This article is not for everyone. If you are just doing fine and don't think you will ever face losing a source of income or intermittent food supply then you can ignore this article. But for 90% of the MM readership, you all should at least read it.
I generated this article after noting that a number of my friends back in the United States, as well as a number of MM participants were having trouble.
Serious, serious trouble.
While not life and death situations, they did involve discomfort. Because people, you have no idea what it is like when you haven’t eaten a decent meal in a few weeks. This is real starvation. And not a good situation to be in.
And so I just cannot post anything else until I get my thoughts “off my chest” and onto MM.
Introduction
One of the things that has happened to me, time and time again in the United States was massive layoffs without notice on or right before the holidays. Last total was around five on Christmas Eve. And because we were living paycheck to paycheck (with no savings), and no secondary sources of income we were often thrown into uncomfortable situations.
Like being out of food, or running out of food, and having to wait weeks (or sometimes months) for the local government agencies to provide us support and assistance.
And being a “white collar” professional, as soon as we obtained food stamps, monetary awards or help, the first thing that we would do is try to replicate our habits. When we would get money, we would go to a fast food restaurant or a local diner.
And when we would get food stamps we treated it as “play money” and bought the more expensive frozen food, and snacks that we normally wouldn’t buy.
These latent responses to a catastrophic situation were not good for us.
But you know, we learned and adapted. And here are some of my tricks to make sure that this kind of situation would never occur again.
Basics
Let’s get started.
[1] The woman is in charge of household finance and meals / food.
This is the first and most important aspect of this entire post. Listen up!
Call me an old fashioned man, or whatever you want. But the most important thing that you can do is put the “woman of the house” in charge of finance, and meals.
She will budget the meals, and the finances, and do a very good job at it.
And the ONLY reason why I did not implement this very simple change earlier in my life because I was far too egotistical, and taken in by the progressive “everyone is equal” beliefs.
Men and women are NOT equal. We each have certain strengths and weaknesses. And women are natural financiers, and managers.
Do not waste that resource.
If you want to forever prevent this kind of situation from ever happening again, then learn how to delegate.
The woman (whether working in a career or not) should ALWAYS be in charge of the finances and the meals.
Period.
This is the first, biggest and most important change to your life that will really seriously prevent these kinds of emergencies from ever happening ever again.
Oh, and one more thing. Don’t ever disagree with her (his, if there are gender issues) on the allocations. Creating this kind of division of responsibility should be automatic, painless and should be the last thing to contribute to family strife.
[2] An emphasis on healthy food.
The second thing, also of equal importance is that the domestic management must be such that well budgeted meals, both tasty and healthy be emphasized. This will occur automatically (in my experience) but it does need to be spelled out specifically so all will agree to it.
I am advocating, good healthy simple food. With an occasional restaurant visit or special “date” or event to improve your quality of life.
Expensive gourmet chain coffees are out. So is ice cream. This should be dedicated for special events. Not regular meals as dessert. No snacks. Zero Doritos, and potato chips, pretzels, and and fried pork skins.
Zero.
Am I clear on this?
The idea is that you can still have these things, but in moderation and only on special occasions. If you want to have snacks then opt for the far cheaper salted peanuts than a bag of Doritos.
Let’s look at the third element of “the basics”.
[3] Grocery budget must be heavy on staples, fruits, and vegetables.
Oh, you have heard that before.
Right?
But I am going to really underline this point. If you break down the costs for groceries you will find that staples such as rice, potatoes, flour, and eggs are very surprisingly cheap.
You can buy huge bags of the items for very little, and they alone can make very bland and tasteless meals for a long long time. Of which you can convert into very tasty meals with some salt, and some other seasonings.
For instance, in America we used to just eat rice with soy sauce. In China they think this is insane. Here's a try. Take some soy sauce, olive oil, cooking wine, and vinegar. Mix it together, add salt and pepper. Then cut up tomatoes and onions. Mix together with the sauces and eat over the rice. Not a gourmet meal, but it tastes fresh, and will not be all that terrible.ANd it will fill you up. Total cost is probably under 10 cents.
Vegetables are also very cheap. But you will need to be able to buy them twice a week as they perish easily. Fruit tends to be expensive. I argue that everyone should have some fruit in the house (it helps you shit and aids in digestion) but you don’t need to buy the most expensive fruit. Get whatever is on sale, and cheap. In the Summer like now, peaches are cheap. So is watermelon.
