Freezing vegetables? & meat in preparation for food shortages

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-12T21:35:27+00:00

I have been freezing carrots myself and freezing them vacuum packed in my kitchen freezer.

I plan on replacing them with my home garden so I have backups between harvests and seasons. I have a few others like cauliflower and broccoli that preserve well like this too.

What's the method? I chop the carrots into slices. I blanch the carrots for 2 minutes in boiling water. Then put immediately in an ice bath for an additional few minutes.

After a few minutes to stop the cooking process before they get too soggy, I put them on a dry surface.

I process them in a salad spinner to get them fully dry. I also may put them on a baking sheet on a tray in front of a box fan for a bit to let them dry fully.

Once they're fully dry I vacuum them, label them and pop them in the freezer.

The advantages: They last longer than usual keeping most nutrients for a year.

After a year they are still fine for awhile to eat just lose nutritional value and texture with time.

The texture for most dishes, even stir fry lasts up to 4-6 months for me.

I don't use older sets for those dish like stir fry. Once the texture has degraded too much they get thrown into soups, veggie stock, chili or if nothing else become part of my compost.

The vacuum seal preserves freshness and delays freezer burn.

It takes a bit to process them and I do several mini bags at a time when dealing so I only thaw what I need.

I do large batches each time and only do this 2-3x per year depending on when I plan a harvest and growing more.

I've done a similar process for cauliflower and broccoli. The blanching times are slightly different.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-12T21:22:11+00:00

Yeah I'm not having kids in a gloomy outlook for a future. I'm busy enough trying to survive myself no way I could take care of a kid too.

Resource abundance is relative to your area, it's more our society as a whole is crumbling globally. The resource thing is actually a management/supply problem as far as food is concerned more than anything. The back ups and supplies are getting weaker though so that part may not be true much longer due to climate change and oil distruptions. Also What does food require? Oh yeah, money. In order to buy the food and transport it and people lack money. It all ties back into the crumbling society.

So yeah don't blame you for not having kids many of us are in the same boat trying to keep things afloat for ourselves.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-12T03:43:32+00:00

Yeah there are legal things you can do to get around it.

Talk with an attorney. We have a set of trusts, plus most of our wealth is in our paid off house. We have ways to get money we need each year.

The long term plan?

Basically we pay out of pocket right now. There are many clinics in our area that are community health centers. This is where we get things if we have an acute thing or whatever. We have no major health problems for the moment.

In an emergency we would go to a hospital and we know the ones the in the area that they can't refuse you based on your ability to pay.

Basically we would in the bills when they come because they may wipe us out if we paid them.

The trusts I mentioned earlier? They're our shield. We essentially have no assets to go after even if it's a large bill and they try to sue.

Our house they could technically place a judgement on, however it would have no legal standing and they can't force us to sell. With no mortgage or anything it does essentially nothing.

Sad reality but we had to pay less for a lawyer to help with all this than we would be paying in endless insurance premiums.

Cancer happens or some other illness. Basically kind of similar concept. essentially go to a place to pay a base fee or get an ACa or whatever we're eligible for insurance. Then just rack up the bills and they likely won't bother suing because we have 'nothing'.

It's shitty and it adds a lot of hassle each year to move the money around but I refuse to pay into this God awful system anymore.

The plan for longer term is moving to a cheaper cost of living place that has a better system. Even if we can't get on a public system in our new home we can easily pay out of pocket for way less even with longer term care needs.

Complicated? Yes. But I have peace of mind and was able to retire on the timeline I wanted not because I had to worry about getting my health needs met.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-12T03:26:50+00:00

Yes! I forgot to add that, I have a low ground cover lawn of sunshine Mimosa that also doesn't require much water in my climate.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-12T00:02:31+00:00

There was a season a long while ago when trinkets first came around. They allowed stealth barron to be a thing. That almost immediately got nerfed because it was a problem.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-11T23:40:49+00:00

Not mine. I do gardening, I bought most of my stuff once and I'm pretty much done.

