Gaye Levy, Contributor

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Some of the most popular Web articles on emergency preparedness have to do with food. This is also a widely discussed topic in print and on forums. And it is no wonder. In today’s society eating is no longer just for sustenance. It is a social form, a source of family bonding and togetherness; and, for many, a hobby. And, with rising costs, it is a significant part of almost everyone’s household budget.

Today I would like to share ten tips for securing your food supply so that in the event of a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or civil disobedience on a massive scale, you will be able to eat and to thrive – no matter what.

Protecting Your Food Supply – No Matter What Happens

1. Grow your own food. This sounds so simple yet few actually do it. There are lots of excuses: not enough room, not enough sunlight, don’t know how and so on. Well I say get over it. Whether you have a backyard area, a raised garden, or a few pots on the deck, with a little bit of work you can grow something. Try using edible plants in your landscape, or how about some fruit trees or an herb garden?

2. Learn to “put up” food by canning, freezing or dehydrating your bounty. With or without modern gadgets, putting up food as it is called, takes some effort, but the results are worth it. You save money, control the use of salt and preservatives, and guarantee a source of food when the grocer’s shelves are empty.

3. Plan for supplemental power when the power grid shuts down. You will be out of luck if you only rely on a freezer. One option is to get an emergency generator – just be sure that you also store an adequate amount of fuel. Or forget about freezing and either purchase canned foods, or can and dehydrate your own.

4. Zip those lips. Be discreet. Don’t brag about how much food you have stored or you will find yourself the hit of the cocktail set when friends and neighbors take note of where to eat when the SHTF. Speaking of which, do you have a way to defend your food supply?

5. Get creative about storage. As with the garden, you may need to get creative when it comes to food storage. Walk around your home or apartment with a new set of eyes. What about under the beds or in a back corner of the closet? The crawlspace under you house is good, too – just remember to keep things elevated a bit so that a damp floor does not ruin your stored food.

6. Have alternative cooking sources. You are going to need some way to cook your stored food if the power is out. Pick up an inexpensive wood or charcoal burning grill such at the Volcano II Collapsible Stove. You can also – very very little money – get a rocket stove that will burn wood or biomass (twigs, pinecones and such). You will be amazed at how versatile these little stoves are. Also consider a solar oven. Whatever you choose, make sure you either have fuel or access to fuel.

7. Learn depression cooking. Cook from scratch, make your own bread, and learn to cook full meals from low-cost, easily stored staples such as beans and rice. One of the mistakes people make is to acquire food for emergency use yet continue to purchased pre-made, pre-packaged, or takeout food for daily consumption. They never learn to cook, let alone learn to cook using the most basic of ingredients.

8. Take advantage of nature’s bounty. Depending on where you live, fishing or hunting or both may be an option for you. Learn fishing and hunting skills now and please, don’t forget to learn to clean and cook your bounty. There are some excellent videos on butchering as well as preserving your bounty. It is not as difficult as you think.

9. Store food properly. Read about the six enemies of food storage and plan accordingly. Purchase food in bulk, then package and store dry goods for the long term in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Or shop at dependable vendors such as Emergency Essentials for foods that are already safely packaged for long-term emergency use. You will be surprised at the many options available to you.

10. Depend on yourself, not the government. No list would be complete without reminding you that you need to rely upon yourself, and not others to tend to your needs if a disaster or other major catastrophic event occurs. Your neighbors, who have not prepared, may be downright hostile and the government, while well-intentioned, may take some time to get needed supplies to your area. Analyze the potential for disaster in your geographical area (earthquake, wild fires, floods, tornado, hurricane) and have a plan that you can implement should you need to shelter in place or evacuate.

The Final Word

There are tons of resources available to help you achieve food security by taking advantage of these ten tips. On excellent source to get you started are some of the articles here on Backdoor Survival (listed below). Another source is the DVD sets Food Production Systems for a Backyard or Small Farm and Food Storage Secrets.

However you choose to do it, work now on getting things growing and on learning the skills you will need in order to survive. And remember, when the public food supply is interrupted, it will be too late to start prepping.

Read other articles by Gaye Levy here.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye Levy, the SurvivalWoman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable, self-reliant and stylish lifestyle through emergency preparation and disaster planning through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. SurvivalWoman speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of mayhem swirling around us.