Less than 5% of the weekly grocery budget should go to condiments, and frozen food.
…
Didn’t quite “get it” did you? Let me repeat.
Less than 5% of the weekly grocery budget should go to condiments, and frozen food.
Yah. If you are not following this rule you are setting yourself up for trouble. You as a man, or as a woman have a responsibility to your family and your beloved pets. You need to proved for them. You NEED to manage your grocery shopping.
So let me repeat.
Less than 5% of the weekly grocery budget should go to condiments, and frozen food. The rest goes to staples, vegetables, and fruit (On sale).
[4] Start building a larder
You do not need to be a Prepper or a Mormon to start having a “Larder”. A larder is a long term storage of foodstuff and elements that enable that your family will have food during the ups and downs of economic uncertainty. If you start small, but religiously contribute to it, after six months you should have a very sizable larder that you can use to make good, tasty and delicious meals.
A larder should be in the coolest part of your house. Preferably a cellar, basement or garage. It should store staples and cans. You should make sure that you have mouse traps nearby as they tend to attract rodents. If you are doing better, you can add a deep freezer; just make sure that it is new and reliable. Do not skimp and get a used one. All it takes is one breakdown that will ruin your entire stock of frozen supplies.
[5] Know your local resources for food.
You don’t need to go to chain supermarkets for food. You can go to old food warehouses, enormous structures that contain out of date cans and boxes.They sell out of date products. Almost all the canned goods are fine. Boxed goods are hit and miss. Be careful. So what if the cans are dinged. Just makes sure they are not broken.
You can also go to bakery outlets, and look at their end of day specials. You can go to local farmers’ markets and scoot into grocery stores at the end of the day for the best prices.
Better yet talk to the owners and managers. Know them on a personal basis. You might be surprised. I know that Panera Bread gives its end of the day bread out to local organizations and people that need it instead of throwing them away. Just communicate. Build relationships. Contribute to your community. Be local.
The same thing goes for local small farmers and such. You would be amazed at the prices you can get at a local egg farm, or the milk at a diary at the farm. You just need to get up, find out where they are and visit them. Talk to the people. Know them personally. Become a customer, and when times get hard, you might be surprised the help you will get back in return.
[6] Know your emergency services
We are surrounded with Rufus’s. We just are so busy dealing with our day to day lives that we do not realize that there are all sorts of emergency services all around us. Many are in “the Yellow Pages” or whatever constitutes for them on the internet. All are run by Rufus’s. These vary from all sorts of services and can include…
- County social services
- Private social services
- Religious (Catholic, etc.) social services
- Food banks
- Volunteer organizations
- Salvation Army
- Animal Shelters
[7] Contribute your skill sets to others
I once had a long time high school friend who suddenly started having really strange cramps and pains. But he was poor, living on the edge of poverty and couldn’t afford a doctor’s visit, and since he worked (and owned a house) he could not qualify for free medical care.
So he asked me what to do, and I reminded him that he used to be the groundskeeper for a local doctor a few towns away.
I told him that what did he have to lose, but to go up and ask him for help.
And you know what? He did exactly that.
Surprised me. No Shit!
Most people never listen to MM. They just want sympathy. Not real help and advice.
But sure as shit he called him up and visited him at his house. The doctor was so happy to see him, and was more than willing to look at him. He did it for free, and then wrote some prescriptions for him. Called them into the pharmacy and paid for them himself.
You never know.
It never, ever hurts to ask.
You might be surprised at the response.
Be part of the community. Smile. Be kind and helpful. Contribute what you can. And when you need help, the community will give it back to you.
Valuable skills that you can contribute to society (just connect with any local social service and tell them that you want to offer free support to those in need) include
- Medical profession
- Machining, metal fabrication
- Mechanic work / shop repair
- Handyman
- Electrician
- Plumbing
- Translations Services
- Teaching
And even more! And if the first social service isn’t interested, just go down the line until you too are hooked into a local community participating and helping those in need nearby.
[8] Local options
I knew a man who gave free gasoline to various social service organizations and vouchers to those in need. I also knew individuals who did this out of their own wallets. I also know that there are large networks of Rufus’s that lie hidden all around you.
What you need to do is start getting out and talking to the people. Go to the fishermen and where they unload their daily catches. You will probably end up with a garbage bag full of fish. Take it home. Freeze most. Cut off the heads and give to your cats. They will forever love you for that.
