Surviving the Coming Hard Times

I can't believe how much time has passed since I last posted an entry here. It has been busy -- lots of workshops and classes, trip to Alaska where I saw red elderberries for what I think is the first time --- this old-timer's disease makes me forget sometimes, because I vaguely remember seeing them in Oregon back in 2005-- and all sorts of other adventures.

I am prompted to post now because of a thread on Martial Law and Food, and the possibility that the domino effect will put everyone out of jobs and there won't be any food in the supermarkets, and such-like, that has appeared on the ForageAhead listserv in the past couple of weeks. After it had gone on ad-infinitum and gotten more and more bizarre, about not enough rats and pigeons to feed everyone in New York City, so you'd have to find other things, some of us began to say "Too much, already. Let's get on to other things." Here is what got me cranked up---pammunkey's post which said:

"I think this whole discussion is alarmist; kinda reminds me of those folks who hole up in caves waiting for the world to end. I think it's much more likely that areas of the country might suffer a natural or man-made disaster, and if you're stuck there, you might have to resort to foraging in the absence of dependable supplies of food and water. Even that might be a stretch.

To which I responded:

"WAIT, WAIT..........You mean I don't have to stay in this hole anymore?

Whew. What a relief!

The reality, folks, is that nobody can take away what is in your head. If you begin learning which plants are edible and how to use them, how to find water, how to make shelters (and maybe better yet, have some shelters already earmarked and prepared), and go about it quietly and systematically, when you need the information, you will have it. It is an evolving thing, not something you have to race to do something about. The key is not to wait till the last two months to get started.

Back in the old Y2K days, I was on the lecture circuit with a couple of Y2K expo producers. 6 months before the end of the year, I'd get 50 or 60 people for each lecture, but as we got closer to the end of the year, the crowds began swelling -- at first to 100 or so, and in November and December 200 and more-- in each case basically asking me to teach them all that I know in 2 hours. In college, we called this "cramming" . In survival, it's just plain stupid. What has to happen is for each person who wants to be prepared to begin learning one new thing about living off the resources around you every day or so, and begin practicing it. Got lambsquarters in your yard? Start harvesting the young tops and making spinach dishes out of them. Find some Oxalis? Make some sorrel soup out of it. And so on. Just keep adding to your knowledge. You drive by a secluded rural property that looks interesting? Look into it and see if it suits you. If so, buy it, and fit it out as an escape location for your family. Build an appropriate shelter, find water, etc. and then it is there.

In truth, we are not worrying about feeding the whole city of New York on rats or pigeons. All we care about is ourselves, our family, and maybe some of our friends, all of whom we might be able to accommodate on that little secluded piece of land, and feed on the wild plants around there, and on the fish in the pond if we have one, and on animals we can harvest from the land. Learn the skills to do that, practice them on the land, and when the time comes YOU will be ready. There never will be a time that everyone will want to do this, so don't worry about everyone. Just be ready to take care of yourself using what is around you.

At least that is the way I am approaching it. This really isn't rocket
science.

Peter Gail