Everywhere I look - particularly on the preparedness and homesteading YouTube channels - the main theme is to continue stacking food and supplies to the rafters. I don't pay too much attention to the ones who spend time trying to sell me freeze dried food or to the ones peddling the gear they say I can not live without. I have no notion of being the next Rambo. Nor do I have the funds to buy over priced food.
So what I do is figure out what I need to feed my family and what I need to take care of emergencies.
Canning jars are still scarce, but the guy who delivers my groceries every two weeks has promised to bring me jars when available. So before prices go much higher, I am buying frozen chicken breast, hamburger and ham to freeze now and can later. A variety of frozen vegetables are on the list for dehydrating, along with onions, carrots and potatoes. Each grocery order includes staples like sugar, flour, pasta, rice, oatmeal, tuna, Spam, and a variety of canned foods, depending on what is on sale that week.
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to build up a food storage pantry without completely wrecking the budget. We are living in perilous times and it doesn't look like things will change any time soon.
If you believe that nothing bad will ever happen and even if it does, it won't happen in your back yard, you are delusional. And if you believe the government will help you in times of trouble, you are sadly mistaken. Who do you suppose is responsible for the state of affairs in our country today.
If you can, buy food. History has shown that starvation has killed millions of people. In case you have forgotten, here is a reminder.
"How Much is Enough? The Seige of Leningrad."
Keep prepping. Keep praying. We are on our own.
I love my freeze-dried food. It's a nice complement to the long-term foods. But in no way is it essential and it drives me up a wall to read of so many people spending small fortunes for a #10 can of food that will last barely days for the most part. And double dittoes to buying just what is on sale--clearance-priced. If people would just do these two things, they'd have so much more money to spend on food and build their storage.
ReplyDeleteanon...I have never used the freeze dried foods because they were just too spendy for my budget. But I will never fault anyone who uses what works for them. Personally, I would rather put my money into foods that I will can or dehydrate. And staples like flour, pasta, rice, etc. Just makes sense for my lifestyle.
DeleteVicki~ The amount of quart jars Pinballl mentioned for a family of 4 for a year was staggering. While watching a Good Eats episode about dried corn, I realized I needed to get some CAL aka pickling lime to turn it into masa for tortillas. It's the missing small ingredients that will make the difference to staying healthy and not being malnourished with a full stomach. Red
ReplyDeleteRed...I saw that Pinball video. I have 15 people in my immediate family. I would need to rent a warehouse to store all I need!
DeleteYou are spot on about making sure we have the smaller things. Rice and beans are great, but items like baking soda and baking powder and corn starch and molasses are equally important to be able to turn the basics into something edible. Thanks for the reminder.
And condiments! Don't forget the condiments! EVERYONE forgets the condiments!
DeleteKetchup, mustard, mayo, bbq sauce, pickles, relish, hot sauce, soy sauce. And spices. And herbs.
DeleteAnd fun stuff. Candy, Oreos, those fish crackers. Ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies and brownies as well as cakes and pies. Jello and instant pudding mixes. Even cans of soft drinks or the packets of flavoring to mix with water. Anything to make life a little bit better.
DeleteI live in earthquake country, which, like tornado country, means your own personal disaster can come out of the blue at any time on any day. Heck; in earthquake country you don't even get a warning when "conditions are right," because they're ALWAYS right for an earthquake here! I never cease to marvel at how people go along, day to day, thinking that "it'll never happen to them." These are people with FAMILIES relying on them, and yet they'd rather have the latest I-Phone than to spend some money on food/water security.
ReplyDeleteYeah, freeze-dried food could possibly fall into the "gimmick" category if that's all your preps consist of, but it does have a place as a COMPONENT of your preps, if you can afford them. Thing is though, unless you need lightweight food you can carry on your back, you're better off buying canned and non-perishable food or canning and buying non-perishable food. I'd rather have shelves of food I actually eat than buckets of food I've got to make myself like.
An aside to this; I got a really good deal on a Harvest Right freeze drier a while back, and was freeze-drying fruits and veggies. Then our beloved Gavin Newsom raised our electric rates by around 60%. Since then, the machine has been gathering dust. It's just too expensive to run now!! Anyone who thinks Newsom would be a good president truly needs to adjust their meds!!!
Pete...Living here in tornado country is a worry. I have visions of hundreds of jars of food sailing off into the next state.