Offer them a few bucks (dollars) for some fresh fish Put them in a plastic bag and carry them home. Or whatever is local to your area.
In Pennsylvania there were orchard farms full of trees with apples, pears, plums, and nuts. Walnuts, chestnuts, and others. There’s blueberry farms, strawberry farms. Pecan orchards, and many more. There’s catfish farms in the deep south, and shrimp harvesting in the gulf. Shellfish collectors all over the coast, and everything in between.
We need to start thinking like our grandparents instead of adapting our new reality to that of what we have grown accustomed to having.
[9] Soup Kitchens
I have eaten at numerous soup kitchens. The very first one that I went to was located in New Iberia Louisiana, and I was surprised by the great diversity of people there.
Sure there were some “riff raff”, but there were single mothers with children, a group of marines that lost their money in a game of poker and got stranded, some folk laid off and in between jobs, and others dealing with all sorts of issues.
There is a soup kitchen in just about every American city, and the larger the city the more numbers the kitchens. You must be aware of the operating times. Some only operate between 11:00am and 2:00pm, while others operate at 5:00pm to 6:00pm. You come early and if you are in a distressed neighborhood be safe, careful and come early.
The meals are good, solid fare.
Not just a big tureen of soup as depicted in the movies. But rather a full meal with a main dish, vegetables on the side, bread, a soup, a dessert, and a drink. It’s often cooked by volunteers, who come out and devote their time and energy to make good tasty meals for those in need.
Rufus’s all.
Old and young.
If you are in a situation, maybe between jobs. On unemployment. On food stamps, or just worried about the job situation, you need to seek the local soup kitchen out, and start supplementing your meals.
Once a week at least.
That one meal will expand your home food bank by 1/7 automatically. And it will connect you to others.
Then, maybe… maybe ask if you can volunteer.
You will get a free meal out of it in exchange for work and you will be helping others. It’s a win – win!
[10] Stop eating out American style
Telling that to an American will result in blank stares. But it is true. Same with Starbucks coffee, donuts, and all the rest. We all know about how unhealthy these foods in restaurants actually are, but it’s more than that. They are expensive. And they tear up your body.
I’m in my mid to late 60’s. Do I look my age?
It’s because I haven’t eaten American style fast food in over 15 years. Sure, I have an occasional coffee or a “Subway” or a real hamburger at Burger King, but that is about it. They are rare events.
I eat real food, either in a restaurant or prepared at home.
And I can see the difference in my photographs.
My food is free of GMO’s, hyper-processed ingredients, is almost always fresh and certainly rarely deep fried or heavily salted.
When you are under heavy stress, what you eat makes a big difference in your ability to handle that stress. Eat fresh food, made by a talented loving spouse using real fresh ingredients.
Eat out, but when you do limit it to once a week, and be selective in where you go. Make it memorable.
That means tasty and full of meaningful communication.
[11] Cut out all soda
Growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s we have become accustomed to eating everything with a soda or a coffee. A coffee is ok, but a soda is not.
I could go into all the reasons why carbonated surgery drinks (regardless of the price) is not good for you, but if you want to break this cycle, then you must break those bad dangerous habits. And soda is one of them.
Start adding red wine to your meals. Cut down on the beer. I am not saying that you need to get sloshed, but at least one or two glasses with every meal will really spice up the meal, make the time desirable for talking instead of playing on the computer and watching television and help your heart. Sure, a bottle costs the same as a McDonald’s number one meal. But it’s an investment that will pay off.
Oh, and make sure that it is real wine. It need not be expensive, but must be real.
[12] A garden (Long term planning)
Sure you can have a garden. Most American homes have yards. But even if you are in an urban environment, a porch with some tomato plants can make a big difference in your access to fresh vegetables.
[13] Fruit and nut bearing trees (Really Long term planning)
If you have a yard, you can also have fruit and nut bearing trees. They produce every years, and sure it can be a pain in the ass to harvest, but one tree will give you bales and bales of apples, or sacks and sacks of nuts. Just because your job is secure now does not mean that it will always be secure. And then what are you going to do with all those apples, oranges, bananas, or walnuts? Humm…
[14] Home canning and harvesting (Long term planning)
If you have a garden you can also can your excess. You can make preserves. You can make apple butter. You can make hot vegetable mix. You can make pickles. You can make homemade salsa. You can make and can re-fried beans. You can make all sorts of things, and once you get started you will never be hungry ever again.
