Ok, so the essentials are...

• Two skiffs - If you live without road access... We have to take a skiff if we want to get into town, or if we want to go over to the nearest island for a walk. Skiffs also come in handy for fishing, for hunting on remote islands, and for gathering kelp. They are a real delight in winter when you get choppy waves and freezing rain in the face. Still there are lots of surprises to riding in a skiff every day - northern lights when coming home in the dark (they sure beat street lights!) a full moon shimmering over fresh snow, winter sunrises bursting over the mountains, and the chance to watch changes every day in the light, the clouds and the ocean. Give me a skiff over a heated garage any day!
   

• A canoe and a kayak - Perfect for exploring the islands, inlets and hidden rivers. We can even use them to paddle into town, will still have transport if we ever can't buy gasoline.
   

• Solar and wind power - Solar and wind power charges our batteries which power the lights and a boom box for music (to save power we use a boom box - low wattage - and 12 volt florescent bulbs). We have a second set of lights wired for 120 volts that we use if we turn on the generator - the generator charges the batteries if they are low, and gives us extra power in winter for watching movies etc. We have a propane range and fridge, and a woodstove heats the house and makes hot water.
   

• A very large pressure cooker - Here we "can" up as much food as possible. This consists of pressure cooking it in glass jars so it can last for a long time. The next essential is a large pantry that you can walk into and admire all the sparkling jars of home canned meat, fish, kelp, pickles and fruits and jams. Pure and healthy, only the best ingredients. See below!
   

• Fishing & hunting - We don't really buy any meat from the store.  From spring we fish and summer and autumn is hunting time! We can pretty much provide for all our meat eating needs this way. We eat king salmon, ling cod and halibut and venison. We could hunt for ducks and geese, but haven't gotten to that yet. Oh, yes, there are also mussels, clams and sea cucumbers for those who like it squishy. Meat is frozen, smoked or canned.  And we try not to waste anything! We pick at the carcass for dog food, bones are boiled for stock and so on...
   

• The veggies - The wilderness can provide so much! Imagine great fields of sea asparagus revealed by the low tide, healthy, vibrant green, being tousled gently by the wind. It looks just like regular asparagus only scaled down. It grows on shallow flood plains that are covered by the ocean at high tide and dry at low. You can just walk through and collect bucketfuls with ease. Substitute for beans or any greens in any dish. We pickle it and can it to keep it for winter. We do the same for different types of kelp which can be dried also. And then there are a million different varieties of forest mushrooms in an incredible range of colors, shapes and patterns, berries, fiddlehead ferns for pesto and a bunches of other strange and wonderful local delicacies.