Off the Grid Survival – by Malaya Careta
Americans garden for many reasons. For some, it’s pleasant to get some fresh air after a long day in the office. Others do it for aesthetic pleasure. However, for those striving for self-reliance on their off-the-grid homestead, gardening is an essential component in the family’s food production operation. In many cases, both time and space limit the size of a garden.
To address those seeking to grow a large portion of their own food on limited resources, author and organic plant breeder Carol Deppe has written an informative book, The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times.
Deppe’s book covers food storage and how to barter with other like-minded people to supplement your food supply. Nevertheless, Deppe’s advice on growing five important crops is of particular use. Her selections are based on calories, nutrients, storage and resiliency during the variable and unpredictable weather patterns. Her selections also are such that they may be grown in many regions of the United States’ diverse climates. Finally, all of her choices rely on using heirloom varieties, so that seed-saving helps in self-reliance.
Here is her list, which you should consider implementing each year, crisis or not crisis.
1. Potatoes
Potatoes are a great source of both carbohydrates and proteins. Per square foot, they produce more carbohydrates than any other commonly grown vegetable in the US. Potatoes yield more protein per square foot than other vegetables, except for beans. They are rich in vitamin C, calcium and minerals.
Potatoes are easy to grow and adapt to many different soil conditions. They are immune to a cold front or storms that could destroy grains. In many areas of the country, they can be grown without irrigation.
Finally, potatoes can be stored for several months without the need for processing or electricity.
2. Corn
Corn is the most feasible of grains to grow and process on a small scale homestead. Harvesting is easy and threshing is not required.
Corn is rich in vitamins B1, B5 and C. It also has lots of phosphorous and manganese, as well as dietary fiber.
Sweet corn can be grown to provide delicious, fresh cobs during the summer. A crop of dent corn provides corn flour.
Whole grain corn stores over the winter and the ground meal provides tasty, starch-based side dishes like cornbread or polenta to accompany fresh meat from the homestead.
3. Beans
Beans and other legumes such as peas, lentils and cowpeas are rich in protein, nutritious and easy to grow. They, too, can be stored during winter without processing or electricity. Different species of legumes thrive in different conditions. Deppe recommends growing several different species. For example, common beans, favas, lentils and peas could all be grown.
If the growing season is unseasonably hot, unseasonably cool, very dry or very wet, chances are that at least one or two of the legumes will thrive.
4. Squash
Squash are a great source of carbohydrates, vitamins A and C and carotenoids (antioxidants). They are prolific in most gardens. Summer squash can be eaten during the summer and dried for winter storage. Winter squash stays fresh during the long winter months.
5. Eggs
Okay, eggs aren’t a crop. But they are one of Deppe’s five food sources to produce on the homestead. There are several reasons for this. First of all, eggs provide protein and omega-3 fatty acids to provide what an otherwise vegetarian (crop-based) diet may lack for some individuals.
Second, the chickens or ducks that lay eggs can be an integral part of the homestead. They can consume home-grown feed and their waste helps make wonderful compost for the garden. Deppe devotes an entire chapter in her book on the benefits of egg-laying animals.
Many living off-the-grid strive for as much self-sufficiency as possible. Deppe’s give foods can help the busy homesteader realize this dream.
http://www.offthegridnews.com/survival-gardening-2/the-5-most-important-crops-you-need-for-survival/
Wow….I have an entirely different list of important crops, and none of these items make it.
#1 is broccoli for its vitamin C content, and it’s possibly the best source of C that grows in northern climate zones. (no citrus up here)
#2 is spinach, for its iron and vitamin A
I would grow sweet potatoes (yams) rather then sour ones for the vitamin A content as well, carrots for their A and beta carotene, and corn doesn’t have much nutritional value at all (but is a good source of amino acids), so it’s not really worth the effort.
A & C are your most important vitamins for strong immunity, and B vitamins are only needed in small doses, and are present in most veggies in varying degrees.
The protein in beans is only digested as protein when eaten with a legume, like rice, for example.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I do disagree with the author here.
good list. i planted a dozen eggs this spring, and no luck.i hate gmos. half the time they wont even sprout.
Corn? Really? Now if this author can find NON-GMO corn seeds and doesn’t have to steal them outright from the seed bank all the way up in Svalberg (spelling) above Norway and doesn’t have to prove he’s not a member of the criminal psychopathic elites, let me know, because I simply cannot find NON-GMO, NON-hybird corn seeds anywhere…maybe they have them in Mexico, which has banned GMO corn…
Folks except for corn tortillas to make enchiladas, I tend to stay away from anything with “corn” as an ingredient.
Here’s my list:
1. asparaghus (healthful herb as well as veggie, plus it helps with migraines)
2. beans (of all types…who doesn’t love beans? So what if you toot every now and then?)
3. brussel sprouts (which can be grown in any northern climate and stays fine in 20 degree temps) and/or okra (which does well in any warm climate and who doesn’e love gumbo and fried okra?)
4. onions and garlic (well known health benefits)
5. greens (all types)
and of course potatoes and yams, again which grow almost anywhere. and if possible, carrots, which are awesome to juice!
Lots of heirloom non-GMO seed choices from Victory Seeds, including corn (Zea mays): http://www.victoryseeds.com/corn.html.
There are other heirloom seed companies that offer some of these cultivars. These heirloom varieties were very rare or unavailable just a few years ago, but heirloom stocks are slowly increasing.
When corn is used as a food staple, it needs to be nixtamalized by soaking in water made alkaline with ashes or slaked lime for a minimum of 8 hours. Indigenous cultures soaked corn for 2, even 3, weeks. There’s an article about the nutrition of corn and nixtamalization at http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/03/wisdom-from-the-past-nixtamalization-of-corn.html, and here’s a video I like about a traditional method of making masa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcan7L4azWc.
Hey, Enbe, I read somewhere that GMO corn won’t pop, so it couldn’t be sold as popcorn.
Any idea if this is true?
GMO corn was once limited to dent corn varieties, but now unfortunately includes some sweet corn varieties.
Dent corn won’t pop because the kernel is porous and when dried for storage doesn’t contain enough moisture in its center to make it explode inside out when heated. Under rare conditions, dent corn will split (http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/view/ag/printablePage.do?ID=BLOG_PRINTABLE_PAGE&bypassCache=true&pageLayout=v4&blogHandle=production&blogEntryId=8a82c0bc2a8c8730012af842826e0549&articleTitle=Popping+Dent+Corn&editionName=DTNAgFreeSiteOnline) but not pop.
Pop corn is a type of flint corn with a hull so hard and tight that it traps an itty bit of water inside with the starchy endosperm, causing it to explode when heated.
Some pop corn varieties will cross with GMO dent corn and GMO sweet corn, and have to be grown isolated from other corn crops, either by distance or by planting dates so pollination occurs at a different time. Some pop corn hybrids are dent corn sterile, i.e., cannot be pollinated by GMO dent corn.
BTW, sweet corn, when dried, won’t pop either.
Thanks, Enbe. 🙂