The seeds are (mostly) down, and the prices are (going) up

Well, got most everything planted, except for the onions, because somehow that packet of seeds mysteriously disappeared. Hopefully they will mysteriously reappear, because it would be nice to have a renewable source of onions to add to my powdered variety. Of course, I could always go and buy another packet of seeds, if there are any left in the store... :)

I don't know how many people have seen this article, but apparently food prices are about to rise again. That's pretty scary to me, seeing as how I saw cereal that was on sale for about $3 more than I thought it was worth in the first place. According to the article, these increases are set to "kick in over the next few weeks," so while not specific, it still doesn't give us that much time to stock up on things at the price (however high) they are now.

I don't know where to find it now, but quite awhile ago I read a comment on a forum which I think was dealing with preparation for a pandemic. My apologies that I can't source it, but the idea was that when you are using your food storage, you should use your long-term storage items first in an emergency situation if there is a possibility of the electricity/power going out, because those items, like beans and rice, require a lot of energy to prepare. Then you save your canned items for absolute emergencies, after the power goes out, because you could eat them cold, in the dark, and still be in a pretty good situation, relatively speaking. Of course, if the power outage continues, you'll still have to make do (solar ovens, etc.) but at least you will have made it easier on yourself while you could.

I'm sure the original author said it better than I have, and I may have read some things into it, but it struck me because I would have started the other way around automatically. To my way of thinking, a lot of the long-term storage will last for 20 years, and the canned food will last considerably less time than that, so I would have gone for the stuff that would expire sooner in a heartbeat, reasoning that I should keep the stuff that lasts longer for the long haul. This idea, however, makes total sense to me, and while I will still watch the expiration dates, if I'm put into a situation where I am totally reliant on my food storage (in a pandemic, everyone would be isolated in the hopes that they wouldn't catch what was going around, hence less grocery shopping, and even possibly no one going to work, including those who work on the utilities) I will keep this idea in mind. It is obviously not my own idea, and everyone will have to make their own choices as to what to eat first when an emergency hits--but it sure is nice to have choices, even if you didn't think of them yourself. My appreciation to whoever wrote that comment. If anyone knows where it is, leave me a comment--- I like to give credit to those who deserve it.

Also, if you have the means to stock up, it would be wise to do so for variety in your storage, and also if you have picky eaters in your family who may need a little extra time to get used to the idea that more food storage is on the way for the foreseeable future. Being able to mix what people consider more "normal" food in with what may be new dishes could be extremely valuable and priceless in stressful situations. But right now, there is a price, and it's going up...stock up if you can. (No pun intended. :) (Really.)