A number of economists are preparing their public for a big financial crush in the near future. In this event, it could be wise to get ready physically, see that we have a few essentials at hand for the first few days, train ourselves how to till the land, how to save seeds, to preserve food, to be in position to provide first aids etc.
But we must also grow stronger intellectually, emotionally and spiritually in order to be able to cope with such a difficult situation that neither we nor our parents have experienced before. Our grandparents have lived through poverty and hardships but they were tough. They could always make something out of nothing; in spite of their poverty they could sing and dance, they could work for hours under a blazing sun, they knew how to face death and how to give comfort, they recognized every herb and edible weed, and a lot more that we have lost or that we are struggling to discover.
A short while ago on Peliti website we initiated a new class titled ‘Living outside of grids’. In it we register knowledge, experiences and methods of how to survive without electrical power. I personally chose and did this, during the first years of the formation of Peliti. You may have noticed that the seminars I give over the few last years have to do with the preservation of food without the use of electricity. So where shall we preserve our food?
In the Cellar
The cellar is usually an underground space under the house, but it may also be some nearby storage place; a room, mostly underground, dark and cool. The cellar is a traditional method by which people of all times until today store their crops or their food for long periods of time; it is where they let their wine, their cheese etc age. For those who live in apartment houses, the cellar can be a spare room which will not be heated in winter. We take care that our cellar stays clean, with no cracks and holes that might allow rodents to enter, and all openings are equipped with screens, so that flies or other insects cannot enter. The door must fit well.
Mice and other rodents constitute a serious threat for our stored goods. If ever they invade our cellar, it is difficult to get rid of them, and they may waste all our pains.
Our food is ‘alive’, it is organic products, it continues to ripen and attract all sorts of critters. It has a duration and expiry date.
When we enter a cellar we must first notice the smells. Smell will show us whether any stored product has gone bad. Potatoes, for instance, when they rot, smell very foul. We must check them one by one and discard the rotten ones and those that are beginning to rot. We must also check whether they have started to sprout, and break all sprouts/roots. A traditional method is to sprinkle ash on them, to reduce their root growth.
If, upon entering our cellar we see moths flying around, this means that our corn, flour, wheat or other crop has been infested. We must locate the damaged item and discard it taking care to secure the rest, so that we avoid any further contamination.
The cans we make must be checked every while lest the lids are swollen. If this happens, it means that our canning was not successful, and we have to throw away the contents.
Low humidity in the cellar is an essential factor of good preservation of our stored products; a piece of lime stone can be used as a dehydrator. Low temperature is the second important factor for the safe storage of food.
Packaging material for our product should consist of glass, metal or suitable for food plastic. We prefer relatively small packets for they are easier to transport and handle, and if something goes wrong with one of them, we avoid contamination of the rest our stored stuff. We take care that containers of metal or plastic that we cannot place on a shelf, stand on pallets or wood, so that they do not absorb humidity from the floor.
All our products in the cellar have a due date. If we keep packaged goods, it is advisable to check this date and consume the older ones first. Long term duration products are placed at the back, so that the ones with a shorter term are always in front. Tahini that is kept for long tends to separate in oil and solids; this can be readily fixed by mixing it again.
It is good to keep a record in a copybook of all food we have in the cellar, so that we can readily check what products we have and when they are due. I suggest a copybook and not a computer because in the event of a financial crush, electric power companies may collapse and leave us with no electricity.
There always exists a danger of our cellar being destroyed by fire, flood, earthquake, theft etc. Therefore it would be a good idea to keep some food stored in another place as well in case of such an event.
Lastly, care should be taken of how to place our food on the shelves. Heavy stuff should be placed on the lower shelves, and light items higher up. It is also advisable to use some fastening device, such as a beam of wood or a strong belt to prevent our boxes from falling in the event of an earthquake.
We start storing up food in our cellar in spring and continue till the end of fall. We can include herbs that we collect and dry up, and put our crops of seeds as wheat, barley, our potatoes, onions, oil, olives, our sweets, our wine, spirits and all else we need for our nutrition. We can also store jars and material that we use for canning and more.
In our cellar we should have:
Seeds of traditional vegetable varieties. We separate our seeds to winter crops such as: spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, chard, peas, broad beans, radishes, rocket etc and summer vegetables as: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, onions, potatoes, French beans etc. We keep seeds of previous years too, because we never know how the cropping year turns out.
Water. Water is absolutely essential for our survival. Mind whether temperature in your cellar falls below zero in winter: in this case your bottles should not be filled to the rim to prevent breaking if they freeze.
Salt. It is used not only to make our meals palatable but also to preserve food. Salt can be stored for many years. If it draws humidity, it can be dried in the sun and reused.
Wheat. Wheat is the basis of our diet. We can grind it to make flour, cook it, turn it to flakes, bulgur, even sprout it to be eaten fresh. It can be preserved either by heat treatment or with salt.
Rice. Rice is one of our commonest staples. It can be preserved by heat treatment.
Corn. Corn too is a very good food that can be ground and consumed as flour, but we can also cook and eat its soaked seeds or make stat-pat.
Oat. Oat can be eaten as flour, flakes etc.
Olive oil. Olive oil is the basis of our diet in Greece.
Seed oil. Seed oils can be used for frying.
Milk powder. It is a good food especially for families with young children.
Sugar. Sugar is a good food preservative for spoon sweets, jams, herbal juices etc.
Honey. In ancient times honey was valued as food but also as a means of food preservation.
Pastas. You should store various sorts of pasta. All can be preserved by heat treatment.
We can also store:
- Beans, lentils, chickpeas, broad beans, peas.
- Potatoes and onions.
- Canned or dehydrated fruit and vegetables, compotes etc.
- Canned or smoked meat, sausages etc.
- Jams and spoon sweets, tahini, peanut butter etc.
- Cordials, wines, spirits.
- Olives, cheese, pickles
- Herbs as oregano, thyme, sage, lavender, linden etc.
A cellar represents the character of its creators and their tastes and diet. It is a very personal matter. Here I am outlining an idea of a cellar. You will plan your own according to your own needs and diet.
You should also consider the members of your own family, young children, elderly, special needs, besides their number.
For those of you who have small children, it is advisable to also save some commercial cookies or nutty chocolate spread for it might prove very useful at a difficult moment.
We also store lighters, candlesticks and matches. Our matches should be waxed, by dipping their ‘head’ in melted wax, so that they are not destroyed by humidity.
In the eventuality of an economic crush, we should stock up on solar flashlights and chargers, solar radio and more. We should also keep some extra cleaners for housework and personal use.
Our cellar could include material for bees wax balms and soap of our own making.
Finally, we can store clean and sieved ash, which can be used for making lye.
This article was triggered by the article ‘Bank of America, Universa Investment, Charles Schwab are warning: A crush is near… worse than 1929’, online newspaper BANKINGNEWS, Tuesday 11/14/2023.