Food storage "out of the closet"?

[i_am2bz]

Aggie, as I have stated before (on other threads) if you prep and nothing happens, there is no problem.

Whether you think things will go all FUBAR or not, prep. Seriously. If you don't you may very well become a burden on someone else.

As we've discussed on many other threads, "TSHTF" can mean a lot of different things, from an extended power outage to extended unemployment to unexpected house guests.

Do like the Boy Scouts - BE PREPARED!

 

[Beekissed]

One thing no one seems to be mentioning is the fact that there may be a change in global climate. This summer we had the most severe drought in our area that anyone living could ever remember...even the 95 year old people.

Due to that, gardens and crops were a complete failure...mine included. I grew and stored absolutely nothing from my two large gardens~everything died aborning or just didn't grow. Most people's gardens that did grow didn't mature and just rotted on the vine.

We only had one cutting of hay and it was very poor. Hay was all bought up by the end of the summer and a scarce commodity.

If these end of life as we know it scenarios are to be based in reality, one must consider that you may not be able to produce your own food right where you live~and this may go on for several seasons.

So...the food in the closet disappears and you cannot grow anything to replenish it or feed your animals.

What then?

 

[Bettacreek]

I like keeping stuff stocked for those type of situations. If I cannot, for whatever reason, get what I need for a month or more. Now, if something happened where I'd need to live off-grid, honesty, I think I could do it. It would take a bit of getting used to, but I feel confident in my ability to adapt and learn, as well as my current knowledge. I'd rather not live without all the cool junk I've got, but all the years of camping and living in the mountains and foraging for wild foods with my parents really taught me valuable lessons. Now with all kinds of cool hunting, fishing and camping junk, that could hold me over until I could build a more permanent home in the ground or whatever. That's just my total SHTF idea, though honestly I think if it comes to that, we'd all be dead anyways.

 

[Wifezilla]

One thing no one seems to be mentioning is the fact that there may be a change in global climate.

The global climate is always changing. Colorado used to be an inland sea.

So...the food in the closet disappears and you cannot grow anything to replenish it or feed your animals.

What then?

1) You adapt by growing drought tolerant crops or 2) You move. You would have to. Colorado had quite a few areas with these awesome Indian villages that were just abandoned long ago. Drought cycle.

 

[BarredBuff]

I'm more like Barred Buff and Free...we make a lot of our own food and barely buy anything from the store, so we have to have some ingredients in storage.

I frequent the stores twice a month. For various things. Pet food (havent done that yet, but is on the list), some prepackaged stuff for my lunch only because leftovers are non existant at my house, things like cofee and tea, meat (but that is just about to come to a screeching hault, meat is next), milk (I dont have a goat yet but there is a chance that could change here soon), bread (I have starter growing in the fridge).

Im still by far a newbie but Im growing I beleive.

Foods Produced at Homestead
Eggs
ANY canned veggies (green beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato juice, potatoes, jams, jellies, apples, veggie soup, tomato soup, relishes, pickles)
Plus I am starting up with the cold frames, lettuce in one of em and carrot and lettuce seed on the way. I have potatoes and sweet potatoes stored. I negelected the apple and pear trees so I dont have any of them (Im mad at myself over that). Im gonna do dry pintos and meal corn next summer. Plus I have a water tank for the garden so that is SS for the veggies. And next year I plan on making some animal feeds. So maybe this time next year, I will be producing at the fullest extent.

 

[Blackbird]

I agree 'Zilla. If people want to live, and a drastic change in climate comes, FUBAR, etc. people are going to have to become very flexible. That means migrating. Nomads and pastorals were as such for a reason.
We all talk about wildcrafting and foraging now, but it would have to come at a much larger scale.
(I had a point but I forgot what it was)

 

[Beekissed]

And when everyone were doing this, how many things do you think would be left to forage? I've heard other people say they would just go out and kill some deer....but, if everyone had the same idea, how many deer or any game would be available?

Moving and migrating or planting drought tolerant crops is a great idea...if you have the fuel for migrating and those drought tolerant seeds on hand.

If you walk, just how far will you get and how many people will you encounter doing the same thing? How many people will be migrating towards areas that have food abundance and just how many people will these areas support? How many people will just take what you have and keep going? How many people will allow you to migrate to their areas?

See...that's the problem with these scenarios and the what ifs. They aren't really based on reality and, if they were, our feeble efforts to "prep" or be SS won't take us far.

This is why I prefer not to obsess over being prepared or over my level of SS....faith takes me farther than either of these things could ever do.

I don't have to occupy my mind or time with the what ifs of this world if I KNOW that I will be taken care of, no matter what befalls this Earth or me. Having that knowledge creates a peace of mind that no amount of prepping or survival skills can ever give me.

 

[Blackbird]

You are right Bee - but that doesn't mean one can't do both!

There are actually MANY Nomadics still here. The Welsh Kale, Romani Gypsies, and the Sami's instantly come to mind. Though I think most of those defined as Gypsies aren't necessarily 'self sufficient' in a way that they live off that land.

You are right that if this all did happen, the land could not sustain as many people as there are. But I do not doubt that there will be enough killing in the early stages that it will dissipate into a tribal type of setting. Many will flourish, and many will diminish.

That's just what I see happening IF things were to get that far.

-Edit; Wiki says there are 30-40 million Nomads today.

 

[BarredBuff]

Bee about the deer killing. I hear that all the time. But I wonder how of these people actually know how to clean and skin and preserve a deer. I know I dont and Im semi SS. As for faith, I totally agree.

 

[Beekissed]

It doesn't take a whole lot of skill to take a deer rifle and shoot a deer grazing at 100 yards away. As for skinning, gutting,etc....if you are hungry enough, it doesn't take any real finesse to yank a hind, slab off some meat and cook it.

All the guys who CAN kill a deer, will do so and there won't be two deer in the woods to procreate...especially around here.

Actually, we are having a deer shortage right now in this area..and I never thought I would ever say that. The first year I moved here I had 14 deer in my yard each night. The second year I still had a steady 9-10 deer in the orchard. The third year we were down to about 4-5. This year? No deer. None. Nada. Zip. I haven't seen one all summer or fall.

We had a horrible winter. All the ignorant people who felt sorry for the poor, starving deer started feeding massive quantities of corn. Corn is corrosive to deer's digestive systems in concentrated quantities. This weakened and killed more of our deer herds than any food shortages could have. By spring we had weak and sick deer being eliminated by the thriving coyote population.

End result? No deer.

Everyone says that these things come in cycles and I agree...the weather and such has always come in cycles. But we have never had the population that we have in the world today, nor have we ever had a generation so dependent and weak.