Food: grow and store
Not a bunker full of tins. A store cupboard of food you already eat, a way to heat it, and perhaps a bed of salad and beans in the garden. Small habits that make a power cut or a fortnight without the shops much easier.
In a power cut, the Food Standards Agency estimates a fridge stays cold for about 4 hours, and a full freezer keeps food frozen for about 48 hours. More from the FSA on food in a power cut.
Store
- A store cupboard that sees you throughTwo weeks of food that needs no fridge, much of it no cooking. Use-by and best-before explained.
- Camping stoves for power cutsWhat they're good for, which to buy, and which gas works in cold weather.
- Dehydrators and vacuum sealersWhat they really do, what they cost to run, and honest shelf lives.
- Freeze dryers in the UKPrices from £2,500, running costs, noise and space. Who they're worth it for.
- Freeze dryer vs dehydratorWhich keeps food longer, what each costs to buy and run, and which suits you.
Grow
- Growing your own in a raised bedEasy crops for beginners, sizes you can reach, what it costs and when to sow.
- Polytunnel or greenhouse?Cost, planning rules, sizes, how long they last and what each is best for.
Where to start
The cupboard comes first. The government's advice is three days of food that needs no fridge and no cooking, and 3 litres of drinking water per person per day; two weeks is a sensible next step if you live somewhere cuts or snow can cut you off. Growing and preserving are worth doing for their own sake, but they don't replace food you can reach for on the day.
A freeze dryer, a polytunnel or a big raised bed can wait until you know what you'd grow or preserve.
Tools that help
- Keep the fridge-freezer goingThe sizer, set up for a fridge-freezer, the router and two phones for a day.
- Lights Out: what fails firstWhat stops working in your home when the power goes, and when.
- The 72-hour kitA printable checklist for your household.