Completed 2 Week Food Challenge

We have just completed the Preparedness Pro’s 2 Week Food Challenge.  We did pretty well overall, though we did have one cheat during the 2 week time span.  What did I learn from the experience overall? 

• That our generation is quite spoiled to the idea of having everything we want whenever we want it.   This challenge wouldn’t have even phased my grandmother’s generation, and while it wasn’t extremely difficult due to our food reserves, it did require a change of routine.  I had to plan a lot more than I normally do (when I say that, realize that I am a planner by nature).  I also had to bake and prep foods days ahead of when we needed them. 
• That convenience foods would be helpful in the event of an emergency.  We were not stressed by any environmental issues and therefore had the time and energy to dedicate to preparing our foods and planning our meals.  If we had been taxed otherwise, foods such as crackers, jerky, and other snack foods would have been helpful.
• That I need to store dried milk in the pantry.  I think that the main reason I have not replenished my stock of dried milk has been because I didn’t want to waste it. I now have a plan for how to use it up so that it can be rotated more easily.
• That comfort foods are important, especially when considering emergency preparedness.  I’ll need to restock our supplies of honey and sugar for baking as well as adding a little special chocolate to the pantry.
• That I’m a little more concerned about what would happen to friends of mine if a long term emergency were to occur.  Our family has more food stored than probably 90% of the people we know.  I told you why we do this here.  I’m not recommending that people live in fear or become food hoarders.  I’m simply encouraging others to be aware that situations in life can change.  Having at least the 3 day allotment of food and water recommended by many emergency agencies such as the Red Cross is prudent, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN.

While we would not be starving for food for a much longer time frame, I’m glad that the 2 weeks is over.  We ended in a time frame where I am feeling blessed by the experience and what we have learned.  I have even more appreciation for what how our grandparents and generations before them lived and ate each day.  The blessings of convenience have not come without a price, though.  In considering how few people now know how to bake bread, can foods, or even what will replace eggs in baking, I wonder if we really should be as far removed from our food as we are.  Especially after viewing Food Inc. this week, I realize that convenience takes a heavy toll on our health and the health of generations to come.  I feel even luckier than I did before that the people in my life have taken the time to teach me the appreciation for food, for the hands that grown and prepare that food, for the animals that give their lives so that we might eat, and to not ever take those things for granted.