Stockpiling Food?

[GotGarlic]

We just came back from Michigan and the corn and soybean crops in the Midwest are indeed devastated. Even if they got a lot of rain now, it's too late for pollination and growth, so they're gone. Also, northern Michigan is where a lot of cherries and apples in this country are grown. Those crops were killed in the spring; in March, unusually warm weather caused the trees to bloom and then the blossoms were killed by frost in April. So prices for cherry pie fillings, etc., will go up.

As someone said, meat prices will go down temporarily while farmers slaughter livestock for lack of food for them, but anything that includes corn products will be going up.

We don't have the space to stockpile much, either.

 

[jabbur]

I heard on the radio that meteorologists say we are entering a weather cycle similar to the one in the 30's and the dust bowl era. Expect the drought to last for a while. I don't necessarily stockpile on purpose but tend to buy if it's on sale and has a good shelf life. Most of the time I'm heading to the store for milk and bread and fresh veggies.

 

[CWS4322]

I heard meat like beef, pork, and chicken are going to rise because the price of feed is going to become more expensive this fall. A twenty percent rise in price can add up to a lot of extra expense over the long winter...

Rock--in Renfrew County, the 2nd cutting of hay was hard hit. Whereas those round bales of hay were usually $30, they are now selling for 60-80. Corn has gone up 50% since about June 20th. We feed our chickens a mix of free-range and corn. Our eggs are now going to cost more. Corn is in so many products, that yes, they will go up most likely. Beef is supposed to go down briefly because farmers are getting rid of livestock--not worth feeding them. Dairy products will definitely go up--I've started stockpiling cheese. Because of the drought in the wheat-belt, we have already been paying higher prices for pasta, flour, etc. I stockpile pasta when it is on sale, flour, rice, etc. Maybe you can get a decent deal on 1/2 a steer or 1/2 pig (if you have room to store it). I saw $3.20/lb cut and wrapped for beef yesterday...tempting.

We picked up an old, non-working freezer (free to good home) to store the 10-12 bags of chicken feed we are buying tomorrow. Luckily, we have space <g>. Hopefully, that will get the flock through the winter, plus the corn we planted for them (it is looking a lot better than the fields around us--but, we shall see).

 

[Katie H]

I've always been one to maintain a fully-stocked pantry and freezer. We have one large upright freezer and the top freezers on both refrigerators. Our inside pantry is quite well stocked with a variety of canned and dry goods. The storage room has all the shelves with all the canned goods from our garden(s), along with extra paper goods. We use very little in the way of tissues and paper towels, no paper napkins as we solely use cloth napkins. The only other paper goods would be TP, which we buy in case lots at Sam's and one case lasts the two of us easily a couple of months.

As far as food prices going up...you bet. We live in a farming community, both crops and livestock. The drought has ruined many farmers and some have even seen their wells dry up, which is not good as they depend on the wells to fill the ponds that are used for irrigation. No wells, no ponds, no irrigation, no crops. Pretty simple.

Very few of the soy bean farmers will see any return on their hard work. What rain does come..if there is any...is too late for the soy beans. Even if they did rally, they still have to produce beans and that's not likely to happen. The corn won't fare much better, but there will be some. A great deal of the corn has just burned up in the fields. The wheat was pathetic this year and as far as hay goes, kiss it off, too. Many of our region's farmers are already filing their crop insurance claims and some are even selling their tractors, etc. Farming is not a cheap job.

This leads to livestock. They are suffering from lack of water and adequate feed, so you can see where our food prices will go.

Not only will our vegetable and meat prices rise, but anything that has wheat as an ingredient will be affected, so you might consider stockpiling flour, etc.

It's not pretty and I think we're all in for a bit of belt tightening and teeth grinding. I'm not looking forward to it, but I know we'll manage. Buck always said he never saw anyone who could make a penny squeal. Well, I'm about to make one scream bloody murder.

