Here are pictures of things I have done to ensure my food security, along with descriptions of the process, whether bought, grown, dried, canned, or vacuum-packed, with info on how you can do it too!
I will also include pictures of items that I have obtained for my personal security, along with screenshots of news you may not have known about and will find helpful. I am not affiliated or sponsored by any of the products you see here, but if you do decide to make a purchase from these companies, please let them know you found them here. Thank you!
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If you love roasted red peppers (my favorite) and roasted garlic but cringe at the cost of buying them in a meaningful size, roast them yourself – it’s too easy!
Preheat your oven to 350, wash and dry the peppers, and place on foil. Quarter-turn about every 20 minutes (use that oven timer!) When all sides are blistered to your liking, remove from the oven, close up the foil around the pepper and let them cool. The cooling loosens the skin. Remove the skin and seeds, then add any seasonings. I use olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley. I cut them up using kitchen shears, and now they’re ready to be put in and on everything!
Take the garlic head(s), remove any excess skin (but not all of it), chop the top off (as in the pic), then pour on some oil of your choice (I use olive oil) and some kosher salt. Roast at 350 until they are done to your liking. I roast them with the peppers, just keeping an eye on them every pepper turn so they don’t burn, but at least an hour for average-sized heads. The cloves start to rise up from the stem once their roasted, and they can be plucked out, used whole or mashed with whatever you like. My second late husband liked to mash them with butter and use it to make garlic bread. The sweet, creamy texture is addictive!
These butter lettuce heads were the “live” heads you see in the store, which comes with the roots intact. I bought two, took some leaves from around the outside for my salad, then stuck them in the dirt. the leaves grow from the inside, so as long as you pluck from the outside, the head will continue to produce. I bought another two a couple of weeks later, thinking that two might not be enough…as you can see, it was. I didn’t have to buy lettuce for almost three months!
I also bought three bundles of green onions, snipped off the tops for my use, and stuck them in the dirt. Just like the lettuce, they kept growing. As a bonus, green onions are an excellent cover crop after the growing season for your garden beds. They help keep the soil from compacting, prevent weeds, and add nutrients to the soil.
Also, you don’t have to plant green onions; they will continue to grow in just water. They don’t last as long, but if you don’t use them often, this may be an economical way to keep some on hand. You may get 2-3 weeks in just water if you keep the water fresh, remove dying leaves and outer layers, and add a drop of plant food once a week.
This was my first attempt at sliced bread. It didn’t come out as tall as I would have liked, but it was delicious! I don’t eat much sliced bread, but I ate every bit of this loaf.
If you and your family eat a lot of bread, try baking your own. Not all bread recipes are complicated. Many simple recipes require as little as 3 ingredients, no kneading (or very little), and 1-2 rising periods. Once you have had fresh bread that you’ve made yourself, it’s hard to return to that stuff in the plastic with its preservatives and questionable additives. Not to mention how AMAZING it smells!
I bake 3 different kinds of bread: the sliced version here, a cast iron one (my favorite), and milk bread (glossy, sweet, and yummy). Any links will go to the recipes soon so you can give them a try.
Even if you don’t bake bread often, it is a great skill to have. If there is bad weather, an emergency, or a shortage, you don’t have to race with the masses to try and score a loaf of bread; you can stay home and make some that will taste better!
