I really have wanted to blog about this for a couple weeks, but had other issues happening. I feel like the voice in the wilderness crying out to people passing by—-and only hearing the echo of my own voice. So I hope when I write this today you will not only take heed, but share this article with those you love and care for. Pin it. Share it. Put it on a board or forum and hope more people take it seriously. Please.

I do not, at all, consider myself an alarmist. If anything, I consider myself practical, and considerate of many different factors in our lives, and that is how we “keep the boat afloat” here in the real Welcoming House. Waste not, want not, is a motto around here, and I am serious when I say we consider carefully where everything goes and how little goes into the trash.

So when I sit and think about the patterns the weather has been taking lately…..when I consider the bad storms that have hit our south regions that are not used to bad weather and the toll it has taken on the crops or the trees that produce crops…..when I consider the extreme drought in California and the impact that is going to have on produce prices and many many other things in our food chain this coming year,  I have to tell you I am concerned about what people are going to do.

I know that some of you are hearing me. I know you have started pantries and building a stock of food. I know that many of you talk to me and tell me thank you because that food pantry has helped you through some rough times in your life recently due to job loss or unexpected expenses. Many of you sent me emails this last month as you were able to pull from your pantries and make meals when you could not take to the road due to terrible weather and bad roads in areas where you are not used to either.

Those kind of letters make my heart happy.

So listen to me when I tell you that you should intentionally take what extra you have over the next month or so and sink it into canned fruit and vegetables. If you have a dehydrator, use that too. Buy up frozen veggies and dry them, then store them in bags or glass jars. Dried fruit is nutritious and can meet a dietary need with a very small amount. I promise you, you will be thanking me in 6 months.

Did you know that for the Midwest where we live, CA provides almost 80% of our fruits and veggies? Guess who supplies the rest? The south. Which of those two areas have been hard hit with either drought or terrible weather that has caused great destruction? Both. Now some of those veggies can be picked up by other parts of the country, but I am telling you from the heart of a gardener, fruit trees take a long time to get to the point they are producing good fruit. And both places have lost a lot of fruit trees.

Now is the time to be buying citrus. You can dry the peels, can the fruit, dry the fruit, or just plain enjoy it. My mother was talking to me about how when she was a kid getting an orange in the toe of your stocking was a big deal. People did not have to talk about consciously eating locally or seasonally. They did because they had no choice. We need to get back into that rhythm again, and enjoy things while we can, and while they are in season.

So head to the store when you have a little extra and pick up that fruit and veggies. I am betting my bottom dollar (literally) that in a couple months, and most certainly by next fall, you will be thanking me for giving you the nudge to do it…because it either wont be there, or you will be paying far far more for it than you would today.

Blessings to you and yours,

~Heather

PS—It is also a prudent idea to have some emergency medical supplies on hand as I often tell you, or something that can treat a wide range of things. We use essential oils in our house to treat many common illnesses, and it has helped tremendously. We have a class happening today over on Facebook if anyone is interested in joining us, and it is at 1pm CST. Registration is free and so is the information. You will be glad you have it. Come and join us by clicking right here.

Here are a few links related to the article above that I collected for you:

50-85% of our produce comes from California. have you seen the pictures of their drought?

Other fruit crops are being hit by hard weather….

“Impact on prices are possible…”.

Still think we can get those fruits somewhere else in the world? Sure, but we will pay for it…