hello G + T,
as Kevin said avoid those horrid ring pull things . I have had food gone off in those in a very short time . As for storage in general, well those that don't believe in it , think that anyone that stores is a complete nutter. So what !! let them . Just do it if you feel the need. The thing to remember is that our food supply isn't as safe and guaranteed as it has been in the past , and certainly not as safe as we THINK it is still now. Only in this last year did the government get all the big supermarket names together round the table , to discuss food distribution in an emergency . (I remember the days when such an emergency would have been the governments job to sort out ...not Tescos', but still).
Our food supply is based basically, on a three day turn round. In short that means if you stop deliveries from the ports to the distribution points , then three days later, the supermarkets are EMPTY , and the government has put it in the hands of Tesco and the like to RATION out what food there is . Can you imagine the panic and mayhem that would cause ? In just a day or so you could have people killing for food , even in the UK . This happened in the USA after hurricane Katrina , and although no one got killed , it happened here in the UK in the 1970's over a sugar shortage
I saw people kicking the cr*p out of each other over a bag of sugar ...crazy!!!
If you are growing food already you are half way to solving the problem should it arise. Storing any surplus will help sort the other half out . Freezers are ok as long as the electric is on . There is already talk of long blackouts on the way , 2 , 3 , 4 days at a time . Will your freezer full of food be ok ? Therefore go for plenty of bottled,canned food . Pickled , stored in brine , made into jams ,veg stored in sand, clamps etc etc. Also keep your seed supply topped up . Don't buy F1 varieties , go for the old varieties , all tried and tested , and you can let a few plants go to seed and save it for the next crop. Old coffee jars etc are good for storing seed in , as well as dried herbs even pickled onions. Make plenty of chutney and pickle too , and keep a few lb of salt in a dry plastic container. The average person eats far more than they need to these days , so when calculating the amounts you need to store, allow for that !! I don't mean aim to exist on one potato a day for 4 of you , but just think about what you really need to store. Oh and if you are storing in a garage , make sure it is vermin proof !!!! rats and mice will find food very fast , that it isn't damp !! and that it is safe from people too...don't tell all and sundry that you have it full of food . If there were a food shortage , those very same people may pay you a visit when they get hungry !!!
The reasons for a food shortage are many , fuel crisis (we are nearer to that than anyone realises) , crop failure ( the world has been very close to that for the last few years ) , war ,economic crash ( I mean worse than we have had so far , total collapse IS possible even now !!) , or pandemic illness !!! how near are we to that
My reasons to have my own food is firstly for health reasons , I don't want to eat the crap they put in our food , the list of what they put in our food goes on forever, then my money supply is very little and subject to stop at any moment for any length of time , then all the above reasons , fuel shortage , economy crash , pandemic etc etc . This isn't meant to scare anyone , and there will be many who won't bother to store anything , fine thats up to them . I do it because I want my life in MY hands , not Gordon Browns ,or whoever replaces him . Do you think they will really look after you
?? Don't panic about it though , life is ok at the moment , and may well stay that way for a long time . Live your life doing what you like doing and store food if you want to.
cheers
Russ
