This weekend, I spent more time on my garden. It's nice to grow flowers, but I like to grow things I can eat.
I put in strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, and peppers. Some of my seeds that went straight into the ground did not come up, so I transplanted pots grown in the house. I put in four more types of herbs in containers on the patio.
Other seed plants are coming up nicely; spinich, cucumbers and green beans. The ground will have to be tilled soon for the corn and I built three more raised beds.
The grapes took two hours per plant not including soaking and ground preparation. It's the way that it is when you are setting up new "mini arbors" each year.
I am just getting started. I have to track down some new dwarf fruit trees because my normal supplier is out. I was able to snag another mini orange tree though and I am darn glad to have it.
I am no Old MacDonald, but I have been growing food in my yard for over fifteen years. It took a few years, research and lots of trial and error to get it right. And I am still learning.
Let's take a look at the convential prepper now.
He may have his can of non-hybrid seeds from Waltons as recommended online, along with his copy of Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening". Figures he's set now and once the SHTF, "The Ladies" will put in a garden (when they are not making him home made bread and beef stew) and oila! A well producing garden full of all the food he will need to get through lean times.
What a moron.
Is the ground ready? Has the soil been amended? Or is he going to drop those seeds in the ground and expect 100% success? Has he grown anything else besides a fat gut watching "Red Dawn" for the fiftieth time? Will he eat what he grows? Will the seeds work in his zone? Or will they wilt in the sun or drown from overwatering?
Forget the seeds. If someone has never grown anything, then seeds will only be a waste of time. Build one raised bed, buy some tomato and pepper plants and keep them alive for a summer. Then try seeds and trays next year.
What about books? "Square Foot Gardening" is swell, but also look for something else written locally. Years ago, my mom gave me some of her gardening books. One featured a guy getting his SPRING garden ready wearing a Carhardt coat, knee high rubber boots and a sweater. Down here we garden in the spring in shorts and a t-shirt. The book was fine if you lived in upper state New York and were putting in some rhubarb, but was virtually worthless where I live.
Here's the deal with gardening. It's fun, rewarding and there is nothing more secure than picking a dozen tomatoes from your garden and eating them fresh for dinner. But it's also work and frustrating. There is more failure than success. And if your kids are counting on that food, you had better get it right the first time.
Forget that can of "miracle seeds" and "square foot shortcuts". Start now, learn, research and work at it. One day in the garden is not enough.
Practice now.
Good luck,
Showing posts with label food and SHTF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food and SHTF. Show all posts
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Prepare: Cooking and Food
Do you have a "every time I am at the grocery store list"?
This is a list of things you get every time you set foot in the store. It is a great way to build up your food storage.
First, set a budget, $5.00, 10.00 or 20.00. Not more than that or it will put a huge dent in your finances before you know it.
I generally go the grocery store twice a week. One day is "Big Shopping Day". That is where I fill the cart with the usual staples like meat, bread, milk, and so forth. I always use a list and always use coupons. I generally hit two or three stores before I am done. All the of stores must be within a couple of miles of home or the gas costs eats up the food savings.
Once a week, I have to go "pick up a few things". Sometimes it is something my wife needs for a meal or for baking. Other times it is more milk or bread although I try to keep three weeks of perishables on hand at all times.
When I go the store, I pick up a few things every single time.
- One 1lb bag of rice or one bag of noodles (elbow).
- Two 1lb bags of dried beans.
- Two cans of something, usually with protein like canned beans or tuna fish.
- Two cans of fruit.
- One four roll of toilet paper which ever is on sale.
All in all, I usually never spend more than seven dollars on the above. Sometimes it is a little over five.
All of these purchases go into the pantry. The rice and beans go into 5 gallon buckets in their plastic bags after they spend the night in the freezer. The cans go on the shelf.
This builds up a nice little supply of back up food with long shelf life. After a month, you have enough food for a family for three days or longer if you do it right. A year of this can mean a big dent in a month's supply of food. And it only cost about ten dollars a week. That's a fast food meal or a movie ticket.
When it comes to food, I am not a gourmet. It drives my wife bats because I eat very simply. I like bread, meat, potatoes, and little else. But I do like to cook. Cooking is a skill which all of us need before (to save money) and after (to eat, live) the SHTF. Aunt Bee is not coming over to make me a chicken dinner every night.
