(January 3, 2016 at 5:26 pm)Aroura Wrote: I buy mostly fresh veggies. BUT I always have a few canns of food in the pantry for emergencies. For instance, today I meant to go shopping, but it decided to start freezing rain this morning. I don't happen to have any more fresh veggies on hand, so canned it will be tonight, until I can get to the store tomorrow.
Also, most emergency agencies recommend people keep a certain amount of non-perishable foods stored in case of natural disaster. So if there is an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, etc and the stores are closed or not able to stock fresh food for a while, or you can't get our of your home for a while, you won't starve.
You may think this is far fetched, but I was also in the big coastal windstorm of '07 on the northern Oregon coast. Winds reached at least 170mph, possibly higher but all the meters clocked out or broke. More board feet of timber were blown down than had burned in the big Tillimook burn. We could not leave our house for 3 days! Trees blocked all the roads, roofs and street signs littered parking lots. There was no electricity for almost 5 days. I was glad as hell I had canned food, which we heated up on a small propane burner.
Fresh is best, of course, or frozen, but don't knock canned. There is a good reason it was invented (to not spoil over long winters, and for soldiers). I personally don't eat canned pumpkin, I buy it from a farm, not even a supermarket, and roast it myself. But if you think canned food is stupid, then non existent god help you if you are ever struck by a natural disaster. I suspect some pittying neighbor will be feeding your sorry ass.
(And if you don't have a disaster kit made up, go make one right now!)
^Yes, this!^
Obviously, fresh vegetables are best and what I usually buy (as well as some packages of frozen). But in an extended period without electricity, as parts of the greater Baton Rouge area experienced in late August 2012 in the wake of a powerful storm that passed shortly before I moved here, you need some non-perishable items on hand. Canned food isn't the best tasting, but it sure as hell beats going hungry in an emergency.
