Bps1691
Veteran Member
With all that is going on, this spring is a good time to review your planning for your food storage and replenishment. For most this is the time of year that you can start your gardens or make arrangements with farm to table folks in your area to secure sufficient food stocks to weather any worsening general food chain issues.
Basic article, but one to start you thinking:
Food Shortages | What You Can Do Before It's Too Late
Food Shortages | What You Can Do Before It’s Too Late
by Ken Jorgustin | Updated Apr 20, 2020 | PANDEMIC | 174 comments
We are fortunate that this Covid-19 virus and its associated repercussions is happening early in the year. Why? Because one increasingly dangerous side effect is the potential for shortages of food. And it’s not too late to plant a garden.
Okay before you smart readers start saying that an ordinary vegetable garden will not provide enough calories to live on… you’re basically right. However, a garden is a start. And there are some preferred items to grow that will yield more calories than others.
There are a LOT of newbies to the subject of preparedness due to the ongoing Covid-19. If I had to look for a bright side of this virus, one is definitely that of eye-opening realization. More (many) people are looking towards what they can do to be more self reliant. And that’s a good thing! That’s part of the heritage of this country (and human nature)!
Food Shortages Are Here | But Will It Get Worse?
I don’t have to convince most of you that food shortages are here. The severity of which depends upon your local grocery stores. There is food. It’s not like we’re literally running out. However there ARE shortages and empty shelves of some food products. And when they get restocked to any extent, it gets snatched up again (repeat).
The latest (and very serious) concern is shortage of meats. Meat processing plants have been closing left and right (Covid-19). The impact will be felt soon (if not already). Unless you’re a vegetarian variety, people are going to panic if and when the meat counters get sparse. Say hello to panic buying. Filling up freezers. And shortages.
A shrinking supply of meat products will quickly be bought up by consumers concerned that it may not be there tomorrow.
When processing plants are closed, farmers who raise the associated livestock have nowhere to sell into the mainstream supply chain. Some will be culled. There will be fewer starts due to lack of processing (closed due to Covid-19). It’s a chain reaction up and down the chain with some lag time built in. This will NOT be fixed in short order.
Normalcy bias. It’s a major hindrance to us humans when it comes to critical thinking.
We have lived our entire lives with a never ending supply of food at the grocery store. Choices galore. Therefore it is difficult while coming to grips with food shortages (any shortages for that matter).
I do believe that it’s going to get worse. Even if everything was fixed today, it will take some time to get the supply chains back to normal. Every day it seems like there are more closures. We haven’t reached any semblance of apex in this area yet.
Shortages of Meats | Stock Up Now
I advise to take into consideration that there may likely be shortages of meats in our future. Stock up before the masses take notice. Because when they do in your area, say bye-bye to the meat counter…
Listen, if I’m wrong about this, you will have lost nothing! Your freezer will be full of meat. You will consume it.
Mrs.J and I did a inventory of our two chest freezers not long ago. One has meat, the other veggies and other products. As a result, a few days ago I went to our local grocery store to get a few more meats. Fortunately our county has barely been affected by Covid-19. However we are nevertheless afflicted by the typical shortages and/or limits such as TP, paper towels, Flour, yeast, eggs, and other goods. But what about meat?
The meat counter space was definitely way lower than “normal”. There is a new normal. Chicken was lowest. Pork was next. Followed by Beef which had the most – though less than “normal”.
Will it get worse? It has to! When processing plants close, the supply chain IS affected. It WILL ripple down.
Plant Your Garden
There are shortages of seeds! Really! You can still find them or buy them, but it’s harder to find. Maybe your local nursery is open for business. Maybe not… I feel sorry for you if you live in Michigan where it’s outlawed by an out-of-control governor (utter power-mad insanity).
What To Grow?
I can tell you what I’m growing this year. Corn. Potatoes. Bell Peppers. Some beans. Just a few tomatoes.
Why those choices?
First, because corn and potatoes are among the highest calorie vegetables. I want some calorie producers. For me that will be corn and potatoes. Upon harvest we will eat some fresh and then process the rest for storage.
The Bell Peppers though comparatively low in calories, provide excellent nutrition. And home grown peppers TASTE GREAT! Upon harvest, we process them by removing the seeds (you might save some for next year), slice them lengthwise into thin strips, and freeze. I like them better that way than to dehydrate. We portion by using quart size Ziploc bags. We can have them all year round…
Tomatoes. The previous few years we had plenty to make LOTS of sauce (canned). So we’re good. This year just a few plants for fresh tomatoes. But if you don’t have any sauce, you might grow extra tomatoes so that you can make your own!
Beans. Our supply of home canned green beans have diminished. So time to make more.
The bottom line is that unless you have a huge garden and the ability to manage it and process the foods, it is difficult at best to acquire sufficient calories to survive! That said, it is a near mandatory supplement to whatever you’re eating! This year there’s no excuse NOT to start a garden, or increase production of what you’ve been doing in the past.
The Takeaway
Our lives have changed. For how long – I don’t know. I do believe that we are at high risk of entering a new, Greater Depression era. This, coupled with ongoing Covid-19, our lives are being changed.
So you better get a head start on survival under these “new normal” conditions. It would be a mistake in my view to count on this all going away soon.
Food. Continue to stock up. Purchase what you can. Be aware that meats may be in short supply soon. Get some. If it were me, I would get a chest freezer. Plant a garden. Though not especially high in calories, it WILL supplement your foods. Look into home canning. Dehydrating. Become more self reliant. ACT. Action. Changes. Things.
