I want to share with you how important it is to keep a good supply of food stored in your home. We never know what could happen to impact the food supply, including the delivery of it. We should be prepared for some type of interruption during our daily lives.
On May 24th we had a terrible storm. The wind was so strong that it blew down groups of telephone poles because the wind resistance on the cables was too much for the poles to support. Many of the wooden poles had the "T" tops completely broken off of them and they were left swinging in the air. If the wind did that to power poles, you can imagine the number of trees that took additional wires down. It left over 170,000 people without power. Some of those were without power for several days.
On the second day after the storm we went to our Big Box store and found a large portion of the refrigerated section looking like this:
Now the point here is not that the shelves are almost empty. The point is the speed at which this occurred. Just 24 to 48 hours and the store shelves looked like that. Are you prepared for something that happens that fast? I don't know if people bought all the food, or if the store lost their refrigeration and they threw the food away, or if the delivery trucks couldn't get through the maze of closed roads and streets. The cause is irrelevant but the end result is the same: EMPTY SHELVES. Thank the Good Lord that this wasn't a long drawn out event. Can you imagine two or three weeks of this? The damage here was minor compared to other places in the Country recently hit so hard by tornadoes.
Read about food storage methods that are in use today. Canned goods (all types) and dry goods (beans and rice) are the things to have on hand for those "just-in-case" scenarios. The water that those canned goods are packed in could be a lifesaver as well. If your water supply is out, you can drink the water the canned goods were packed in.
Home canned produce could be a lifesaver in a severe situation. I hope everyone tries their hand at home canning their produce.
Think about it.Wouldn't it be a good thing to do for yourself and your family?
Thanks for visiting.
Veggie PAK
Years ago, when we lived in Hong Kong, we used to keep a "Typhoon store" of food and other essentials (like bottled water, candles, a camping-gas stove etc) just in case we got cut off during a tropical storm - which was actually quite likely!
ReplyDeleteThese days, living in the UK, we are unlikely to experience weather conditions that extreme, but nonetheless our store-cupboards are always full of tinned and dried foods - simply to give us more flexibility in our diet. We can cook a wide variety of recipes at short notice without having to specifically go out and buy every ingredient.
Thanks, Veggie PAK! This is a hugely important issue that everyone should be aware of. You're right - the point is not so much the reason for the "shortages," it's that they do happen and preparedness is key. I lived in California for 12 years and learned a lot about the wisdom of earthquake preparedness in the same fashion. Having a supply to tide you over through the interruptions does a lot for easing anxiety. I learned to keep my gas tank full because if power is out, pumps don't work at the gas station. I was also living in LA during the riots of 1992. When the chaos began, my boyfriend and I thought we should go pick up a few things at the store because there was going to be a curfew. We weren't the only ones with that idea! Picture a store the size of WalMart, with the cashiers in the front, and lines of people for checkout that went all the way to the back of the store and wrapped around! Each of those in line had carts mounded full with food so the shelves looked much like the pictures you've shared here. Now, that was an "extreme" case but its lesson was not lost on me. We live in interesting times, and navigating them successfully and generatively means taking the steps to prepare for such eventualities. I look at it this way: I can't lose my "investment" because I'll use the goods, emergency or not. But what a Godsend to be able to sustain myself through the bigger glitches. Thanks so much for the wisdom you share here. Much love and many blessings to you and your followers.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures perfectly describe why growing your own food, or even just being prepared with a stockpile of purchased canned food, is so important. I always thought my mom was silly when she would stockpile food in the winter or before a big storm was due to hit our area... she was basically like a squirrel! As I grew older, however, I realized she was just being prepared. She was making sure that whatever unforeseen scenario happened, she would be able to feed our family through it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that most of the time you don't get any warning so you really have to keep a store of food all the time. There is always the chance of tornadoes here(though not usually like they have been lately) and if our house got saved, I sure would want to have food stored to get us through.
ReplyDeleteScary. We all know it could happen any time, and I have enough food to get us through a couple of months - but if we had no water or electricity there would be other obstacles involved in meal preparation.
ReplyDeleteGreat point about the liquids in canned goods, I had never thought of that before.
Everyone always goes a little crazy, but I've never seen shelves like that before. You're right about one of the other miracles of canning though. Your comment about using the liquid in the canned food reminded me of The Road. Have you read that?
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It is so important to be prepared with food and water. I have never canned food before, but I plan on starting this year.
ReplyDeleteMark Willis, being prepared is a good thing, but being able to access what you store for your daily use is a good thing too. That means that you're storing what you normally use at your house. That's great!
ReplyDeleteTeresa, those are interesting experiences that show the benefits of being prepared with a supply of food in the house. Paying attention to the gas in your car is another way of being prepared. Imagine having to leave and you have a quarter of a tank of gas. Being stuck in the traffic jams will use that up. Keeping the tank full is good advice.
Prairie Cat, as we all grow older, we see the wisdom that was applied by our parents in order to keep us going.
becky3086, tornadoes are terrible things! If I lived in an area prone to tornadoes, I would have to have an underground storage cache with a few day's food and water stored in it.
Kelly, I want to check out the Berkey Water Filtration System for a clean water supply. If you can get water, this sounds like the best method to get it clean without having to boil it. As far as cooking, solar ovens can cook meals like casseroles. If you're really into science, you can cook with the Fresnel lens from a rear projection TV. Check out http://greenpowerscience.com/
Wendy, the shelves might have been depleted from just a little heavier than normal use. The thing is, the store had nothing to restock them with. The food just wasn't there to be bought. I haven't read The Road, but I looked it up and it sure sounds interesting!
This is my third attempt to reply to your comments in Blogger. For some unknown reason, they just disappeared the first two times. I don't know what they are doing to it. My Follower list has been gone for four days, but is back today. It's very frustrating.
Everyone have a wonderful and safe holiday or a wonderful day, depending on where you are located.
Thanks for visiting and sharing your comments.
Veggie PAK
Don't forget a way to cook those stores. Though most people's gas grills work fine in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I saw craziness was when the Greater Boston's water supply went out for a few days. Now they could still give us water, but we had to boil it since they were taking it from a different and untreated source. It really makes you appreciate our easy water system. We do get blizzards now and again and that is usually when we get our long lines in the grocery stores.
Julie, you must get the Ball canning book! It is the one to follow for mistake-free canning. Good luck with it this year!
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I think most all our water systems are taken for granted. We need to be more aware of the benefits of having it, hopefully making us more thankful for it.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing a comment!
Veggie PAK
Thanks so much for this important post! You are just right - isn't it amazing how little food is actually available? Just another reason to plant a garden, stock up, and learn to can your own. Nobody wants a "just in case" to happen but we can't ignore that it just might.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to pop by to let you know that you can get Fels Naptha soap from Lehmans - its easy to order online. I've been able to find it locally at some "old timey" family owned places. I also understand that Ace Hardware will let you order just about anything, if you pick it up at their store. I've also seen the soap at some big chain stores - you have to really look in the cleaning/detergent section, its usually hidden and no one will know what you are talking about if you ask.
Have a GREAT holiday and thanks so much for all your inspiring posts!
:-)
Oops! I mentioned you today over at my place - but I was in such a rush to get outside and beat the heat that I didn't letcha know. Here you are!
ReplyDeletehttp://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2011/05/nothing.html
:-)
Ohiofarmgirl, Thanks for mentioning me there! You have a great blog!
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