This month, I am asking the following question, “how
resilient is your community?” If the
planes are delayed for weather or other reasons, how secure is your community
and household food supply? Last year,
due to extreme weather, the stores in Dillingham were practically devoid of
fresh produce. It was an eerie sight to
see. However, rather than panic and
becoming a “doomsday prepper,” one might simply look at their own pantry and
try to be a little more organized in how to address the issue of planning for
your family. Now that the days are
getting longer, and some gardeners are starting to receive seed catalogs in the
mail, this is the perfect time to make a household food budget for the year and
to find ways to meet those food demands in a way that makes sense for you.
Some regional and local organizations have really taken on
the task of food security as a major goal.
For instance, the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Community Development
Association (APICDA) has greenhouse projects starting in their communities. Igiugig has demonstrated true leadership in the area of food security and community food planning. They started with community chickens and have moved on to a community greenhouse heated with wind turbines for an extended season.
Additionally, some producers are discovering that there
might even be money in food production.
Even if you don’t get into production as a business, you will find that
planning for your family’s food needs will ultimately put you in a better
position financially, as buying in bulk is typically a lot cheaper, and
planning your food purchases will challenge you to source the best deals. In the olden days it used to be called “being
thrifty,” but in the bush, I like to think of it as just being smart.
Although most of the food planning guides list primarily
grains and vegetables, most of us living in rural Alaska have some idea of what
our meat and fish needs are for the year.
If not, you can estimate your needs by looking at your existing meat and
fish consumption patterns, and estimating for your annual food needs based on
those patterns. It might also be a good
time to reconsider some of our eating decisions. If you notice that you are consuming soda pop
every day and if you stop to add that up for the year, it might make you
reconsider whether that is a necessity or a luxury that should only be consumed
on special occasions. Often, what is
good for the pocketbook is good for your health too.
Here are a few resources to help you get started formulating your food plan for the year:
