SHTF Survival food

[Rebel_Rider1969]

I was lucky enough to have plum and peach trees already on the property. We've since planted fig, lemon and blueberries. But these are seasonal. Canning would be essential. Hope it never comes to needing them to survive.

 

[FrommerStop]

I would not count on fish unless you own a lot of fresh water impoundments that you are able to defend. A lot of people will be also thinking of fishing. Nets, electricity, small explosives are proven methods for harvesting fish.
Relative to cannibalism, one place I hang out recommended liberals since they taste like chicken. Just from a medical perspective, adult humans on the least desirable source of food. Human are about the top of food chain and live a long time. That means a huge accumulation toxins/contaminants in them. Sounds like a good way to catch kuru that is caused by prions resulting from eating humans. It is like mad cow disease.

 

[FrommerStop]

I was lucky enough to have plum and peach trees already on the property. We've since planted fig, lemon and blueberries. But these are seasonal. Canning would be essential. Hope it never comes to needing them to survive. View attachment 284635 View attachment 284636 View attachment 284637

With fruit trees you need to defend them from 4 footed critter like possums, coons, coyotes, bears, etc and these in turn are edible.
Below is a raccoon killed by one of my white english dogs. The one in the picture took it away from her pup. He will not fight her or his older half sister, but he kills any intruder he can catch. A raccoon will know to minute when the asian persimmons on a tree are ready and in a couple of nights clean out a tree of all fruit.
Have not had a raccoon, possum, or cat kills in a while. They must be learning something. Still find crushed armadillos every so often. Ms piggy in the picture loves to roll on them when rotten and then wants to be petted.

 

[FrommerStop]

I was lucky enough to have plum and peach trees already on the property. We've since planted fig, lemon and blueberries. But these are seasonal. Canning would be essential. Hope it never comes to needing them to survive. View attachment 284635 View attachment 284636 View attachment 284637

Usually requires sugar for canning. I am wondering about drying them in a smoker.

 

[Southalabama]

Survival in truest sense will mean eating seasonal with limited efforts at preservation.

 

[FrommerStop]

Survival in truest sense will mean eating seasonal with limited efforts at preservation.

If one plans to survive long-term it may be the best honest strategy. The dishonest strategy is taking from others. Gangs, Police, and National Guard type in third world countries often go about seizing control of food stockpiles

I am currently looking for ways to have food through the winter.
There is no reason that preserving can not be done under primitive conditions. The native americans did. The hard thing in our climate is the humidity.
I have chestnut trees for example. I have four that are producing and several more that are getting there. That does not count the chinquapin-chinese chestnut hybrids that I have.

Chestnuts can be preserved under sand, much like carrots. That's right: by alternating chestnuts between layers of dry fine sand inside a wooden container and left in a cool, dry place means they will last a few months.

My house is off grade and walls are steel reinforced concrete poured Block. Underneath is dry and cool in the winter.
Jerusalem artichokes can be left in the ground for storage and were a typical survival food during time of war in Europe. I see that a lot of what I have planted is coming up in various places.
I sure would not be happy surviving off of such things, but it beats the alternative. Most do not realize that survival under harsh condition will entail a lot of very hard work and suffering.
I do not expect things to get like an apocalypse movie, but think things like food could get extremely expensive if our dollar fails.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Trip to the store in Joe's 2nd term?

 

[Southalabama]

All this talk of peanuts I’ve got a gallon bag of frozen boiled peanuts thawing out.

 

[FrommerStop]

It helps to have freezer space. If you got your own long-term source of electricity that helps too. Third world countries often have kerosene 'powered' refrigerators where a flame is part of the cooling system. Needs no electricity.

 

[Raven]

It helps to have freezer space. If you got your own long-term source of electricity that helps too. Third world countries often have kerosene 'powered' refrigerators where a flame is part of the cooling system. Needs no electricity.

Lowes has them

https://www.lowes.com/pd/UNIQUE-Off-Grid-19-cu-ft-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-Stainless-Steel/5013313237?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-app-_-ggl-_-PLA_APP_118_Refrigerators-Freezers-_-5013313237-_-online-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286890&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwudexBhDKARIsAI-GWYWVUFBB-0vcvu0ib9Pth1FuAzY8DK95WM_cxCi7v136YPVySTd8dWoaAn2iEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[FrommerStop]

2400 dollars for a fridge is a rip off. If I was close to the mexican border I would go down there to buy one likely for a lot less.
Thanks for the information.

 

[Southalabama]

Recently watched a local YouTube guy building an off grid cabin. He used a propane fridge from a wrecked RV. Said he got it cheap cheap.

While it’s possible to lose natural gas during a shtf event never in my lifetime has the flow of natural gas stopped. It was certainly nice to have hot water after a hurricane when the electricity was off for two weeks.

