Tag: practical

  • Storey’s Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance

    Storey’s Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance

    Book Review: Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
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    I am partial to Storey’s books, they are great all around reference books.  While it is not as complete as a book dedicated to a single topic, Basic Country Skills gives basic information on a variety of topics.  Which is great if either your knowledge is limited, and you need to know basics, or you space is limited.  Either way, this is a great book to have in your prepper library.

    Inside Storey’s Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance you will find illustrated instructions on topics such as:

    • Finding country land
    • Buying, building, and renovating a home
    • Developing water sources and systems
    • Understanding wiring, plumbing, and heating
    • Using alternative heating and energy sources
    • Vegetable, flower, and herb gardening
    • Traditional cooking skills such as baking bread and making maple syrup
    • Preparing and preserving meat, fruits, and vegetables
    • Building and maintaining barns, sheds, and outbuildings
    • Caring for common farm and ranch animals, and pets

    As I said, I really like the Storey books, and I have several of them.  This one and the guide to rabbits are two that I use most often though.  I would recommend any prepper or homesteader look at Storey publishing as their titles are perfect for you.

  • Practical Pole Building Construction

    Practical Pole Building Construction

    Book Review: Practical Pole Building Construction
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    In Practical Pole Building Construction the author has given the extra dimension of original plans for a lean-to barn, horse barn, hillside house, garage/wood shed, mountain pole cabin, and a coastal house.

    Pole building construction saves money, time, labor, and materials because it involves limited grading, no excavation, flexibility on site, and few materials.

    I originally bought this book because I needed a cheap barn and most people around my area build pole barns, but upon reading it I saw how flexible the building method is.

    Combined with reciprocal roofs, pole building has the potential for very inexpensive buildings around my land.