Conclusion
I know many of you will be “rolling your eyes” at my crazy old fashioned ideas and suggestions regarding food and local social services. But please listen to me. I do know what I am talking about.
I just want to put it forth, and posit that in order for us to adapt and survive, we need to be a Rufus. We need to know all the Rufus organizations around us and we need to contribute to the community in whatever means we have. If you are in this situation now, please take heed of my advice, and try to implement some of these suggestions. Not all of them are perfect and ideal for your situation, but you can be rest assured that they will serve to help you during times of need.
Listen to me, not eating for a few weeks really sucks. And if you are in the United States there is absolutely no reason for this to occur.
Stop letting your fears or ideas of what might wait behind that heavy bolted door stop you from stepping inside. Do not let any Hollywood notions of what a Soup Kitchen is stop you from grabbing a healthy meal, and stop listening to the non-stop 24-7 consumer nonsense blasted at you and your family.
Eggs are cheap. Really cheap. Potatoes and onions are cheap. Do you want a good filling meal for under $1 USD?
Try cooking sliced potatoes and onions together with salt and pepper, and then add two eggs, and two (cheapest brand) chicken hotdogs from the freezer. You will be full, you will be fine, and your stomach won’t be growling.
For comparison, one Burger King Meal will equal about eight of these healthier and easy to make meals.
Then start giving back to your community.
After a good six months on this program you will find your health is better, your weight is lower, your stress is down, and you will be part of a community which will greatly improve your life. If you are not good at interacting with people, turn to our spouse…
…you are never alone.
And their (her) abilities in networking and making friends will astound you. My experience has proven this point time and time again.
And remember, everything is temporary.
The bad will end.
But now, if you are in this particular situation, know that this is just the start of some really good things.
It’s a crazy life that we live. Just ride with it. Seek the Rufus’s they are everywhere.
Do you want more?
I have more posts in my Food Index here…
Food.
Articles & Links
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
To go to the MAIN Index;
Master Index.
- You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
- You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
- You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
- You can find out more about the author HERE.
- If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
- If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.
Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.
MM, once again, your article is amazing!
This article should be read by every single American today. I know there are more people here that are fortunately away from the states, but those of us who are – this should be required reading.
I will say this to anyone or anything that’s reading this: Following the advice – to the letter – of MM WILL yield positive results. Wether it’s here talking about all this cool stuff – or anything. His heart is pure gold and his advice is red gold (more Norse references but red gold is much more valuable than gold itself – even with the copper)
I do need to get this off my chest, and I will probably write this on he board. I was hesitant because some ghosts are better left in the cemetery but this – I have to say because there is an open apology to some.
Some of my patients were military and civilian contractors. They would tell me shit that would make you vomit. Many came to our office because of crimes against their own kids. In a nutshell Their jobs were killing some inside.
I would always ask “just find another job”
The answer was always a laugh and “do you know what happens if I quit? My family does and I go to jail and forever put on a sex offender list.
Now, until I came to MM – I had never seen heard of that before – but – my thought was “you molest your own kids and I gotta sit hear and hear about it. You deserve it”.
There are many in government that are great people. Great people. They take a job thinking it’s for the greater good and they get stuck. The only way out for them is suicide.
For the majority that told me about their nonsense that they did – I can’t say they deserve it – they will have to sort that out.
But to the ones – the truly good ones that stayed good no matter what – I publicly apologize for thinking you deserved anything.
MMs story is exactly -EXACTLY how they would describe going down. Put in prison and then on a list.
This is a great human being who got so screwed by his own government he had to f-ing move across the globe in order to be acknowledged as a human being.
I can’t imagine what this place would look like if our twisted, evil people in government allowed these people back into society as “normal” people.
I do know this – planet earth would be a better place with them in society.
To the country of China – consider yourself lucky. You got a winner.
Many years ago, my wife and I decided to eat organic food almost exclusively. It was quite a bit more expensive, but we came up with a rule:
We can spend as much as we want at the grocery store, but we cannot go out to eat.
As a result I’ve spent the past decade+ learning how to cook. I’m a decent cook. Lately, I’ve gotten into eating more beans and lentils. I love a lentil salad.
The other thing I do religiously, and have done for over a decade, is filter my water. I use a Berkey filter with a set of fluoride filters. I bring water with me to work.
If you are new to cooking, focus on learning techniques rather than following a cookbook. It will pay off in the end.
