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Sunday, May 19th, 2013 |
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10 Tips to Help Guarantee You Have Food When the SHTF
Gaye Levy - SurvivalWoman
Some of the most popular Web articles on emergency preparedness have to do with food. This is also a widely discussed topic in print and on forums. And it is no wonder. In today’s society eating is no longer just for sustenance. It is a social form, a source of family bonding and togetherness; and, for many, a hobby. And, with rising costs, it is a significant part of almost everyone’s household budget. Today I would like to share ten tips for securing your food supply so that in the event of a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or civil disobedience on a massive scale, you will be able to eat and to thrive – no matter what. Protecting Your Food Supply – No Matter What Happens 1. Grow your own food. This sounds so simple yet few actually do it. There are lots of excuses: not enough room, not enough sunlight, don’t know how and so on. Well I say get over it. Whether you have a backyard area, a raised garden, or a few pots on the deck, with a little bit of work you can grow something. Try using edible plants in your landscape, or how about some fruit trees or an herb garden? 2. Learn to “put up” food by canning, freezing or dehydrating your bounty. With or without modern gadgets, putting up food as it is called, takes some effort, but the results are worth it. You save money, control the use of salt and preservatives, and guarantee a source of food when the grocer’s shelves are empty. 3. Plan for supplemental power when the power grid shuts down. You will be out of luck if you only rely on a freezer. One option is to get an emergency generator – just be sure that you also store an adequate amount of fuel. Or forget about freezing and either purchase canned foods, or can and dehydrate your own. 4. Zip those lips. Be discreet. Don’t brag about how much food you have stored or you will find yourself the hit of the cocktail set when friends and neighbors take note of where to eat when the SHTF. Speaking of which, do you have a way to defend your food supply? 5. Get creative about storage. As with the garden, you may need to get creative when it comes to food storage. Walk around your home or apartment with a new set of eyes. What about under the beds or in a back corner of the closet? The crawlspace under you house is good, too – just remember to keep things elevated a bit so that a damp floor does not ruin your stored food. 6. Have alternative cooking sources. You are going to need some way to cook your stored food if the power is out. Pick up an inexpensive wood or charcoal burning grill such at the Volcano II Collapsible Stove. You can also – very very little money – get a rocket stove that will burn wood or biomass (twigs, pinecones and such). You will be amazed at how versatile these little stoves are. Also consider a solar oven. Whatever you choose, make sure you either have fuel or access to fuel. 7. Learn depression cooking. Cook from scratch, make your own bread, and learn to cook full meals from low-cost, easily stored staples such as beans and rice. One of the mistakes people make is to acquire food for emergency use yet continue to purchased pre-made, pre-packaged, or takeout food for daily consumption. They never learn to cook, let alone learn to cook using the most basic of ingredients. 8. Take advantage of nature’s bounty. Depending on where you live, fishing or hunting or both may be an option for you. Learn fishing and hunting skills now and please, don’t forget to learn to clean and cook your bounty. There are some excellent videos on butchering as well as preserving your bounty. It is not as difficult as you think. 9. Store food properly. Read about the six enemies of food storageand plan accordingly. Purchase food in bulk, then package and store dry goods for the long term in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Or shop at dependable vendors such as Emergency Essentials for foods that are already safely packaged for long-term emergency use. You will be surprised at the many options available to you. 10. Depend on yourself, not the government. No list would be complete without reminding you that you need to rely upon yourself, and not others to tend to your needs if a disaster or other major catastrophic event occurs. Your neighbors, who have not prepared, may be downright hostile and the government, while well-intentioned, may take some time to get needed supplies to your area. Analyze the potential for disaster in your geographical area (earthquake, wild fires, floods, tornado, hurricane) and have a plan that you can implement should you need to shelter in place or evacuate. The Final Word There are tons of resources available to help you achieve food security by taking advantage of these ten tips. On excellent source to get you started are some of the articles here on Backdoor Survival (listed below). Another source is the DVD sets Food Production Systems for a Backyard or Small Farm and Food Storage Secrets. However you choose to do it, work now on getting things growing and on learning the skills you will need in order to survive. And remember, when the public food supply is interrupted, it will be too late to start prepping. Delivered by The Daily Sheeple Contributed by Gaye Levy – SurvivalWoman of Backdoor Survival. Leave A Comment... |
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I do a lot of research on eatible weeds and such. I learned I can eat my birds mealy worms as they are packed with protien. I keep canned goods stored under the seats in my car. The snap of cans are good in a pinch. Who wants to spend $5.00 or more for prrpared,slop. People stare as I drive down the road eating a can of beans. More money for picking,yard sales,coins etc.