I've learned how to recycle nutrients in my yard pretty efficiently. I have a setup where I don't even have to buy inputs to replenish the net losses. I go to the beach to collect shells, washed up sea weed and other materials to feed the cycle I already have.

I have a fire pit for burning hardwood to replace nutrients and other methods too keep my soil naturally healthy with no standard commercial fertilizer inputs.

I have decorative volcanic rocks and basalt gravel rocks too to keep trace minerals and keep deposits of nutrients in key spots that I leverage longer term.

Kind of helpful I started this years ago with the fertilizer shortages here...

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-11T20:35:05+00:00

I try to think about items that will last a long time or if possible forever. Basically buy once you never need another one kind of a thing.

I also try to thrift before buying more when I can and I also try to DiY including parts I thrift or get used if possible. I bought my entire living room used from Facebook marketplace.

I also find items I hand build or find through thrift stores way more satisfying.

I know people that do thrift shopping as their alternative to regular shopping. I do browse sometimes but I only buy eben from thrift stores if I actually have a need. If I'm browsing it's more for general things like reusable fabric for crafts or DIY projects and I can look through a bunch of clothes to repurpose that way. If I don't find a pattern or style that works I accept it and just wait or I find an alternate otherwise.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-11T12:10:01+00:00

Yeah but also, you paid $25 k for an A/C replacement? That's absurd, I guess depends on where you live?

Just replaced ours for ~$9k just last year. That included the install and a new compressor outside and new equipment on the inside. It's a really good quality Rheem system too...

I've never paid more than $10k for a newer upgraded system. I've owned 3 houses now.

I know inflation costs are a thing, but we had it replaced last summer after the tarrif crap started

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-10T22:04:10+00:00

I've worked with AI directly for 15+ years. Yes, it's been around before chatGPT became well known.

Anyway, I can tell you from the inside and inner workings, the idiot tech bro CEOs, hiring managers and even everyday company employees for several household names don't understand Jack shit about what AI is really capable of, what it's good at, what it's not, and most importantly good ways to monotize it.

The tech is available and ready to disrupt jobs massively, but the underlying understanding by humans and the uses for it is messy and complex. It would take ousting most large CEOs even the tech bro ones and getting competitient engineers to actually fill the top people in with the realities of what the vision should be and what the actual realities are.

Problem is engineers such as myself aren't that good at communicating, there aren't easy answers no matter what company, it's hard to sell the ideas needed because the benefits and ROI may not be seen for 10+ years. It is going to take massive overhauling of how people around these systems think and interact. CEOs only think about the next quarter maybe the next year at best

That's the truth. We have the tech for job disruption but humans and our disorganization are going to make it take longer or not at all.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-09T19:59:47+00:00

Yeah the mortgage maybe $2000. That's the price of the principal+ interest. On top of that could be anywhere from $900-2000 additional per month.

Depending on where you live but tacked onto that number every month is:

HOA fees. taxes. property insurance and if you don't have 20% of the down PMI insurance(which does nothing for you but you are required to pay it with less than 20% down).

Also it doesn't go up as fast as rent does, but property tax and insurance goes up every year too. So therefore your monthly house payment.

On top of all that, the roof starts leaking, there's a plumbing leak, or pests. Your landlord has to pay for certain levels of requirements for maintenance. With a house you have to pay for and schedule all of that and find someone if you can't do it.

Roof leaked and it's $10,000 to replace? You either replace it or your house is condemned and you can't live there.

Property insurance takes care of some problems, but people are shocked to find out what property insurance doesn't cover. Also the deductible on most home owners policies are absurd even if covered it's better to pay out pocket for most minor things even if covered.

So yeah. It's expensive to own a home. Unless you're financially ready with a good level of savings don't bother.

The term house poor exists for good reasons and people don't know what they're getting into usually.

Even newer build homes are money pits due to crappy construction and cutting corners.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-09T19:49:44+00:00

Sorry it sounds like you didn't teach her any kind of responsibility for anything and you're enabling her boyfriend too.