Because of I am all thumbs in the kitchen, I like cookbooks, the older the better, to prepare foods. New cookbooks have too much "soothing diversity and cultural awareness of foods and the sustainability they bring to persons throughout the world".
Not for me. I like a book which presumes one knows where their food came from and accepts facts such as cows and chickens are for eating.
One of my favorite cookbooks was written in the 1930's and is called French Cooking in Ten Minutes
Don't get me wrong. This is not "Filay Minyon and Snails". This is simple food, prepared quickly, for little money and with a small amount of equipment. The author based his writing on the way people lived in France in the 1930's. Most only had two burner gas or coal stoves (think Coleman stove anyone?).
The book contains recipes which take a few minutes to make and contain basic ingredients nearly everyone has at home. And the meals are filling and complete. And the author is politically incorrect by today's standards. He tells readers how to properly kill a trout ("whack its head against the side of the kitchen counter") before cooking. Why calves brains are so good cooked in butter. Why you should "stick up for yourself" and eat sausages and tuna fish for lunch if you want.
It's a great basic cooking book which can help a useless eater like me in the kitchen, or that young person you are sending off this fall to work or college. It's cheap too. A good buy in my book.
The world is heating up. I was pretty depressed last week, but feel alot better this week. I think we are about to turn the corner. Don't get me wrong. I am prepping for the worse, but I think the end game scenario is changing while we speak.
Some of the "powers that be" are working in their exit strategy now. Keep that in mind!
This is a list of things you get every time you set foot in the store. It is a great way to build up your food storage.
First, set a budget, $5.00, 10.00 or 20.00. Not more than that or it will put a huge dent in your finances before you know it.
I generally go the grocery store twice a week. One day is "Big Shopping Day". That is where I fill the cart with the usual staples like meat, bread, milk, and so forth. I always use a list and always use coupons. I generally hit two or three stores before I am done. All the of stores must be within a couple of miles of home or the gas costs eats up the food savings.
Once a week, I have to go "pick up a few things". Sometimes it is something my wife needs for a meal or for baking. Other times it is more milk or bread although I try to keep three weeks of perishables on hand at all times.
When I go the store, I pick up a few things every single time.
- One 1lb bag of rice or one bag of noodles (elbow).
- Two 1lb bags of dried beans.
- Two cans of something, usually with protein like canned beans or tuna fish.
- Two cans of fruit.
- One four roll of toilet paper which ever is on sale.
All in all, I usually never spend more than seven dollars on the above. Sometimes it is a little over five.
All of these purchases go into the pantry. The rice and beans go into 5 gallon buckets in their plastic bags after they spend the night in the freezer. The cans go on the shelf.
This builds up a nice little supply of back up food with long shelf life. After a month, you have enough food for a family for three days or longer if you do it right. A year of this can mean a big dent in a month's supply of food. And it only cost about ten dollars a week. That's a fast food meal or a movie ticket.
When it comes to food, I am not a gourmet. It drives my wife bats because I eat very simply. I like bread, meat, potatoes, and little else. But I do like to cook. Cooking is a skill which all of us need before (to save money) and after (to eat, live) the SHTF. Aunt Bee is not coming over to make me a chicken dinner every night.
Because of I am all thumbs in the kitchen, I like cookbooks, the older the better, to prepare foods. New cookbooks have too much "soothing diversity and cultural awareness of foods and the sustainability they bring to persons throughout the world".
Not for me. I like a book which presumes one knows where their food came from and accepts facts such as cows and chickens are for eating.
One of my favorite cookbooks was written in the 1930's and is called French Cooking in Ten Minutes
Don't get me wrong. This is not "Filay Minyon and Snails". This is simple food, prepared quickly, for little money and with a small amount of equipment. The author based his writing on the way people lived in France in the 1930's. Most only had two burner gas or coal stoves (think Coleman stove anyone?).
The book contains recipes which take a few minutes to make and contain basic ingredients nearly everyone has at home. And the meals are filling and complete. And the author is politically incorrect by today's standards. He tells readers how to properly kill a trout ("whack its head against the side of the kitchen counter") before cooking. Why calves brains are so good cooked in butter. Why you should "stick up for yourself" and eat sausages and tuna fish for lunch if you want.
It's a great basic cooking book which can help a useless eater like me in the kitchen, or that young person you are sending off this fall to work or college. It's cheap too. A good buy in my book.
The world is heating up. I was pretty depressed last week, but feel alot better this week. I think we are about to turn the corner. Don't get me wrong. I am prepping for the worse, but I think the end game scenario is changing while we speak.
