# Will you survive the coming food shortage?



## survivalmonkey2 (Sep 25, 2010)

Imagine there's a huge truck workers' strike, nuclear attack, drought, ecological disaster, and the supermarket shelves are empty. What will you and your family do next?

How will you survive? What will you do in this scary situation?



> What would happen if a natural, civil or economic disaster prevented us from growing, transporting and importing food?
> 
> Food prices would rise and supermarket shelves would go empty.
> 
> ...


SOURCE


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Yeah, I think we'd survive up here. First thing I'd do is start rationing the resources. Second thing would depend on the time of year. If there was "fresh" foods available, we'd use those and save canned goods and other non-perishables. Foraging is an option, even in winter. Those things would extend one's supplies. We can fish the lakes year-round here, so if even the season was closed on the rivers and creeks, we'd have fish. 

No matter where you live, even in a city, LEARN THE PLANTS! There is edible stuff all around you. Look for the book "Eating Cheap" by Ragnar Benson and it'll give you ideas for food that you never thought of. In addition to that, get a good book on edible wild foods or find a mentor to help you identify them.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

We'd be good here for a long time.Even longer if we went to just two meals a day and maybe a snack like popcorn in the evenings. We have grow lights,a greenhouse and the seeds to at least start to grow some fresh foods. Theres always sprouts for nutrition.We have the means to make electricity to use the lights and such.
I have supplies covering fresh, canned,dehydrated and freeze dried. I also have 100's of pounds of wheat,corn, and some barley stocked.
The only thing we don't have is the animals to extend those supplies. I haven't talked the hubby into it that far. *sigh* You have to go slow with him. It took me years to get him on board! LOL


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

Well lets see............. stored body fat... 1 year....... LTS at least a year for 4...ability to grow food.. wild game...unlimited... yep..we'd survive!...


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## SurvivalNut (Nov 13, 2008)

Totally agree with the posts here. 

One plan is to begin uban foraging and preserving early in the crisis to extend your LTS and canned goods before it becomes fashionable to the zombie hoard. 

The key which preppers know is to watch for a developing situation and react early. The reaction is either a lifesaver or good practice if it is a false alarm.

I just inventoried my heirloom seeds and have a 5 year supply. Also am practicing off season growing in my greenhouse this year to see what I can grow quickly and easily in an early or late cycle.

I keep 6 months of layer feed on hand for the hens.

I keep a notebook in my car and keep notes on the locations of wild / abandoned / neglected and forgotten medicinal plants, fruit, berry and nut trees, their harvest times, etc in my area. All in walking/bike distance. Not something to figure later under the pressure. 

If USAID dropped bags of wheat off at your street corner (unlikely), who would among your neighbors would know what to do with it besides yourself?


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

ha. I have no idea. as far as I know, I'm surrounded by sheep! help me! I have nothing good to say about any of them.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

We're not as far along as many of you, but we'd manage. We have some food put back and DW learned to can this year. That really added to the stock on the shelves, and it was all stuff from our own garden. We hunt and do a little fishing, so in a pinch, even if the season was closed, we'd get meat. Also, we currently have six hens, six roosters, 2 rabbits and a cow. So we have fresh eggs, and with the addition of a buck, my 2 does could provide us with an endless supply of rabbit meat.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

We have enough food "on the hoof" (goats for those of you that don't already know) to last us for quite some time and the ability to get more by opening the buck pen up to the girls.  Chickens for meat and eggs and 10,000 sf of garden round out our food producing capabilities. Add in the stuff we've already canned, dried and purchased and I believe we would eat well for quite some time with a little left over to barter with.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

personally, I don't think a "truckers' strike" will be as devastating (or as likely at the moment) in the US as it would be in say England... there are a LOT of owner/operators that are NOT hauling due to the prohibitive costs for a single operator & a LOT of unemployed non-union drivers here in the US

so... ONE thing demoted in priority on my 'worry list'... 10,000 things to go :gaah:


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Genevieve said:


> ha. I have no idea. as far as I know, I'm surrounded by sheep! help me! I have nothing good to say about any of them.


