Is anyone here taking steps toward greater food security in light of the rising prices?

[FedUpWithIt All]

We are planning a larger garden next year and an increase in the the number of chickens we are raising.
We'd really to get better at food preservation by building a cold smoke house and a root cellar.

Is anyone here working toward greater food independence? What are your projects or plans?

[ixion]

1. I've bought property, started raising chickens, and planted trees and a garden

so yeah...

[FedUpWithIt All]

10. We're working on a similar plan.

:hi:

[ixion]

13. cool!

Glad to know I'm not alone. :hi:

[frazzled]

2. Eat more modestly

It's too hard to keep chickens on a sixth-floor rooftop in the middle of a large urban area.

Honestly, folks: not everyone lives in conditions that allow for self-sufficiency. I, however, am a pretty good cook, and can whip up an authentic souffle with 4 eggs and a small bunch of spinach that can feed two people for two nights for almost nothing. I can take a small can of salmon and turn it into fairly sophisticated croquettes that feed four. Risottos and pasta dishes with vegetables can be cost-efficient and tasty. I almost never buy any kind of pre-prepared or packaged foods (except we keep some canned soups on hand for lunches).

Mostly (and this is the one bonus of aging), we eat less than we used to. Save money and keep the waistline trim.

[kestrel91316]

6. Buying in bulk helps to make food dollars go farther. Buying cheap in season produce

and preserving it for later use also helps. Neither one requires land.

I used to have a huge garden and did lots of canning for 15 years or so. I don't have a garden anymore, but seasonal and bulk are still my friends.

[FedUpWithIt All]

7. I agree. I was looking for ideas and changes in all walks.

I know some people have been buying a little extra during shopping trips to "put up" a little for later. This is something anyone can do.

Gardening, and raising livestock is just the way we are going about doing things but the ways of preparing for food instability are as varied as the people who eat food. :-) I was just looking for people to share their own experiences.

[CoffeeCat]

3. I couldn't believe the prices in the grocery store...

...when I went shopping yesterday.

It's almost as if overnight--prices have skyrocketed. I keep pretty good track of grocery-store prices as
I am one of those crazy couponer people. Yesterday, I bought $75 worth of groceries for $14.

That's really my strategy, to keep couponing (I get 40-100 of those Sunday newspaper coupon inserts) and
get great deals and stockpile. I also donate to food pantries. I got 120 boxes of cereal for a grand
total of $10 last week and donated 50 to our local food pantry. I stockpile...that's my insurance for our
family.

We just talked about renting a garden space in our suburb. There are new city garden plots with space
open, for $10 a year. I really want to plant a couple of Honeycrisp apple trees as well, but we didn't
get that done this year. Time is running out!

Prices are just CRAZY! Does anyone know why this is?

[FedUpWithIt All]

8. Russia's droughts and wildfires, Pakistan's floods, America's floods and weird climate...

Global food production was not as stable this year. Hard to say if the trend will continue but it looks likely that stabilization will take at least a few years.

http://blogs.forbes.com/greatspeculations/2010/10/27/the-food-crisis-of-2011/?boxes=Homepagechannels


The prices of staples has been rising fast.

I have always been interested in effective coupon savings. It seems like a near art form to some of us outside the loop. It is really impressive how much some are able to save. I stand in awe. I'm afraid i am far too disorganized to every make it work. I can't even remember to take my reusable shopping bags to the store. x(

[creeker]

27. We do the coupon thing also----

Plus kill deer,rabbits,and squirrel .
great eating.
This protein plus Beans and Rice can go a long way--

[Denninmi]

4. I live on 2.2 acres in the 'burb.

I've always grown an enormous garden, planted fruit and nut trees, I have chickens, turkeys, ducks, quail, and bees. Next year, I am thinking about raising rabbits. I can, freeze, and dehydrate. My only real regret is that I don't have more time to be "self sufficient" since I do work and take care of my elderly mother.

I agree with the poster who said "not everyone has the ability" to raise their own food. But, those with the ability should.

[FedUpWithIt All]

9. Wow, that is an impressive use of 2.2 in the suburbs!!!

I bet that all keeps you extremely busy.

