PSA announcement, if you can, it is time to restock your pantry.

[CK_John]

This drought will push prices up at least by 10% to 20% not the estimated 4%. Cattle meat should drop due to the initial selling of herds that cannot be fed, then there will be a long period of meat shortage.

Also be carefull of relying too much on electric power. Nuke plants need large amount of water to keep running and are already taken off line in some areas.

A diesel generators would be useful and be sure you learn how and where fuel can be stored.

This is big outlay of funds, look into forming group support sharing or local Farm Bureau.

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. Thank you, and it's only going to get worse.

[cali]

2. good post. food prices have been going up and will rise even more dramatically

over the coming months.

[Le Taz Hot]

3. It's the middle of summer which is

prime canning season. NOW would be the time to can as much as you can -- produce is at it's freshest and prices are lowest.

I brought my grocery bill down to $200.00 a month for two people this past winter by relying on what we canned during the summer.

[cali]

4. I love canning and I'm going to miss it this year

You are so right about reducing the grocery bill and plus a lot of what I've put up is far more delicious than anything from a grocery store.

[grasswire]

5. and they plan to cut food stamps

there are going to be many more hungry Americans. Food banks just can't keep up.

[Berlum]

9. That is indeed the Republican plan, but....

The Repubbies are stalling the Farm Bill (which has their Slash & Burn devastation of food stamps), until after the election.

Republicans want to stay occult about their Evil A-hole plans, and keep Americans ignorant about the truth. As usual.

[msongs]

6. humans don't need to eat meat. no big loss there nt

[Scout]

12. maybe you don't. more for me. n/t

[RebelOne]

18. Me neither. I am a vegetarian. n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

7. I found pork for $2 lb, chops for $2.50 and round roast for $3

believe me I stocked up! Chicken hasn't gone down yet, still at $1 lb whole.

I don't have to worry too much about elec power here in PNW, barring earthquakes anyway.

[truebrit71]

8. Good point...I have a fairly large freezer where i can store meats etc...

...was planning on going to Costco this weekend as well...nice timing!

[lunatica]

10. And thus it begins

The weather is forcing us to act. Like it or not.

[Horse with no Name]

11. I was at the store the other day

and they had 3 bags of beans for $1.00.

I have a pantry full of beans now.

[slackmaster]

13. Anyone who doesn't maintain a well-stocked pantry in preparation for natural disasters is naive

If you need to stock up now, you may already be too late.

[cali]

28. you do realize that a lot of people- and I'm one of them

can't afford to maintain a well-stocked pantry, right?

[slackmaster]

52. Yes, I am aware of that

Sorry if you really can't afford to keep some emergency food on hand. I hope someone is around to assist you in the event of a disaster.

If you happen to be near my place, you are welcome to stop by for a meal and a bottle of water.

[RedRocco]

29. some of us cant stock enough to last till payday

[leeroysphitz]

35. +1

[slackmaster]

51. Maybe God will take care of people who are in that kind of situation

[Logical]

38. I disagree. People tend to thinks things will turn worse than they really do. n-t

[slackmaster]

50. Often true, but if a large earthquake affects SoCal I won't be drinking from the toilet tank

Or wishing I had kept a few more cans of soup on the shelf.

[Logical]

57. Good point!

[nc4bo]

14. Once upon a time you could stock up on canned goods and they'd last for years...

Nice cool, dry place and you're set.

Check out the expiration dates of canned goods now. You're lucky if you get 2 years out of them.

I'm canning my garden tomatoes (can't afford a pressure canner) and know they'll come in very handy. Next year I hope to be able to can other foods and meats.

[Poll_Blind]

15. I've noticed this too- do you know how this came to be?

I've been wondering about this, off and on.

Thanks!

PB

[nc4bo]

17. Not at all. We wound up tossing a ton of stuff

after opening a 3 yr old can of tomatoes and you could tell they were "off". Called the manufacturer and they said absolutely throw it away which meant tossing a cupboard full of stuff.

Talk about po'd, not even the word for it.

Maybe someone can lend an explanation...

[RebelOne]

19. I have many canned goods that I bought during

the 2000 scare. Now I guess there is a lot I have to discard.

[slackmaster]

20. Food does not magically become inedible on the printed expiration date

If you store canned foods under good conditions, most kinds are safe to eat far beyond that date.

Home-canned tomatoes are great! I always add a little citric acid to mine. The extra acidity should keep them good for a longer time.

I've kept my own canned tomatoes and sauces as long as two years, and they've always been perfectly good to eat.

[nc4bo]

21. I'd have agreed with you before but for some reason the product

had changed in color and consistency. This never used to happen before. My gram had canned goods in the basement that lasted for years, literally and although it's been many a year, I believe the dates were in the 3-5 year timeframe but could definitely last longer if properly stored.

Take the canned (metal) tomatoes (not the ones I'm putting up lol) tasted/smelled funny but not alarming, the color was a bit darker, we went ahead and used it anyway but what really alarming was the soup we used them in turned almost black in color.

That's what prompted us to call the manufacturer and that's when they told us to toss and toss anything with an expired date.

[nc4bo]

22. lost cans and some good okra soup!!

[slackmaster]

26. The manufacturer will always do the legal CYA thing

And who could blame them?

I agree that if any of your senses tell you that food is somehow "off," it's not worth the risk of eating it.

I throw questionable food into my compost pile, so it all gets recycled.

[nc4bo]

32. You, are a very smart person. I'd never have thought of the compost.

I appreciate these little hints more than you'd know

[nc4bo]

23. About citric acid...

I bought lemon juice and a can of CA. Used the juice but wasn't sure about the CA since the canning recipes I'd been always say not to replace anything in the recipe. This was my first time so wasn't sure what to believe.

