Food Security- 8 Ways to Prepare for Potential Food Shortages

• Plan Your Space: Use raised beds or containers if space is limited. Vertical gardening is an effective way to grow more food in smaller spaces. You can grow anything from cucumbers, tomatoes, even melons using vertical gardening. As melons mature, you can use empty net bags, that produce like mandarins and avocados are purchased in, to create a support hammock for the melons as they mature. Old stockings are also a great option, especially for heavier produce.
• Ensure your plants receive adequate sunlight and water.
• Compost for Fertility: Start a compost pile to enrich your garden soil naturally. You can buy compact composters like this one, realtively cheap.

Examples of vertical gardening

 

  

Examples of container gardening

Here are links to find similar options for container gardening-

30 Gallon Heavy Grow Bags– great for potatoes, and can be used for any other crops.

5 Tier Stackable Growing Tower– often used for strawberries, herbs & lettuce crops

Galvanized Raised Garden Bed with Vertical Growing Trellis- great if you have limited space or you are wnating to grow more food in your yard.

Outdoor Gardens 8 ft Raised Wood Beds- I love the way these look, a simple garden growing box for your yard.

3 Tier Vertical Garden Planter– great for any greens, tomatoes, berries, herbs and smaller sized crops

Large Window Mini Greenhouse 6ft– a great option if you have animals of frosts that may destroy your crops.

Raised Elevated Wood Planter– good for balconies and porches

and these are some of my favorites for backyard gardens- I love the aesthetic of these Outdoor Metal Raised Garden Beds.

I want to also note- we use, and strongly encourage everyone to use, non-GMO heirloom seeds to grow produce. These seeds have not been changed from their natural state, and being heirloom varieties it means they will produce seeds that can be used for generations. You can source them here (if you live in the USA) & here if you live in Australia.

One of my favorite places to get heirloom seeds is Azure Standard, where you can also buy bulk foods, health prodcuts, and don’t forget to check out their clearance section.

• Check Local Regulations: Ensure you are allowed to keep chickens in your area, many counties in the US allow 4 chickens per household, but no roosters.
• Feed and Care: Ensure a balanced diet and regular vet check-ups for healthy chickens. Try giving them your meat, grain & produce scraps (no onion, tomatoes or potatoes), and add a protein and grain source to their diet to help with egg production. This is great option for your chickens feed, and for all the homeschool moms or bug enthusitists out there you might want to look into starting your own meal worm farm. I will be blogging on how to do this later this month.
• Provide them with a Coop: Chickens need a safe and comfortable home for your chickens with enough space for them to roam. Their shelters need to be predator proof- depending where you live, you may need stronger shelter.                                                                                                                                                                                                           If you don’t want build a shelter, you might like to use a shelter that we as a family love and use. The Eglu coop is weather and predator proof, easy to clean and use, and you can add the option of an automatic door. See a green Eglu coop, which we have used with great success, pictured below.
• Silkie are a great backyard option for keeping chickens. They are small, not flighty or loud and very docile. They lay most of the year, tolerate heat and cold well, and they only have 3 claws, so it is difficult for them to cause any real damage to your grass or landscapes.

 

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3. Invest in Food Storage

• Canning and Preserving: Learn how to can fruits, vegetables, and meats. This method preserves nutrients and prevents spoilage. There are countless YouTube videos teaching people how to master the age old art of food canning.

It’s easy to get started with this canning kit, and you can purchase canning jars from most Walmart and Kroger stores, and sometimes even on your local online Marketplace.

• Freezing: Utilize a freezer to store perishable items. Vacuum-sealing can further prevent freezer burn.
• Drying and Dehydrating: Dehydrate fruits, vegetables, and herbs to create lightweight, long-lasting food. Our prefered food dehydrator is the Excalibur. I use our Thermomix Kitchen machine to blend up fruits and then use our dehydrator to make fruit leather.

Here are some fruits we dehydrated in our Excalibur dehydrator (pictured below), on my Blest Foods Instagram page.

• Stock Up on Staples: Keep a supply of grains, beans, pasta, and canned goods. We get some of our store foods from Azure Standard, they have many bulk foods and items used for food preservation. We also buy tubs of dried food from Augason Farms- we keep their powdered butter, dried whole powdered eggs, breakfast foods bucket in our store. and these dried strawberries are a favorite amongst our children. They love them dry, or we add a little water and they become soft again.
• Rotate Your Stock: Use the first-in, first-out method to ensure nothing goes bad.
• Include Variety: Add spices and sauces to maintain a varied and enjoyable diet, and oil.

 

• Bread Baking: Learn to bake simple bread, which can be a staple during shortages.

Many people are embracing the joy and health benefits of homemade sourdough. It’s easy to get started, or if you are wanting to fast track the process, or even feel a little intimidated.                you can buy sourdough starter here. With a gluten free option available too. (you can also follow one of my most loved accounts on Instagram- Jillian Margaret Wellness. You’ll find lots of health giving and sourdough recipes here.

• Preserve with Pickling: Pickling extends the life of your produce while adding flavor.
• Soup and Stews: Mastering these can help you make the most of available ingredients, ad can usually be built from whatever is on your store.

6. Water Storage & Purification

• Harvesting rainwater is a great way to save money and have a self- sustainable water source on hand. This can be done by connecting gutters to a down pipe that hne flows into either a large tank, or into water catchment barrels. Make sure you have a way to purify this water before using it for consumption, it can also be great way to have water for your animals, and to give to your gardens.
• Water storage- it is quite common to see food grade 24 gallon barrels for sale on Marketplace, and these can be a very economical way to store water for use in an emergency. Find a cool place ot store them, fill them with water and seal them, for when you need them.
• Water Purification- if you really get stuck needing water and have to collect water from a spring, lake, river or natural source, having methods of purification can be invaluable, adn there are so many on teh market to choose from. After research we have gone for 2 options. Firstly, LifeStraws– we have one for each member of our family, and a few spares. They are lightweight, easy to carry and use, as well as being reasonably priced. The seond is water purification tablets- we have several bottles of these tablets. ANother lightweight adn easy to use option.
• Accessing Water. If water becomes hard to locate one tool that might just get you ot of an emergency is a Sillcock Tap Key. These small tools are good to have in your car or in your rucksack. You can use them to open water faucets and sources that are unable to be used, such as handless taps in public places.

• Trade and Share: Exchange surplus produce and eggs with neighbors.
• Community Gardens: Participate in or start a community garden to increase food production.
• Find local farmers to support and purchase from.
• Skill Sharing: Learn from others and share your own knowledge about gardening and food preservation.

• Follow News and Trends: Stay updated on local and global food supply trends.
• Educational Resources: Attend workshops or read books on sustainable living and self-sufficiency.
• Emergency Preparedness Plans: Have a plan for potential emergencies, including food shortages.