We only have the chickens for now but i plan to put an order in for some American Buff geese as soon as i can find some for sale.

[Denninmi]

16. Chickens are the gateway drug ...

... to bigger poultry addictions.

Go for it. I want to get some geese, too. I bought a really good incubator this year, and had ok to decent results with eggs I bought over eBay from various people. I will probably get some goose eggs in the spring.

[FedUpWithIt All]

17. They are. It's terrible.

:rofl:

I know next spring i am going to need an intervention!

[damntexdem]

5. If I planted a single plant I'd have a larger garden.

But, no, I don't plan to plant said plant.

[FedUpWithIt All]

11. I wasn't suggesting everyone should garden.

That is just what WE are doing to bring in more food cheaply. Is there anything that you do that helps cover rising food prices?

[AndyTiedye]

12. Been Expanding the Garden, Also Belong to a CSA

As I have been repairing our deck, I ended up with a lot of redwood
that I had taken out because it was rotted in places,
but it was still good enough to build planters or raised beds,
so I built several of those. We have been growing tomatoes,
basil, beans, peas, peppers and chard in those beds.

Rosemary just grows here without any assistance:

with sage, thyme, and oregano, being somewhat less enthusiastic but still reliable.

Fresh herbs make everything taste so much better!

We are also in a CSA, so we get somewhat inundated with vegetables in the summer.

[FedUpWithIt All]

14. I am a bit jealous of your growing season.

:hi:

That is an incredible Rosemary shrub!

I am a major herb nut. Rosemary is my absolute favorite, followed quite closely by Basil. The smells! This year, our herbs were pot bound and we are excited about the extended season (we've been bringing them inside on the cold nights).

I am unfamiliar with the CSA. Is that a swap?

[AndyTiedye]

15. We're Up in the Mountains a Bit, so Colder Than You Might Think

One of the raised beds was fitted with a frame of PVC over which we put plastic to protect from the cold in the spring.

Frost doesn't seem to bother that rosemary one bit, and it has gotten into the mid 20º's a few times.
The plant pictured in the previous post was there when we moved here, almost 20 years ago.

The trick with basil (and tomatoes) is to grow them together. When we tried to grow either without the other we failed.
The bugs that like tomatoes detest basil and visa versa. Grow them next to each other.

CSA = Community-Supported Agriculture. Buying veggies from a local farm on an annual subscription basis.
Pay them in the spring and get a box of veggies every week from May to November.

[FedUpWithIt All]

18. I love garden pictures.

Pretty kitty too. : )

We also plant the basil together with the tomatoes. Not only do they help each other grow but who's mouth doesn't water just from the sound of those two words together...tomato and basil. mmmmmmm

I haven't had luck with overwintering rosemary. Not really sure what i've done wrong. Sage, lemon balm, thyme, mints...no problem. Basil dies off very quickly and the rosemary and oregano hold out for a while but usually succumb before too long. : ( We're hoping this year they'll survive.

[Denninmi]

19. Interesting topic. Thanks for posting.

For some reason, I'm drawn to threads like this. I guess it's my way of "spreading the word"

Yes, grocery prices are jumping, especially when you consider the "downsizing" of a lot of products -- same box, less inside. There are a lot of reasons, not the least of these that "commodities" are the new hot investment for speculators -- just like oil was a few years ago. They make money, and people starve to death. Nice, huh?

Well, I do the whole gardening/canning/freezing/drying/raising poultry thing. That's first and foremost. I grow a LOT of food.

But, other things, too, can really help. Even if you don't garden, you can still do canning and preserving to take advantage of in-season things and bargains. Go to farmer's markets if you can. ESPECIALLY, go in the last hour -- if the market closes at 2:00, show up at 1:30, and you can often get a LOT of bargains, you can often even negotiate, because the vendors don't want to take it home or throw it out.

Day old bakeries are good if there is one near your. Often, stuff can be really cheap. Sometimes it's not even outdated, just overproduction, canceled orders, or even mismarked/mislabeled products (the local day old bakery outlet here once had some bread for $0.25 a loaf because the wrappers were pre-priced wrong at $26.99 a loaf instead of $2.69, a misprint!).

