Nightmare scenario of runaway inflation: top food articles to grow?

[Anonymous]

Let's envision a worst case scenario where the US government and the federal reserve continue to show complete incompetence wrt getting inflation under control. Recent data show that if you do the exact opposite of how the government calculates inflation and strip out all unnecessary items and use only necessary expenditures on things like food, fuel, clothing, housing, and utilities to calculate inflation, that the inflation rate we are currently seeing is actually over 16%....which is a far cry from the numbers reported for CPI. At home food costs climbed 8.6% while out of home food costs climbed 6.8%. wholesale prices for food are climbing still, which portends even higher prices coming at the grocery store and at restaurants. The producer price index for food reported this month showed 13.4% increase, with grains and beef rising more than 20%. There is also evidence now that the nightmare scenario for economists is actually starting to playing out whereby consumers are starting to horde and stockpile foodstuffs in anticipation that prices will keep rising. The reason that is so bad is because it pulls forward even more spending, thus higher and higher prices become a self-fufilling prophecy.....i.e. you get runaway inflation.


So, if you had prepare for runaway inflation and crushing food costs, what are say the top 5-10 things you can grow at home to survive this awful scenario to help combat runaway food inflation? Potatoes? Beets? Many types of squashes with hard skins that can last? What else? What can you plant on smaller yard sizes to prepare for the worst that would balance space available with calorie density and nutrition?

Are we going to see the implementation of community gardens to grow food so that neighborhoods have food to eat and they can spend less at the grocery store? Prices are getting out of control.

[Anonymous]

You have no idea what you are talking about, which is evident in part by the fact that you think growing your own food will be cheaper than what you can buy.

[Anonymous]

Are you the one who bought the uranium pills and wants to warn people away from your bunker? Please get some help.

[Anonymous]

I have a relative that has opted out of the capitalist economy so grows a lot of her own food. She does tomatos, squash, mushrooms, carrots, greens. Probably some other stuff but I think you get good bang for your buck on all those especially if you’re patient and start from seeds. This is a question you need to ask people in hippie communes….they are good at this stuff. She also has chickens. She barters excess for things she doesn’t have, like orchard fruit.

[Anonymous]

There is a book called “buy the butter, make the bread” that breaks down the economics of homemade things. Check it out of the library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a book called “buy the butter, make the bread” that breaks down the economics of homemade things. Check it out of the library.

+1, also check out “The $64 Tomato”

[Anonymous]

I probably spend more on my home garden than I would spend buying the same veggies. Maybe if you don't need to spend anything on garden infrastructure (beds, watering, fencing, etc), soil conditioners or fertilizer, pest control.... But then yield goes down accordingly.

Maybe raise chickens? Eggs are a great source of protein. You'll still need fencing, housing and feed, but with those basics a good flock can be fairly self-sustaining.

[Anonymous]

You could always purchase 1/4 cow from a farmer and store it in your deep freezer. Best meat ever.

We hunt every fall and get 70lbs of deer meat- so there's that.

[Anonymous]

Growing your own food isn't easy or cheap unless you know how to grow it from seeds and how to make your own seeds for the next year.

[Anonymous]

I don't think a novice gardener is going to be able to replace the bulk of their produce from the garden. But for cost effectiveness, it's hard to beat growing herbs (most can grow easily from seed and they're quite $$ at the market), and if you're worried specifically about inflation you can purchase a summer CSA share now to lock in the pricing.

[Anonymous]

Roma tomatoes and green beans. Growing potatoes is great too, but can't use same garden as tomatoes.

[Anonymous]

Grow things that you eat. If you eat everything, grow things that are heavy because they are usually sold by pounds, like potatoes and tomatoes and whole onions.
I like to grow a variety of herbs from different basils, mints, bok choy, romaine lettuce, garlic, onions in pots. Herbs are expensive. Grow alot and dry them for the winter.

[Anonymous]

You're going to have to move further out to have enough land to be able to raise enough food to feed your family, especially if you want any variety at all in your meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a relative that has opted out of the capitalist economy so grows a lot of her own food. She does tomatos, squash, mushrooms, carrots, greens. Probably some other stuff but I think you get good bang for your buck on all those especially if you’re patient and start from seeds. This is a question you need to ask people in hippie communes….they are good at this stuff. She also has chickens. She barters excess for things she doesn’t have, like orchard fruit.

I have bad news for her - she hasn't opted out of the capitalist economy. She's just replaced one capitalist economy with another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a book called “buy the butter, make the bread” that breaks down the economics of homemade things. Check it out of the library.

Thanks for this rec.