Posted on 10/08/2012 1:56:11 PM PDT by hope_dies_last
Any tips or helpful resources to prepare for the coming food shortage and societal collapse? I am the father of two and I owe it to my wife and kids to make any necessary preparations, while I still can, for adequate survival in an economic meltdown or food crisis. I am on a very limited budget, but need any useful advice I can get out there to prepare with very limited resources. I am sure there are others on this platform, beside me and my family, that would stand to benefit from such advice.
Recently, it has become more and more apparent to me that urban dwellers may need to learn more about maintaining a survival or crisis garden. In order to maximize space and time for rapid growth and maturation of crops, one must become more adeptly acquainted with adequate soil preparation and maximization. Some of these methods are not widely used in commercial agriculture, which rely heavily on pesticides, fertilizers and heavy watering to compensate due to the nutrient starved and unconditioned soil.
There are several methods that require a multi-disciplinary, all-encompassing organic and soil preparation approach, to make the best use of limited time and space. The “working smarter not harder” approach, along with adopting a very green, composting and recyclable methods, one can make tremendous strides to maximize the use of the soil and increase yield, to sustain a small family during a food crisis.
We are at the brink of many different scenarios affecting supply chain and food distribution, including natural disasters, grid collapse, financial meltdown of our economy, etc. This is no longer far-fetched, wide-eyed alarmist theory, but a very real prospect that any one or combination of these ills, of our post-modern society, could very well threaten food availability and stability of city dwelling populations.
On average, all of our food is hauled in from an average of 1,200 miles away. Store shelves have been seen to empty, literally within hours, of the awareness of an impending emergency situation in any given major city. There are many preparations one can make to prepare for these situation and create a basic independence from the system for a temporary or extended period of time, depending on the location and the type of preparations made.
I am aware that these scenarios are real, and it is not a matter of “if”, but “when” they will happen. However, I work day in and day out and all of our resources and income is used up covering our basic expenses, like housing, food, transportation and other expenses, etc.
I know it will get much worse before it gets better and the saddest part is that although I am acutely aware of the situation, I am limited to act decisively due to our economic position at this time.
I believe acquiring the necessary know-how, tools, and essentials from very moderate means, would go a long, long way to help educate myself and those around me. I look forward to and I am open to your positive feedback and helpful advice to help move forward in this direction.
As they say, “Hope dies last”. To me there is still hope for the little guy who has the insight to plan and prepare.
/johnny
Peanut butter powder is also a good item to get. You can mix it into baking mixes for variety and protein, and it keeps better than regular peanut butter.
Think the zombie would go somewhere else (or die if he chose to keep coming). A tactical vest is loaded with what is necessary to keep firing and it's in the area where the doors are.
I was doing re-arranging of things a few days ago and found a body target sheet I used at a gun range. Years ago, I taped it to the outside of my bedroom door and that is what one would see when coming to my bedroom door. Friends laughed at that, but it made a statement. A body would be mostly cut in two by those bullets.
I agree you would need those military devices for your situation. I have friends who live on a small mountain in a rural area in the hill country of Texas (I've been there) so I can readily see you would need those. They have two Australian Shepherds and those big dogs make horrific barks and growls if anyone approaches.
However, I was there with my little female Yorkie, 4 lbs, and they were afraid of her, would walk away. That was funny.
It really depends on how often you cook outdoors - every meal, for example, or twice a week - and if you are using a dutch oven in addition to grilling directly over a flame.
The dutch oven can bake bread, cook rice and casseroles. It doesn’t require much in the way of charcoal or briquets, but daily use will take a chunk out of your energy supply.
I’m considering buying a small griller that uses sticks as a fuel source. I want to heat water in the morning for coffee and do not want to use either of my two set-ups which cook large amounst and require a considerably larger fuel load than an old camp kettle for heating water.
I never looked into that, but it sounds interesting.
Check the trees growing on “public lands”, like the median strips in quiet neighborhoods. Some of them will have edible fruits or nuts. Very few municipalities spray these areas, so on the one hand you can feel smug about eating organic fruits for free. On the other hand, you will learn to slice those apples very, very thin!
I just made up a big batch of crabapple pie filling from such “free trees”. There are crabapple trees around the corner from my parents’ house that bear apples as big as the ones in the store, and almost as sweet. People driving by give me odd looks when they see me out picking, but nobody objects. I’ve gotten raspberries and hickory nuts the same way.
