I live in the country and so I am used to gardening, canning, saving and preparing. However, when I talk to many people who live in the city and live either with minimal land and perhaps apartments, they do not seem prepared or not as prepared as they could be. When I ask if they store or grow any food, they just sort of look at me. When I tell them they should either grow some food or store food not only in case of natural disaster, but even due to inflation and rising prices, the looks become bewildered. They’ll say that they have no place to grow or store food or they may even act as if that is not important to them. But, in this time and day, everyone should prepare some food and essentials. There are reports that crops are being destroyed by elements of drought or floods or freezing and as we can all see, prices are rising and companies are becoming creative at giving us less for the dollar when we buy items. The world we knew or thought we knew is changing and survival is a key for everyone. Even in a small space you can prepare for the worse while you continue to hope for the best!
Before we begin talking about how, lets talk about things that are helpful in storing food. Of course you can go with large buckets and Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers which you can find online at Survival web sites, but what if you do not have that much room?
You are still in luck! Invest in a FoodSaver vacuum sealer
So you space is small – where can you store? Start opening your eyes and look around at where you can add space. A bin on a bookshelf is one more than what you had before! Get creative and utilize any open spaces you may have. When the earthquake happened in Japan, many people did not have food stocked up in their apartments and then found they were empty handed and grocery store shelves empty as well! Remember, grocery stores only have about three days worth of food. If there is a disaster, that food will disappear quickly. What if trucks cannot get to your area? Are you ready to be self-sufficient for a few days, a month or so? And, when storing, think about climate control. Do not store anything near heat such as a fireplace, hot water heater or any place that heat can deter the value of the food.
The following are some ideas of the kinds of places you can store – even in small places!
- Under the bed – with under-the-bed storage bins or boxes. This is a lot of space that you have available right now that you can utilize! You can even get some bins on wheel
- Your closet – what about bins under the hanging clothes? On shelving?
- Install shelving in your rooms and buy nice storage bins–which can even look decorative–to hide items. If you have no wall space, then what about above the doors? Put an extra shelf in the laundry room.
- Use a storage tote bin for storage next to your bed, couch etc. and cover it with a cloth turning it into a night stand or small table. If you have an end table that is open underneath, again, you can put items in the open area, then cover it with a cloth to hide the stored items.
- Place or build storage behind your couch and again, cover it with a cloth and place décor on top of it. No one will ever know!
- Look in your cabinets – try to consolidate items out of bulky boxes and containers and once you get more room, utilize that space.
- Purchase an armoire or storage unit with doors on it and use it completely for storing items. You can use an old entertainment cabinet that has doors on it. Where the television would have gone, you can stack cases of food, put medicines or smaller food or items in the drawers.
- Plant patio gardens in whiskey barrels or other large planters. You can grow onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and any dwarf variety of fruit this way.
- Plant herbs in window gardens or in planters among the house. Herbs can be nice house plants and will offer you spicing to your food than an ordinary house plant so begin utilizing planters in the house as well.
Note: Craft stores sell photo boxes that are usually decorative. These are perfect for putting in small Food Saver bags or making a box for emergency supplies for children.
If you live in the city and have a little land, do all of the above plus:
- Build yourself a raised bed garden – even a 4 x 4 will give you lots of growing space. If you have room build a larger 8 x 4 or as many that you can fit on your land.
- Plant fruit trees if able. Find out what trees grow in your area and plant trees that bear some type of food for you and your family.
- Plant berries or small bushes that produce food.
What items should you think about storing besides food? Think about everyone in your household, including young children and pets. When storing things like water and food, be sure to do your homework and research either in books or on the internet on best practices for safe storage.
Besides food, think of places you can store:
- Water
- First Aid and Medicines
- Toiletries
- Paper goods
- Wet wipes in case you lose water
- Baby formula and other baby needs for babies in your family. If small children, think about snacks for them as well as items that will keep them occupied if there is no electricity and no TV. Colors, coloring books, books, games, and so on.
- Coin or cash to have on hand
- Seed for planting
- Store some “comfort” items. Comfort can be some candy for example, but whatever comfort means to you, you may want to store that so you have it – especially at times you may want it.
- Bartering items – Think along the lines of the old days where people would trade one good for another. If there is a disaster, you may not be able to go to work, drive your car and so on. What could you trade a neighbor for something they have you may want? Some people say to buy ammunition for bartering and that just happens to be something I wouldn’t buy as a bartering tool. That ammo may be what you need for food and they could in turn, use that ammo on you to get the rest of your stash! Think items like razors, tooth brushes, alcohol, coffee and such.
Right now you may be thinking – this is too much to store. Wouldn’t you rather have it and be prepared than not have it when you need it? These items are important to your survival. Our economy could change overnight by one ruling of say not using our currency as the reserve or some solar flare or EMP that affects our electronics. Preparedness is key right now.
The next complaint I hear is, “I have fruit or vegetables, but we can’t eat all of it and some goes to waste.” What you need to do is start thinking along the line of storage again. You can freeze or can most vegetables and fruits and you can dry your herbs. There is vast information on the web about freezing, canning, storing and drying food you produce. This means you may need to look into a water bath canner and pressure canner. I’ve made for example, homemade salsa, jelly, and pickles and am researching more information on canning and freezing my vegetables. Making jelly may take you and another person a day of work, but you will quickly find your shelves filling up. You can use the under-the-bed bins for other items and use shelving for your canned items. If nothing else, home-canned foods make great gifts too so never think you would not know what to do with it all.
By now, most people know that rotating their stored food is important. But, what if you ran across cases of food that will expire in the next month? Most people without thinking will say they cannot possibly eat all that or do not want to. Think of others at this time. Donate it to a food pantry, a large family and so on. Just do not wait too late and never donate food that will expire within a few days or that is expired!
Of course, all of the above is just a small list of ideas. Start researching survival items and you will find many more you should be considering right now. Never think your space or yard is too small. You will be amazed once you start looking around at all the opportunities you truly have to store or grow food. And when you shop at a plant nursery – always look for plants, shrubs and trees that will bear food. It may be what you have to survive on one day!