Recently, in the news, I’ve heard a lot about the possibility of food shortages being yet another thing we have to deal with this year.
Recently I wrote an article about dealing with grocery store limits. It seemed like in the past several weeks here that the limits had been increased and we might be out of the woods. Yesterday, I went out to grab a few items and noticed that the limits had went back down to 1 of each with the meat. I know that many factors out of our control in keeping food on our shelves but there are many things we can do to work around them.
Don’t Let Food Shortages Interrupt Your Life
Right now, we’re at a time in history that have many moving parts that can affect our food supply. We just have to find a way to work around them. This is how I’m doing it. If I’m missing anything, please let me know!
Farmer’s Markets
I know farmer’s markets aren’t available everywhere but they are becoming a thing in many areas. Currently, our farmer’s market is running at half capacity and following social distancing guidelines but they’re still available. They’re a great way to buy organic, locally sourced and in-season produce. We’re lucky to have a huge variety of products at my local one. In one quick trip, I can grab our dairy, produce, seafood and meat for the week. My favorite farmer’s market find is the local shrimp! Not only are you grabbing some great finds but you are supporting your local economy. You’re supporting your neighbors and it’s especially important in times like this.
Direct From Farmers
This week’s milk and produce haul with locally made ice cream! #farmhaul
If farmer’s markets are currently shut down or not available yet in your area, buying from local farmers is your best bet. If you’ve been around the village for any length of time, you’ll know that every week we get our milk delivered. They have a whole menu of dairy products, eggs and occasionally local produce. I recently ordered a whole beef from them too. We’re currently waiting on deep freezers to come back in stock before we can get it delivered because we need a big one so right now he’s just hanging out in a field gaining more weight.
Another thing that’s been happening lately is many local farmers have started making weekly food boxes. They’re either a fixed price and you get whatever comes in the box or you can order individual items to build your own box. Some have delivery and some have pickup. These have been a huge win win situation for everyone involved. Asking around on Facebook is an easy way to find local sources!
Co-op Buying
Co-op buying is a great way to add to your food storage! It’s one of my favorite ways to buy in bulk. When I buy in larger quantities it helps me avoid food shortages. Having a 50lb bag of oats on hand means we’re good for about a year. I’ve learned to not get completely down on my current stash before buying more to restock. Even if they weren’t available for 6 months, we would still have enough to get through. I know this won’t work for everything but having stock of what I can keep on the shelf means that we have food available. On the other hand, if we run out of apples, we run out of apples and there’s nothing much I can do until they’re available again.
Be Flexible
Sometimes the best laid out plans don’t work out and you gotta just go with the flow. For instance, if my hubby’s favorite cheese isn’t available, I’ll need to find something else that will work. This will work for just about any food. If store bought bread isn’t available, you need to bake some. I know finding yeast was not an easy task before but it has been hitting store shelves or you could always start with sourdough. It’s what we eat in our house and we use it to make all of our baked goods. You start your own starter or grab one either online or sometimes your local bakery will sell you some starter. The first time I made starter, I bought one from Cultures For Health and it worked great. Getting one from another source speeds up the time it’ll take to be ready for baking bread.
What about you? Do you have any great tips on overcoming food shortages? I’d love to hear more!
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