FOOD for thought...

In today’s world, it is important that we learn more about taking care of ourselves. The price of fuel is unstable and we are hearing that it will pass the $4 a gallon mark this year, perhaps even climb to $5. The price of food is climbing as well. We also have gotten into the habit of eating food more and more, from other countries. We don’t know how safe our food is anymore. We insist on having orange juice every morning and salads year round. Many countries allow spraying of certain things on their produce and fruit to help control disease and insect damage that we don’t allow here. In America, GMO foods (which we are learning have long term health affects) are allowed on the shelves without being labeled as such, but it’s strictly forbidden in the EU. The secret to having safe food is to grow it yourself or buy it locally! When you buy local, you not only get food better suited to your body, you are supporting a local small business. When you grow your own food, you are learning a skill and practicing it. You also are intimately familiar with your food and know everything that went into growing it. You even can choose how to preserve that food and have control over what is added. As preppers, we often just stock up and buy whatever we can find at a good price. While this is a great way to get your pantry stocked quickly and with items you are familiar with, at some point, no matter how much you store, the food will run out and be too expensive to replace. You need to grow your own if you plan to eat! A small garden is not hard to do or maintain and will give you practice for a larger one if you don’t already garden. You can grow in raised beds (which gives you better yields) if you want an easier way to grow. If you live in a place with little sun or a small yard, consider The Global Bucket System or other container growing. (http://www.globalbuckets.org/). With either a Global Bucket System or raised beds, it’s easier to expand. I am now up to 16 raised beds that are 4’ x 16’. This year, we may be expanding again. That is up for debate in our family as I am more in favor of trimming what we grow (not the amount) and fine tuning what we do in the garden. One of my raised beds is our green bean bed (our favorite) and it grows all the green beans and dill bean pickles for our family. In raised beds, you don’t grow in traditional rows…you grow everything an equal distance apart in all directions. I can customize the nutrients I put in each bed this way also. Last year, we started a mulching system where I planted my plants, then lay down compost on the dirt, topped that with wet newspaper and topped that with wood chips I got free from the local power company’s tree trimming. I had wonderful, lush plants but NO weeds at all! I like gardening smarter, not harder. Preserving the harvest is fairly simple (though admittedly a bit rushed with everything coming in at the same time). We have invested in the right tools for the job; a water bath canner (for pickles and jams), a pressure canner (for veggies and meats) and jars…lots and lots of jars! The MOST important item in my canning supplies is The Ball Blue Book of Canning. ( Ball site: http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx). We also have planted fruit trees (though they are still young ones) and I usually find great deals or glean from friends and neighbors trees. I started making juice for us and found that a juicer/steamer was an excellent investment for this (http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___Juice_and_Beverage_Making___Steamers___8_1_4_Qt_Stainless_Steel_Steam_Juicer___1152245?Args=) I was lucky last year and got a chance to buy seconds from a local orchard for $6 a bushel. I made dozens of jars of jam and apple butter, dozens of jars of apple sauce and dozens of quarts of apple juice out of them. I added it up and here was my cost: $79.00 for the juicer $36.00 for the apples I got the equivalent of $108.00 of juice $ 90.00 of apple sauce $150.00 worth of apple butter and jam I used some of those jars for gifts, saving on that expense. As you can see, it was a good deal and use of my time. I’ll try and estimate my other canning and dehydrating savings as well soon. It’s not rocket science; anyone can do this and get savings like that. Next year, I don’t have to worry about the cost of buying the tools, so my savings will be even better. Survival and preparedness, as well as good health, means taking care of yourself !