I grew up doing food storage. We weren't fanatical by any means but what I viewed as fanatical over time has changed a lot too. As it turned out, I have a lot of friends among food storage fanatics and over my adult years I have crept closer to that label myself. Honestly it is one I have been proud of, not by contrasting myself with others, but with how I, myself used to be.
Over the past year, however, my eyes have been drawn to the bigger world of Emergency Preparedness of which food storage is just a small part. At times as I thought of the different facets that make up this larger world, I admit that it had at times began to overwhelm me. Some elements could be but is definitely not limited to: food storage, first aid, (adult, child and infant,) CPR, (adult, child and infant,) gardening, wilderness gardening, (cultivating and making food from native vegetation), camping, hunting, fishing, wilderness survival, (I define this as being able to take a few basic supplies and being able to obtain food, shelter, water, etc. from it), among many, many other things. What came to mind was that I have a lot more than food storage.
Why do people do Emergency Preparedness? Well here are a few ideas. Katrina, Sandy, Rita, among others. I am not talking about those who lost everything necessarily, (though with proper planning, they would have some of this). I am talking about those who largely survived unscathed but had lost a job over the disaster, lived without power, water, food for days before it was restored. I am talking about being able to take care of your own needs in the case of an emergency and not be crippled in any one facet because of dependence on what is sure to be an overwhelmed government.
Here is the problem, though. I am poor. I don't have a ton of money to buy all this. That was my situation before the Great Recession. I realize a lot of people are like this as well. However, having worked on this for a long time, I have learned a lot of different ways to do things in food storage and emergency preparedness. I hope to put some of what I learned as well as resources that come available to me as well as critiques of resources from my own situation here on this blog.
One thing I have learned from the aforementioned fanatics is take feedback. Sometimes you have a system that is working great but someone has some advice. Whether they be novice or expert, a teenager who has an idea or a sage of the ages who has a gem to share. Take the advice and see how well it fits or could fit. Eventually, you will build a system that works well for you.
Out of the gate, I want to acknowledge a few resources I have used often though they are only a couple of many.
One is the site at www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net . They have a lot of good ideas and resources. I have particularly enjoyed their organization advice like the spreadsheets. I have tailored those to suit my own way I organize, but they have helped me remember the things I am missing, how much I have and how much I still have to go.
Another is www.pickyourown.org They have several recipes I have used in items I have canned like apple butter, jams, jellies, sauces, etc. They have also had a lot of sources of harder to find canning and storage items.
I have a lot more to share and to learn. I love encouragement and I can swallow some criticism. Please share what you have to offer and some may make it onto the blog. I will filter some content though to keep it in line with what I want to do with this blog so if I don't share something right off, don't be offended. Whether I share it or not, I am grateful for the comments.
Over the past year, however, my eyes have been drawn to the bigger world of Emergency Preparedness of which food storage is just a small part. At times as I thought of the different facets that make up this larger world, I admit that it had at times began to overwhelm me. Some elements could be but is definitely not limited to: food storage, first aid, (adult, child and infant,) CPR, (adult, child and infant,) gardening, wilderness gardening, (cultivating and making food from native vegetation), camping, hunting, fishing, wilderness survival, (I define this as being able to take a few basic supplies and being able to obtain food, shelter, water, etc. from it), among many, many other things. What came to mind was that I have a lot more than food storage.
Why do people do Emergency Preparedness? Well here are a few ideas. Katrina, Sandy, Rita, among others. I am not talking about those who lost everything necessarily, (though with proper planning, they would have some of this). I am talking about those who largely survived unscathed but had lost a job over the disaster, lived without power, water, food for days before it was restored. I am talking about being able to take care of your own needs in the case of an emergency and not be crippled in any one facet because of dependence on what is sure to be an overwhelmed government.
Here is the problem, though. I am poor. I don't have a ton of money to buy all this. That was my situation before the Great Recession. I realize a lot of people are like this as well. However, having worked on this for a long time, I have learned a lot of different ways to do things in food storage and emergency preparedness. I hope to put some of what I learned as well as resources that come available to me as well as critiques of resources from my own situation here on this blog.
One thing I have learned from the aforementioned fanatics is take feedback. Sometimes you have a system that is working great but someone has some advice. Whether they be novice or expert, a teenager who has an idea or a sage of the ages who has a gem to share. Take the advice and see how well it fits or could fit. Eventually, you will build a system that works well for you.
Out of the gate, I want to acknowledge a few resources I have used often though they are only a couple of many.
One is the site at www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net . They have a lot of good ideas and resources. I have particularly enjoyed their organization advice like the spreadsheets. I have tailored those to suit my own way I organize, but they have helped me remember the things I am missing, how much I have and how much I still have to go.
Another is www.pickyourown.org They have several recipes I have used in items I have canned like apple butter, jams, jellies, sauces, etc. They have also had a lot of sources of harder to find canning and storage items.
I have a lot more to share and to learn. I love encouragement and I can swallow some criticism. Please share what you have to offer and some may make it onto the blog. I will filter some content though to keep it in line with what I want to do with this blog so if I don't share something right off, don't be offended. Whether I share it or not, I am grateful for the comments.
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