I agree gerryh, to an extent. As prices climb, I'll be doing more bulk buying, trying to get stingy, because voting with my dollar matters, and even if it doesn't in the long run, I'll feel I tried.
Emergency Food Stores
- Thread starter karrie
- Start date
I agree gerryh, to an extent. As prices climb, I'll be doing more bulk buying, trying to get stingy, because voting with my dollar matters, and even if it doesn't in the long run, I'll feel I tried.
That's true. Buyer beware
Forgot to add a tried and true method, boiling water, lol.
easier said than done if you don't have electricity, lol.
Distilling was another thing mentioned (tie a cup to a pot lid handle, and boil with the lid on, upside down, so that it drips into the cup).
And for those in homes who haven't thought to keep a water supply on hand, one site also discussed the fact that your hot water tank (turn it off first) can serve as a reserve of water.
Are we talking about a continuing natural disaster or just a spike in scarcity? If the former:
Even if you get right into the survival thing, and stock a warehouse full of food and the rest of the good stuff that has been discussed on this thread, such as water purification tablets; in the long run we're all screwed (not skewed - screwed) And royally so.
A warehouse full of supplies is finite, and unless a semblance of normalcy returns, and one can garden on a big scale, or buy food at a reasonable price again, everyone is going to go hungry.
That's assuming there's seeds to plant and food to buy, and jobs to make currency in order to buy.
If we're talking about a total collapse of the worlds' food supply with concomitant riots, murder, and mayhem, just tell me where ground zero is in this calamity, and I'll go there, put me head betwixt me legs and kiss me arse goodbye.
You can have my spinach.
:idea:
Even if you get right into the survival thing, and stock a warehouse full of food and the rest of the good stuff that has been discussed on this thread, such as water purification tablets; in the long run we're all screwed (not skewed - screwed) And royally so.
A warehouse full of supplies is finite, and unless a semblance of normalcy returns, and one can garden on a big scale, or buy food at a reasonable price again, everyone is going to go hungry.
That's assuming there's seeds to plant and food to buy, and jobs to make currency in order to buy.
If we're talking about a total collapse of the worlds' food supply with concomitant riots, murder, and mayhem, just tell me where ground zero is in this calamity, and I'll go there, put me head betwixt me legs and kiss me arse goodbye.
You can have my spinach.
:idea:
As I said, the notion of some specific things becoming scarce prompted me to stock up on a select few things. But, while we were at it, we figured we'd stock a kit for a 'natural' disaster. Of course, the only 'natural' disasters I've been through in recent memory were a result of infrastructure problems, like a week in Grande Prairie over Christmas vacation with no running water.
We're more than aware that should food become truly scarce, it won't matter how much we bought. We only have room for about a 4-5 week foodstock for a family of four. That's not nearly enough for crops to start coming in.
People might want to consider obtaining articles that don't necessarily fall into the catagories of food and medicine. (Prescription meds, anti-seizure meds, alergy etc.) It may prove useful to store items that can be traded for goods you need at some later time down the road. When a family can't buy bread or "normal" kinds of things that we all take for granted, sometimes a diversion of sorts can be provided through substitution. I'm thinking mostly about kids and what they've taken for granted as readily available. It's a good idea to prepare children for difficult times ahead.
I was pondering on that last night Mikey. We added a couple luxury items to the emergency kit like some hard candies, some iced tea mix, and the honey was largely the kids we were thinking about. Aside from the lack of fruits and veggies, the kit isn't far off from their normal diet though. We eat a pretty basic diet here. my kids don't get much in the way of processed foods. No juices normally, no boxes of cookies.
The biggest thing that our kids take 'for granted' and enjoy as a diversion is readily available electricity. Be it to power a radio, a PlayStation, the computer... they love their power. I don't know how one would go about preparing for that being gone, aside from perhaps setting up a wind mill or something.
