Tuesday, April 14, 2009

(Less) food for thought

Well, I was going to write about how nice the weather was getting--warmer, etc.--and it ended up snowing today. So what I started (all three or four sentences of it :) has been deleted, and here's what will hopefully post before the weather changes again....

We are planning on expanding our garden space, and it sounds like it will probably come in handy, considering the news in this article, which details the decrease in crops taking place due to various reasons. Here's a small portion of said article (I hope you will read it in full--sobering stuff):

"Alarm bells are starting to ring about another food crisis this summer. Last week's acreage report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 7 million fewer acres were being planted for all crops. This came after the USDA's January report that noted that winter wheat acreage was down 7 percent. "

Yeah, not good news. The more we are able to plant for ourselves, the better the circumstances for everyone, because the more there will be to go around.

If you have gardening expertise (as so many of my commenters have) please consider sharing your information with the people running your state site at the American Preppers Network. I'm sure that any information that specifically applies to your best crops/climate/weather conditions would be greatly appreciated.

Fewer crops=less food available. More gardening crops=more food on the family table. I hope everyone will do what they can in their own situation. And that their yield for their garden is more than ours was last year--but if there is no garden, there will be no yield at all....

6 comments:

HermitJim said...

A garden is becoming more and more important every day as just another way to provide for the family.

Thanks for the reminder!

Marie said...

HermitJim--I couldn't agree more--we're going to try a few new things this year, just so we have more options. Thanks--your comments are always appreciated!

SJacobus said...

7% doesn't sound like much but it is. It really is! Thank you for sharing that article. I'm getting caught up on my news here;)

Marie said...

HSJacobus--Kinda scary to me how much food production is going down...thanks for your comment!

Unknown said...

I have seen hundreds of food storages. I have helped organize & consult on what to have
included in your food storage. I share the ideas that I have accumulated over the years.

Along with your wheat, beans & rice, your canned foods etc. Some even have MRE's & freeze
dried items. Whatever it is you have in your food storage, I just want to give you a few
ideas & suggestions. I am also open for suggestions, after 17 years, I still come across
great ideas.

First, make sure you have a good variety of spices. You can eat the same beans or rice a
lot easier when one day they taste like taco spices & the next day curry etc. A variety of
spices will make anything easier to eat long term. I personally have many bottles of
tobasco. I can eat bugs with tobasco, crickets, worms etc. I am serious.

In many emergencies clean water is a big problem. You will go through hundreds of gallons
of water in just a few short weeks. Make sure you have a good water filter with your food
storage. You use a lot of water to cook with & drink. A water filter that you hand pump will
turn rain water, canal water or saved water from cooking etc. into good drinking water again.

Have some good vitamins. Make sure they are good natural vitamins that your body will
digest & absorb. 90% of vitamins pass through you & end up clogging the sewers. True.
I came across Lifecaps, that is what I have in my food storage, 72 hour kits & bug out bags.
They digest & get in your system within 20-25 minutes. All natural.
You can survive on lifecaps & water alone for months. They have all the vitamins & minerals,
also iodine & a little natural sugar to keep your blood sugar level stable. I bought 25
bottles before I found a coupon code & then bought 75 more bottles. The coupon code is
"healthcap" (save 33%) & you can find out more at lifecaps.net.

Keep hand sterilizer with your food storage & hydrogen peroxide. In an emergency people get
sick & die from simple infections. In an emergency, you lose your appetite & forget to drink
water, under stress. Your immune system suffers tremendously & small infections grow large.
Under stress TAKE YOUR VITAMINS & DRINK WATER! You will have more energy to deal with the
emergency & have a healthy immune system. Keep your hands clean when dealing with food &
use the hydrogen peroxide even on small cuts as a precaution. It can save your life.

Marie said...

Todd--This is a lot of excellent information, and it reminds me of some things that I have heard about and have yet to get in my supplies. The most glaring one is probably a water filter--I have water in storage, but need to have a way to purify water that I would need when that storage runs out. Hydrogen peroxide would also be an excellent addition...
I don't know where you are located, but I'm sure that if you sent something like this comment to your state/national prepper network, they would be happy to post it as a post. It really is full of important information--thanks for taking the time to put it in this comment, and I hope a lot of people see it!