Your Food Storage Equation...

[Arcticdude]

Squash is another one of those wasted vegetables that serves no purpose, just takes up space in the garden.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

I have always liked summer squash, zucchini and yellow. they are the gift that just keeps giving until you are sick of it.
Only really liked butternut for winter squash. Started to develop a taste for Hubbard and Acorn, but I moved from my parents house. Never really tried it again 45 years later
If it grows and stores, I wouldn’t take it out of the equation.

 

[Cindyd]

I actually like squash roasted or sautéed up with some onions and peppers, or even coated in corn meal and fried (yellow squash)...butternut is delicious with some brown sugar and lots of butter thrown in and put in oven or even the microwave

 

[DrHenley]

I've already explained to people in my extended family when they asked me how much food I had stored, that it doesn't really matter because stored food runs out. We will have to rely on natural foods and crops in the long run at the BOL, The stored food is just to tide us over until we get things sorted out on hunting, gathering and growing food. I've surveyed the natural food situation several times, and there is more staple type food than I thought, some of it available year round. The soil is some of the most fertile soil on earth, and things grow faster and larger there than most other places. Some of the poke salad plants look like trees, LOL

 

[bigpaul]

some people think stored food is the be all and end all of prepping, store enough food to last as long as they think the event will last-job done, no skills acquired just stored food, well they are in for one big shock.
stored food is finite, especially post SHTF when it cant be replaced, it has to last until at least one get in their first harvest of home grown food.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

This year with our drought wheat yields in Texas came in between 3-25 bushels per acre. Those yields were using modern farming methods, machinery, herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers (organic yields are traditionally 30% less).

A bushel of wheat is 60 lbs.

1 lb of dried wheat = approx. 1 lb of flour (15 oz instead of 16)

A large loaf of bread uses 1 lb of flour

Doing the math, on the high end, that is 1500 loaves of bread. Low end 180 loaves per acre.

Unless you have a way to consistently irrigate and or/ plant far more land than you *think* you need, you may find yourself short. This also stands for hail storms, high winds, floods/standing water....and WTSHTF, raiders and thieves.

You will also need space for livestock grazing or a large enough swath of land to sustain wild deer, hog, fowl, rabbits etc for meat production.

You will need multiple people per acre to work those fields by hand, which means, fewer folks standing on security or other needed jobs. There is a reason the farm families I went to school with had 12-15 kids!

You will also need a storage facility for the year's grain crop. Once properly cured, you have keep it dry, temperate, ventilated, free of bugs, vermin and fungus. Stored incorrectly and it can rot or worse, the dust can explode and start a fire.

https://www.world-grain.com/article...s-causes-and-prevention-of-stored-grain-fires
Growing your own can be done but a "victory garden" isn't going to quite do the job.

Well stated! The way to get more food with less burned calories is with meat and egg animals…such as hogs, rabbits, chickens, ducks and goats. If you don’t have enough acres or enough people to grow all your own food, begin now to set up a trade group. By some growing the wheat, others dent corn and hay it can work out.

Beyond trading, learn a needed skill and trade that for the crops you can’t grow. Doctors, dentists and ex military will be valuable in my opinion. Of course lots of other skills will be too.

 

[Arcticdude]

I've been giving some thought about gardening after a life changing SHTF event. In many areas growing a garden is as easy as tilling the ground, dropping in a seed, cover and water. But in many areas the timing needs to be right, and you need at least 4 years worth of seeds stored up. An example; a few years ago we had to plant our garden 3 times, twice because of late frost and once in late June when we had a storm that dropped a foot of hail and 3 inches of rain in just a couple of hours. In a short season growing area, many plants need to be started inside the house. And once planted outside they need to be covered at night to protect from frost. Right now, if we have a crop failure, its not a problem we just get what we need at the supermarket. But after SHTF that won't be an option. Trading, foraging and hunting will mean the difference between life and starvation. Also, keeping a calander up to date will become important after a couple years of SHTF. Sometimes we can get a false spring where May looks like June. Without a calendar we could be fooled in to planting a month too early.

 

[bigpaul]

nobody here plants anything until the frost have all gone, until the ground is a certain temperature nothing will grow or germinate.
going to buy myself a cold frame for this coming spring.

 

[Arcticdude]

nobody here plants anything until the frost have all gone, until the ground is a certain temperature nothing will grow or germinate.
going to buy myself a cold frame for this coming spring.