Karrie, your postulation regarding the absence of electricity to power entertainment is provocative. The situation wherein the infrastructure suffers serious calamity resulting in loss of power is akin to the notion that Tonnington has raised. Our dependence on electricity for everything from hair-curllers to X-Boxs is demonstrative of the loss of coping mechanisms from bygone days. We insisted that modernities clamor for techy-types harbored the promise of "careers" and employment for lengthy periods while we forgot about the necessity of electricians plumbers and skills that our perverted sense of values relegated to the unsavory. Similarly we expect our TV and our electronic gizmos to baby-sit our children and while it might be too late, the more appropriate defense to our nearly automatic consideration of continued reliance on wind power or water energy or any other means of producing electricity is to encourage children (everyone) to begin to re-learn the happiness of reading and individual expression. Family nights with table games or even more physically demanding family efforts serves many purposes. When we believe and teach our children that the "first choice" in recreational activities is plugging one's self into the grid....we create a psychological structure of dependency. Making a game out of practicing skills like weaving sewing, baking, building etc. etc. ensures that in times of disruption of our "normal" endeavors that we have mechanisms in place capable of keeping hands and minds busy.
Someone earlier talked about having two fridges and a freezer full of food but if the power went off that food will be gone in little more than a week or two. I don't know if I'm prepared to address the calamity that the loss of infrastructure and electric power would bring. Food is going to get more expensive for sure but unless we are bombed or something, our electric power will be just fine.
Juan
Were you perhaps off-planet when a breaker in Cleveland (somewhere in Ohio) didn't respond correctly and fifty million people lost their electricity? Don't "expect" that your conveniences will be there all the time forever because they won't be!
Were you perhaps off-planet when a breaker in Cleveland (somewhere in Ohio) didn't respond correctly and fifty million people lost their electricity? Don't "expect" that your conveniences will be there all the time forever because they won't be!
I was here Mikey but in B.C. we weren't affected. I understand that that problem was a once in a million thing and steps were taken to prevent it happening again. There was no power shortage. There was a power handling problem that took a while to fix. I have a small generator that can provide most of my electrical needs(fridge, freezer, a few lights, some heat, etc.) for as long as we need it.
The ice storms are a prime example of what can happen to take out your electricity and keep it out for a good long while. This thread isn't dedicated just to food shortages, it's discussing emergency food stores for any eventuality. For the food shortage possibility, fridges and freezers full of food are a great idea. Even in a disaster like an ice storm causing massive power grid damage, those freezers full of food can help a lot of friends and family (no need to let it all spoil).
Juan
It happened. It wasn't the only time it's happened. And it won't be the only time it will ever happen.
My grandmother lived through both world wars and her kitchen was a marvel! Right up until her death she canned and pickled, baked and pre-prepared many different kinds of food that would store easily without refrigeration. Her kitchen had bins of flour and baking power and sugar and so on...and she lived three blocks from down-town! She resisted the advice of her chldren to scrap the coal furnace that was in the house in favor of an oil furnace. When there were winter storms that disrupted the oil truck and brough down power lines...her house was warm!
I'm not arguing with you Juan so please don't be offended but the attitude that it can't happen here...is the mother of all disasters.
It happened. It wasn't the only time it's happened. And it won't be the only time it will ever happen.
My grandmother lived through both world wars and her kitchen was a marvel! Right up until her death she canned and pickled, baked and pre-prepared many different kinds of food that would store easily without refrigeration. Her kitchen had bins of flour and baking power and sugar and so on...and she lived three blocks from down-town! She resisted the advice of her chldren to scrap the coal furnace that was in the house in favor of an oil furnace. When there were winter storms that disrupted the oil truck and brough down power lines...her house was warm!
I'm not arguing with you Juan so please don't be offended but the attitude that it can't happen here...is the mother of all disasters.
I can't remember which winter it was, but at about -30C in High Level, the power went out to the whole town. Living in an old single wide trailer at the time, it hit the point that we were draining pipes and moving anything living (plants and pets included) into one small room which we filled with candles. We were bundled in blankets, reading books and snuggling. The town had emergency generators operating at the local gymnasium, and were slowly evacuating people there, because without electricity, most homes now don't have heat, and an old trailer doesn't take long to get mighty cold at -30. We were just starting to truly panic and think we might have to evacuate when they managed to get the power back on. Had it been much colder, it may not have happened nearly as quickly.
