Erik Knutzen

In this book, arranged by the frequency with which you would undertake the projects (daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally), there is all manner of fun to be had while circumventing capitalism and/or saving the planet and/or preparing for the inevitable zombie apocalypse (however you want to look at it). There’s the expected: brewing alcoholic beverages, making laundry soap, fermenting pickles, growing tasty food; and there’s the unexpected: like the homemade indoor composting toilet (I shit you not).

Incidentally, of all the books I’ve read that cover the topic or are specific to the topic of raising chickens, this one has by far the most in-depth instructions for slaughtering and butchering chickens that I have ever come across.… (mais)

This is my new favorite urban self-sufficiency book. It's practical, honest, hands-on, and very very funny. My husband got to it before I did, and here's what he had to say: “This is a goddamned good book. It's got a lot of knowledge, a lot of overviews, but it still has a lot of how-to. They keep a sense of humor. They know what they're talking about because they've done it. For anybody anywhere, country or city (unless maybe you're in a basement apartment with no windows), it's recommended.”

Without preaching or dumbing-down, the authors tell you, in a straightforward manner, how to garden, forage, raise livestock, preserve food, fiddle with your utilities, and be your own transportation, no matter how teensy your living quarters.

Their sense of humor is evident throughout the book, shown in their slightly irreverent voice, and in the subheading titles, such as: The Chicken is the New Pug, Dehydration: Why Save it for Hangovers?, Arranging a Twosome or Threesome – Using Diverters, The Composting Toilet: How to Poop in a Bucket, and Inspecting their Asses. (That last one was the title of a paragraph about using the fluffiness of a chicken's butt as a barometer for her overall health.) To keep the mood light they refuse to refer to “the inevitable economic collapse” or “peak oil” or any of the other socio/political/ecological disasters that some other self-sufficiency writers use as their boogeymen, but rather speak of Armageddon in terms of zombies.… (mais)