[ASGMAG.COM] AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE 93‹ Left: We like to
supplement our
goats’ food with fruit
and vegetable scraps
from our dinner
table, which adds to
their vitamin and
mineral intake, and
they really seem to
enjoy them.‹ Opposite page:
Goats love to climb.
You don't need to
spend thousands of
dollars re-creating
a mountainous
environment for
them to play on. All it
takes is repurposing
a few things you
have lying around on
the farm or that you
save from the scrap
heap and just make
sure there is nothing
sharp that could
harm them.demise so it could eventually be the cheese-
burger she was about to devour. From the look
of disgust and horror on her face, I am sure
even Stephen King himself would have been
impressed!
Needless to say, I ended up having an extra
cheeseburger to take home for a midnight
snack and I lost any possible chance of ever
growing old with that particular young wom-
an. It was probably for the best anyway.
There was a time in this country when most
people were directly involved in securing and
processing their own food. It was not until
after the industrial revolution when people
began to concentrate in urban areas and we
discovered more efficient methods of growing,
preserving and transporting food that people
began to purchase food that was harvested
and processed for them. This removed the
personal connection between humans and
food source and replaced it with a sterile insti-
tutional view of the way we acquire food.
While I must say that I am frequently guilty
of enjoying many of these conveniences
myself, I also have a huge amount of respect
for how much time, energy and hard work goes
into growing fruits, vegetables and raising
livestock for harvest. And, as a hunter, I know
exactly how much skill, patience and inner strength it takes to deliberately take the life of
another creature in order to provide food for table.
It is because of this that I recommend that you remain as close to nature and the land as
you can. Whether it is because you want to be prepared for an emergency scenario where the
supermarket shelves run empty, ensure the quality and safety of your food or to keep and pass
along basic self-reliance skills, growing your own food, especially livestock, is a valuable and