trumpeting_angel
Free Ranging
Great thread idea!
I freeze and dehydrate a lot, mostly because I don't have time to can and don't have a lot of storage space. Vacuum sealers and oxygen absorbers come in handy.
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We store water, but I'm looking to expand that.
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My biggest concerns are a power outage, job loss, or prices going so high that many things are simply unaffordable.
For animal food, I keep enough on hand at all times to feed my chickens for 2 months. If in 2 months time the electricity hasn't been restored we have bigger problems and the chickens will be eaten and we'll leave with the dogs. Dogs have a 3 months supply of food.
You are prepped! So many things I haven’t thought of. I’m just starting to dehydrate, now that I have a garden that’s producing well. I’m drying zucchini and broccoli so far, as well as herbs.
I worry about a power outage, too. I know it’s important to keep the freezer full, even if it’s full of empty milk cartons refilled with water, just to help keep things frozen. But a long term power outage - everything in the freezer would be lost. I’ve talked to DH about using the generator to power the dehydrator and oven to preserve the frozen food if there’s a major,
long term failure of the grid, but he looked at me like I had lost my mind. Well, maybe I have! That would be a LOT of dehydrating. I suppose I could figure out how to use the woodstove for dehydrating.
Using the list I linked to a page back, I’m ordering some water storage and purification stuff, a crank-operated radio, a first aid kit, fire starter, and I’m looking into storing basic goods (food). I haven’t bought any of that food yet, but to get the things I think we should have will be a couple hundred dollars. Also starting to collect books on foraging and survival skills. Without the internet we will have to learn the old-fashioned way.