“Be warned! Independence Days will change the way you eat. It is not just a guide for storing food but a manual for living in a changing world.” —Kathy Harrison, author of Prepping 101

Hard times aren’t just coming, they are here already. The recent economic collapse has seen millions of North Americans move from the middle class to being poor, and from poor to hungry. At the same time, the idea of eating locally is shifting from being a fringe activity for those who can afford it to an essential element of getting by. But aside from the locavores and slow foodies, who really knows how to eat outside of the supermarket and out of season? And who knows how to eat a diet based on easily stored and home preserved foods?

Independence Days tackles both the nuts and bolts of food preservation, as well as the host of broader issues tied to the creation of local diets. It includes:

• How to buy in bulk and store food on the cheap
• Techniques, from canning to dehydrating
• Tools—what you need and what you don’t

In addition, it focuses on how to live on a pantry diet year-round, how to preserve food on a community scale, and how to reduce reliance on industrial agriculture by creating vibrant local economies.

Better food, plentiful food, at a lower cost and with less energy expended: Independence Days is for all who want to build a sustainable food system and keep eating—even in hard times.

“[Astyk] builds a sturdy path to a full larder, a safe family, and a more secure community.” —Robin Wheeler, author of Food Security for the Faint of Heart