 

[CWS4322]

We have 2 wells at the farm--we pumped one dry yesterday...hopefully it will recover. We were trying to get enough moisture on the corn and gardens to save what we could re: crops. We can still run the house well dry...probably not a good idea.

I wash dishes in a tub and dump the grey water on the plants out there. We also have a bucket in the shower. And, when we refresh the dogs' water dishes, that no longer gets dumped, it gets put on the plants. When I boil water (as I'm doing today to freeze beans), when I change it, it doesn't go down the sink, it goes in a 22 gal. bucket to cool and be put on the tomato plants.

I'm so glad I didn't get sheep or a dairy goat this summer...I'd have to be buying them feed. The pennies have been screaming bloody murder around here for awhile...

 

[PrincessFiona60]

On a side note, re: the drought. Our Administrator was going on about Community Responsibility and what we, as employees, were doing to promote our Community Responsibility. I pinned her down about this and asked what the facility was doing...our (the facility) sprinklers run every day for lush green lawns, during the hottest part of the day. I suggested they only run at night and run every other day instead of daily since most of the country is suffering through drought. I know this won't help those in the midwest and the south, but it may just help those neighbors of ours who rely on water for their livelihood. While the facility needs water, we don't really need it for the lawns.

 

[CWS4322]

On a side note, re: the drought. Our Administrator was going on about Community Responsibility and what we, as employees, were doing to promote our Community Responsibility. I pinned her down about this and asked what the facility was doing...our (the facility) sprinklers run every day for lush green lawns, during the hottest part of the day. I suggested they only run at night and run every other day instead of daily since most of the country is suffering through drought. I know this won't help those in the midwest and the south, but it may just help those neighbors of ours who rely on water for their livelihood. While the facility needs water, we don't really need it for the lawns.

Lawn? Ours look like cornflakes. Saves on the cost of mowing. I have 2 22 gal buckets of water on the side step for (1) the little tomato-swiss chard-lettuce-herb patch I keep at the house in the City, and (2) for my perennials. I spent a small fortune on those. I am about to install a bucket in the shower to catch that run-off as well. I can live without the green lawn, but when my food dries up...well, let's just say, I'm not happy. I would've been able to harvest black raspberries--but, they dried up. I got some, but not nearly as many as I might have been able to harvest. And, for those who don't know, no, they are not blackberries, they are black raspberries and are SOOOO sweet. The blueberries and June berries dried up as well, don't know if the apricot trees will survive.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I wish that any water-saving things I do at home would be of help to my friends here at DC. As it is, I'm doing what I can to lower my water consumption, my shower and dish water is flushing the toilet. And we are not hurting here in our valley like many folks are.

 

[Claire]

I stockpile as much as possible with no freezer and limited cabinet space. I do it mostly for the reason others mention, I like to be able to decide what to eat for dinner without having to go out to the grocery store every time I need something. I also buy nonperishables when I find a good sale, but, really, I live in a town with 2 grocery stores. The sales aren't usually a lot to write home about.

 

[Addie]

On a side note, re: the drought. Our Administrator was going on about Community Responsibility and what we, as employees, were doing to promote our Community Responsibility. I pinned her down about this and asked what the facility was doing...our (the facility) sprinklers run every day for lush green lawns, during the hottest part of the day. I suggested they only run at night and run every other day instead of daily since most of the country is suffering through drought. I know this won't help those in the midwest and the south, but it may just help those neighbors of ours who rely on water for their livelihood. While the facility needs water, we don't really need it for the lawns.

I am happy to report that here in Massachusetts, when we are in drought conditions, the first edict to come our way is "No lawn watering." And "No car washing."

A couple of years ago Lake Lanier in Georgia went down considerably. My girlfriend has a cottage and in normal conditions the water comes right up to her dock and is quite deep. During the last major drought they had to walk five minutes to get to the water. The lake still hasn't recovered fully. And now it is starting to recede again.

 

[Hoot]

In NC we are in a moderate drought condition. 'Course we had some very heavy rain most of the day on Saturday. Not enough to break a drought. Unfortunately we will likely need a tropical storm or hurricane to really bring enough water here to help.

