I know that the first thing we are told about this current coronavirus is not to panic. And I’m not… exactly. I am trying to prepare though. Just in case. I might have mentioned before that I have acquired a small case of germaphobia, while living in the Orlando, FL area. Being someone who grew up with tons of breathing room, pretty much a a free range kid, all of the people crammed together in tight, tight spaces eventually got to me. We have moved to rural Pennsylvania though now, so I have been slowly getting back to good. Until now. I am not in a full case on of freak out mode, but I am feeling perpetually uneasy, and probably will until I feel completely prepared to deal with this. I have been avoiding the news, for the most part, and trying to implement common sense solutions. While we were living in the city, we lived by all of the homesteading principles that we possibly could. We made our own lye soap. (Still do.)
We grew citrus and herbs on the patio, along with greens and tomatoes. (Here we can do that in the summer, of course.) We grew sprouts and micro-greens. (We are working on it, here.) We lived on the fully raw diet for years. (We still do raw food detoxes a few times a year for the health benefits.) We shopped at Whole Foods (I so miss you) and lived as green as possible for our circumstances. We home-schooled our kids. (Still do.) So, basically we lived by all the trendy homesteading principles, at the time. Now we live out…way out. The nearest Whole Foods is a 2.5 hr drive, We haven’t really met anyone like us here yet, and we are realizing how much easier it is to grow things in Florida, as compared to here. We really miss our life there…but we are making the best of it here. When we decided to move here, we were very clear on thinking that we wanted to homestead. We had pictures in our heads of wholesome family life, working in the sun, lush harvests, trendy farmers markets.
In Florida these things are fun. There’s tons of farmer’s markets, loads of interesting people with interesting ideas. You are always learning something new; every kind of exotic fruit and vegetable is available at the markets, and you can grow anything at home on your patio, or in your backyard.
The sun is always shining, so you don’t ever feel depressed, and your motivation is always at maximum because you are really happy. Here? Well…let’s just say it’s different. There you pay others to do all the work for you, to the point that you are bored to death if you are not at the beach or theme parks. Here it seems like the work never ends. And we have barely begun.
We had pretty big plans when we moved here, (we usually do) but we had a house to fix, land to prepare, business ideas we wanted to grow, kids to finish raising plus educating, and Hubs works two hours away, 50+ hrs a week…we’ve been fairly busy. Needless to say we haven’t achieved optimal food storage for six people, or gotten our gardens fully planned, even, let alone flourishing, and now there’s a possible crisis afoot, and I am so. not. ready. What to do? I’m sure I’m not alone in this place, so I’ll tell you how I’ve spent this weekend preparing, and maybe give you some ideas to help you get your kitchen stocked up a bit, as well.
Here’s what I’ve bought so far:
Dry Goods:
- Rice
- Dry Beans: Pinto, Black Beans, Chick Peas, Black Eyed Peas Great Northern Beans
- Boxes of Pasta: Thin Spaghetti, Rotini, Fettucine, Macaroni
- Rice Noodles
- Flour (loads)
- Yeast
- Oats
- Cake Mixes
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Corn Starch
- Corn Meal
Canned Goods:
- Canned Pasta Sauce (like Hunts)
- Evaporated Milk
- Canned Pumpkin
- Canned Fruit Pineapple, Peaches, Applesauce
- Canned Pie Filling
- Canned Corn, Peas, Beans
- Canned Tomatoes
Frozens:
- Bulk Frozen Strawberries
- Frozen Mango
- Frozen Broccoli
- Frozen Corn
- Frozen Peas
- Frozen Brussel Sprouts
- Chicken Breast
- Turkey Bacon
- Breakfast Sausage
- Pork Loin
- Imitation Crabmeat
Dairy:
- Milk (one for fridge, the rest for the chest freezer)
- Bulk Shredded Mozzarella, and Shredded Cheddar
- Bulk Cream Cheese
- Ice Cream
- Cool Whip
- Butter
- Sour Cream (can be frozen, but will change the texture)
- Eggs (not dairy, but we did stock up, for use, until the warmer weather when the chickens start laying more)
Medications:
- Cold & Flu Remedies (for adults and kiddos)
- Immune Support Tablets
- Vicks Vapor Rub
- Motrin
- Tylenol
- Cough Drops
- Fire Cider
Spices & Herbs & Other cooking Essentials:
- Bulk Oils
- Vinegars
- Garlic
- Onions
- Shallots
- Leeks
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Rosemary
- Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
Drinks:
- Coffee
- Green Tea
- Black Tea
- Ginger Tea
- Water
- Coconut Milk
- Gatorade
- Milk
There’s so much more to be done, and as long as we have time, we will continue to add to our stockpile, but if a pandemic does strike, we have food enough for a couple of months at least, albeit, we might be living on rice and beans. Luckily, I have a fair amount of recipes for those as well.
So tell me, are you planning on preparing for a possible crisis with this coronavirus, if so, what are you stockpiling? Let me know in the comments. We can also be found on social media. FB@ canigetaramen.food.blog, and insta & pinterest@canigetaramen.