Look at it like this… Use all this bad news to motivate and strengthen your resolve to be more self sufficient. More self reliant. Get started now. Don’t wait.
Articles on Food Dehydrators
Articles on Canning
Basic article, but one to start you thinking:
Food Shortages | What You Can Do Before It's Too Late
Food Shortages | What You Can Do Before It’s Too Late
by Ken Jorgustin | Updated Apr 20, 2020 | PANDEMIC | 174 comments
We are fortunate that this Covid-19 virus and its associated repercussions is happening early in the year. Why? Because one increasingly dangerous side effect is the potential for shortages of food. And it’s not too late to plant a garden.
Okay before you smart readers start saying that an ordinary vegetable garden will not provide enough calories to live on… you’re basically right. However, a garden is a start. And there are some preferred items to grow that will yield more calories than others.
There are a LOT of newbies to the subject of preparedness due to the ongoing Covid-19. If I had to look for a bright side of this virus, one is definitely that of eye-opening realization. More (many) people are looking towards what they can do to be more self reliant. And that’s a good thing! That’s part of the heritage of this country (and human nature)!
Food Shortages Are Here | But Will It Get Worse?
I don’t have to convince most of you that food shortages are here. The severity of which depends upon your local grocery stores. There is food. It’s not like we’re literally running out. However there ARE shortages and empty shelves of some food products. And when they get restocked to any extent, it gets snatched up again (repeat).
The latest (and very serious) concern is shortage of meats. Meat processing plants have been closing left and right (Covid-19). The impact will be felt soon (if not already). Unless you’re a vegetarian variety, people are going to panic if and when the meat counters get sparse. Say hello to panic buying. Filling up freezers. And shortages.
A shrinking supply of meat products will quickly be bought up by consumers concerned that it may not be there tomorrow.
When processing plants are closed, farmers who raise the associated livestock have nowhere to sell into the mainstream supply chain. Some will be culled. There will be fewer starts due to lack of processing (closed due to Covid-19). It’s a chain reaction up and down the chain with some lag time built in. This will NOT be fixed in short order.
Normalcy bias. It’s a major hindrance to us humans when it comes to critical thinking.
We have lived our entire lives with a never ending supply of food at the grocery store. Choices galore. Therefore it is difficult while coming to grips with food shortages (any shortages for that matter).
I do believe that it’s going to get worse. Even if everything was fixed today, it will take some time to get the supply chains back to normal. Every day it seems like there are more closures. We haven’t reached any semblance of apex in this area yet.
Shortages of Meats | Stock Up Now
I advise to take into consideration that there may likely be shortages of meats in our future. Stock up before the masses take notice. Because when they do in your area, say bye-bye to the meat counter…
Listen, if I’m wrong about this, you will have lost nothing! Your freezer will be full of meat. You will consume it.
Mrs.J and I did a inventory of our two chest freezers not long ago. One has meat, the other veggies and other products. As a result, a few days ago I went to our local grocery store to get a few more meats. Fortunately our county has barely been affected by Covid-19. However we are nevertheless afflicted by the typical shortages and/or limits such as TP, paper towels, Flour, yeast, eggs, and other goods. But what about meat?
The meat counter space was definitely way lower than “normal”. There is a new normal. Chicken was lowest. Pork was next. Followed by Beef which had the most – though less than “normal”.
Will it get worse? It has to! When processing plants close, the supply chain IS affected. It WILL ripple down.
Plant Your Garden
There are shortages of seeds! Really! You can still find them or buy them, but it’s harder to find. Maybe your local nursery is open for business. Maybe not… I feel sorry for you if you live in Michigan where it’s outlawed by an out-of-control governor (utter power-mad insanity).
What To Grow?
I can tell you what I’m growing this year. Corn. Potatoes. Bell Peppers. Some beans. Just a few tomatoes.
Why those choices?
First, because corn and potatoes are among the highest calorie vegetables. I want some calorie producers. For me that will be corn and potatoes. Upon harvest we will eat some fresh and then process the rest for storage.
The Bell Peppers though comparatively low in calories, provide excellent nutrition. And home grown peppers TASTE GREAT! Upon harvest, we process them by removing the seeds (you might save some for next year), slice them lengthwise into thin strips, and freeze. I like them better that way than to dehydrate. We portion by using quart size Ziploc bags. We can have them all year round…
Tomatoes. The previous few years we had plenty to make LOTS of sauce (canned). So we’re good. This year just a few plants for fresh tomatoes. But if you don’t have any sauce, you might grow extra tomatoes so that you can make your own!
Beans. Our supply of home canned green beans have diminished. So time to make more.
The bottom line is that unless you have a huge garden and the ability to manage it and process the foods, it is difficult at best to acquire sufficient calories to survive! That said, it is a near mandatory supplement to whatever you’re eating! This year there’s no excuse NOT to start a garden, or increase production of what you’ve been doing in the past.
The Takeaway
Our lives have changed. For how long – I don’t know. I do believe that we are at high risk of entering a new, Greater Depression era. This, coupled with ongoing Covid-19, our lives are being changed.
So you better get a head start on survival under these “new normal” conditions. It would be a mistake in my view to count on this all going away soon.
Food. Continue to stock up. Purchase what you can. Be aware that meats may be in short supply soon. Get some. If it were me, I would get a chest freezer. Plant a garden. Though not especially high in calories, it WILL supplement your foods. Look into home canning. Dehydrating. Become more self reliant. ACT. Action. Changes. Things.
Look at it like this… Use all this bad news to motivate and strengthen your resolve to be more self sufficient. More self reliant. Get started now. Don’t wait.
Articles on Food Dehydrators
Articles on Canning
