3 sources of food.

[jansman]

Following on from 3 sources of water...

Many of us have a cupboard full of grub, maybe a freezer too. If the shops were shut, and the power down, that would all run out at some point. Or spoil.

I have always tried to have a back up plan, and here is mine ( for what it is worth).

1) Stored food. Tinned and dried. Also 2 freezers. Those combined give us 4 months grub, I calculated. To be honest, we cannot physically store anymore!

We have 2 generators, one of which is more than capable of running two freezers and the fridge if needs be ( intermittently of course), and fuel to last a couple of weeks running like that. That will be enough to plough through the frozen, either eating or giving it away before spoilage.

2) The Garden. Never think you will feed yourself and family from a garden alone. It won't happen. The best you will do is use the garden to supplement your stores, thus extending your storage. I do grow a lot of spuds and beans and peas. The beans and peas are vertically grown to maximise space, even though I do have a larger than average garden.

[jansman]

If you take into account wasted food - that is cooking too much - then spuds go a long way. That applies to all stored food too. Plenty of greens and salad stuff in the polytunnel, a good part of Winter is covered too.

I also keep poultry and rabbits too. Poultry for eggs and rabbits for meat. I currently have 8 does and two bucks. I keep records so there is no inbreeding. This generally yields two rabbits to eat every week. I keep at least two months concentrated feed for both, which can be supplemented with foraged and boiled kitchen waste and peelings if needs be.

[jansman]

One thing I grow a lot of, and the yield is MASSIVE , is Jerusalem Artichokes. They make great animal fodder, and the rabbits love the foliage. We also like them as a spud substitute in the Winter. It is a perennial, which is great for a 'survival' garden. Which is wgere the fruit trees and bushes come in, along with my perennial onions,herbs , asparagus and seakale. There is usually something to eat from the garden year round.

Number 3 after me dinner!

[jansman]

3) Foraging. Now do not let anyone, especially the 'keyboard experts' tell you they will live off the land. Total fantasy. For one thing, carbohydrates are hard come by. However, being a country boy, I have access to land in the village. Especially my stretch of river. I have sole fishing rights, although I am under no illusion I am the only one on there! Along with fish, of which there is plenty, there are ducks , pheasants and pigeons. There are hazel trees, Alexanders and bulrushes. There are blackberries and crabapples too. There are rabbits, but there is no need of those.

From the fish point if view, I would only catch what we would eat, but this is something I am very skilled at ( my Dad taught me on this stretch), but any more would be used for trading.IF it came to this though, we would all be in dire straights!!!!

Again, like the garden, this is not a total source of food by any means. Both gardening and foraging are learned skills, and need constant practice.

[Decaff]

Great post!

I have tinned, dried and a freezer full too. Fully aware that if the power shut down I will need to cook from the freezer first. I lust after an All American Pressure canner I would start with canning jars of home made ready meals to just heat and serve, followed by meats, vegetables, stocks, and soups. Till then I just çarry on stashing what I know we will eat,

[Deeps]

If I was going to be an a***hole I'd say my preps, my next door neighbours food and the houses either side of them. That would be how some would work. I don't really have long term alternatives other than teamwork. I've got wild deer 5 minutes away from me for food but I'd be out of the house for a few hours, even if I just went out at dusk and Her Maj really isn't up to bayonetting the neighbours and there's no danger she'd shoot bambi. As for the veg, outside of the stores, our allotment is a 20 minute drive away (I know, it wasn't my idea), although there are other allotments a 10 minute walk (past the deer). Assuming that nobody else was trying to shoot the rabbits and deer or climbing into the allotments to raid them then we'd be fine. If it was an EMP thing or the like and everyone else was cutting about then it would leave Her Maj even more like Penelope Pitstop. No, cooperation is the way ahead, possibly moving into other peoples houses or them into ours would make sense, a couple of guys off looking for food and a couple of guys looking after what you've got. Unless you're talking about the mad levels of prepping and 95% of the population being wiped out (and somehow you and all your loved ones being immune) then there's going to be a lot of hungry angry people. I seem to be stuck on a theme, I seem to keep circling back to this, apologies.

[jansman]

Great post!

I have tinned, dried and a freezer full too. Fully aware that if the power shut down I will need to cook from the freezer first. I lust after an All American Pressure canner I would start with canning jars of home made ready meals to just heat and serve, followed by meats, vegetables, stocks, and soups. Till then I just çarry on stashing what I know we will eat,

'Canning' is something I would like to try to be fair. I just do not have the time though.

Regarding what Deeps says, that is not the reason I posted. If we were in that SHTF situation it would be bad, and co operation would count.

It is more a point about food security really. I am seeing all the news surrounding 'Operation Stack' and the news around Calais. It makes me realise how much food is imported. A week or two back a member here said we only have the capacity to produce home grown for 16 million of our 60 odd million population. The rest is imported. That is fragile, to say the least.

[Deeps]

Great post!

I have tinned, dried and a freezer full too. Fully aware that if the power shut down I will need to cook from the freezer first. I lust after an All American Pressure canner I would start with canning jars of home made ready meals to just heat and serve, followed by meats, vegetables, stocks, and soups. Till then I just çarry on stashing what I know we will eat,

'Canning' is something I would like to try to be fair. I just do not have the time though.

Regarding what Deeps says, that is not the reason I posted. If we were in that SHTF situation it would be bad, and co operation would count.

It is more a point about food security really. I am seeing all the news surrounding 'Operation Stack' and the news around Calais. It makes me realise how much food is imported. A week or two back a member here said we only have the capacity to produce home grown for 16 million of our 60 odd million population. The rest is imported. That is fragile, to say the least.

Apologies for taking it off on a tangent mate. As long as the lecky is running we've got a chest freezer in the garage and a big American jobby in the house so we'd be good out of them for a week or two. I've got well over a month (maybe 2 if we were careful) for the 2 of us in my 'zombie stores' but as for foraging, as I posted, it would be tough, even though we live on the edge of a small town and are a few minutes from farmers fields and woods to support a handful of deer etc.

[jansman]

Not at all. You did not go off at a tangent.

We take food for granted. Far too much. Ok , we are 'First World' and at this moment it is the land of plenty. Unless you are using a food bank of course, which is a travesty in itself ( but I won't go there on that one!).

We have a remote chance of serious shortages, but there is always that chance nonetheless. Especially if your income stops, which is likely for any of us.

[ForgeCorvus]

Not at all. You did not go off at a tangent.

We take food for granted. Far too much. Ok , we are 'First World' and at this moment it is the land of plenty. Unless you are using a food bank of course, which is a travesty in itself ( but I won't go there on that one!).

We have a remote chance of serious shortages, but there is always that chance nonetheless. Especially if your income stops, which is likely for any of us.

According to a very quick search the UK imports roughly 40% of its food.

Scary thought that we couldn't feed two out of every five people

In the late Thirty's (just prior to WW2) around 55 million tons was imported each year.... I can't find what percentage of food requirements that was.

There are probably folks on here who remember rationing as it didn't (compleatly) finish until 1954