images to be taken to the Amazon.com page featuring that particular book.

So what do you think? Is there survival value in growing your own grain?

Letting you know about this is a no-brainer because solar cooking could be essential for survival. It can be done wherever there’s sunshine. It doesn’t require additional fuel and is simple to do.

Cooking with Sunshine is a definitive guide that not only offers a wide variety of recipes, but includes step by step, illustrated info on making your own simple solar cooker with items you have around the house or can get inexpensively.

If you’d rather not build your own solar cooker, but want a quality commercially produced solar oven instead, Cooking with Sunshine has info on where you can buy one. Lehman’s is one source I know of. (See below.)

The authors also explain the benefits of solar cooking compared to traditional methods. They describe what works and what doesn’t.

As one of the reviewers on Amazon.com points out, you can use any recipe when cooking with the sun. Allow twice the cooking time for conventional recipes. When you’re starting out, this book is a great solar cooking recipe resource.

You don’t have to wait for an emergency or disaster to use solar cooking. When it’s hot in the summer, you don’t want to heat up your kitchen or draw extra electricity to cook. Solar cooking offers you a great alternative.

Of course, you can cook with sunshine when you’re camping, too. The kids will think it’s really neat.

Add Cooking with Sunshine to your survival kitchen collection. Click on the image of the book below, and you’ll be taken to the Amazon.com page where it’s featured. Order one there. Better yet, order an extra copy to give as a gift and introduce someone you care about to an important preparedness cooking alternative.

As long as the sun shines, take advantage of its free energy to prepare your food.

This book is specifically written for city dwellers who have limited space. Ruppenthal was looking for a book like this, couldn’t find one, and wrote this one as a result.

It’s not strictly a how-to book, though there is some of that as he shares his own experiences. It’s an introduction to a number of topics and ideas, which makes it a great starting point for further research or experimentation.

Fresh Food from Small Spaces is easy to read. Chapters are short in size, but long on ideas. If you’ve been gardening a while, many of these ideas won’t be new, but I always enjoy reading someone else’s spin because it can spur the imagination to modify or improve an old idea.

Ruppenthal recommends a number of resources throughout the book, several of which I’ve mentioned here previously. For example, one of the companies he recommends is Gardener’s Supply, whose ad you’ll find on the sidebar here or in the Prep Mart.

Chapter 12 near the end shares a basic overview of preparedness. He believes an important reason to grow our own food is because of possible forthcoming energy shortages due to high costs and limited resources. I believe it’s necessary to grow our own food for other reasons, but the main one is that you’ll have food. period.

He encourages readers to grow food on the roof, in the garage, or on the patio. Grow sprouts on top of the refrigerator. Grow mushrooms in a closet. Pull out a shrub in your yard and plant a berry bush. Grow anywhere it doesn’t seem possible to grow food. Raise chickens, keep bees, and make your own yogurt. Use your imagination.

Ruppenthal discusses basics such as good soil, fertilizers and seed starting. He also covers the best containers for growing vegetables. This includes info on self-watering containers. The Earthbox gets a good recommendation, but he also gives tips on making your own self-watering containers.

Though he’s not a proponent of hydroponics due to the energy used for lighting and pumps, he doesn’t seem to recognize that self-watering containers are a method of passive hydroponics.

Rather than using a great deal of artificial lighting, Ruppenthal recommends maximizing available light, including ways to reflect light. He’s not opposed to using lighting altogether, for which I’m glad. Getting adequate light to plants, especially indoors, is always a challenge.

Ruppenthal is a big proponent of sprouting your own grains, beans, and other seeds, and he suggests how to use sprouts. In a section on making yogurt and other fermented foods, he includes a few recipes. There’s also a chapter on raising mushrooms, something at which I’ve been unsuccessful.

This is a book I highly recommend for your survival library. Even if you live in the country and have plenty of garden space, you’ll discover ideas you may not have thought of for growing indoors and in containers.

Get your copy of Fresh Food from Small Spaces by clicking on the image of the book below and ordering from the page that appears, which features this book. Plus, it would make a great gift for someone who’s in an urban area or who is new to gardening. Why not order today and explore your urban survival gardening possibilities?