Preparing for Uncertainty and Self Reliance

[Montegriffo]

No Shit
I did put 10 lbs of butter up

Fats and oils are a typical thing folks forget on building stockpiles

I've got plenty of extra virgin olive oil from my mate's olive grove in Portugal
and a fair bit of vegetable oil but only 1 1/2lbs of butter.
The milkman is still delivering though so even if he doesn't have butter I could have a go at making my own.

You have wheat/flour to trade, you will be able to keep supplied with butter.

Once I've got some butter or lard I can start on the dog walker pie production and open the mobile pie shop.

[C-Mag]

Nice

I still have 3 gallons of lard I rendered from my beef.

I can't find a local milk source, started looking in January. So, whatever we have for milk, powdered milk, condensed is what we have. I'm reliant on the supply chain.

We need creameries to pop up like micro breweries. Gotta have a local milk, butter and cheese source. It's a big weakness in the US.

[Hastur]

Nice

I still have 3 gallons of lard I rendered from my beef.

I can't find a local milk source, started looking in January. So, whatever we have for milk, powdered milk, condensed is what we have. I'm reliant on the supply chain.

We need creameries to pop up like micro breweries. Gotta have a local milk, butter and cheese source. It's a big weakness in the US.

Non English native question. I thought lard was from pigs and rendered fat from beef and sheep was tallow. Is that just British English?

[Montegriffo]

Nice

I still have 3 gallons of lard I rendered from my beef.

I can't find a local milk source, started looking in January. So, whatever we have for milk, powdered milk, condensed is what we have. I'm reliant on the supply chain.

We need creameries to pop up like micro breweries. Gotta have a local milk, butter and cheese source. It's a big weakness in the US.

Non English native question. I thought lard was from pigs and rendered fat from beef and sheep was tallow. Is that just British English?

Yup. You are correct.

[C-Mag]

Nice

I still have 3 gallons of lard I rendered from my beef.

I can't find a local milk source, started looking in January. So, whatever we have for milk, powdered milk, condensed is what we have. I'm reliant on the supply chain.

We need creameries to pop up like micro breweries. Gotta have a local milk, butter and cheese source. It's a big weakness in the US.

Non English native question. I thought lard was from pigs and rendered fat from beef and sheep was tallow. Is that just British English?

You are correct Sir. I use lard for both as short hand.

[Montegriffo]

Advice for conserving your fresh food stocks if you have accepted the advice to stay at home and want to visit the supermarket as infrequently as possible.
Mostly common sense but it does no harm to remind yourself that food is valuable and not to be wasted.

If you have reached capacity in your freezer for perishable foods and lack the sugar and vinegar for preserving them you need to be eating your food in the order it will go off. Fresh meat, fish and dairy first followed by soft fruits and veg, bread and anything else with a short shelf life. Looked after properly your root veg and more hardy veg like cabbages and onions will last for months.
Do not throw away your leftovers or leave them in the fridge until they go off. If you have space you can freeze it for later if you can't face eating the same thing 2 days running.
Don't fill your freezer with bulky items like bread when you can be using it for more nutritious food.
Take your beer (or champagne in Dr Y's case) out of your fridge to make space for perishables. Also, items like jam, pickles, ketchup and even mayo don't really need to be in your fridge. Unopened, margarine and vegetable fats will last a surprisingly long time out of the fridge in cool weather.
Take your vegetables out of their plastic packaging to stop condensation causing rot and spread them out preferably on a wire rack somewhere cool and dark if you have no fridge space left.
Ignore sell-by dates but examine carefully for signs of mould and use your nose to tell you if it is unsafe to eat. Don't risk food poisoning but don't throw away needlessly.
Save your dried and tinned foods until last. It's no good having a freezer full of food if it breaks down or your power goes off for any reason.
Don't eat out of boredom and try to reduce your portion sizes.

[C-Mag]

Good Stuff Monte

My root cellar runs perfectly for preserving Onions, Tomatoes and Squash, but does not work well for Potatoes and Carrots. Any recommendations ?

[Hastur]

Good Stuff Monte

My root cellar runs perfectly for preserving Onions, Tomatoes and Squash, but does not work well for Potatoes and Carrots. Any recommendations ?

Important to keep vegetables, root vegetables and potatoes apart. Potatoes want to lie directly on the dirt. You want them to hibernate.
Perfect conditions for potatoes is 37-47 F and 85-90% humidity.
Root veg want 33-37 F and 90-95% humidity.

If you want to store carrots you should harvest them as late as possible. Don't forget to take away all the green stuff, stalks and leaves.

[Montegriffo]

Good Stuff Monte

My root cellar runs perfectly for preserving Onions, Tomatoes and Squash, but does not work well for Potatoes and Carrots. Any recommendations ?

Individually wrapping fruit and vegetables in newspapers can extend their shelf life and it helps to stop cross-contamination. Moisture is your enemy so a cellar may be a good cool dark place but you will have to keep things dry if it is damp at all.

[C-Mag]

Thanks guys. I'm planting spuds and onions on Good Friday. I have until Fall to have that fixed.