Techniques = how to make stock, how to brown meat, how to season, how to make bread, how to Blanche vegetables, how to make a basic vinaigrette, how to make mayonnaise, etc.
The other thing to do is learn how to properly season food.
Seasoning is (1) salt and (2) acid – vinegar, citrus juice, or wine. Salt each ingredient, salt as you go, and correct your seasoning at the end. That means add salt or acid (if called for) at the end, as needed.
And as MM said, vegetables and starch are your mainstay. Minimize dairy and be judicious about what kind of meat you consume. Super market meat in the US is awful, but it should be relatively easy to get a high quality butcher hog, steer, or even more exotic meat like bison, from a local rancher.
Thank you for this. Great stuff on cooking. Though, in the MM household my wife refuses to let me touch anything in the kitchen. That is HER domain, and HER rules.
Personally, I use a filter and only use filtered water. But that’s an advanced step for most people. Once you get your affairs in order, yes, start filtering your water.
As an aside, my mother would get with her brothers and sisters and by a 1/3 to 1/2 steer and have the local butcher cut it up for them. They then divided the meat up. This amount of meat lasts a long, long time!
Thank you for your insight and tips! Just the other day I had a few hogs that lived literally between my property and a commercial farm. They had dogs go get the hogs. It sounded horrible – even my dogs freaked – but the owner of the farm said for letting him go on our property to kill the hogs, he is having one butchered for us! Talk about striking gold. I am not a cook – but am about to be.
Wonderful story. It put a smile on my face.
This writing makes a really good read. Very full
of good tips to stretch $ and eat healthy food.
Thank you very much.
Last night I listened to an audio article from the
Unz report. There was a review about the US and
China. Unz mentioned you and gave you credit for
providing data that he then explored further. He
specifically mentioned your website with a positive
review. Good work MM. And as always, TY.
Wow! I was unaware of that. A big thank you for relating that information to me. And also thank you for accepting my old fashioned ideas.
Great article. Here are some thoughts:
If you can afford smokes and booze, you can afford to do this. Instead of spending $100 for cigarettes, spend it on stocking your pantry. The people who smoke are always the ones who claim they don’t have enough money for X, even for emergency preparations. I don’t wanna hear it.
Outstanding information! Big thank you!
One last note. Forget about expiration dates on metal cans. The contents can last for a hundred years. As we have seen in the abandoned Antarctica base camps.
The results can vary with metal cans. Many food items are naturally a little corrosive, especially those packed in water. Today’s cans are generally made a lot more cheaply than those old-time ones.
I’ve opened cans just past the best-by date and noticed the contents had a distinctly metallic taste, though this is an exception. I’ve also seen old cans of food rust from within because of the food attacking the metal over years. Large dents expose metal to the contents and provide a post for rust to start. That’s why jars are better than cans for some foods. Glass doesn’t decay and doesn’t impart a flavor.
Compared with foods packed in water, thick foods with little free water are better long-term in cans. One example is corned-beef hash. Foods packed in oil do well also. Buy tuna packed in oil instead of water.
Canned condensed milk is definitely not good much past the expiration date. The contents thicken and sour.
The really large cans for commercial-kitchen use seem to hold up very well, but that’s a lot to use at one time when you open the can.
One thing I forgot to mention is to store cans on a cloth or paper towel that has been oiled a little, preferably with cooking oil. This will help protect the cans from external rust. If you live in a humid area or near the ocean, watch for rust on the cans around the tops, bottoms, and side seams. If your cars are prone to rust where you live, so will canned goods.
The same principles apply to pet food. For example, if your cat requires canned food, buy pâté instead of shredded X in gravy. The gravy has more free water to attack the can long-term.
I saw the writing on the wall about five years ago and began stocking up. I have roughly a year’s worth of food at home now.
Outstanding comments! Thank you. I didn’t know any of this.
Great additional information can be found on ocean sailing provisioning websites such as this one HERE. Check it out!
TIPS AND TRICKS
• Onions and potatoes taste great together but when stored in the same compartment will quickly rot.
•Bananas give off gas as they ripen and will ripen not only other bananas but also other fruits and vegetables nearby. This can be used to your advantage with green avocados and tomatoes but can mean you’re in for a lot of banana bread.
• An easy way to keep ginger: peel it, cut it into one inch chunks and pack it into a jar. Pour in enough rum or vodka to cover. The ginger will stay fresh for months, the alcohol will burn off when cooked and the leftover rum/vodka is delicious in cocktails!
