A survivalist Christmas

By DEIRDRE FULTON  |  December 5, 2012

Survival_Lasagna
FOOD

We all need to eat, but what if we can't get to the supermarket? What if our refrigerator isn't working? What if we can't leave the house because zombies are waiting for us outside, licking their bloody lips? Food stores, whether store-bought or homegrown, are a survival essential.

Mountain House freeze-dried foods, available in cans or pouches, last for more than 30 years, according to the Oregon-based company, which recently did an internal taste test and found that food pouches that had been "archived" for decades tasted as good as ones packaged more recently. Their 72-HOUR EMERGENCY MEAL KIT ($55.60; mtnhse.com) includes granola with berries, scrambled eggs, beef stroganoff, and chicken teriyaki, among other delights.

Dozens of other companies (Survival Gourmet, Auguson Farms, and Shelf Reliance are three other popular and high-quality choices) offer similar SURVIVAL FOOD BUCKETS AND CANS, packed with everything from desserts to fruits to vegetarian meals. Put a bow on one of these, and your beloved will eat like a king, even after our day of reckoning.

Survival_Seeds
MEAL PLANS Be ready to grow your own, but store pre-made meals for food in a pinch.
Of course, one cannot survive on MREs alone, at least not indefinitely. Any survivalists worth their weight in gold and silver (which will be vital when the dollar collapses, btw) will also want to grow and preserve their own food. To that end, you might give a "SEED VAULT" like the one available from Urban Farmer ($74.95; ufseeds.com) — a waterproof container filled with an acre's worth of non-genetically modified seeds (42 varieties!).

As an accompaniment, pick up a copy of ELIOT COLEMAN'S FOUR-SEASON HARVEST (Chelsea Green, 1999; $24.95), which outlines how to extend the home-grown harvest through the winter using simple cold frames and plastic sheeting.

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