You can avoid processed foods as much as possible, stick to staples, and cook from scratch. It's almost always much, much cheaper. I know it's more work and more time, but it can be done by most folks.

Buy in bulk and share it or store it if its too much.

Take advantage of every bargain you find -- sales, coupons, clearances.

Even be on the lookout for "free" food -- there are a lot of wild foods free for the gathering. Just this morning, as I was walking the dog, I found some great big shaggy mane mushrooms growing along the sidewalk. They got cooked with tonight's dinner and put into the spaghetti sauce (please, though, with wild mushrooms, ALWAYS know what you're doing, educated yourself well before even ONE bite goes into your mouth).

Other "free" wild foods for the taking here in my Michigan community -- various greens like dandelions, dock, lambs quarters, amaranth, poke shoots in the spring (require double boiling, but taste just like asparagus, delicious!), goosefoot, etc. Fruits like crabapples and wild grapes make great jelly. There are a LOT of wild black raspberries here in July, growing along the safety paths at the edge of the woodlots, free for the taking. Also, for those inclined, a fishing license is still pretty cheap, and it doesn't take much in the way of equipment to catch bluegills, perch, and other panfish, and those sell for like $10 a lb at the store IF you can get them, and when you can buy them, they're NOT fresh! Wild nuts like black walnuts and hickory nuts are great in the fall, free for the harvesting, they take work to shell, of course, but are delicious, too.

If you qualify, go to food pantries. My aunt was left very poor after she left her husband of many, many years (my mother's cheating brother). She got a lot of food that way.

[FedUpWithIt All]

20. All really helpful advice.

I especially like the advice about the "free" wild foods.

Wild onions, black raspberries...so good.

[dgibby]

21. My garden didn't do well this year.

It was so hot here(SC) that the tomato plants stopped producing. Plants themselves were beautiful, but tomatoes were small and green, and did not ripen. Squash vine borers got the zuchinni and summer squash, all the blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry bushes/vines croaked, as did all the melons. The only things that did well were basil, 'cukes, and bell peppers.

Next year I'll be living in the Alleghany Mountains in western Va., so am hoping the climate will be more conducive to growing, plus there are several CSA's and farmers marts there. I'd like to get some laying hens (no roosters, as I'll be in town).

If you Google the terms "CSA's" and "sustainable living", you'll find lots of good ideas and info. Another good resource is "Mother Earth News Magazine".

[FedUpWithIt All]

23. Congratulations on your impending move

We moved to central

WV last year and we love the mountains.

Thanks for the mention of Mother Earth News. It and Countryside really are great resources for self sufficiency.

[fasttense]

30. Good idea about the chickens. They can also help with the bugs.

Since I've let my chickens eat around my one garden, the slugs are gone and many of the other pests were seriously diminished. I think this year, I'll let them into the garden but cover my raised bed so they don't munch down on the seedlings.

I think I will also use them for pre-planting clean up this year in my larger gardens. The chickens are hesitant to go out near the other gardens because there are no bushes, trees or fences for them to dodge behind when the hawks fly by. So, I'm planning to place shelters for them along the way and fence them into the area I want them to munch on. The chickens also feel safer if I stay with them, so I'll weed or plant while they clean out the near by areas.

I found I can get most of the chickens to follow me if I give them a little bread. I think bread is chicken crack. They seem to follow me anywhere as long as I give them a little.

[bvar22]

22. greater food security?....one of the many reasons.

In 2006, we sold everything, moved to the rural South, and started working on becoming as sustainable/independent as possible.
Fear of rising food prices wasn't a real big factor at that time.
We are old hippies and genuinely attracted to the healthy/sustainable/independent lifestyle.

There were many other reasons for our decision:

*Despair over national politics and the lack of Party that represented Working Class Americans

*Disgust with the out of control Corporatization/Consumerism of America.

*The rampant and growing contamination of the Factory Food Production & Delivery system

*The deterioration of taste and texture in most of the produce in the stores

*Our own aging...mid/late 50s, (Do it NOW, or forget about it.)