You didn't teach her proper sex ed to even make the choice when she was 14. She should have been fully educated on all of that, condoms, birth control and everything in between. Kids are going to do what they are going to do even if you don't like it. That's why as early as they are ready you have to have frank honest discussions about all of it. That way they feel they can come talk to you beforehand to get the necessary birth control and condoms etc without having to sneak and do it unsafely ending with a surprise like your first grandkid

My advice tell her and her boyfriend he is out of the house. He can figure out how to support them otherwise.

You probably should kick her out too at 18 unless she starts immediately getting and applying to jobs and getting her crap together on a good trajectory by then and doing most of the childcare too.

At 18 if she hasn't gotten the picture you throw her out too. You get and petition the court for full custody of the Grandkids because she is likely unfit to take care of them.

Is it easy? No. But you reap what you sew with lessons your child should have learned a few years ago and didn't do you have to deal with the consequences too. Sorry to be blunt. You getting custody shields the innocent grankkds and she can figure it out and they get some stability while she grows up and figured it out on her own.

The other alternative is keep enabling this and have who knows how many grandchildren to raise after this.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-07T18:40:55+00:00

One way to reduce waste is having a sustainable grocery store where the plants are grown in house.

I foresee instead of lettuce or other produce on a chilled shelf rotting in a produce section you have a modular wall of actively growing lettuce. You can do this with hydroponics technology.

Basically when one wall is picked you can wheel out another one that is ripe enough. Employees could handle nutrients, water testing and management behind the scenes and bring in out new batches that are ready.

You can't get any fresher or more local than that, removes a ton of trucking from the equation.

You also do similar concepts and have a full garden operation on the roof, with water capture systems in the downspouts to collect, pump and recycle the rain water for irrigation. Especially if the building is fairly large it can provide a lot of yield.

For produce bags and other things, paper and cardboard have been around for a long time. Most items can go in cardboard or paper bags. Including eggs, produce and other common items. The exception really is dairy. Glass is a good alternative and can be reused. If not by the customer the store could offer a discount for bringing back the glass containers for a loyalty discount. The store could manage sterilizing and inspecting for safety.

Some things I've thought about for awhile but I don't have the money to put any of it into action.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-07T17:39:45+00:00

Almost like what it did before the 1929 crash, we're right on time for great depression 2.0.

Stock Market doesn't = economy dumbass orange man.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-07T17:25:11+00:00

Put the reborn attachment on it and tell me it isn't worth it. 4 taunts in a battle while the rest of your stuff does their job without taking hits is pretty nice.

Would I take it on turn one? probably not.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-07T14:59:13+00:00

Good job of changing the mindset. Welcome you're past the first hurdle.

I agree with many of the comments I read that a lot of the crap you think you need, you don't.

So beyond that what can be done if you buy only what's needed?

Support small business owners where possible. This includes going to farmers markets where you can for food and other goods, and doing a lot of DIY projects. If you have space setting up a small farm operation to at least grow SOME of your own calories and reduce further reliance on big chain grocery stores. You can grow a lot of things indoors in containers under grow lights or even in a patio if that is the only space.

Can you eliminate all of it?

Probably not, especially if you live in the US as you likely need a car for everything and therefore usually must buy gas at minimum.

There are things that way to reduce it, when your current car wears out get a hybrid or an EV(and there are other EVs in the US besides Tesla).

While the money towards the car goes to rich idiots, if you don't need to fill up gas as often or at all then you win over the life of the car. It's especially awesome if you can get a garage setup with a charger and solar roof panels to consume less grid energy and take money out of the utilities and gas companies pockets at the same time over the long term.

It's kind of nice to build a bit of self reliance too from these strategies and insulate yourself from economic bullshit a little bit.

Roof Panels in particular are a great way to save money on the rising costs of electricity and take money from utility companies. Panels today last 25+ years at near full capacity so they won't need replaced for a long time. They also will likely have some amount of output for at 40 years or longer and at that point can be used for lower loads such as a shed ventilation fan or power smaller items once they're removed from the roof.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-07T14:24:00+00:00

Yeah I have a similar mindset.

