How to Develop a Low-Cost Family Food-Storage System

Rating:
Summary: A useful, little book
Review: Everyone needs a starting point when it comes to acquiring knowledge. This book is one of those points. This may not be the be-all and end-all of food storage books, but it tells you how to get started, and once you take that step, you are on your way. The information you then encounter either becomes self-evident, or you gain enough know-how in the process to "track down" additional facts. I found every page in "HOW TO DEVELOP A LOW- COST FAMILY FOOD STORAGE SYSTEM" useful. Anita Evangelista talks from a life of experience. Everyone should own this book. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Gladpuppy1 made a BIG mistake
Review: Gladpuppy1 stated that my book included this phrase: "Used frying oils make excellent soups when strained."

In reality, what I wrote was this: "Used frying oils make excellent SOAPS when strained." This is on page 30.

Readers can make their own decisions about the validity of the remainder of the reviewer's comments.

By the way, I was not able to post this comment without entering a "star rating" -- otherwise, I would have left it blank.

Thanks for considering my book!

Anita Evangelista

Rating:
Summary: Gladpuppy1 made a BIG mistake
Review: Gladpuppy1 stated that my book included this phrase: "Used frying oils make excellent soups when strained."

In reality, what I wrote was this: "Used frying oils make excellent SOAPS when strained." This is on page 30.

Readers can make their own decisions about the validity of the remainder of the reviewer's comments.

By the way, I was not able to post this comment without entering a "star rating" -- otherwise, I would have left it blank.

Thanks for considering my book!

Anita Evangelista

Rating:
Summary: Good, basic common sense, and lots of it.
Review: God talks to some folks directly. To the more sane among us, he sends messages along more conventional routes. This book is one of those gentle proddings. HOW TO DEVELOP A LOW-COST FAMILY FOOD-STORAGE SYSTEM is a direct appeal to common sense. Whether you believe the world is coming to an end or not, one day you might encounter a snow storm, a trucker strike, or a short period of unemployment that could disrupt your ability to come by food easily. Having some goodies stored up, then, is nothing more than a buffer against that eventual rainy day that comes to all of us. And Ms. Evangelista tells us how to accomplish this simple, but generally overlooked, form of personal insurance with a straightforward, no nonsense delivery. Read the book and find out how to develop a food supply that will see you happily through any tough days that might come along. Then, in the event you find yourself house bound by an icy road, or being threatened by an impending hurricane, you won't look at an empty kitchen and curse yourself for being so short sighted. Take that old Boy Scout motto to heart, and "Be prepared."

Rating:
Summary: Not a book I would ever recommend
Review: I'm sorry, I wish I could give this book higher marks, but about the best thing I can say about it, is that buying this book wasn't a very expensive mistake. (...).
The author has a pleasant style, but the book is limited to her brief observations and opinions on the various topics and provides virtually no detailed information on food storage. It is more of an overview, with very general one and two page descriptions of various food collection methods and a few storage methods. Less than four pages are devoted to the chapter "How to Determine your Food Storage Needs". Chapter three, "Low Cost Food Sources" gives you just a page or two each on gardening, backyard lifestock, bulk buying, MREs, buddy buying, bartering, foraging/hunting and gleaning. And so on.
Much of the content will be extremely disappointing to anyone who wants to approach food storage as a serious endeaver. For example, the author devotes several pages to "dumpster diving" as an excellent way to collect free food food, while never once mentioning the possibilities of pesticide residue, animal feces, spoilage etc, stating only that "there is a possibility of exposure to disease if foods have set around for a while".
Here is a quote from that section: "Most fast-food restaurants have regulations about how long food may sit under heat lamps. At closing time, late in the evening, all cooked foods must be thrown out. Dumpsters behind these establishments - as well as at larger restaurants - often have pounds of cooked leftover fries, pizza and fish steaks in them. Used frying oils make excellent soaps when strained..."
Would you consider this a legitimate food source and advice worth paying for? If so, then this book is for you. On the other hand, if you want a comprehensive guide to building a food storage and self-sufficency system, give this book a miss and buy "Making the Best of Basics" by James Talmage Stevens. You will be very glad you did. The Stevens book could be the only resource you need to get your family storage in order. This book doesn't even provide a good starting point.
Final details - 106 pages + index, thin paperbook half sheet size 8.25" x 5.5". No color pics, no charts, a few small drawings, a couple of canning time tables and a few recipes, mostly for veggie wines and pickles. No bibliography or reference credits (which about says it all for useful content). No government tables, no food viability charts, etc. Published by Breakout Publications.
My apologies for an earlier typo in this review. However, I stand by my comments. Try Stevens book instead.

Rating:
Summary: A useful book
Review: My wife and I have read and used "How To Develop A Low-Cost Family Food-Storage System," and have found it to be a useful centering point for our stocking up activities. We both recommend this book.

On a side note, one of the reviews of this book appearing on this site misrepresents one of Mrs. Evangelista's statements, definitely casting doubt on her credibility. The writer of the review states that the author advocates taking retreaved cooking oil from restaurants and turning it into "soups." I thought this was rather odd for anyone to suggest, so I looked up the reference. Evangelista says: "Used frying oils make excellent soaps [not soups], when strained ..." There is, I think, a big difference between soap and soups. I suggest the reviewer, who gave the book a one star rating, read the book for comprehension next time around. I give that reader's review a no-star rating.

Anita Evangelista is a good writer, and reading this book, and her other farm-related books, will be useful to country dwellers and city-dwellers alike.

Rating:
Summary: A useful book
Review: My wife and I have read and used "How To Develop A Low-Cost Family Food-Storage System," and have found it to be a useful centering point for our stocking up activities. We both recommend this book.

On a side note, one of the reviews of this book appearing on this site misrepresents one of Mrs. Evangelista's statements, definitely casting doubt on her credibility. The writer of the review states that the author advocates taking retreaved cooking oil from restaurants and turning it into "soups." I thought this was rather odd for anyone to suggest, so I looked up the reference. Evangelista says: "Used frying oils make excellent soaps [not soups], when strained ..." There is, I think, a big difference between soap and soups. I suggest the reviewer, who gave the book a one star rating, read the book for comprehension next time around. I give that reader's review a no-star rating.

Anita Evangelista is a good writer, and reading this book, and her other farm-related books, will be useful to country dwellers and city-dwellers alike.