Self-Sufficiency: Food and Water

In an emergency, food and water supplies can be disrupted, possibly for a long time. It makes sense to have a short and long term strategy for insuring your access to food and water in a crisis situation.

Short term Keep a supply of bottled water, and a means of water purification available. (Water purification supplies and systems can be found at Nitro-Pak through the link here.) If you have a well, make sure you have a back-up way to pump water if your electricity goes out for an extended time (e.g., a reliable generator compatible with your house pump).

Keep bulk food in a cool place in your house, and rotate through it. Rice, quinoa, and beans are good staples that can be bought in bulk and replenished as you use your supply. But many foods store well without refrigeration and can be adapted to a food-rotation strategy.

Longer term In a ‘long emergency’, to borrow James Howard Kunstler’s term, stored food and water will quickly run out. If you don’t have a well or catchment system, you will, realistically, be at the mercy of local government and emergency aid. But rainwater catchment for drinking purposes requires planning, filtration, and possibly purification. Water captured in the open air is subject to airborne bacteria, fecal contamination, and roofing chemicals/metals. Help yourself by trapping the cleanest water you can, but also filter and purify it before drinking. Water filtration equipment can be found in many stores and online; water purification supplies can be found through the Self Sufficiency website, as cited above.

Composting

Basics Composting is one of the most local and productive forms of sustainable living. Composting uses biodegradable household waste (non-meat food waste, primarily) to create superb soil food. The best compost generally incorporates animal manure, and a layering of dried (“brown”), high-carbon material (e.g., straw, dried grass, corn stalks), and green (moist, high-nitrogen) material (e.g., cut grass or fresh hay). Good compost heats up sufficiently to kill weed seeds in the pile. Compost must be kept moist. This can be aided with the biodynamic technique of “plastering” the pile with a slurry of soil, clay, and manure after the pile has been wetted. The “plaster” will seal in moisture.

Simple Composting (Wire-bin) A do-it-yourself compost bin can be as little as a ring of rabbit fence. See the how-to here, or have a look at recommended commercial bins here.

In general, compost heaps take six to twelve weeks to break down, depending on temperature, aeration, and the materials used. Turning the compost every few weeks will accelerate this process.

Biodynamic Composting Biodynamic composting (see Biodynamics) involves basic, sound composting principles and the application of biodynamic preparations designed to increase the microbial and life energy of the pile. (Skeptics might well find some of the biodynamic practices dubious, but biodynamic famers just grin and harvest the benefits of these strange rituals.)

Vermicomposting Worm castings are an excellent organic fertilizer, and worm composting (vermicompost) set-ups can live indoors (for example, in your basement) and provide a good place for kitchen scraps during cold winters. Worms can be fed most waste from the kitchen, with the exceptions of animal waste, dairy, and fats. A worm composter, done right, will not generate odors or flies, so indoors is workable (and in cold climes, required, since the worms don’t like temperatures below 54 degrees). A great (free) Web resource for worm composting is Worm Digest. Free plans for a do-it-yourself worm bin built from commonly-available plastic tubs are available here. For those without the time or inclination, pre-built worm composters are often on Ebay (see sidebar). Note that the bins in some systems (Worm Factory for one) have fairly large openings in the bottom mesh. Worms will fall through this mesh often, and despite a reputed ability to climb back up, they generally don’t. (Tip: When you’re setting up the very first worm bin, put a piece of fiberglass or other non-toxic screen over this mesh before you put in any bedding material or newspaper. You’ll spend a lot less time rescuing worms that drop through into the base.) Worms and worm bedding are available from Gardener’s supply (though thin strips of damp newspaper work fine as bedding).

More details on composting and related supplies, along with other self-sufficiency topics, can be found here.

The Amazon link shows useful composting books and two kitchen bins.

Amazon.com Widgets