Prepping shouldn't be about bunkers, stockpiles of ammo, and canned good. Prepping should be about preparing for the future.What's better? To have things? Or to know how to make those things? If I have knowledge of gardening, then when the zombies arrive, not only will I be able to survive on my stores from my garden that we preserve, but I will be able to grow more, and then preserve more. Not only will I be able to take care of my family, I'll know the best way to collect rainwater and make it drinkable. I will know that my sewing machine and some extra fabric lying around can make blankets for when it gets really cold.
There is more to survival than killing. This is what the revolution is about. But who are we revolting against you ask? Well, though it's not a revolution in the sense we're used to, as we're a bloody violent species, it's a revolution nonetheless. We are saying to Big Ag, and Big Corporations "NO!" We will not take it sitting down. We will not stand for it, while Big Ag turns our great land into a monoculture that's spreading like wildfire. We grow more soybeans, corn and wheat than anything else in the country, and most of it is GMO bullshit. We have two main types of cows we breed, one for food, one for dairy. Chicken farms are a disgrace to the name of farming. (If you dont know what a chicken or beef/dairy farm look like for real, go watch some free documentaries on Netflix, I'll give links below) We give them hormones, antibiotics and stick them in horrid conditions not fit for any living thing, and then consume those "products", all while being told its safe.
This is the kicker. That we listen when they speak. Why? Because it stands to reason, that they're the big whigs right? They know more than we do, right? Well, usually I would agree. However, in this case, they've destroyed the way we eat, the way we grow food and the way we slaughter food. We no longer eat real food, we're told to eat "food products" that might have 40% or less of actual food in the ingredients list. Why you ask? All in the name of a flipping dollar. To make more money.
So what do you do to keep the revolution going?
- Plant your land. If you live in the burbs like most of us, plant every square inch of space. We live on a corner lot and cannot obstruct traffic, so we haven't planted there yet, but every year we expand our garden, and I will keep expanding until we have no lawn left. Use cold frame and greenhouses, or even mini-greenhouses to extend the growing season well into the winter, and get a head start on summer. People further south could even grow tomatoes year round in a cheap greenhouse. Compost your kitchen scraps, and if you have farm animals, their bedding makes for good compost too. Use it in your gardens so nothing has to lay fallow.
- For the urbanites, look to your windows and balconies to help you grow food. Hanging baskets, container gardening on a balcony/porch or even window boxes are all great options and with the right soil you can grow just about anything.
- For those in the country with some land, by all means, set your acres to wheat if you like :) The country folk are the ones I encourage to plant everything they can and then take what they have to the market for sale.
- For what you cannot grow yourself (like I do not have the room yet to grow winter wheat like I would like to), buy locally if you can find it. The more you ask for it locally, the more people will plant and the more you can buy. It's a nice cycle that begins with you.
- Save your seeds. This part is important. By growing heirloom varieties you will be able to not only save your seeds for following years, but we will keep varieties going that would otherwise die off.
- Garden organically This helps on many levels. Number one, the food is better for you. Number two you don't have to worry about ruining the land for future use. Number three, it's completely sustainable. If you till your garden by hand, then use your own homemade compost to amend the soil, plant companion crops along with pollinator attracting plants and practice crop rotation, then you will be on your way, well on your way to food sustainability.
- Raise some chickens. Or rabbits. Or a goat. Or hell, all three. Rabbits provide meat and manure and if you get angora, you can even spin your own yarn from the fur. Goats will provide milk and manure. and chickens can provide meat, eggs, manure. Having these things in your farm can help complete the ecosystem thats needed for sustainability. If you have a good amount of land, I would suggest getting a rooster too, and selling some of your chicks to local suburbanites that would love the meat and egg portion of having chickens.
- Know your laws. Here's the thing. When you outright, knowingly break the laws regarding say, zoning in your town, you're not going to get anyway, and you're likely to make it worse for everyone else. Your town won't allow chickens in backyards? WORK to change it. Don't just get chickens anyway. Go to town meetings, get petitions signed, get it on the voting ballot for town meetings. Do everything you can, and when laws say you can't, work to change those laws.
- Last but not least, learn how to dehydrate, preserve and can your foods. I really like freezing my foods, but I know that should there be a reason to not have the freezer space (either lack of actual freezer space, or lack of electricity to run that freezer, or even lack of money to run the electricity to run the freezer), then canning and dehydrating are going to be primary. If you can dehydrate, root cellar and can your foods, they can last all year through the winter. Don't forget, you dont have to can just your own foods. Every September I drive 60 miles to a great apple orchard and buy dozens of bags each weighing at least 8lbs, of apples. I then make apple butter, apple sauce and canned apples. You ca really widen your eating patterns if you can preserve not only food you grow, but food you find locally.
Every time I look around, I see more and more documentaries about Big Ag, or Big Corporations, or Big Pharm and what they're doing to our health. I refuse to let me and my family fall prey to these companies that are only out to make a few bucks, even if it kills species of plants and animals and makes us humans sick and dying as well. We will not tolerate this. We will stand up to this. We will say NO! We will learn the old ways, and teach them to others. We will plants seeds of both foods and knowledge that will fuel the revolution of change.
All of the following films are available on Netflix instant streaming:
All of the following films are available on Netflix instant streaming:
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