Building a Resilient Pantry: Lessons from the Great Depression

The Great Depression taught us many lessons on resilience and preparation. By understanding the strategies people used to get through tough times, we can build a pantry and a plan that prepares us for any emergency.

Here’s how to prepare your home and pantry like it’s the Great Depression:

Focus on the Basics

When building your pantry, start with some baking and cooking the essentials.

Stock up on items like:

• Flour
• Honey
• Sugar
• Salt
• Spices
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Cocoa powder
• Rice
• Pasta
• Pasta sauces
• Various sauces
• Canned fruits, vegetables, soup mixes, soups, broth, etc.
• Bread crumbs
• Oats
• Grits
• Maple syrup
• Yeast
• Peanut butter
• Popcorn

These basics allow you to make a wide variety of meals from scratch. While it’s fine to keep some convenience foods like pancake mix and macaroni and cheese. While at the same time knowing how to make these from raw ingredients is an important part of preparedness, as the ingredients are usually cheaper and better than boxed items.

Embrace Gardening

During the Great Depression, many people grew their food. You can do the same even if you live in an apartment. Use grow lights indoors or containers on your patio to cultivate:

• Herbs
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Sprouts
• Microgreens

If you have a larger space, consider raising chickens for eggs. Growing your own food can reduce grocery bills and ensure you have fresh produce during tough times.

Addressing Meat Prices

During the great depression, meat was expensive. These days, meat prices are climbing, making it difficult to source meat on a regular basis. Consider these options for meats and alternatives:

• Canned meats
• Pre-packaged frozen meats (usually cheaper than fresh meat)
• Find a local farm to purchase bulk meat (like a quarter cow)

Supplement your diet with fishing, if possible, and incorporate more beans and other protein sources that you can grow or store, which are a powerful protein source.

When buying meat, use every part of it. Make broth from chicken carcasses and find uses for parts you wouldn’t normally eat. This reduces waste and maximizes resources.

Buying and Using Flour and Wheat Berries

Stock both ground flour and wheat berries. Ground flour is for short-term use, usually lasting about 5-10 years in mylar, but great for everyday purposes and will last at least a year in food-grade buckets.

Wheat berries can be stored long-term, lasting 25+ years in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber. Learn how to grind wheat berries into flour then how to use that flour for baking bread, pasta, and other essentials. Buying in bulk can save money and ensure you have what you need.

Learn Home Preservation Methods

Knowing how to preserve food is essential.

• Water bath and pressure canning
• Freeze drying
• Dehydrating
• Pickling
• Freezing (yes, freezing is technically a preservation method)

Preserving food allows you to store surplus from your garden or from bulk purchases, ensuring you have a steady food supply.

Cooking from Scratch

Learning to cook from scratch offers numerous benefits. It’s often more nutritious and cost-effective. The list of ingredients at the beginning of this post are a great place to start.

When learning to cook from scratch, start with a base ingredient like, black beans. Go onto the internet and search ‘black bean dinner recipe ideas’ and a bunch of ideas will come up.

You can also get several cookbooks and choose from those options.

Over time, you’ll just come up with your own recipes.

Sometimes we can utilize modern tools, as well, this isn’t a lights out apocalyptic scenario we’re talking about here. Use the resources available to you! Things like a bread maker, instant pot, air fryer, etc.; they can help simplify the process. Remember, home cooked meals won’t look like store-bought, but they’ll be healthier and more satisfying.

Connect with Your Community

Build connections with local farmers and communities. Look for local gardening and farm groups on social media platforms like Facebook. Learn to trade with your community and neighbors to help better support one another and shrink your food chain.

Conclusion

Preparing like it’s the Great Depression means focusing on basics, growing your own food, and learning preservation techniques. By taking these steps, you can create a pantry that sustains you through any crisis.