“So if everything goes to pot, I know who to visit!”

This was a line of a conversation with a long-time friend. And a line I hear from LOTS of folks. And it bothers me. Not because I think I will have a house full if things “go to pot”, but because for some people, that is the best option they have.

Having grown up in a rural section of the country, going to the store just for a jug of milk was never an option. So we learned to stock up on things we used regularly. We “put up” produce from our gardens by canning , freezing,and storing in a cellar. We would go in with another family (or three) and buy a whole cow, pay to have it processed, and have beef for the year. We would do the same with mutton (sheep), and pork, processing an entire animal so we would have it. I don’t recall EVER buying a steak at the store. Not saying it never happened, but why would it, if we had a freezer full of our own stuff? Add in wild game like venison, and we never really had a need for store-bought meats.

Fast-forward 30 years. I now practice a similar technique, as far as end-results go.

• We buy items in bulk and split it ourselves, such as pork loins and rice from Sam’s Club. I cut the loin into portions fit for our family, then vacuum seal it and freeze it. The rice gets portioned into 4 cup bags and vacuum sealed and put away.
• I’ve recently started to pressure can meats such as chicken and mullet for long-term storage with excellent results. My lunch today was a jar of canned chicken thighs I processed myself with some hot sauce ( we also stockpile that).
• We also buy regular-use items by the case and store them for future use, such as diced tomatoes, beans, olives, or mushrooms.
• Produce it purchased in bulk from local green markets and frozen, dehydrated, and canned.
• We stock water and have a rain barrel to be used in conjunction with a Berkey Travel water filter.

And when a hurricane threatens, or work tapers off (I’m self-employed, no work=no income), we are ready for the bad times. We’ve coasted through no-income weeks easily, and for the last hurricane scare, the entire “no power, long lines, no groceries available” scenario was merely a “camping at home” session for us, a minor inconvenience at worst, a fun change of pace being closer to the truth. Little to no stress, not a meal or luxury missed, as we showered across town where family had power. We even loaned out a generator to a local business so that they could stay open.

“Sure, anyone can do that if they have money.” True, but I’m not that guy. It took us a while to get to where we could be selective with our purchasing, buying only when things were on sale, and not buying items that were not. We practiced “copy canning” for almost a year before we had enough base items to start being selective. “Copy canning” is when you go to buy a can of green beans because you know you will eat them this week, only you buy two, putting one away. Do this with EVERY item that will store for more than a month, and as when you need another can of green beans, don’t use your storage can (yet), buy another two, then using the initial stored can, and cycling the fresher dated cans to the back of the line. Now you have two cans stored.

In a short time, you will have enough to get by for a week without shopping. Keep up the pattern until  you can start being selective with what you buy and when, timing large amount purchases to coincide with sales. In this manner, you don’t buy green beans for 5 weeks, using your stored ones, then when they go on sale, you buy a case. This cuts your cost-per-unit price way down, and saves you money long term.

And get this, with food prices rising, you end up saving money. In fact, buying food now to be used next year can save you as much as 15%. Any of you getting a 15% return on your investments today?

We are prepared for taking care of our family of 4, as well as taking in a few select family members we know cannot(will not?) prepare for things “going to pot”. Outside of that, we cannot help everyone we know. This is one of the driving reasons I try to talk with folks all the time about these things. Anyone I help no is someone I do not have to turn away later. As much as our friendship means to me, my love and protective nature for my family comes first. I *may* be able to offer you something to help, but then again, who was here before you that I just helped? By setting yourself up to take care of yourself, you are doing me a favor AND yourself one as well.

Everyone has to eat, why not invest in your future…meals? It gives you peace of mind in the event of a bad turn of events, and saves you money on the front end (stocking up at sales prices) and back end (eating food based on last years prices). You are going to eat anyway, right?

It can’t hurt to have something stocked up. Hurricane season is right around the corner. Be prepared. But keep in mind one question, “What are your plans for when those supplies run out?”  No one can store enough food to last forever. Stick with me, and I’ll show you some methods of producing your own food.

Notes:

• The CDC (As much as I try not to trust the government) has some good info here (even on zombies!): http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/
• A post about food storage and copy canning. Also has storage planning resources. http://stockupfood.com/blog/food-storage-by-copy-canning/
• Another good reference on how to get started on the cheap:
  http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-start-a-food-storage-on-138765
• For more helpful links check out Food Storage Made Easy. They have a great go to list of links, excel spread sheets to be printed out and even videos on canning and storing your goods.