[Bright Raven]

Following on from the carbon neutral thread. What are you stashing against harder times ahead?
I keep a few things that I feel are essential but would love to know what you folks stash.

Wood - to power my wood burning stove and hopefully one day my Wamsler 900.
Water - in bottles, I also try to harvest as much as I can.
Rice and Pulses.
Seeds, this year I will keep more back for storage. I have concerns about the infiltration of termination seeds.

Perhaps I should add other things to my list?

[doganjo]

Having just spent a month with no running water I have refilled the bottles now it's back, just in case we get another freezing spell.  But unless it's properly sealed it won't keep that long, will it?  I don't really collect anything except dogs lol

[CameronS]

i don't know if its on the same line, but candles & batteries

[Sandy]

anything I can get free.

[northfifeduckling]

jams, chutneys, pesto, rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, olive oil...  - wish it was more!

[Hermit]

We try to (and succeed if I may brag) stash a years supply of food!! I do soups,sauces,  all preserves, veg,meat, freeze goats milk, dry herbs, bake all I can when eggs are good, goats cheese, breadcrumbs etc , nothing processed apart from an odd tin of beans here.I make breads so extra batches for the freezer. So we do stash makings ie flour etc
We also dig our own peats which supply the rayburn for cooking , water and heating. We make our own hay and silage for the year if that counts
We have a fishing boat so we catch our own fish, we have creels but not keen on crab and lobster!
Basically when you run a croft you work all summer to keep you for winter and prepare all winter for summer.
We have a properly done out well courtesy of the water board which is piped up but needs 'sorting' legally. Sewage is an old type sesspit thing, works well so far. We have candles but much prefer oil lamps.
But the best of all a good bartering system. It is amazing what you can get in return for my OH servicing a boiler.(heating kind!)

[Sandy]

I wrote my post in a hurry and meant to add, I seem to collect all sorts of rubbish then have a big clear out and throw things away, tins, pots, pans, trinkets, towels, clothing.....far too much really.....I am not sure why I can save old tins yet throw away electric stuff worth far more!!!

[doganjo]

We try to (and succeed if I may brag) stash a years supply of food!! I do soups,sauces,  all preserves, veg,meat, freeze goats milk, dry herbs, bake all I can when eggs are good, goats cheese, breadcrumbs etc , nothing processed apart from an odd tin of beans here.I make breads so extra batches for the freezer. So we do stash makings ie flour etc
We also dig our own peats which supply the rayburn for cooking , water and heating. We make our own hay and silage for the year if that counts
We have a fishing boat so we catch our own fish, we have creels but not keen on crab and lobster!
Basically when you run a croft you work all summer to keep you for winter and prepare all winter for summer.
We have a properly done out well courtesy of the water board which is piped up but needs 'sorting' legally. Sewage is an old type sesspit thing, works well so far. We have candles but much prefer oil lamps.
But the best of all a good bartering system. It is amazing what you can get in return for my OH servicing a boiler.(heating kind!)

And if everything goes the way Russ thinks it will you'll have no electricity for the freezer

[Hermit]

I know , that is the only problem, but we do have two generators on standby and some good insurance.

[Rosemary]

Bubblewrap. We have acres of it 

[fifixx]

If Hermit isn't keen on the crab and lobster he fishes, I would be more than happy to barter something for them!!

[Hermit]

ffix. Hes a she. ;
There is a good saying up here... "It is better looking at it than for it" and I agree a good stash of stuff is worth its weight in gold.

[fifixx]

Sorry Hermit!!

I am on year 2 of trying to be more self-sufficient and to have ways of living without electricity/oil etc.  Still just at the beginning with years-worth of wood for our heating and cooking already assured.  Next is to grow and preserve without freezing our food.

[lazybee]

All the twirls from the tin of miniature heroes  

[Hermit]

I leave some veg in the ground all winter rather than freeze it. The stuff I leave in are parsnips, cabbages,carrots, leeks, brussels. You just have to make sure you dig out what you need before the snow !!!!!!!! I find only a few are frost damaged, it is worth trying in your area. We dont get as bad a winter as south cause of the sea so we are lucky in that respect. When the time comes to get ready for next planting, I have a soup making spree and all thats left goes to my mates piggies.