Life During a Pandemic: Food Anxiety

Life During a Pandemic

So, the world has changed drastically since the last time I wrote.  I kind of feel like a character in a dystopian novel. 

I'm a writer and I have an over active imagination.  I can easily see things getting much worse. That's how I would write things, if I were writing this.

For one, I am concerned about food shortages.   Not the kind that led to panic buying toilet paper out of fear, either.  If I were writing this, countries with food would stop exporting to countries without food.  Countries would start stockpiling the food they produce for their own people.  And really, who could blame them?

I live in Northern Ontario, Canada.  We still have about 3 feet of snow on the ground, but it is raining right now so hopefully that will make some of it melt. 

We have a super short growing season here.  If countries stop exporting rice, or sugar, etc., we are going to be in trouble.

We do have a lot of meat, and wheat and corn though.  And maple syrup :-).

I've always been interested in canning and used to make my own jams.  I've always been interested in making pickles and relishes and preserving my tomato sauce and stew but I've never tried it.  I didn't want to spent the money on the supplies.

Until today.  Today I ordered a water bath canner at Canadian Tire, along with some mason jars, lids, and pectin.  

Then I went to ebay and ordered a pressure canner.  And seeds.  Lots of seeds.  I ordered regular veggie and herb seeds, plus sugar beet seeds and stevia.

My Dad, uncle, and neighbor put in a garden every spring, and I want to make sure they all have seeds for their normal gardens, plus a few extra in case we need them.  We can't go to stores.

Even if things get better and not worse, I'll enjoy canning.  I've never used a pressure canner but we get loads of tomatoes in the garden and I'm looking forward to making and preserving sauce.  I also want to make pickles, and jams.  Maybe some chokecherry wine.

I'm hoping it will just be a nice hobby, a way to get tasty fresh food as a luxury instead of a necessity.  I hope I'm wrong and things won't get worse and that in a few months I can laugh about how much money I spent on canners and jars and seeds.  

I also hope they arrive OK.  The Canadian Tire stuff I can pick up locally. I prepaid and when my order is ready, sometime tomorrow, I can do a curbside pickup.  I won't even have to go into the store.  Everything else will be shipped to me, assuming the people I bought from don't just take my money and run. 

I really home I'm wrong to worry about food supplies.  I guess time will tell.

Stay safe, everyone.