Some of the "powers that be" are working in their exit strategy now. Keep that in mind!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Prepare: Costco Emergency Food Kit
I shop at Costco monthly and it has to be one of my favorite stores. If you are into preparing for the worse, Costco gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you see all those stacks of canned goods, big bags of rice and multipacks of batteries.
For a review of Long Term Storage (LTS) food companies, click here
I have not seen this particular product at my Costco and I think I know the reason. We don't have hurricanes or earthquakes where I live and this product probably would not appeal to many who shop at my Costco - or so the management thinks. I believe they would be a big seller because so many unprepared people want to do "something".
So what is the Emergency Food Kit? Actually, it is a "Food for Health Emergency Food Kit" as Costco markets it. Inside the weatherproof bucket are 270 servings of food. Like what you ask?
# 25 Servings - Potato Soup
# 30 Servings - Corn Chowder
# 25 Servings - Cacciatore
# 25 Servings - Western Stew
# 30 Servings - Country Noodle
# 25 Servings - Rice Lentil
# 45 Servings - Whey Milk
# 40 Servings - Blueberry Pancake
# 30 Servings - Barley Vegetable
This sounds good, right? The only complaints I have seen online have come from people who have not purchased the actual product. Rather, they either read about it online or examined the product at the store. Reviews from buyers however, say plenty of good things about the food.
The Emergency Food Kit says it has a shelf life of 20 years when stored at optimal temperatures. This puts it along the same lines as Mountain House or Military meals.
The meal sizes are small (1 cup dry) and the calories are low. Most of the dishes have about 140 calories per serving with the pancakes having the highest caloric value of 220 calories. Please note that the product claim is 275 "servings" not days worth of food or even meals, but simply a serving. If you have a family, you know that growing child can eat two or more servings of a dish at a meal. Keep that in mind for reference with the Emergency Food Kit.
Buyers say the food quality is actually very good. Like most survival foods, they say the sodium content is higher than normal foods they eat, but that they enjoyed most of the food selections.
Also, with most long term storage foods, be aware of appetite fatigue. Buyers say the Emergency Food Kit combined with other long term storage foods would make a good meal plan.
Others suggest that buyers purchase multiple food kits rather than a single bucket for a family. Also, be warned that the food must be stored at a constant temperature. I would not store this in the back of the car during the summer for instance. Exposure to extreme temperatures lowers the shelf life of the food and may cause it to become inedible.
What is funny, is the manufacturers of the Food Kit or Costco have not suggested that the bucket can be reused as a toilet. They must not have had a survivalist designing the product.
How about cost? Costco has this bucket of food, with a shelf life of 20 years for the low price of $84.99. That's a good price for some LTS food which may be a good start for a food supply. If anything, the food can be used for camping or hunting trips.
Positives - affordable long term storage foods available at a mainstream retail store. That's pretty good in my book. I just wish they carried it at one of my Costco locations.
For more information about LTS foods, click here
Friday, March 20, 2009
Prepare: Budget Survival Food List
I have made similar entries on this topic before, but it comes up frequently in conversations with others unfamiliar or new to preparing.
Food. We take for granted that the grocers will be open twenty four by seven down the street or that Costco will have pallets of food always available. The reality is, we have it good with the amount and supply of food in our stores. It was not always that way.
"The First Things To Go After A Crisis"
Two generations ago, the standard grocery store was a corner Piggly Wiggly not much bigger than a 7-11. It was dominated by canned goods and staples like flour and sugar. Produce was out front in barrows for passersby to examine and purchase. A butcher stood at the back of the store and cut steaks and chops to order. There was no plastic wrapped meat and shoppers had a limited, but fresh choice of meats.
A generation before that, we had open markets with butchers, green grocers and the like often time hawking still living animals like chickens, geese and ducks. Eggs sat in baskets next to metal covered cans of milk.
And here we are today. With massive warehouses of food minutes away from home. Walmart, Sams, Costco and he numerous supermarkets as well.
Food, comparatively speaking to earlier generations, is still cheap. Those oranges from Brazil, coconuts and bananas from the Pacific, limes from Mexico were unheard of in our grandparents time. And the cost back then would have been a working man's wages for a handful or bananas or lemons.
However, at the same time that food is available and cheap, it is also a blink away from being gone. For instance, what happens when gasoline is no longer available for shipping? Or if civil war breaks out in Mexico? Or a virus or bug affects crops in Florida or North Dakota?