*Witnessing the aftermath of Katrina on the Gulf Coast.
(THIS greatly affected the timing of our decision
When I returned to Minneapolis from New Orleans, I told my wife, "You know that thing we have been talking about---Moving to The Woods and growing our own food?
Well, the time is NOW.")

This year:
We again expanded & optimized our fenced veggie garden area.
After 4 years we are getting a good idea of what is worth our time, and what requires a lot of work for little gain.

We have gotten much better at staggered plantings for rolling/extended harvests.
Our first year here, we planted everything in April.
While the results was awesome, it was pretty unmanageable to have a whole crop of something getting ripe on the same day.

We are also doing more Year Round gardening.

We doubled the size of our flock of chickens to 14 hens and two roosters.
We have really come to love our birds, and they have been the most cost effective source of year round health food.
14 hens are way more than my wife & I will ever need, but we had the space and love the birds.
The new hens have just started laying.

It is definitely a process.
Some things are not worth the effort.
Other things can be done in an easier way.
We are getting better at this as time goes by.
We haven't ever regretted our decision, though somethings we do get homesick for the stark beauty of a Minnesota Winter.

:hi:

[FedUpWithIt All]

24. I look forward to your new pictures in the spring.

:hi:

Really good mention of the staggered plantings. Hard to keep up with preservation work otherwise. So much can be learned from others experiences.

You guys really got a lot done in a short amount of time!! I figured you'd been living this way for much longer than you have.

Ours is slow going because we have no home on our land...yet. Straw bale plans at some point. It is so enjoyable adding on the pieces though. Current projects? Homemade cabinet incubator, PET bottle and cement rain water cistern, and PET bottle solar water heater. We'd like to get these all finished by spring.

[bvar22]

25. Thanks for the kind words.

We are relatively new at this, learning as we go.
Things have taken much longer than we expected.

It IS a huge pain living so far from the nearest Hardware or Building Supply.
"For the want of a nail,"... a whole project can be stopped in its tracks!

I enjoy your posts...kindred spirits with Common Cause.
I'll be posting photos from this season in a few days.
If you're ever in the area, you're invited over for Green Beans & Cornbread.
:hi:

[FedUpWithIt All]

26. Green beans and cornbread sound lovely.

:hi:

[DeadEyeDyck]

28. we tilled this fall and ...

ordered another batch from an online food storage supply.

[EarthFirster]

29. Pressure cooker

Got a pressure cooker for rice and beans, will be makeing alot more of them. Also, may start to store them with oxygen absorbers, especially rice, as rice will be going up due to bad harvest in Asia this year.

Also will be storing a big bag of cane sugar once a month, maybe get a flour grinder.

[lizziegrace]

31. If I can find a way to stay in the house I'm renting

I have 4 acres to use for gardens. I bought a pressure canner last year and found jars for a steal on Craigslist. I have a vacuum sealer for frozen food and am looking for a dehydrator. My biggest fear is having all my food in freezers and losing power.

I have severe allergies, so I'm having to cut out sugar, flour and simple carbs. I'll be eating mostly fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish and eggs. I buy in bulk when there's a good sale and can or freeze it. I should be okay.

I worry about my daughter and ZombieNixon when they go away to grad school. They won't have the land or the storage for a lot of food.

With oil prices soaring, my heating oil bill makes me sick. It's a scary time.

[FedUpWithIt All]

32. There is an intense learning curve with non-electric food storage

but it also makes me feel much more secure knowing that our well being in not dependent on electricity.

It is certainly an interesting time to be alive. The flooding, droughts, fires, animal die offs, earthquakes, volcanoes, economy, wars... We've been really working to get somewhat independent of the systems that typically sustain us because it is getting more and more difficult to have faith in them IMHO.

I also have a daughter that is living a distance away. She decided to stay in Ohio when she turned 18. She knows that she is to hightail it to Mom's place if things get too rough. :) She'll be able to sort her independent life back out if and when the storms have passed.

I'm sorry about the allergy issues but the move to clean food has to be an upside ;)


:hi: