Frugal Kitchens 101 - Food in Uncertain Times (1)

I've been follow a discussion on one of the forums that I participate in on food in uncertain times.  According to one source the 5 foods that should be grown for sustainable living are: potatoes, corn, squash, beans and eggs.  Of course I had to do a short write-up on my gardening blog but I want to take the topic into greater detail here.  This week's Frugal Kitchens 101 topic is Food in Uncertain Times.

Food is a basic necessity of life.  In times of stress and financial hardship regardless of the cause, food may be one of the few comforts left.  I personally feel that keeping a 1 year supply of food on hand is prudent and in my case it borders closer to 18 months to 2 year supply.  That being said, no food supply is considered sustainable if it cannot be replenished.  During the depression and war times every household was encouraged to have a victory garden.  The premis was taking responsibility for growing what you could yourself took the pressure off of the commercial food supply.  That still holds true today.  Unless you live in a building with no balcony and even then virtually every living space can be used to grow some of your own foods.  Growing can be done indoors, outdoors or both and it can be done using the new techiques for small space gardening. 

What you can grow depends on your space and climate but growing indoors can extend what you can feasibly grow as well.  In general most herbs and a wide range of vegetables can be grown in small spaces and indoors.  On the other hand some foods like wheat, rice, corn and potatoes really take up too much room for a home garden unless you have a lot of space. 

Here is a list of fruits and vegetables that I would consider necessary for sustainable living space permitting of course:

• tomatoes 
• peppers
• lettuces
• chards
• onions
• carrots
• squash (including cucumber)
• pole beans
• peas
• rutabaga
• fruit bearing bushes 
• fruit bearing trees

Some animals take up more room than others and depending on location may not be allowed by the municipality.  Consider too that animals are a 24/7 commitment so may not fit in with your lifestyle.  Here is a list of animals tthat would be nice to have for sustainable living in smaller spaces.  Of these rabbits should be rather easy to keep, low maintenance and allowable pretty much anywhere:

• rabbits
• chickens (laying hens only)
• goat
• fish (eg. trout)

Next week's Frugal Kitchens 101 will discuss food in uncertain times a bit further.