If the same happened here, we'd be in the same boat again. No fireplace means no heat without electricity.
If the same happened here, we'd be in the same boat again. No fireplace means no heat without electricity.
My mom and dad were brought up on a farm in the thirties- Both Grandmothers Baked, canned, pickled, milked the cows, gathered eggs, while the guys worked in the fields all day, they also raised and slaughtered their own livestock- they had no electricity or gas and a woodstove for heat. She told me they didn't have time to play many games as they had chores and lots of them - they didn't have a choice, it was just how you lived back then. I wonder how many people could make the switch from an SUV to a massey ferguson.
Lester
That's how I lived as a youngster. It may be ..what does Springsteen sing..."Glory days"...my memory of those times, but we were healthy and we worked hard and played hard. We were self-reliant not dependent on the municipality for electricity or dependent on city-hall for licensing our animals and emptying the parking meters!
Self-reliance has been conditioned-out of modern society and we're left feeling helpless and disconnected...see Jellyfarms thread.
We've become so enamoured with "disposability", so caught-up in "instant gratification" and so dependent on systems of government and the social organizing principles that we've lost the facility and ability to take care of ourselves and each other.
That's how I lived as a youngster. It may be ..what does Springsteen sing..."Glory days"...my memory of those times, but we were healthy and we worked hard and played hard. We were self-reliant not dependent on the municipality for electricity or dependent on city-hall for licensing our animals and emptying the parking meters!
Self-reliance has been conditioned-out of modern society and we're left feeling helpless and disconnected...see Jellyfarms thread.
We've become so enamoured with "disposability", so caught-up in "instant gratification" and so dependent on systems of government and the social organizing principles that we've lost the facility and ability to take care of ourselves and each other.
I may have to kick myself for saying this but in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, we don't get ice storms. We are not immune to power outages. That's why we bought the generator. We started this island living thing on Gabriola Island where the power went out once or twice a month. Several times it stayed off for over a week. On Gabriola Island it was particularly crappy because we all had electric well pumps.....No electricity, no water...
I grew up with dodgy power, dodgy water, dodgy heat. Working on the farm (grain and cattle). While I didn't have to do as much of the work as some farm kids, but I did my fair share and I hope to hell I could keep up when push comes to shove. I know I can't do a lot of what I used to as a kid. My sister and I used to be able to haul 15 gallons of water between us when I was about 10 (one pail on either side, and sharing the lift of one between), and now I can barely lift 5.
I know hubby's got the skill set and strength to do pretty much anything, but, I'm much more of a wuss.
It would definetly take some getting used to,But you could do it Karrie - my one grandma had bad high blood pressure she would be sick for days the kids would pick up the slack, or the neighbours would chip in.
It's very heartening to see this thread and the wonderfull stories and ideas . The basics of food shelter and education can be selfprovided as many of you have lived it and know it to be true I think it's everyones responsibility to pass that on to children and friends especially the skills that many of you have mentioned. Join co-op gardens work with community groups get your hands into the soil and concentrate on the basics of life. That is where freedom and security is to be found.
Today I got seed potatoes and all the other cold crop seed I could think of, ordered two steers a pig and with my 40 chickens we is going to do some farming. Mason jars are $13.99 doz here in Nova Scotia. I'v been reading about permaculture for a while, it is beautiful stuff, a very old technique but very productive. Even if thier was no general global crisis these selfsustaining practices are truely liberating every hour spent at them pays dividents many times higher than the hour sold to the factory or the office that's perhaps something that the young would be well advised to incorporate.
Today I got seed potatoes and all the other cold crop seed I could think of, ordered two steers a pig and with my 40 chickens we is going to do some farming. Mason jars are $13.99 doz here in Nova Scotia. I'v been reading about permaculture for a while, it is beautiful stuff, a very old technique but very productive. Even if thier was no general global crisis these selfsustaining practices are truely liberating every hour spent at them pays dividents many times higher than the hour sold to the factory or the office that's perhaps something that the young would be well advised to incorporate.