I must confess that, sometimes, when people find out that we have an ever-growing food storage going on in our basement, they give me a strange look. As if a second head has sprouted out the side of my neck and they're not sure which set of eyes to look at. It's so outside of the mainstream that folks don't know what to say. We're a comfortable society in which we don't have to work at obtaining food, so why stock it? It just sort of magically appears on the shelves at Walmart or Kroger or Piggly-Wiggly. Yes, we have to work to pay for the food, but beyond that, food acquisition is pretty much up to other people. We don't grow it, pick it, transport it, stock it. Most of the time we don't even have to cook it. It's all done for us. But what would happen if one link in that 'grow it-pick it-transport it-stock it' chain were broken. What then?
What if excessive rainfall in America's Breadbasket wiped out grain harvests? Oh wait. That's already happening. So where are our grains going to come from? Flour for our Pop-tarts? Corn for our corn syrups, ethanol, and hundreds of other products? Will we buy it from another country or just do without?
What if labor shortage prevented a California crop from being harvested? What if California companies couldn't afford to pay their workers?
What if rising gas prices or infrastructure issues kept food from being trucked in from California to the rest of the United States? Look at these statistics...if California couldn't export produce, what would you eat?
Crop Percent Grown in California According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture
Pomegranates: 100%
Kiwi: 97%
Olives: 96%
Plums and Prunes: 94%
Brussel Sprouts:93%
Avocados: 90%
Nectarines: 89%
Garlic: 85%
Celery: 83%
Grapes: 83%
Cauliflower: 82%
Broccoli: 81%
Lemons: 79%
Tomatoes: 76%
Lettuce: 73%
Nuts: 65%
Carrots: 62%
Strawberries: 59%
Spinach: 59%
Not that I'm picking on California. Just saying.............
Now, what if Walmart couldn't keep the stock on their shelves? We all expect the food to be there, and if a problem arose, people would form orderly lines waiting for the problem to be resolved, right? You've seen the Black Friday videos, haven't you? Of riots, tramplings, fist-fights and brawls. For a toy. Or a TV. What if it were something important, like food, water, medicines? Think Black Friday-Supersized!
And beyond, the 'grow it-pick it-transport it-stock it' chain, what if you simply couldn't afford food any longer? What if you lost your job? Or the dollar collapsed and it would take a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread? It's happened before. Look at post-collapse USSR. In this weird day and age, I think it's prudent to look beyond Walmart and consider what you'd eat and how you'd eat if there was an interruption of some sort in our society.
So really, what's the harm in having a little extra food socked away for a rainy day? You keep insurance on your home, right? And on your car, just in case? Why not on your health and well-being? This week, commit yourself to picking up just a little extra. A bag of rice. A box of pasta. Some canned veggies. Whatever your family will eat. Just for insurance purposes. Wouldn't you sleep just a bit easier tonight knowing that, no matter what, you'll have enough to eat tomorrow?
10 comments:
The list makes me really glad to BE in California, really, but the next question on your string of doomsday questions is "what if the CA farmers didn't have access to enough water to grow their crops?" It's happening in some places - because of my beekeeper's group I hear a lot about what almond growers are doing, and planting new orchards is not high on the list, in fact many are ripping some out because of the water restrictions/prices.
I've heard about the water problems....I just didn't want to pick on California any more LOL. I guess the moral of the story is don't put all your eggs in one basket, huh? Branch out and find food close by.
Exactly. But the water issues make it hard for me not to feel guilty about growing my own food,sometimes. This piece of land is just not designed to support this many... Sometimes I think it would be better to import via gas=powered vehicles than import the water, but it's kind of an ugly toss-up.
I think having food and water is the best thing you can do to help protect yourself and your family.
Your post is 100% right. I as the (What If?)question all the time. Do yourself and your family a big favor, stock up on food, water and other needed suplies ASAP.
I don't understand why people think someone is "weird" if they stock up on food. Think about this... we call someone wise, disciplined, and smart if they stock up money in a savings account. So why are people who stock up on food considered crazy?
I, too, am glad to live in CA for all the food it produces, but the water is ALWAYS a thought in the back of my mind. No place is a perfect paradise.
I'm biased, but I think Pleasant Township, Ohio is about as close as you can get to Paradise, this side of Heaven anyway. The summers aren't crazy hot, the winters aren't crazy cold. We have some snow, some rain, some sun, some wind. We have a comfortable growing season, distinct seasons. And I can look out my front door and see my mom's neighborhood...5 miles away.
Andrea,
I agree, I'm from SE Ohio also. I'm in C-bus now though. Do you think that you are far enough from the C-bus zombies in a SHTF scenario?
I think of that often.
-Seth M
Seth, I've wondered that before. I really do think we're in a fairly safe spot...our road literally goes nowhere. We're a good distance from grocery stores, the highway, banks, commerce, etc.
I would be afraid of living in some of the burbs closer to Columbus (London for example) but Pleasant Township is smack-dab nowhere, so I can't see a mad-rush to get here. Of course we do have a really good, one room grocery store/pizza place LOL.
As others have noted, water is a huge issue out here in CA. The farmers had their water rations cut in some instances by 80%! The Fresno area - highly dependent upon agriculture - has a 40% unemployment rate because of the farms not being able to grow anything.
This past summer, on drives from my home to the Sacramento area, I would pass field after field that had been started, but was then left to dry out because of the water rationing.
And don't even get me started on the (non-native) Delta Smelt that is being saved in lieu of the farmers.
Andrea,
I fit into the "burbs closer to Columbus" category, but plan is to "bug out" when/if needed. ;(
thanks for responding!
-Seth
Post a Comment