• Finely chop fresh herbs such a basil, cilantro and parsley, place in a jar and cover generously will oil. Stored in the fridge they will retain their color and flavor for weeks as long as they are submerged in the oil.
•You can’t have enough white vinegar on board. Not only is it good in the galley but a cup down the head once a week will prevent your plumbing from getting clogged. It is great for cleaning as it cuts through salt and prevents mold. And it will eliminate odors in your laundry when added to the rinse water.
•To avoid weevil infestations in your wheat products add a handful of bay leaves to flour and pasta containers, and sprinkle throughout galley cupboards. If you find one weevil there will be many more in your future as they lay their eggs inside wheat products. Discarding all of the flour/pasta you found it in is the only way to get rid of them.
•Spending a little time researching your destination can save you time and money. What food stuffs you can and can’t bring into a country varies around the world. Having a freezer full of meat or fridge full of fresh veggies confiscated by the authorities is not a happy way to end a passage.
•A vacuum packing machine might seem like a bit of an expense when purchased but when provisioning, especially for remote locations, will prove itself as a good investment. Make sure to stock up on extra bags.
•Restocking your pantry is a perfect time to rotate stock and clean holds. Take time to inspect cans for rust or bloating, and make sure the “button” on all jar lids are concave. Discard, without opening, anything that seems suspect.
“To avoid weevil infestations in your wheat products add a handful of bay leaves to flour and pasta containers, and sprinkle throughout galley cupboards. If you find one weevil there will be many more in your future as they lay their eggs inside wheat products. Discarding all of the flour/pasta you found it in is the only way to get rid of them.”
Here’s an old trick that works really well. I’ve done it many times. Right after you buy a bag of flour, bread crumbs, breader, or anything similar, store it in the deep freezer for a day or two, so it stays well below freezing for a while. That kills weevil eggs and even the stray weevil that has hatched, though in freshly bought flour, finding actual adult weevils is rare. The eggs are not rare. You can then store the flour as usual at room temperature.
Another product susceptible to weevils and other bugs is breakfast cereal as it is known in the US (raisin bran, corn flakes, etc.), so be aware.
Thanks, I do it with rice. I never thought of doing it with flour and other stuff too.
Good thing you kept your supplies near home. I had mine in a storage facility down the road because at the time we had a lot of shady people in the area we lived. Then my ex decided to take it all with HER and her new husband. At least she didn’t put up that much of a fight – so I got it all back. But putting preps off site – even close by – was the worst advice I ever took.
This is awesome- thank you for taking the time to type it all out for us.
The smokes and booze money I could not agree with you more on. People use the “well, I am addicted…”. Yeah. So am I. To eating and staying healthy.
I agree with all of this. I wanted to let people know, I planted fruit and nut trees and fruit vines 10 years ago. Some of them are just coming online this year for the first time. My garden gets eaten up by woodchucks, squirrels, possums, voles, deer, etc etc every year. So I rarely get a good crop of corn or squash or other annuals. But I have noticed that the tree/vine crops always seem to do fairly well.
Also, there are likely ‘wild’ foods all around you.
I used to work with a Filipino guy. He said when he lived in Florida, they often had coconut trees planted for decoration. After hurricanes he would go and gather up coconuts. Not only did no one else pick them up, the neighbors would look at him like he was crazy.
I can tell you where I live, just driving to work, I pass by all kinds of cattails, hostas, and day lillies, which are all edible. There are also all kinds of wild berries around. I passed more than 20 turkeys on the way to work. We are over-run with rabbits. I dragged a 20 lb turtle out of my yard the other day.
I know this is even beyond the larder, but there is food everywhere if you know where to look.
“After hurricanes he would go and gather up coconuts. Not only did no one else pick them up, the neighbors would look at him like he was crazy.”
Here’s why they thought he was crazy. Normally coconuts fall off trees after they are overripe and rotting, so they’re not safe to consume. Either a wind storm, like the hurricanes you mention, or climbing the tree to get the ripe coconuts is necessary to get a good one.
We have these things called “jelly palms” all over our property. They are fruiting now in fact. Last year we really got into picking them and finding ways to use them. If you live in an area where you can grow them I highly recommend it. The fruit tastes like juicy fruit gum.
TQ for this insightful article.
Think it applies to everyone in every country. The economic situation globally isn’t too great and such sound advice is truly needed in such time.