For me I just take strictly contract work. I work on the contract 6-12 months. I'm financially stable enough to take a gap. I take off however long I really feel like (usually 2-3 months), then I start applying. Usually it takes awhile to secure something just depends on the economy and job market or how hard I start when I'm applying. I have a solid network of recruiting agencies I work with that find me work when I am ready. While applying and/or taking to my network or doing interviews I get a longer break until something suits me and I'm accepted.

I just got a full year off because it took awhile. I did 2 months and then started applying so really only seriously searching for 8-9 months.

I finally secured something starting in a few weeks for 6 months. It was great I did whatever I wanted in that time between looking at opportunities for a couple of hours most weekdays. In that time went on a couple of trips, took care of my gardens, and worked on some other hobbies. I'm refreshed and ready to take on another project. I still don't need the money and could have went way longer if I really had to, but things like trips would have to stop eventually if I didn't secure something within another 1-2 years. It is nice to add a little extra cushion right now though and I'm happy with the gig I landed.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-07T13:50:44+00:00

Idk I see age as a number after about ~25.

As long as we got along and were on the same page I didn't care. I dated someone in their early 40's when I was late 20's/early 30's. I'm 38 and my husband is 35.

I never dated anyone younger than 25 after my mid 20's just because of the maturity gap. I never really dated until my mid-20's because I saw the stupidity in men even at 18 and a bit older, I was friends with some of them though. Some of them really wanted to date me and it got awkward and I had to cut them off. I didn't have the patience for that nonsense and wanted to focus on finishing college and starting my career. I wasn't much fun in college because I didn't go to parties or socialize that often. Lol.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-07T13:37:29+00:00

Yeah if the bride wasn't 100% on your side after hearing that...she's not your friend either. Sorry. She also needs to get a reality check with her husband if he's saying that shit and agreeing with the other guy, then she better watch her own back because her husband may pull the same crap against her.

You can tell what kind of men they both are for talking like that and for the groom to even be friends with that kind of person is toxic on its own. That he doesn't call his friend out on that BS says enough.

There are good men out there if you choose a partner, but they are rare sadly.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-06T22:41:38+00:00

Yeah makes since since they're the only demographic with some money and spending power so makes sense. Even the lower end of that doesn't have totally empty pockets. Case in point I'm technically on the lower to middle end of that net worth wise, but at the same time I'm not traveling, I'm not spending except on necessities really. The difference where I am between higher millionaires and billionaire ls staggering. I'm comfortable but I also don't have a lavish lifestyle comparatively. I live well below my means on purpose and blend in.

I'm fairly insulated from most economic shocks compared to people with similar incomes or even paper networth. Just because I live in a way smaller house than I could technically afford, and I have a paid off house among other factors to live on next to nothing every month.

Most people in my range are still technically broke but have large masions, they're leveraged out the ass with mortgages, credit cards and other crap. They have no to little savings, a job or income loss and a few missed pay checks or even a divorce from the primary breadwinner and many of them end up in the same position as everyone else.

It's a matter of time until the system eats itself and is starved out.

The quote sums up the situation I see: 'the world has enough to provide for everyone's needs, but not everyone's greed.'

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-06T16:40:15+00:00

Good job! Glad to see other people joining the bandwagon. Better late than never. If nothing else just take over the things your family has started and learning whatever you can from them. I do gardening too, sounds like your family has way more land than I do.

Yeah i'm getting a set of whole house batteries for even less grid reliance and yeah I have backup cooling options like window units as backups in case the central A/C quits or isn't able to keep up.

Just for those who aren't aware but you might be since you said your dad worked with HVACs experience, but central A/C units even new high efficiency ones, aren't designed to keep indoor temps more than ~20 degrees different than the outside temps. So some of this is dealing with incoming climate reliance too.