Ain't that a fine choice to have to make? Prayin' for a hurricane or gettin dried up and blown away. Still, I think we will squeak by, cropwise.
Don't the Mormons advocate keepin' a year's supply of food on hand, or was that some other group? Don't matter who it was, I reckon it's something we all might need to look at.

 

[Addie]

In NC we are in a moderate drought condition. 'Course we had some very heavy rain most of the day on Saturday. Not enough to break a drought. Unfortunately we will likely need a tropical storm or hurricane to really bring enough water here to help.

Ain't that a fine choice to have to make? Prayin' for a hurricane or gettin dried up and blown away. Still, I think we will squeak by, cropwise.
Don't the Mormons advocate keepin' a year's supply of food on hand, or was that some other group? Don't matter who it was, I reckon it's something we all might need to look at.

Yes it is the Mormons. I had a girlfriend in Tacoma and she along with her mother practiced it. Her mother said you would never see a Mormon on welfare. They take care of their own and there is always enough food in the community to help others. Not a bad practice. When I went to Spokane, to visit her mother she was canning a crate of tomatoes. She showed me her cellar where she had all her canning and other dry good stored. Every month she would rotate them so that the oldest got used first. I think it is a great practice.

 

[CWS4322]

In my collection of 1000+ cookbooks, I was just reading "A Family Raised on Sunshine" which is written by Beverly K. Nye. It includes the "plan" for storing one-year's worth of food, including the wheat to grind one's own flour. We end up with about nine months' worth of veggies once the garden is done. But definitely don't have a year's worth and we do have to go the grocery store regularly.

In her book, she does something neat re: storing empty canning jars--she refills them with water and seals them (so--cans water). This way, the water requirement gets met, and the jars are clean for the next year--that part I like!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I am seriously considering stockpiling some food items for the coming winter. With the drought in Eastern Canada and some of the US, you can bet the food prices will rise. I am thinking flour, cornmeal, beef, chicken for sure. Maybe canola oil. Anything else be affected by the drought?

Any livestock or livestock products from animals that eat corn. Think milk, cream, goose, veal, beef, pork, chicken, eggs, etc. Stock up on canned or frozen sweet corn, or corn products that you use, including some salsa's, corn meal, masa harina, etc.

By the way, that's good thinking.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[taxlady]

I am happy to report that here in Massachusetts, when we are in drought conditions, the first edict to come our way is "No lawn watering." And "No car washing."

A couple of years ago Lake Lanier in Georgia went down considerably. My girlfriend has a cottage and in normal conditions the water comes right up to her dock and is quite deep. During the last major drought they had to walk five minutes to get to the water. The lake still hasn't recovered fully. And now it is starting to recede again.

No watering of lawns here. Normally we are only allowed to water lawns in the evening and only on certain days, depending on your house number.

In Denmark, when there is a drought, you can still water your lawn. You can water anything you want to water, as along as you water by hand and don't use a hose. I'm sure they have different rules for farmers.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Yes it is the Mormons. I had a girlfriend in Tacoma and she along with her mother practiced it. Her mother said you would never see a Mormon on welfare. They take care of their own and there is always enough food in the community to help others. Not a bad practice. When I went to Spokane, to visit her mother she was canning a crate of tomatoes. She showed me her cellar where she had all her canning and other dry good stored. Every month she would rotate them so that the oldest got used first. I think it is a great practice.

Yup. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons), and we do try to keep a stockpile of food essentials around in case of things like drought, blizzards, hurricanes, and other disasters, natural, or man-made. It just makes sense. Originally, we were advised to keep a two year supply of food, water, and fuel. As that is very difficult for many, the amount has been reduced.

Foods to keep are things like rice, wheat, dried legumes, honey, sugar, freeze-dried, or dehydrated foods, seasonings, etc. We are also advised to plant and keep gardens, and can the foods we grow, if possible.

Way too many things can disrupt the food supply. It just makes sense. I have some foods, but not what I should have. My garden is doing very well right now, and so I am starting to purchase canning supplies, and enjoying the fruits of my early labor.