Serve them BBQ'd with a nice mint jelly :2thumb:


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

NaeKid said:


> Serve them BBQ'd with a nice mint jelly :2thumb:


...... and a nice bottle of chanti...


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

A nation wide truckers strike is not likely. My SO was a trucker for 32 yrs. and we know first hand you would never get them to band together for anything. Truckers are an independent lot. But I do know the stores only carry 2 1/2 - 3 days supply of stock. If you hear or read anything that gives the indication trouble is coming and you have been waiting to add certian things to your supplies, act immediately.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

no nation wide truck strike ever, the owner operators couldn't afford it and the union teamsters have no reason to strike, they make good money, get great bennies and have to do very little manual labor, just drive, some don't even have to hook up the trailer, just hop in and go.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

As far as the truckers strike I doubt it. I've been a trucker for well over 10 years, and there's no way every body could get together and strike. Outside of that. Yes we will survive we have well over a year of food stores and I can easily supliment it with hunting, fishing, trapping, and foraging. So we would do okay. We might not eat as well as we do now but we sure wouldn't starve.


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

I feel confident that my family could survive. Two years...longer if game, fish and edible plants remain viable.


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## nevster (Sep 30, 2010)

Just stock up on some long lasting dehydrated food. It's not that expensive and it will get you by for some time. Buy a Berkey and you've got food and water. We have stocked up on Efoods a while back and now they've started a new division where you can get samples for a nominal $5.95 shipping fee. I tried other foods like Costco and Ready Reserve and they are not as tasty.


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## SurvivalNut (Nov 13, 2008)

nevster said:


> Just stock up on some long lasting dehydrated food. It's not that expensive and it will get you by for some time. Buy a Berkey and you've got food and water. We have stocked up on Efoods a while back and now they've started a new division where you can get samples for a nominal $5.95 shipping fee. I tried other foods like Costco and Ready Reserve and they are not as tasty.


People offering advice and selling the product they are recommending should disclose the fact up front.

If I am seeing this wrong i apologize and will repost.


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

Wheat and rice. The affordable long lasting food, $14 for 50# of tasty rice at Sam's.


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## kyfarmer (Feb 22, 2009)

I think it will be rough even on us, if it get's really bad. We know folk,s are gona look and wonder why not a lot of weight loss, some one posted one time about having cloth's a size or two bigger than you need for all family member,s. Kinda camo up for no weight loss. I think that was a great idea. We could get by better than a lot of folks, as for the game there will be so many fools in the mountains, game will be scattred every where. Thats why i,am sticking to my snares for trapping, easy to hide and not a big loss, cause there will be thief's out there. The wheat and rice is a must plus the salt in more than one form and sugar. A good supply of plain water softner salt, to salt cure meat. No fridge in the future i think will be the norm. Could we make it i hope so, am i ready for such an event never, ther will never be enough put back to make me happy. But then i might just be a tad hard to please lol.


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## mickbear (Apr 9, 2009)

i think my wife and i would do just fine.we have thought about having to survive with what we have on hand and the resources nearby and it would be hard at first but i think we would adjust


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## nevster (Sep 30, 2010)

There's always a positive side. When SHTF consider how many people are going to lose weight and fast. I've been trying to lose 15-20lbs for months and it's a struggle. When you're forced into it though it's a different story.


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

Well, on that basis, I've got plenty of immediately portable, well prepositioned and secure stored food, and it's providing ample insulation and wind stability as well.


I'm no longer just fat, I'm well prepared.


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## Sourdough (May 22, 2010)

Genevieve said:


> I'm surrounded by sheep! help me! I have nothing good to say about any of them.


They are editable regardless of if they have two legs or four legs.


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## Herbalpagan (Dec 8, 2008)

We plan for this type of thing and are prepared with plenty of back ups to the plan...probably a year and a half we'd be good for, more if the garden does well and the chickens give us more than eggs, soon we'll be adding rabbits and bees to the mix.


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