How Is Your Food Storage?

UncleJoe · 12-22-2009, 02:24 AM

Here are a couple articles to help motivate us.

Market Skeptics: *****2010 Food Crisis for Dummies*****

2010 Food Crisis Means Financial Armageddon

*NaeKid* · 12-22-2009, 02:50 AM

My food-preps just got another boost ... a nice sized white-tail-buck has new residence in my freezer (for now) ... soon he will be warmed up in a smoker or in a dehydrator and turned into some jerky or possibly stew'd up and canned.

The poor guy had a real hard life - some shattered antlers, looked like a few hunters took some pot-shots at him - found lots of bruises, one hip was half-gone and found 3 holes in his ribs ... there was no way that my single bullet could have done that much damage. I harvested everything possible and have the hide to tan when the weather turns nice enough ... will be my first attempt at tanning.

dewey · 12-30-2009, 05:03 AM

Hey Fella's,

I am new here. I farm in nw Ohio. We had a near record corn harvest here and an avg. soybean harvest. Wheat was super. As near as I can guage it, we were on the low side for the state. Ohio (not a big producer) had phenominal crops. Indiana had super yields. Parts of Illinois and Iowa had some disasterous yields, but some were as good as ever. Right now, farmers around here are hard pressed to find a commercial elevator that will take grain. They are plumb full.
I think the market skeptic guy is wrong. I think usda manipulates statistics for their own reasons and frankly lies when it comes to farm production, but in this case, my eyes and gut tell me that we had a huge corn crop nationally.
Weather wise, it was a nail biter for most of the U.S. Wet spring, dry summer, wet fall, but the stars must have aligned and we did well. Most farmers were expecting a crop that was less than great, but we get fooled sometimes. Right now corn is worth about $3.60 a bushel. Not good. If we really had a short crop it would not be so cheap.
That being said, Like a lot of you, I have a basement full of stored food. Dont let news alter your plans.
Great site.

pdx210 · 01-13-2010, 04:53 AM

this has been going on for a few years now who know when the shit will hit the fan those hardest hit will be 3rd world countries

older articles

Surplus U.S. food supplies dry up - USATODAY.com

:The Daily Star: Internet Edition

Lake Windsong · 01-15-2010, 04:13 AM

Appreciate all the links! Being able to grow/raise some of your own food helps in times like these. Even in the cities, container gardening is a great way to have homegrown tomatoes or fresh herbs. In rural areas, bigger and bigger gardens are sprouting up these last couple of years. We are hunting and fishing more, raising more goats, rabbits, and chickens; bartering more often with neighbors, etc. Food prices have increased so much, and I'm sure they will only go higher this year!

Vertigo · 01-15-2010, 10:32 AM

Hi,

Food storage is not really a problem for us. Although in a sense we are not storing food at all, in another sense, that is what we do.

Let me explain: My parents own a wholesale company, with mostly foodstuffs for pets, but also with lots of corn, wheat, rice and some other grains. We probably have about 30 to 60 tons of grain on any single day!

There is not really a point for us to have a dedicated, separate stash, since the warehouse gets replenished every week!

Apart from that, we also keep some animals, mostly birds to supply us with some extra meat and eggs. Not enough for our current usage, but if things get though, we can make do. We are looking into getting ourselves a pig as well, which might be a nice supplement. Biggest problems would be fruit and vegetables, but that is taken care of by my grand parents (who live only 5km away) who have a garden almost round the year and who can as well.

We do have a couple of very big water tanks, a couple with rainwater and a couple with ground water (not a spring, the water-table is very high where I live). In a pinch, we could drink that, but I would rather get us a good filtration device as well. And for heating, we are all set, with at least a 5 year supply of wood (although not everything is at our house, some is stored in the warehouse. We do have two 18ton trucks to move it around though) and a rather small tank for "heating-diesel" which should last for about 6 months.

Another big issue however is security. Which is non-existing because of where I live.

greetz,

V.

UncleJoe · 01-15-2010, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vertigo

my grand parents (who live only 5km away) who have a garden almost round the year and who can as well.

How do they do that? Aren't you getting the snow and cold weather that I've been reading about in England?

Oh yea. I wish I had 30 tons of grain laying around.

Vertigo · 01-15-2010, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleJoe

How do they do that? Aren't you getting the snow and cold weather that I've been reading about in England?

Yeah, partly its true, we are having a lot of snow and ice lately. But my grand parents have a pretty large greenhouse, which is perfect to plant. Off course the last few weeks, they haven't planted, because even a greenhouse wouldnt be able to stave of the freezing temps. But the rest of the year, there is always something growing, indoors or outdoors.

Quote:

Oh yea. I wish I had 30 tons of grain laying around.

And all of it is packed in 25kg heavy duty plastic (or sometimes paper) bags loaded on top of "palettes" (don't know if that is the right english word for rectangular wooden constructs used to load stuff on and haul around using a forklift)

V.

UncleJoe · 01-15-2010, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vertigo

Yeah, partly its true, we are having a lot of snow and ice lately. But my grand parents have a pretty large greenhouse, which is perfect to plant. Off course the last few weeks, they haven't planted, because even a greenhouse wouldnt be able to stave of the freezing temps. But the rest of the year, there is always something growing, indoors or outdoors.

I really need a LARGE greenhouse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vertigo

packed in heavy duty plastic (or sometimes paper) bags loaded on to of palettes (don't know if that is the right english word for rectangular wooden constructs used to load stuff on and haul around using a forklift)

Yes. That's the word. We also call them "skids"

TicoTiger · 01-16-2010, 04:09 PM

My family currently has a one year supply of Mountain House, which as most people know, has a shelf life of at least 20-30 years.

For shorter term needs, we are experimenting with hydroponic gardening. I have a good supply of basic nutrients (not the pre-mixed store-bought variety) and recently have ordered some amazing LED grow lights which only consume 8 watts each (we will be living off-grid in another year or two). They can be used as a supplement to natural lighting and even in an underground location as a sole light source in an emergency. Here is a link to the website if anyone is interested:

LED Grow Lights for Growing Plants Indoors- Garden Efficiently

Since I live in Costa Rica, we are re-developing my abandoned farm by planting lots of tropical fruit trees and other local crops which can stand the altitude (2,000 meters or 6,000 feet). Recently we had excellent success with a small planting of potatoes without using any commercial fertilizers or pesticides.

A friend and I have also reclaimed some pasture land and bought a breed of cows called Semintal, which are good for both milk and meat, and are very hearty. I also made a small lake last year and stocked it with trout, and they are growing very fast.

Finally, if I know in advance that the world will end, I will rush down to the local supermarket and buy lots of candy bars and a million big Macs at McDonald's using my credit cards, which should keep my junk food requirements filled