The idea of stockpiling is to give yourself a nutritious cache of food for emergencies that is worth eating. It doesn't need to be gourmet, but has to be good enough to eat for a good period of time.

I personally know of several people, including me and my family, who have lived off of food storage when between jobs (such as when i was out fresh out of the Navy, living in Spokane, with no jobs available during the recession of 82/83). You never know when the unexpected can rise up and hit you. It's a good idea.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Skittle68]

I like stockpiling food even if for no other reason than convenience. For example, if you use chicken stock and you see it on sale, why not buy a dozen cans? Then the next dozen times you need it you won't have to put it on your shopping list, or take another 1-2 minutes to add it to your shopping cart.

I agree with this completely. I'm pretty good about rotating and remembering what needs to get used so that things don't get old, but I still feel like my bf must think I'm crazy to have so much food for two people. But if cream soup is on sale, I buy a bunch. It will get used, and that way I never pay the normal store price.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I agree with this completely. I'm pretty good about rotating and remembering what needs to get used so that things don't get old, but I still feel like my bf must think I'm crazy to have so much food for two people. But if cream soup is on sale, I buy a bunch. It will get used, and that way I never pay the normal store price.

That's the second comment in this discussion about rotation so I decided to add a few words on the subject.

There are two kinds of inventory systems, LIFO and FIFO. Last In First Out is often used for convenience when the product lasts indefinitely (perhaps nails or bricks), you put items on the shelf and push them to the back if you need more room. First In First Out is the preferred method for perishable items, even long term items such as canned foods. You can either add new items at the back of the shelf and remove off the front, or vice versa. With this system you're always using the oldest product first. (I suppose there's a third system: random, often adopted with people who aren't control freaks. )

I like to put new items at the back of the shelf so the oldest item is conveniently located at the front of the shelf when I need it. I also like to use a permanent marker and mark the month and year on the can, bottle or package. (Example: currently 712.) Then if there is any uncertainty which item is oldest I can just look at my markings. (This is a lot easier than having to find use-by or made-on markings since they vary from product to product.)

I'm curious if anybody has any system other than add to the back remove from the front, or vice versa.

 

[Skittle68]

That's the second comment in this discussion about rotation so I decided to add a few words on the subject.

There are two kinds of inventory systems, LIFO and FIFO. Last In First Out is often used for convenience when the product lasts indefinitely (perhaps nails or bricks), you put items on the shelf and push them to the back if you need more room. First In First Out is the preferred method for perishable items, even long term items such as canned foods. You can either add new items at the back of the shelf and remove off the front, or vice versa. With this system you're always using the oldest product first. (I suppose there's a third system: random, often adopted with people who aren't control freaks. )

I like to put new items at the back of the shelf so the oldest item is conveniently located at the front of the shelf when I need it. I also like to use a permanent marker and mark the month and year on the can, bottle or package. (Example: currently 712.) Then if there is any uncertainty which item is oldest I can just look at my markings. (This is a lot easier than having to find use-by or made-on markings since they vary from product to product.)

I'm curious if anybody has any system other than add to the back remove from the front, or vice versa.

I use the FIFO method. New items go to the back, and freezer items get dated with a marker. Not a bad idea to mark pantry items too tho. I keep everything in a pretty meticulous order- soups and vegetables each have their own row on the shelf, label facing out, but I can just picture my bf rummaging through, seeing if there are different kinds in the back lol. He is sort of a bull in a china shop sometimes. I could pretty much tell you where everything is in the freezer too. Everything has has it's own spot lol

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Actually I can't imagine anybody storing food using any system other than FIFO.

I use the same date marking system in my pantry too, and in fact on practically everything food related unless it's something like coffee filters which of course don't matter.

Using some sort of date marking is particularly important for spices, and for bottled items like sauces that you keep in your refrigerator. I've sometimes found items at the back of my fridge that were 3-5 years old! Needless to say I threw them out.