Guess I should go on over the the cook/baking forum.

[slackmaster]

24. The USDA's Guide to Home Canning is a great resource

You can find it at many sources in PDF format for free download.

Their canning instructions are probably overkill in terms of food safety. If you follow them carefully, you really can't go wrong.

[nc4bo]

30. This is GREAT!!

Wonderful actually and right on time because I've got a bunch ready to process now.

THANK-YOU!!

[X_Digger]

33. I hate that.. I have 15 year old home canned tomatoes that I still use..

When we moved recently, we noticed some store bought tomato products that were off.

Ticked us off as well.

[nc4bo]

34. Are you being sarcastic?

Do you remember seeing the story about a can of lard from WW2 that was still edible?

Something has changed in the way the cans are made or the way manufacturers are preparing the food.

[X_Digger]

42. Not at all sarcastic.. my tomatoes taste as good as the day they were canned. (mason jars)

We had both 'cans' of tomato products as well as jars that had gone bad.

[nc4bo]

45. WOW!!!!!

I am totally and completely amazed!!!

Do you use a pressure canner?

[X_Digger]

49. Yup! Though I need to find a new gasket..

I got my cooker from my great-grandmother, and she included a bag of pop-off valves, but told me I'd have to replace the gasket every couple of years. That wasn't a problem 10-12 years ago, my local hardware store carried them. Now? Hrmmmm.

I'll have to dig it out of the attic, see if I can get a gasket (and see if the can rack is still in it). It holds, I believe, 5 or 6 quart jars.

[nc4bo]

53. That is wonderful, seriously!

That's what I want to save up for, a pressure canner. I noticed when you want to can low acid foods, stews, soups, meat, etc, those are the way to go but one baby step at a time for me!

I'm confident you can find your gaskets without too many problems. Check online.

You've inherited a fine piece of equipment and a very handy skill set!

[X_Digger]

56. Nothing tastes quite so good on a cold winter night as chili made from your own tomato sauce.

Bonus points for growing your own chilies and peppers.

[nc4bo]

62. Ha

That sounds good right now even if it's a bit warm out there!! .

[SoCalDem]

36. Cool dry places are hard to come by in the desert areas

Basements are no longer de rigueur in most places and cool & dry costs money.

Many staples can be frozen if one has a freezer.


Wouldn't it be great of high corn costs actually got HFCS out of foods? One can dream

[nc4bo]

37. I wish, that stuff seems to be in everything.

Hunts ketchup and Log Cabin syrup dumped HFCS and a few small soft drink companies using regular sugar.

Some companies are getting the message, not enough though.

We lack a basement too (one thing I miss badly) and pantry stays too warm but we've a bedroom closet that is cool and dark. Visitors probably think it odd but I stopped caring lol.

And yea - I definitely see your point about cool places living in a hot dry climate.

[slackmaster]

48. I put dried beans and flour in the freezer for a few days to kill the @$$#$%&&* moths and beetles

I REALLY HATE those bugs. Once they get into your food supplies, it's all over unless it's stored in glass or metal.

[nc4bo]

58. Moths......very hard to get rid of, yes!

Haven't had a run in with beetles or weevils but those darn moths would be everywhere and just when I thought they were gone, there's one hanging upside down on the ceiling.

I wind up sticking stuff like beans, rice, grits, pancake mix, breadcrumbs, etc in ziplock bags as a precaution!! Buggers even invaded my loose spices - not going through that anymore.

Now you've got me wondering if ziplock bags are enough - yuck.

[Robb]

16. Never a bad idea in general, but I expect the price rise will be ameliorated

...by a drop in shipping prices, e.g. fuel costs going down.

[NNN0LHI]

25. Doesn't hoarding just raise prices for everyone who can't afford to hoard?

Why, yes it does.

Don

[HiPointDem]

27. it's not drought, it's economic terrorism.

[trof]

31. "cattle meat" is usually called "beef".

Sorry, I just had to.

[Logical]

39. "This drought will push prices up at least by 10% to 20% not the estimated 4%"??

So the estimates are wrong based on your calculations? Why are you right and them wrong?

[NNN0LHI]

40. Who you going to believe? CK_John or your lying eyes?

Thats a tough one isn't it?



Don

[Logical]

41. Don't get it. Explain it to me.

[NNN0LHI]

43. Its an old Groucho Marx quote that indicates you know the truth and I agree with you

[Logical]

44. OK, interesting. Never heard it. Thanks!

[NNN0LHI]

46. It is used when you know someone is lying to you

Its like someone walking up and saying to you the sky is yellow while you are looking up at the sky and it is blue as ever.

And you turn to that person and say, "Damn who am I going to believe? You, or my "lying" eyes.

Hope contextualizing this helped.



Don

[Logical]

47. Ok, makes sense. Sorry I was clueless!! :-)

[NNN0LHI]

54. No problem but let me give you an even better example

Someone here was trying to convince everyone here that the entire Midwest corn crop was doomed because of the drought about a week ago.

They said it was all dying and only getting worse. Like what they were showing on TV to the city folks.

One problem with that. I live in the Midwest not too far from the poster who had their hair on fire over it.

And I was looking out my sliding glass doors at the time looking at this.



So, who was I going to believe? The poster with their hair on fire over the drought or my lying eyes?

Take care and see you later.

Don

[Logical]

59. Beautiful View! Wow!

[NNN0LHI]

60. Thank you

That is over 2000 acres of corn that is doing just fine during this worst draught in 56 years.

[Logical]

61. Good for you! "Knee High By The 4th Of July" is definitely not true anymore! :-) More like head high

[NNN0LHI]

63. This corn was tall as an elephants eye by the fourth of July

Just like it always has been for the over 20 years I have lived here.

Don

[Liberal_in_LA]

55. Thanks for the tip