We depend so much upon healthy water, air, conditions, weather, relations with other countries and fuel that any of these factors or a combination of them could disrupt our food supplies in just a few days.
Fortunately for you and me, most of our fellow citizens are still scarfing down a) fast food, b) to go meals from restaurants, c) prepared foods from the gourmet grocers, d) frozen meals and e) a pre-packaged diet plan advertised by a middle aged celebrity which means..
There is plenty of food for us today and tomorrow to stock up on. Regular things like produce, meat, canned and packaged food, and frozen staples. That means we can stock up now and go back for more tomorrow before it is all gone.
With the diminishing power of the dollar, how long before Mexico, Chile or Brazil decide they aren't going to send any more lemons, limes, oranges or bananas our way?
Or what if the Middle East goes nuclear bonkers (five minutes away any day) and oil shoots to 200.00 a barrel? Nearly everything in the store will be in short supply or so high priced your mortgage payment will look like a deal compared to food.
With money tight, what can you do today?
First, stock up on things which can make meals for several days and months. Not a frozen "hot pocket pizza" but real food.
Suggestions -
- Rice
- Dried beans
- Powdered milk
- oil and cooking lard
- canned vegetables and fruit
- canned meats like tuna and salmon.
- Sugar, syrup and honey.
- spices
- salt
- canned soups
- flour, baking powder and baking soda
All of these foods will keep for months if not years. And when combined together, can make healthy and filling foods.
This will work as long as water and power are available. For water, start storing water now and have a plan to get more. Even rain water can be filtered and boiled and drunk. Further power can come from a hot plate attached to a car battery if need be.
Best of all, budget and money. These foods above are relatively inexpensive. Unlike Long Term Foods like MRE, these ingredients can be combined to make many meals over a long period of time. MRE and the like are good for short term, on the move meals and worse of all, are very expensive.
So, save some money, make a list and start stockpiling these foods now. One more piece of advice, augment your stored food with a decent garden. Seeds are real cheap and available right now.
Food. We take for granted that the grocers will be open twenty four by seven down the street or that Costco will have pallets of food always available. The reality is, we have it good with the amount and supply of food in our stores. It was not always that way.
"The First Things To Go After A Crisis"
Two generations ago, the standard grocery store was a corner Piggly Wiggly not much bigger than a 7-11. It was dominated by canned goods and staples like flour and sugar. Produce was out front in barrows for passersby to examine and purchase. A butcher stood at the back of the store and cut steaks and chops to order. There was no plastic wrapped meat and shoppers had a limited, but fresh choice of meats.
A generation before that, we had open markets with butchers, green grocers and the like often time hawking still living animals like chickens, geese and ducks. Eggs sat in baskets next to metal covered cans of milk.
And here we are today. With massive warehouses of food minutes away from home. Walmart, Sams, Costco and he numerous supermarkets as well.
Food, comparatively speaking to earlier generations, is still cheap. Those oranges from Brazil, coconuts and bananas from the Pacific, limes from Mexico were unheard of in our grandparents time. And the cost back then would have been a working man's wages for a handful or bananas or lemons.
However, at the same time that food is available and cheap, it is also a blink away from being gone. For instance, what happens when gasoline is no longer available for shipping? Or if civil war breaks out in Mexico? Or a virus or bug affects crops in Florida or North Dakota?
We depend so much upon healthy water, air, conditions, weather, relations with other countries and fuel that any of these factors or a combination of them could disrupt our food supplies in just a few days.
Fortunately for you and me, most of our fellow citizens are still scarfing down a) fast food, b) to go meals from restaurants, c) prepared foods from the gourmet grocers, d) frozen meals and e) a pre-packaged diet plan advertised by a middle aged celebrity which means..
There is plenty of food for us today and tomorrow to stock up on. Regular things like produce, meat, canned and packaged food, and frozen staples. That means we can stock up now and go back for more tomorrow before it is all gone.
With the diminishing power of the dollar, how long before Mexico, Chile or Brazil decide they aren't going to send any more lemons, limes, oranges or bananas our way?
Or what if the Middle East goes nuclear bonkers (five minutes away any day) and oil shoots to 200.00 a barrel? Nearly everything in the store will be in short supply or so high priced your mortgage payment will look like a deal compared to food.
With money tight, what can you do today?
