Food storage "out of the closet"?

[Wifezilla]

We have challenges with climate also being in a zone 3 to 4 at a high altitude. You never know what the weather will do... but if you use cold frames and raised beds you should be able to extend your gardens life quite a bit. as well as make excellent soil and then there are plants that will practically grow through the snow.

Yeah tell me about it! LOL

That being said, I still have cilantro and spinach growing under a sheet of plastic. My next step is to take 2 old doors and make cold frames for bok choy.

Asian greens don't mind the cold. With a little creativity I should be able to grow them most of the year even at 5,500 feet above sea level.

 

[Old Sew'n'Sew]

I guess the folks who will be laughing the loudest in a SHTF scenario will be the Amish. They probably won't even notice anything actually happened.

They will notice......in the large Amish community near here many drive their gas powered tractors to Wal-Mart or Foodland every week to get groceries, they come off their dairy farms to buy quantities of ice cream, and flour for bake sales, so I guess that means they have freezers. They also use cell phones and land lines.

They only get out the horse and buggy to go to church on Sunday....lots of Buggies on Sunday.

This is from my own observations of them, as I shop in their bulk and health food and fabric stores.

I travel the same road as they do every Sunday, but go past their church.

 

[VickiLynn]

I guess the folks who will be laughing the loudest in a SHTF scenario will be the Amish. They probably won't even notice anything actually happened.

They will notice......in the large Amish community near here many drive their gas powered tractors to Wal-Mart or Foodland every week to get groceries, they come off their dairy farms to buy quantities of ice cream, and flour for bake sales, so I guess that means they have freezers. They also use cell phones and land lines.

They only get out the horse and buggy to go to church on Sunday....lots of Buggies on Sunday.

This is from my own observations of them, as I shop in their bulk and health food and fabric stores.

I travel the same road as they do every Sunday, but go past their church.

Around here, most of the Amish are dairy farmers, and they are required to have electric bulk tanks for milk. So they will notice if the power goes out - their milk will spoil. Since they MUST have electricity in the barn, some have a few electric conveniences - they just use them in the barn. I actually saw a TV antennae on an Amish barn once.

 

[k0xxx]

I actually saw a TV antennae on an Amish barn once.

I'm sure that was just for the cows to watch moovies.

 

[Wifezilla]

 

[dipence71]

Back to the deer processing, it doesn't take as much talent as it does take want to power.
Yes I said want to power. I fiddle farted around with it for years but when I finally got serious about it and wanted to learn how to do and the equipment to do it. I can do up to 8 deer in one week by my self. Yes I have a big LEM meat grinder with the foot peddle and sausage stuffer, the 10 tray dehydrator, food saver vacuum pack sealer, ect. I comfortably can do roasts and burger. If I really wanted to I would learn other cuts but have no desire so far.

BUT if it came down to it and SHTF I would have a crap load of deer to cook on an open fire but no real way to store it unless it was freezing outside. I need to dehydrate and can more than I do But I do quite a bit, but not enough.

 

[i_am2bz]

I have carefully considered what is requried for long term food storage... now I see that I will get return on my investment... as food prices go up the things I got on sales, etc become true investments, saving me dollars in the future... at best.... and access to real food come the worst.... I felt that this was essential as I did not know and still really dont know how to produce my own food to endure from one growing season to another.

That is my attitude as well...I have nowhere near the expertise or available land to produce what I have to for me, DH, or the critters (altho I am trying to improve on this), so I have to keep a stockpile. I started doing this (a can here, a can there) several years ago, long before the economy turned sour. It just seemed like a smart thing to do for many different kinds of emergencies; what I observed with Katrina really pushed it into high-gear for me.

Yes, I would love to be able to grow most/all my own food (& I'm completely jealous of ya'll with farms ), but it just isn't practical in my current situation, nor is keeping a year's supply of food, for that matter, but maybe a combination of the two will "get us by."

 

[Denim Deb]

Are you sure they were all Amish and not Mennonite? The Mennonites aren't as strict as the Amish. And, some of the ladies even have short hair, wear pants, jewelery and makeup! Plus, unless it's different in your area, the Amish around here don't have a church. They meet in each others home whereas the Mennonites do have a church.

Even if they are Amish, there are different orders. I don't know a lot about either the Amish or the Mennonites, just what I've picked up from reading, but from what I understand, each order follows the rules of their bishop. So, if he says it's ok for them to have a car, but they need to drive the buggy on Sunday, that's what they'll do.

 

[Old Sew'n'Sew]

Are you sure they were all Amish and not Mennonite? The Mennonites aren't as strict as the Amish. And, some of the ladies even have short hair, wear pants, jewelery and makeup! Plus, unless it's different in your area, the Amish around here don't have a church. They meet in each others home whereas the Mennonites do have a church.

Even if they are Amish, there are different orders. I don't know a lot about either the Amish or the Mennonites, just what I've picked up from reading, but from what I understand, each order follows the rules of their bishop. So, if he says it's ok for them to have a car, but they need to drive the buggy on Sunday, that's what they'll do.

Yes they are Amish and I know the difference, they have a Church, a few years back this group had a disagreement and split into two groups, the older ones are still strict about modern conveniences, but the new group chose to use electric and cars.

I wish they would all use cars as the tractors are very dangerous in the faster moving traffic on the main roads. Sometimes they are driven by children, or a woman with about 6 kids crammed into the cab of the tractor. I doubt that these had to pass a drivers test or get a drivers license.

I do think that most of the Amish are very spiritual minded and frugal so they will fair better in an emergency than most of their neighbors. When the neighbors come around looking to buy all their supplies they will know somethings up.

 

[Denim Deb]

I've never heard of any Amish who do all that. I'm not too far from Lancaster county, PA. And when I drive thru that area, there's a ton of horse and buggies on the road.