Are homemade batteries a practical alternative during a blackout?
... are homemade batteries ... a practical alternative for powering your appliances ...?


No, those type of batteries don't have enough energy to power more than a small light bulb or a transistor radio. If fact the light bulb probably won't stay lit for more than 10 minutes. An LED would be much better.

You need at least 30 car batteries to power your home for a significant amount of time; this is why most people going off the grid have a significant infrastructure cost.


  Are there other, better, non-produce-dependent methods for producing use-able electricity from household materials and minimal expertise?


Other than the alkaline batteries you buy in stores, not that I can think of.