First, stock up on things which can make meals for several days and months. Not a frozen "hot pocket pizza" but real food.
Suggestions -
- Rice
- Dried beans
- Powdered milk
- oil and cooking lard
- canned vegetables and fruit
- canned meats like tuna and salmon.
- Sugar, syrup and honey.
- spices
- salt
- canned soups
- flour, baking powder and baking soda
All of these foods will keep for months if not years. And when combined together, can make healthy and filling foods.
This will work as long as water and power are available. For water, start storing water now and have a plan to get more. Even rain water can be filtered and boiled and drunk. Further power can come from a hot plate attached to a car battery if need be.
Best of all, budget and money. These foods above are relatively inexpensive. Unlike Long Term Foods like MRE, these ingredients can be combined to make many meals over a long period of time. MRE and the like are good for short term, on the move meals and worse of all, are very expensive.
So, save some money, make a list and start stockpiling these foods now. One more piece of advice, augment your stored food with a decent garden. Seeds are real cheap and available right now.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Prepare: Grocery shopping, rural property, tip of the day
Hope you had a good weekend. We are in the equivalent of 1930, Depression-wise which means the stock market has already fallen and bank failures are right around the corner. Let's not become Okies, ok?
Grocery shopping -
Too many family activities this weekend, so I went grocery shopping early this AM (Monday). There were few people in the store that day and time (good) and plenty of things to choose from (better).
Here is what I purchased:
Milk 2 gallons
Bread 2 loaves
Cheese 2 blocks
Cheese 1 bag shredded
Cottage cheese
Tortillas
3 lbs ground hamburger
1 pack bacon
1 pack baloney
2 boxes cereal
2 boxes granola
36 eggs (2 18ct)
cat litter
dog food
4 large bags frozen vegetables
Large plain yogurt
3 lbs butter
Produce will come from a farmers market type grocer down the street. The prices are better and the produce is very nice.
We already have several hundred pounds of rice, flour, sugar, salt, etc. on hand as well as many cans of basics. I picked up 40 lbs of potatoes and onions each this weekend.
Notice about the above list: There are no frozen meals (like pizza or lasagna), no sodas, no sweets (like ice cream or cookies). Only basic components to build breakfast, lunch (especially for school kids) and dinners.
Also, there is little meat. We use eggs for most of our protein and big meat, like steak, chicken or pork, is only a couple of times a week. Simply put, we don't want to go into debt for a single meal of steak or a roast chicken.
By using basics, like rice, at home, we can make filling and healthy meals every day.
This is our frugal diet in our home and we eat well. Needless to say, we don't eat out either.
Rural property -
Friday night my wife mentioned a friend from high school who grew up in a small town north east of where we live. Then the wife says how much she would like to drive out to this small town. Then the kicker; wife says she would love to live in this town if it is still the same as she remembers it.
So I grab the laptop and bingo! The town is about 10,000 souls total and 100 miles from our home.
A real estate page shows two perfect homes in our price range; one with 5.2 acres and another with 8 acres. One of the homes is relatively new and has a well, barn and multiple trees on the property.
Realistically, we are two years from making this move, but we are driving out in a couple of weeks to get a feel for the land and town.
My wife's reason for bringing this up: she is tired of living in our city (1million), the rat race, wants to be self sufficient, no longer trust the government, worried about our kids, etc. The usual litany which brings the DGI over to our side. I am a happy guy. It pays to be patient.
Tip of the day -
Have cats? Use cat litter? Do you purchase the plastic containers with the handle? Those containers have lots of uses. Now, I would not fill them with water for myself to drink, but I do use them for water storage. This weekend, I punched a dozen holes in the lid and now have a new watering can. Pretty neat, huh?
We are in tough times. You should be prepared or working on it every chance you get. Get busy, its going to be a bumpy ride.
Good luck,
Grocery shopping -
Too many family activities this weekend, so I went grocery shopping early this AM (Monday). There were few people in the store that day and time (good) and plenty of things to choose from (better).
Here is what I purchased:
Milk 2 gallons
Bread 2 loaves
Cheese 2 blocks
Cheese 1 bag shredded
Cottage cheese
Tortillas
3 lbs ground hamburger
1 pack bacon
1 pack baloney
2 boxes cereal
2 boxes granola
36 eggs (2 18ct)
cat litter
dog food
4 large bags frozen vegetables
Large plain yogurt
3 lbs butter
Produce will come from a farmers market type grocer down the street. The prices are better and the produce is very nice.