I have multiple generators. Considered a carb kit to allow one to run on natural gas or propane.

 

[FrommerStop]

Recently watched a local YouTube guy building an off grid cabin. He used a propane fridge from a wrecked RV. Said he got it cheap cheap.

While it’s possible to lose natural gas during a shtf event never in my lifetime has the flow of natural gas stopped. It was certainly nice to have hot water after a hurricane when the electricity was off for two weeks.

I have multiple generators. Considered a carb kit to allow one to run on natural gas or propane.

I mentioned kerosene and this is what I saw when I spent time in africa. People there do live off grid really off grid in many place still. Normally only a trading post often called a cantina would have such things years ago. Likely many more now have such.
Kerosene consuming is what I would want. One would often see a woman with a 5 gal can of lamp oil/kerosene or most often water on her head walking great distances.

 

[FrommerStop]

While it’s possible to lose natural gas during a shtf event never in my lifetime has the flow of natural gas stopped.

My neighborhood and most others near me do not have natural gas. There are natural gas transmission lines in the area on the major roads, but they do not come into the neighborhoods. The developers do not want to pay the costs of them. It is possible in during a tornado for gas lines connected to a house to get disconnected. I think I still have a wrench intended to cut off natural gas from my time in CERT. CERT is intended to help deal with emergencies.

 

[Southalabama]

I’d think kerosene be harder to source than propane. But idk

One thing that’s on my list is a small shed away from my shop and other outbuilding for lawn equipment is a flammable shed for gas, propane etc.

 

[Southalabama]

This thread did get me reviewing some of my supplies. MREs were one component. I let some get beyond edible. I tried. Some of the components good but others horrible. They’ve been stored in a climate controlled environment. I’m breaking down components and salvaging what I can.

 

[FrommerStop]

I’d think kerosene be harder to source than propane. But idk

One thing that’s on my list is a small shed away from my shop and other outbuilding for lawn equipment is a flammable shed for gas, propane etc.

I suspect one could get by with #2 diesel, but it stinks a lot. Might need to cut it with some gasoline. I believe need something that will go up a wick and burn. I never took one of fridges apart or fueled one up.

I always store gasoline in some place other than my home.

 

[FrommerStop]

This thread did get me reviewing some of my supplies. MREs were one component. I let some get beyond edible. I tried. Some of the components good but others horrible. They’ve been stored in a climate controlled environment. I’m breaking down components and salvaging what I can.

I did check my powder and threw out one bad can. I have some MREs that I will more than likely just throw out.

 

[ccc]

Most of these comments “Assume” you will be able to just sit in your home with electricity and refrigerators, when the truth of the matter is when SHTF any home with electricity and the smell of ribeyes on the grill, fruit trees and gardens will be a HUGE TARGET. Chances are you will have to bug out, can you throw all your food in a truck and run ? Where to ? Do you have body armor not just for you but your family, medical supplies, IFAK’s ????

 

[FrommerStop]

Most of these comments “Assume” you will be able to just sit in your home with electricity and refrigerators, when the truth of the matter is when SHTF any home with electricity and the smell of ribeyes on the grill, fruit trees and gardens will be a HUGE TARGET. Chances are you will have to bug out, can you throw all your food in a truck and run ? Where to ? Do you have body armor not just for you but your family, medical supplies, IFAK’s ????

Bugging just is not going to work unless you have a defensible place to go to. One will have much worse problems with security in remote areas since there will be absolutely no laws except those of nature and what ever the local residents decide to do. You try the national forests and it will be full of people all trying to do the same thing. Any game or other forage will soon be gone.
You will never likely reach private land. The locals will be blockading the highways in and unless you got some pull in that particular area, you will not be getting through. I know it is what I would do if I was living in a rural area and that is keep outsider away.
Edit: there are already people living in the forests and just about anywhere else that the cops do not run them out.
During the depression the state of California had roadblocks set up in some areas to keep the starving okies out.

I would expect meat to be more expensive than ammo. Rice and beans, probably not so much. During the depression people did steal produce from farmers. Farmers were also burning their crops to try and keep prices high. Deer more or less disappeared from many areas.

If you are cooking you want to be using a pressure cooker. Releases a lot less of a smell than cooking meat over an open fire. A century or so ago my grand father made a trip back to germany by ship. The food was very bad and he had money to buy better food and did not. He did not want the other passengers to know he had money. I am also planting starvation crops that can stay stored in the ground and dug up as needed. Such is not very tasty, but it has calories. You do not want to flaunt having food. Fruit and nut trees are visible could be a problem with neighbors.

Electricity is likely going to be there for a while unless we get into a war. for cooking heat: I got piles of pine logs for outside cooking fires.