DeleteWhen thinking about the companies who sell #10 cans of freeze dried foods, I was thinking more about the people who buy several cans and think they are prepared. The freeze dried foods are an excellent addition to food storage, especially for those who plan to get out of Dodge when necessary. Me...some days I have all I can do to walk from one end of my apartment to the other. I am not 'bugging out.' So the best solutions for me are canning and dehydrating, especially while living on a fixed income.
Leave it to a politician to throw a monkey wrench into our plans. I have seen videos about the freeze dryers and if my situation were different, I would be interested. My landlord, bless him, has never complained about the amount of gas I use for canning or for the amount of electricity I use to run two dehydrators, especially since both are included in my rent. I kind of think he might get a bit testy if I was using a freeze dryer!
May the fleas of a thousand camels infest Newson's nether regions. President Newsom - perish the thought!!
May all of Newsom's teeth fall out, save one, and in that one may he have a RAGING toothache!
DeleteYes. I like it!
DeletePete~ It also doesn't help that Gruesome hasn't fixed the Dams to prevent any flooding when the Snow melts and Rain falls even though the $$$$ is there or the funding to fix the two sewer treatment plants that are being allowed to pollute the Delta. Also doesn't help the the Solar and Wind only work in narrow tolerances of heat and speed. Or the costs to replace blades and the rare earth magnets. Red
DeleteThere's a large, Swedish-owned wind farm near where I live. Every now and then a new wind generator gets shipped over from the Land of Vikings to be set up at that farm. EACH BLADE of those generators requires heavy-hauler truck with two pilot cars to get it from the port to the farm. The same gores for the generator itself. Then there's the tower. That's shipped in several sections, each with heavy-hauler trucks and two pilot cars. That doesn't even figure in the shipping from the plant in Sweden to the port, or the shipping from Sweden to the US by sea... or the construction of the units, or the petrochemical-based materials used to build the units...
Delete...So where's the "carbon footprint" reduction?
I have no problem with the use of solar and wind to supplement our power needs. We get over 300 days of full sun here in the Wild West. Solar power and hot water should be staples on houses now. That being said, solar and wind can't handle it all, and yet Captain Hairspray in Sacramento is trying to jam it down our throats! The ignorance and hypocrisy are ASTOUNDING!!!
Pete...I have no problem with wind and solar being in use as supplementary power sources. But it is not only your governor who is touting these changes. I am seeing more and more ads and articles here in Minnesota telling us we have to go exclusively to wind and solar.
DeleteI just checked our weather forecast. Two out of the next six days are predicted to be sunny. The other four are cloudy and rainy. And I wonder how well the solar panels will work under a couple of feet of snow. Or how the wind turbines will work at 20 degrees below zero, which is not uncommon for Minnesota winters.
Those in charge are not thinking this through. Your point on how the wind turbines are manufactured and shipped as well as the problems with using them in a cold climate are not discussed. Perhaps spending a month in an off grid cabin that uses solar or wind might open their eyes. Maybe - but I doubt it.
One other thing concerning freeze-dried foods; MUCH extra water is needed to rehydrate that stuff! Some freeze-dried things can be eaten dry. Believe it or not, freeze-dried frozen veggies make an excellent snack! Be advised though; even eating the stuff dry requires extra water, as eating freeze-dried food dry will dehydrate your body PRONTO!
DeletePete...Same goes for the dehydrated foods. I usually use the dried veggies in a crockpot soup or stew. But I have turned some into powders to add to dishes for flavor. Storing water in a small apartment is a challenge.
DeleteVicki and Pete~ Seems the Idiots at both ends of the COW made a deal about Wind at the peoples expense. Red
ReplyDeleteWhich surprises me not one little bit, Red.
DeleteI started going through the totes in my back bedroom that store my 'deep' pantry. The white rice, AP flour, beans and pasta are in great shape. Sadly, all the oats have gone rancid. All were purchased in plastic packaging and not paper bag type packages. Next time, I will repackage and vacuum seal. Good to learn the lesson now while I can find it on the shelves.
ReplyDeleteSJ in Vancouver BC Canada
SJ...It can be disheartening to find food we are storing has gone bad. So far I have been lucky. The only item I have had to toss was some cole slaw I had canned. That was operator error. I did not add enough liquid to each jar and what was out of the liquid turned black. It might have been OK but I was not willing to find out. We learn and do better next time.
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