One self-reliant project that I enjoy, but haven’t got around to videotaping is home sausage making. I believe that the ability to cure and store meat is a vital skill to anyone interested in producing a majority of their own food (vegans and veggies excepted).
I can deal with a lot of things, but a life without bacon and sausage are just not worth dealing with (IMHO). All preppers need to know how to How to Harvest Your Livestock and Wild Game
Luckily I found this little gem. The Complete Book of Butchering, Smoking, Curing, and Sausage Making is a well illustrated book on dispatching, skinning, and then butchering both common livestock, but also common game animals.
Not only does this book describe how to cut up a larger animal into usable (and well defined) cuts of meat, it also describes how to prep it for storage by curing and smoking it.
This book has been a very useful to me, its detailed enough to show me what to do, and modern enough to have great illustrations.
How to Harvest Your Livestock and Wild Game has been a great help to me as I learned to make sausage, bacon, and other cured meats.
I have a friend that runs a local “mutual aid group” that uses The Tiger’s Way as a field manual, if you pick this book up, you will soon know why. The author, John Poole, has been both a commissioned infantry officer, as well as a noncom (USMC). He has also spent several years as a trainer and researcher.
I have to give him some credit simply because of his opening line on his amazon author bio “Through an inverted military career, H. John Poole has discovered a few things that more promotable people miss”. This guy is not afraid to say things that go against institutionalized dogma. His statement made laugh and think about the different types of majors you find in the military.
This book gives a path toward a better trained US soldier, he describes strengths and weaknesses of the eastern soldier and explains how we can adapt their ways of doing things to make our guys better.
Besides giving a warrior some very interesting food for thought the back of the book contains a section of battle drills and training options that are worth the price of the book.
John Poole has done his homework, and is a great author of books to better prepare our American soldiers and Marines. Stay tuned, If you liked The Tiger’s Way I also have another interesting read from Poole coming soon its called Phantom Soldier.
As I said in the video, Protection Dogs for You and Your Family was one of the first “prepper books” in my library – My definition being books that help me solve problems. At one time I was in the running to purchase a Belgian Malinois protection trained dog, and I needed to know what I was getting into.
Obviously if you have dogs, and especially protection dogs, I recommend this book.
I am going to risk being a little controversial and recommend it for parents also, not that I am saying your little precious is a dog, but because I think the book gives great advise on raising young animals to be confident and unafraid, it also shows the value of consistency, and very clearly articulates the essential element of the trainer’s actions and mindset in the training process.
My wife will whoop me if she ever reads this (hi honey- love you), but I follow some of this book’s guidance with little WT and he responds t0 me much better than he does his mother’s discipline, and no one can say I think of WT as anything less than my pride and joy – he is definitely not an animal.
Protection Dogs for You and Your Family is as much about you as your animal, and how you need to be fair, firm, and consistent with your subordinate animals.
Of course if you are looking at getting a bit dog, then make sure your ready, including having a good fence.
I have mixed feeling about the book Living Well on Practically Nothing.
I did get my money’s worth in ideas, but a lot of this was rehash of things I have seen before. I really expected a lot out of this book, so it may have been my expectations where too high, but I felt it could have been a little shorter and left out some of the “fluff”.
Some of the “disaster proof” jobs are things a lot of us do now to earn spare money.
I did learn some things, but most of it was good common sense, if you are familiar with using your hands, solving problems, and “thinking outside the box” when necessary, then you may not find this book useful. But if your new to disaster preparedness, and are uncomfortable doing things yourself, then this book will probably open your eyes to other ways of doing things.
I would not hesitate to do many/most of the things suggested in this book in the applicable situations, but my wife would probably rather die than eat in some of the ways suggested.
I find the book useful to start the conversation, and get her to realize there are other alternatives, and to help me realize, that not everyone shares my lack of food inhibition.
Should you DIY your own home? Understand that wanting to do something and actually doing it are two different things. And there’s also a question of whether you can honestly do something well, if you do manage to do it.
Sometimes the stakes are low, and even if you completely mess up, the experience is a fun one. But when it comes to building, construction and home improvement, doing something incorrectly can not only be costly and frustrating, but also potentially dangerous.
That’s not to say that all DIY is bad. There are plenty of perks to doing-it-yourself. You can save labor costs, for starters. You can also make quick fixes or improvements without having to disrupt your busy life by fitting in a visit from a handyman into your schedule. There’s also the satisfaction of learning something new and knowing that you’ve put a lot of hard work and effort into your home.
However, there are definitely some circumstances in which it’s better to just let the pros do their job. Here’s a quick guide!
Do You Have the Necessary Tools on Hand?
As we have mentioned, one of the advantages of DIY is being able to save money. But don’t assume that all DIY jobs will turn out less expensive than hiring a pro.
Think about it this way: if you have to buy hundreds of dollars’ worth of equipment just to do one job, is it worth it? Perhaps it actually is worth it, if you honestly plan to reuse the tools enough to have them pay for themselves. But some tools and machinery are incredibly job-specific. Why use it once and then have it sit around collecting dust and taking up space?
Renting equipment can be a good middle ground. You won’t break the bank, you can collect the tools you need to do the job right, and you don’t have to worry about finding storage space for bulky machines.
If You Do It Wrong, Are You Endangering Your Life?
Electrical projects leap to mind here. If you do not have the proper training to keep yourself safe when working with electric wires, it’s best to walk away and pick up the phone! You certainly do not want to electrocute yourself.
But also keep in mind safety when doing other projects, like tree trimming. Yes, it’s impossible to envelope yourself in bubble wrap and stay completely safe every day of your life, but some decisions are simply unwise. If there’s obvious potential for a fatal accident, don’t DIY.
Will It Be Tremendously Expensive to Fix Your Mistakes?
Sometimes it is more expensive to fix an error than it is to have it done correctly and professionally in the first place.
For example, concrete: you could install a concrete sidewalk or patio on your own, but let’s say that you did not properly prepare the ground underneath, nor cure the concrete correctly. As a result, the concrete is chipped, flaky, cracked and uneven, despite being brand-new. The cost of ripping up all the concrete and hauling it away might not be worth it in the end.
Plumbing is another area in which mistakes can sometimes turn into an expensive same-day appointment with a professional.
Can You Stick to a Timeline?
If you start a project, can you finish it? A large construction project that sits for weeks or months can become a source of stress and frustration as you struggle to find the time to be your own part-time contractor. One of the benefits of turn-key construction teams is that they can get a project done start to finish … otherwise their paycheck is on the line!
There’s no shame in hiring a professional. Often it is the most cost- and time-effective way to get things done. And getting things done is ultimately all that matters!
As I said in the video, Protection Dogs for You and Your Family was one of the first “prepper books” in my library – My definition being books that help me solve problems. At one time I was in the running to purchase a Belgian Malinois protection trained dog, and I needed to know what I was getting into.
I have mixed feeling about the book Living Well on Practically Nothing.
Should you DIY your own home? Understand that wanting to do something and actually doing it are two different things. And there’s also a question of whether you can honestly do something well, if you do manage to do it.