There are also folks who have fruit or nut trees in their yard, but who don’t want the fruit (or nuts) that they bear. If you see a tree dropping its harvest on the sidewalk, ask and see if the owner would mind you taking some. My dad got a wheelbarrow full of black walnuts that way.
Check trapping regulations in your area. I know around here you don’t need a license to trap on your own property. I used to get squirrels regularly right on the back porch. I had to stop due to a muscle problem that keeps me from being able to set the traps anymore, but my nephew has been showing an interest so I might teach him when he’s a bit older.
If you can afford to send a family member to a trapper’s safety class, do so. They often know tricks for trapping in populated areas without getting caught. They can also help you sell the furs.
Sometimes if you put word out that you’re looking for stuff to can or dehydrate, people will bring you extras out of their gardens. Or, maybe a farmer has a field that could be gleaned? Those harvesting machines miss a lot. On one forum I’m on (can’t remember if it was this one, I’m on so many of them) one person said he picked up enough potatoes to feed his family for an entire year, just by spending a couple hours gleaning the potato field after the machines were done. What’s more, he said he only went through a small part of a single row!
If you have a lot of chocolate chip mix or pumpkin bread or other bread mixes, it’s an easy thing to dump in to add different flavors. Or pancake mix with peanut butter powder, then eat the pancakes with jelly. Can be mixed with fruit and milk to make smoothies and add protein.
In an emergency, mix the peanut butter powder with water for PB sandwiches.
I should probably add, my post was for helping stock up BEFORE things hit the fan, not after. Although the skills gained will certainly help with that, too.
I know you are probably speaking of factory made ammo, but scrap lead for casting your own bullets is getting harder and harder to find. This is mostly because of the EPA’s war on lead and the replacement of lead tire weights with steel and zinc wheel weights.
It has gotten to the point where I am now building myself a lead trap to use behind my targets so that I can reuse the lead from my bullets. At the current $.43 a pound it is probably not really worth the effort, but it saves me having to make more frequent trips to the metal recyclers. Where I go I basically crawl into a big bin with a small garden shovel and fill up 5 gallon buckets.
The bin has everything from tire weights to scrapped batteries with dangerous lead oxide powder on everything. Don't forget your respirator and don't wash your clothes in the family washing machine. It is filthy and dangerous. I keep the same set of coveralls in a heavy plastic bag to use on my trips to the scrap yard and for nothing else.
You have got me convinced... I am definately going to look for some of that PB powder. It probably is much lower in fat besides.
Pingeroo.
Read the comments, and the original post.
Thanks for the tip. The one I was looking at cost over three-hundred dollars!
envy, robbery, and murder
you’re the one jumping to that conclusion...
my reference was to protect yourself first and then the neighbors... and to maintain the law through strength....
jk...
the line my neighbor has food is a joke from the y2k bug fiasco...
but investing in a way to protect what is yours is first in line... there is a reason the second amendment is number two... protect the others...
Learning skills is free. Go online or to the library to research how to books and put to use that information. Take notice of skills your neighbors and friends might have and have them teach you. If your neighbor is doing some home repairs, go help him so you’ll know how to do it later. On a limited budget, practice reusing what you already have. Be frugal with everything. When operating under a strict budget, focus on prepping for a natural disaster or other short term event rather than a total breakdown.
Do a complete spring cleaning of the house top to bottom. Get together items for a garage sale and put any profits toward food storage. This is a multi fold task - what you got rid of will allow more space to store preps and you will find long forgotten items that are useful prep items. That crossbow your kids used one summer and threw in the back of the closet and that flintnapping stuff they brought back from camp is another prep. Those now empty canning jars Aunt Betty sent last Christmas with homemade jelly are prep items so don’t discard those. Ask Aunt Betty to teach you to home can and I bet she’d give you some canning supplies. Clean all that old camping equipment and dust off the tackle box. Get your tools organized so you’ll know exactly what you have and what you might need.
Put the word out and you’d be surprised at what people will gladly dump on your doorstep. I’ve had garden produce, a sewing maching and sewing supplies, a brand new tool box complete with new tools, brand new grill, etc. Scout out garage sales for good deals on larger prep items. All my home canning (except new lids) and sewing supplies have come free or from garage sales.
Nice tap-dance.
Didn’t work.
Very nice.
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