In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers have seen just how easily our food supply chain can be disrupted, through empty grocery store shelves. In response to people’s concern, MIgardner made a youtube video about crops you should be growing for self-sufficiency.
In his video, Luke recommends that a couple of different types of crops based on what your goal is, and the space your working with. If you are purely trying to sustain yourself should the food supply chain collapse, Luke recommends high calorie, starchy crops like potatoes, carrots, and corn. You can also grow rice and beans, but for convenience’s sake, he recommends stalking up on these in bulk at the grocery store. Coupled with your high-calorie crops, he recommends high-nutrient, fast turn around crops, like spinach, kale, and mustard greens. Luke suggests fruit trees, and “productive crops” (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers) for growing a lot of food in a small space.
Lastly, he recommended herbs and Maple trees not just for yourself but for bartering, should it come to that. With maple trees, Luke makes his own maple syrup, a food that would be very sought after should the food chain collapse. Herbs can be turned into essential oils, in addition to just being eaten. Essential oils are also very sought after and good for bargaining.
Neither Luke nor myself believe things will get so bad that we have to begin bartering maple syrup. This video is merely information on how to be prepared should that ever happen. And Luke lives just north of Detroit, so his recommendations work for our agriculture zones.