We already have several hundred pounds of rice, flour, sugar, salt, etc. on hand as well as many cans of basics. I picked up 40 lbs of potatoes and onions each this weekend.
Notice about the above list: There are no frozen meals (like pizza or lasagna), no sodas, no sweets (like ice cream or cookies). Only basic components to build breakfast, lunch (especially for school kids) and dinners.
Also, there is little meat. We use eggs for most of our protein and big meat, like steak, chicken or pork, is only a couple of times a week. Simply put, we don't want to go into debt for a single meal of steak or a roast chicken.
By using basics, like rice, at home, we can make filling and healthy meals every day.
This is our frugal diet in our home and we eat well. Needless to say, we don't eat out either.
Rural property -
Friday night my wife mentioned a friend from high school who grew up in a small town north east of where we live. Then the wife says how much she would like to drive out to this small town. Then the kicker; wife says she would love to live in this town if it is still the same as she remembers it.
So I grab the laptop and bingo! The town is about 10,000 souls total and 100 miles from our home.
A real estate page shows two perfect homes in our price range; one with 5.2 acres and another with 8 acres. One of the homes is relatively new and has a well, barn and multiple trees on the property.
Realistically, we are two years from making this move, but we are driving out in a couple of weeks to get a feel for the land and town.
My wife's reason for bringing this up: she is tired of living in our city (1million), the rat race, wants to be self sufficient, no longer trust the government, worried about our kids, etc. The usual litany which brings the DGI over to our side. I am a happy guy. It pays to be patient.
Tip of the day -
Have cats? Use cat litter? Do you purchase the plastic containers with the handle? Those containers have lots of uses. Now, I would not fill them with water for myself to drink, but I do use them for water storage. This weekend, I punched a dozen holes in the lid and now have a new watering can. Pretty neat, huh?
We are in tough times. You should be prepared or working on it every chance you get. Get busy, its going to be a bumpy ride.
Good luck,
Thursday, November 13, 2008
SHTF: Food Riots
A long time ago, I wrote a post which basically laughed at concept of "food riots". For the most part, I stick by what I said which is "food riots" are unlikely in our present situation.
BUT and that's a big but, there are some situations which would lead quickly to rioting over food.
Here are some real scenarios which might lead to food riots.
Long term trucking strike - Teamsters (and truckers in general), emboldened by a new Democratic political leadership and inspired by repeated bailouts and favors for other strained industries demand lower fuel costs, increased wages, lower taxes on their rigs and better working conditions.
When Congress and private business is unable to meet their demands, truckers begin a sudden and rapid shutdown of trucking across the country. At first average drivers notice less traffic on the freeways and enjoy their shorter commutes. But as gasoline deliveries cease, and businesses start closing for lack of deliveries, the country begins to worry.
The president considers issuing an emergency order temporarily nationalizing critical parts of the trucking industry which further exacerbates the problem. Consumers start to make runs on banks, grocers and retailers to stock up so they ride out the crisis.
Grocery stores run out of critical products in the first day and within three days are nearly out of stock of most items. The President orders National Guard troops to start transporting food stocks from distribution warehouses, but the allocation becomes a political nightmare as various members of Congress, state governors and well connected city mayors get preferential deliveries to their constituents over other, less well connected leaders.
As the accusations start to fly, people begin to panic. Convenience stores, vending machines and restaurants are stripped of anything edible by roving mobs caught up in the situation. Criminals begin targeting homes for food stocks rather than cash or jewelry. Grocery store managers and owners are targeted for violence and kidnapping.
As some deliveries make their way into the cities, mobs overrun the trucks and distribution points leading to shootings and gun battles with police. Several cities go under curfew and the Guard is called out.
Hospitals, day care centers, schools and other institutions are either out of food or on short rations leaving the most vulnerable to starvation and illness. The situation spirals out of control as the President comes on television to announce to a hungry nation he is ordering national martial law and nationalization of the entire food production chain in the U.S. for the duration...
A distant war
A sudden flash fire war breaks out as Israel drops conventional bombs on Iran which escalates to a small scale nuclear conflict in the region. As a result, all oil exports cease suddenly leaving the Western world, dependent upon 70% of its fuel from oil products, without little fuel.
