Maitland: Let’s talk about the weather. The weather is changing, and so now is the time to remember to plan for the inevitable, which is a loss of power and storms. Fall is a good time to freeze, can, and buy extra food from the store to prepare for the winter. Just as our ancestors did with their pantries and their root cellars, so should you. Allocate a space in your home that is cooler—whether it’s the basement, garage, or whatever, where you can maintain a storage of extra food. Look for sales and buy in bulk when you can. It is important to be the one in your neighborhood and your family to be prepared. Food storage doesn’t have to be hard. You can buy the emergency preparedness backpacks so many companies advertise, or you can do it on your own with food that has shorter shelf lives, like canned beans and dried food packages. Make sure you have lots of variety, and also that you have some good sources of protein that can be easily carried and transported. For example, you should stock up on energy and protein bars, and keep them readily accessible. Raw nuts are amazing because they don’t require refrigeration like eggs and cheese but they are a good quick source of protein. Become adept at stocking up when things are on sale and then you can rotate food through your pantry with a system that you devise. Or if you want, you can do research on the internet. There is a lot of information there if you want to take a deep dive into food storage. Again, like balance, start small. Buy several cases of bottled water. Stock up on protein snacks and calculate what you would need to support yourself and your family for a week without electricity. Then we can move on in another blog to discuss keeping warm, electricity alternatives, etc.
Go prepare!