I know all those are good, but another wonderful source are books! You can’t know everything, but being able to at least read about whatever it is you need to learn about will help.
Right you are Soccer Mom. Years ago in Arizona a federal prisoner escaped from the prison and he has never been found to my knowledge. He was last seen at the Tempe, Arizona library and one missing book was traced to him, it was titled “edible roots and berries of the North American continent” I have similar books myself for various places I might find myself with my loved ones or friends.
A good reason to buy books at flee markets and yard sales. I heard central planners check books and library lists. Good for the escapee bet he may be in mexico or s america by now.
An amazing site is http://www.eattheweeds.com HIGHLY recommend it. He also has over 150 youtube videos…
@prepared soccer mom, Going to check this out. Another good source of such information, IF you can find them, is the Vietnam war era TM survival books of the Army Special Forces, mine were taken from me during police raids in Southern California in the early 70s and have never found them since. Don’t ask what the raids were about as I had just returned from more than 3 years in the Vietnam war and then as now, veterans were/are considered a danger to our own damned government because we return able to see the government for the danger to freedom that it is.
@prepared soccer mom, I did check it out and it is now on my favorites. Thanks young lady.
@SKIP, Glad to help Skip! I’ve taken 2 of his classes and they are worth every penny! Every little bit of information helps!
Be safe!!!!
Do you have a website where people can make their own vitamins and supplements in case the gov sells out to the pharmacutical lobby and we will not be able to buy them?
Evie, I don’t have a website per se. But make sure you have your 1 or 2 years supply of food, source of protein (chickens, bunnies, fish, goat,etc), start stocking vitamins now, they aren’t that expensive and will last a very long time.
Store seeds, lots of them! Learn as much as you can living without electricity now. Buy 400 bars of soap (very cheap on ebay).
You don’t need too much $$$ to get started. You can buy alot of meds right now too. OK, getting off my soapbox now….haha
Good post. I really like #6 alternative cooking, you would be suprised at how many people fail to cosider that.
There is a really good stove called the rocket stove
http://www.survivaledge.com/Deluxe-Metal-2-Door-Stove-p/2dst.htm it will burn just about anything for fuel and it produces very little smoke important if you are trying to keep a low profile.www.survivaledge.com
M+ In the book “Basic Preparedness” these good people emphasize stocking Spirulina. Tablets. They claim that if you have no food, you could survive taking these. Search for these on the web.
We cook on a propane grill. People can use sensor devices to hunt you no matter how well hidden you may be. The biggest threat I fear will be of the elite. They do not know how to work for anything only to take from others and later tell them to become more sustainable and ride bikes to sell our,fuel to other countries. The central planners should just sell or give everyone stock to buy and sell.
..and grab the Bear Grylls DVD’s and the Bush Tucker Man ones if you’re in Oz, and any that may be for your specific locale.
There’s loads of material available on torrent too.
But beyond all that, the knowledge of how to survive with next to nothing is #1.
Buy in bulk – this should give you 2 years food supply until your have your self-sufficiency act together.
Pasta,tinned beans, vitamin pills,water filter etc. are simple,cheap and nutritious.