Naturally, the government steps in and declares immediate rationing and curtailment on fuel usage. Farmers need fuel for their machinery, truckers and trains need diesel to run and homeowners need fuel oil for their heaters and winter is setting in. Mathmatically, there is not enough fuel to go around and to make matters worse, Mexico and Canada are stopping all exports to supply their own country's needs.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, designed to tide the U.S. through these types of crises, has only a 90 day supply of crude and most of that is of a grade unusable by U.S. refineries. The situation worsens.
What started as an inconvenience for the American worker and consumer has become a life and death struggle as grocery stores are emptied by panicking mobs. Police and ambulances, running on rationed fuel, are unable to respond to emergencies and the problem explodes.
Mobs fight over food from stores, restaurants and each others homes. As soft politicians used to polls and backroom deals are unable to confront the crisis, new strong men spring up and quickly demonize farmers who are "obviously hoarding vast quantities of fresh produce, meat, eggs and other foods" from those who need it more than they. Impromptu allocation forces (raiders) begin the task of spreading out from urban areas to "inventory and request" (loot) any agricultural operation within traveling distance.
The situation deteriorates as the violence leads to civil war within the U.S....
Food riots can occur in certain situations. Hopefully they won't..
Best to get ready anyway...
BUT and that's a big but, there are some situations which would lead quickly to rioting over food.
Here are some real scenarios which might lead to food riots.
Long term trucking strike - Teamsters (and truckers in general), emboldened by a new Democratic political leadership and inspired by repeated bailouts and favors for other strained industries demand lower fuel costs, increased wages, lower taxes on their rigs and better working conditions.
When Congress and private business is unable to meet their demands, truckers begin a sudden and rapid shutdown of trucking across the country. At first average drivers notice less traffic on the freeways and enjoy their shorter commutes. But as gasoline deliveries cease, and businesses start closing for lack of deliveries, the country begins to worry.
The president considers issuing an emergency order temporarily nationalizing critical parts of the trucking industry which further exacerbates the problem. Consumers start to make runs on banks, grocers and retailers to stock up so they ride out the crisis.
Grocery stores run out of critical products in the first day and within three days are nearly out of stock of most items. The President orders National Guard troops to start transporting food stocks from distribution warehouses, but the allocation becomes a political nightmare as various members of Congress, state governors and well connected city mayors get preferential deliveries to their constituents over other, less well connected leaders.
As the accusations start to fly, people begin to panic. Convenience stores, vending machines and restaurants are stripped of anything edible by roving mobs caught up in the situation. Criminals begin targeting homes for food stocks rather than cash or jewelry. Grocery store managers and owners are targeted for violence and kidnapping.
As some deliveries make their way into the cities, mobs overrun the trucks and distribution points leading to shootings and gun battles with police. Several cities go under curfew and the Guard is called out.
Hospitals, day care centers, schools and other institutions are either out of food or on short rations leaving the most vulnerable to starvation and illness. The situation spirals out of control as the President comes on television to announce to a hungry nation he is ordering national martial law and nationalization of the entire food production chain in the U.S. for the duration...
A distant war
A sudden flash fire war breaks out as Israel drops conventional bombs on Iran which escalates to a small scale nuclear conflict in the region. As a result, all oil exports cease suddenly leaving the Western world, dependent upon 70% of its fuel from oil products, without little fuel.
Naturally, the government steps in and declares immediate rationing and curtailment on fuel usage. Farmers need fuel for their machinery, truckers and trains need diesel to run and homeowners need fuel oil for their heaters and winter is setting in. Mathmatically, there is not enough fuel to go around and to make matters worse, Mexico and Canada are stopping all exports to supply their own country's needs.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, designed to tide the U.S. through these types of crises, has only a 90 day supply of crude and most of that is of a grade unusable by U.S. refineries. The situation worsens.
What started as an inconvenience for the American worker and consumer has become a life and death struggle as grocery stores are emptied by panicking mobs. Police and ambulances, running on rationed fuel, are unable to respond to emergencies and the problem explodes.
Mobs fight over food from stores, restaurants and each others homes. As soft politicians used to polls and backroom deals are unable to confront the crisis, new strong men spring up and quickly demonize farmers who are "obviously hoarding vast quantities of fresh produce, meat, eggs and other foods" from those who need it more than they. Impromptu allocation forces (raiders) begin the task of spreading out from urban areas to "inventory and request" (loot) any agricultural operation within traveling distance.
The situation deteriorates as the violence leads to civil war within the U.S....
Food riots can occur in certain situations. Hopefully they won't..
Best to get ready anyway...
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