What's for dinner?
Saturday, December 7, 2013 at 5:42PM 
Are you enjoying the silly season, the holidays, the Yule? Some people call this the sugar season. Whatever it’s called where you are, I’m sure someone close by is celebrating with festive meals and treats.
In the middle of all this abundance it can be hard to think about times when food might be scarce. If the supermarkets and other food stores were shut (indefinitely) this instant, how long could you survive on the food you have right now?
The website Real Simple recommends having these basic foods on hand:
- Bottled water
- Peanut butter
- Whole wheat crackers
- Nuts and trail mix
- Cereal
- Granola and /or power bars
- Dried fruits (apricots, raisins, craisins etc)
- Canned tuna, salmon, chicken or turkey
- Canned vegetables (green beans, carrots, peas)
- Canned soup and chilli (and beans, spaghetti etc)
- Bottled water
- Powdered milk
- Sports drinks, like Gatorade or Powerade (or generic equivalents)
- Sugar, salt, and pepper
To this list I would add comfort foods like pudding or chocolate. Not a lot, but enough to break the Spartan regime of a survival diet. I’d also suggest sampling supplies before storing them so you're sure you like them.
Basic supplies can be supplemented with MRE’s (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) and other dried foods. Dehydrated meals can be expensive to buy off the shelf but Washington Trails Association has ways to make your own.
In the meantime you might like to look at the world around you and see what food you can harvest in your neighbourhood. New Urban Habitat says dandelions are a super food. Where I live, Coastal First Nations people have been traditionally included local things like pine bark, puff balls, and licorice fern on their menus.
What grows in your neighbourhood that might serve as a food source in an emergency? Do you know where to find it and how to prepare it?
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Photo from Wikimedia Commons: Bûche de Noël by Jebulon