Never mind all the year 2000-type scare scenarios. Just
close your eyes for a moment and imagine what would happen if you became ill and
couldn't work, or if an earthquake or hurricane or bomb left your community
devastated. It happens all the time. When unexpected disasters happen, people
who are even a little prepared are much better off than those who have taken
their dependence on outside resources for granted. When you imagine the security
of not having to worry about going to the store for even a few weeks, a
comprehensive storage system begins to make sense.
James Talmage Stevens's Making the Best of Basics, now in its 10th
edition, is one of the best-known preparedness bibles around. Stevens lays out a
yearlong storage program of 15 food and nonfood categories, six of which (water,
wheat and grains, dairy products, sweeteners, "cooking catalysts" like
salt and oil, and sprouting seeds) are capable of sustaining life indefinitely
in a no-frills diet. The other 9 categories are designated "Building
Blocks," and improve upon the basic diet and support a more routine, less
Spartan existence while relying on stored supplies. (Some of them, such as
medical supplies and fuel, will seem as essential to some readers as the first
six.) The book's main messages--store what you eat, eat what you store, use it
or lose it--are at the core of its calm advice and simple, nutritious recipes.
The 10th edition has been updated with a yellow pages section that lists current
preparedness resources throughout the U.S. and Canada, including Web resources.