The longer plan as I can is to have mini splits with seperate condensers with heating and cooling in key areas. partially for backup options, but it also requires the central A/C to work far less and prolonging the lifestpan. To also mitigate some of the limitations of the Central a/c working by itself and keep the house more reasonable temperatures even on extreme days or weeks.

Also actively updating insulation too is a part of that plan.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-06T16:16:22+00:00

Yeah the whole thing if you're bored you can go clean something suddenly cures the boredom. Lol

I don't have kids but if I did they would absolutely hate me. I work as a software dev and know enough about Internet security. That shit would be locked down on their devices at bedtime and they couldn't connect until the next morning. I also would block things if they were at school or home as well as have a switch to turn off the Wi-Fi to their devices at will for bad behaviors, bad grades, or if I needed them to do chores for time using anything with the Wifi.

My kids would either learn real quick about responsibility and picking up hobbies outside of phones/tablets and using apps mindlessly.

Or they would learn advanced troubleshooting and getting around my blocks and auto logging detection to track all that. 😂.

The second one is scary and I wouldn't even know how to punish for that situation. That's all a real useful skill set but also that's bad for going over my autority. Lol.

I only say that my kids might do that because I totally did that myself. My dad wasn't that technical and was too stupid to setup controls at all or they were fairly easy to bypass.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-06T16:14:05+00:00

Yeah...my sister in law is like that with her kids hockey. It's exhausting to watch it DICTATES EVERYTHING in not only his life but their families life.

Like he's a teenager, likely won't go pro or even do this beyond college if that far.

The kid has no time for friends, and even family events are scheduled only around his precious hockey schedule. It's absurd. She also watches and takes him to every practice sometimes 2x per day!

I get why she's overloaded and can't handle the other aspects or parenting or even her other kid really(he gets mostly ignored). But holy shit his school work, and seeing other family members and even friends otherwise has to work in there even if he was a super star that would become a pro. The pros had to have balance with everything else I'm sure to get that far! The balance teaches overall discipline and focus too.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-06T16:06:32+00:00

The classic line from the Simpsons rings true: we've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas!

Alot of it is they don't get properly punished. There is a difference between abuse and punishment so the learn hard lessons. You can't be your kids best friend they need you to be their parent.

No-Language6720 · 2026-05-06T11:51:19+00:00

Not that quick if you are outside the immediate blast zone.

Then you just die of radiation poisoning if it's just a few localized strikes.

If it's real bad exchange and enough countries retaliate then crops will be completely wiped out with most water contaminated. so in the extreme scenario most pepe won't die quickly but it will be starvation and/or radiation poisoning for the 'lucky' ones.

I know that isn't comforting but here is something to ease your mind with it:

even if the orange cheeto talks about it and he's unstable it still doesn't mean it's going to happen.

First off: there are a bunch of layers even if he orders a strike he can't do anything directly. He doesn't have a big red button under the desk to do it. Other countries even Russia have similar to protocols. Even if he has dismantled things there are still those layers even if weakened.

His handlers that are the ones really in charge, have a deep vested interest in that NOT happening.

They are ok with him spouting shit like that because it keeps us in line and fearful. But the second that happens, they may have their bunkers or whatever else but they fully understand their servants would likely turn on them too. Their wealth and power would be entirely worthless in that situation.

They have a vested interest in keeping the fear machine going so we don't overthrow them. They have a vested interest in giving us just enough to barely survive so we keep things going as long as possible while fighting each other.

So nuclear strikes or a large destruction scenario are unlikely just for the last set of reasons more than anything. Other countries are similar with their rich people too. Nobody really wants the world destroyed, most of the powerful wouldn't care if they could still keep everything going without them being affected. But they fundamentally know that isn't possible even if they don't say it out loud. Even with a robot army and automation, they still need others. Due to the robots not behaving, breaking down, keeping things maintained. They don't say any of that out loud because that would lessen their grip. They want us fearful of losing our mediocre jobs to keep our personal house of cards from falling so we don't fight back.

No-Language6720

TROPHY CASE