Sunday, February 12, 2012

Self Sufficiency Part 2 - Canning at home


Being aware that there are many points of failure in the food chain and learning what they are is not being paranoid. It's simply having knowledge of the system that supplies you with the things you need to live from day to day. Our view of “prepping” is what we consider positive and balanced. We don't sit around in fear waiting for the end of the world. What we do is kind of what our great grandparents did. We endeavor to be as self sufficient and self reliant as possible. Producing and storing our own food is the same as money in the bank. You think nothing of buying auto insurance, medical insurance or even live insurance. Okay so what about food and water insurance? FEMA recommends that you keep a 72 hour supply of food and water. Most people don't even keep a seven day supply of food and water. I think a months worth of food is a good start and a bare minimum. It takes a little organization but it's easy.

Q – How do I find out how much food is needed for a given amount of time for my family?
A – There are several food storage calculators available on the Internet:



Q – Won't the food we store simply spoil eventually?
A – That depends on you. All food will eventually spoil if it's not used. The key is to store what you eat and eat what you store. You have to rotate your inventory. Incorporate what you store into your families menu. As you use something out of your supplies, replace it. Use the oldest first.

Q – Where can I learn to can food?
A – There are hundreds of books available on canning. There are also several videos on YouTube:


I hope this helps.  Feel free to post any questions comments and suggestions.

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