That's certainly the goal everywhere. Although not common, somtimes we can get frost in July. If we wait until then to plant, we won't have time for many things to produce before the next frost in September. Every year is a gamble. Cold frames and a greenhouse are on our list too.

 

[Cindyd]

I've already explained to people in my extended family when they asked me how much food I had stored, that it doesn't really matter because stored food runs out. We will have to rely on natural foods and crops in the long run at the BOL, The stored food is just to tide us over until we get things sorted out on hunting, gathering and growing food. I've surveyed the natural food situation several times, and there is more staple type food than I thought, some of it available year round. The soil is some of the most fertile soil on earth, and things grow faster and larger there than most other places. Some of the poke salad plants look like trees, LOL

When I was growing up tI recall some family members used to say "You can grow hair in some parts of georgia soil". Haa

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

That's certainly the goal everywhere. Although not common, somtimes we can get frost in July. If we wait until then to plant, we won't have time for many things to produce before the next frost in September. Every year is a gamble. Cold frames and a greenhouse are on our list too.

If I lived in an area where the frost can still hit in June, I would buy at least 1 large tunnel greenhouse. They are not expensive and can be reinforced after you get them to make very sturdy.

In fact I’m eyeing a 10x25’ now…for just in case we need it. With the climate going through a huge upheaval for at least the next few years everyone should consider at least having one.

 

[Arcticdude]

If I lived in an area where the frost can still hit in June, I would buy at least 1 large tunnel greenhouse. They are not expensive and can be reinforced after you get them to make very sturdy.

In fact I’m eyeing a 10x25’ now…for just in case we need it. With the climate going through a huge upheaval for at least the next few years everyone should consider at least having one.

I think that's a good idea. How do they hold up to 6+ feet of snow? Do you take them down in the Fall? I'm going to build a small greenhouse this spring, maybe 10×12. I'm thinking about adding a propane heater in it to get an early start.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

In order to keep them from caving in from snow, many folks add wood beams to the top and sides. They also take a wide, long poled broom and brush off the snow when it gets too thick.

 

[Arcticdude]

I'll take a look at them GP. Any building that I put up has to stand on its own, unless I can build it on my normal plow route. A lot of my outbuildings I have to abandon in late winter because I run out of room to put the snow.

 

[Survivor_316]

But in many areas the timing needs to be right, and you need at least 4 years worth of seeds stored up.

This is crucial, in my opinion. Not only for crop failures but seed harvest loss, too.

If for some reason we'd forget to protect our blossoms to save different varieties, we could be looking at a lifetime of eating melon cucumber crosses.

We need a lot more than a couple dozen of those little packets.

 

[DrHenley]

When I was growing up I recall some family members used to say "You can grow hair in some parts of georgia soil". Haa

Maybe near the coast, but the ground here is so rocky I can't even grow grass.

The BOL is...well let's just say it's in a different time zone, LOL.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

When looking at green houses, make sure it has a high enough wind rating. Mine was rated at 60mph, put in at protected spot next to house. It still collapsed.
The rebuild added 200lbs of 2x4 framework. 70mph winds haven’t gotten it, yet.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

EW, Did you add a frame around the bottom too?


Agree about the seeds. I am buying more! Have 9 plastic large size shoe boxes filled completely of vegetable seeds.

We have 100 lbs wheat seeds, oat seeds, and barley. Still need more Alfalfa and Timothy.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

EW, Did you add a frame around the bottom too?


Agree about the seeds. I am buying more! Have 9 plastic large size shoe boxes filled completely of vegetable seeds.

We have 100 lbs wheat seeds, oat seeds, and barley. Still need more Alfalfa and Timothy.

4x4 buried in pea gravel was there originally. I placed it in the old hot tub location, only 1 direction to take a direct hit. Same wind blew over my gas grill.
I pounded some rebar to keep the bottom frame down this time around.

 

[Arcticdude]

EW, Did you add a frame around the bottom too?


Agree about the seeds. I am buying more! Have 9 plastic large size shoe boxes filled completely of vegetable seeds.

We have 100 lbs wheat seeds, oat seeds, and barley. Still need more Alfalfa and Timothy.

We're putting together our garden seed order now. We already ordered chick's for June delivery. I planted 15 acres of alfalfa and pasture grass in October. As soon as it becomes available I'm going to buy more dryland pasture mix, timothy, clover, wheat, oats and barley seed. I'm hoping to get it planted this spring. It'll mean a couple miles of new fencing to keep the cows out until it becomes established.