The oil crisis is going to hit us all hard soon. I am not just talking about the price at the pump. Supermarkets put out a warning this week in the UK to say that air freight, and shipping of food, is becoming unviable due to the cost of fuel. 40 oil sites in the Middle East have been hit this week, and Ukraine have hit a big oil site in Russia. Now, is therefore, definitely the time to start building a pantry stock, and to grow your own food. Don’t delay, even if you haven’t done so before.
As well as transportation of food getting more expensive, fertiliser, and plastic packaging is increasing in cost as well, due to the increase in oil prices. An expected shortage of fuel will impact on deliveries, and many countries are already planning food and fuel rationing.
As a lot of us have been pointing out for a many years, this leaves us in the UK in a vulnerable situation. Many farms have closed due to being priced out of the market by cheaper foreign imports. Supermarket contracts are not covering the costs to grow. New tax rules also haven’t helped farmers. Now, more than ever in my life time, we are going to need them to provide our food. However, many are locked into solar contracts, or schemes to grow wild flowers and other green initiatives, and so not all fields can be utilised.
If imports are reduced, it will be mainly seasonal produce available. Many people are not used to only eating seasonally, and I do wonder how some will react to not seeing certain fruit and salad items available. Thankfully we have adapted, and only eat seasonally, unless we have stored or preserved an item. If you can’t live without certain fruit and veg, now is the time to stock up on frozen and tinned items, whilst they are readily available. There have still been some really good offers recently, especially on frozen fruit.
As a country, we will be fine for lamb, cereal, and milk. However, at the moment we only grow 17% of the fruit consumed in the UK, and 53% of the vegetables. Luckily, now is the time of year to start thinking about growing some of our own food. As shown on my previous lettuce blog, a lot of room, or a garden, are not necessarily needed. We are not talking about being self sufficient here. Any fresh produce will be a blessing, and save you some money.
Prices are expected to get even crazier. Having read a lot of world news, I don’t understand why this potential crisis is being under reported by our mainstream media . If we all individually just grew 2 or 3 weeks worth of fresh food each in the UK, think of the pressure that just that amount would take off the supply chain. The picture is from my old allotment.
I grow most of my food in containers, as 85% of my garden is paved in Yorkshire stone. Despite this, I grow or forage around 75% of my fruit and veg. This saves me so much money. I have fruit trees, a hedge of currants, rhubarbs, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, etc. These provide free fruit year after year, and I preserve it. I do need to sow seeds each year for my vegetables, but a lot of these are saved seeds from the year before. The cost is therefore low. Many people offer free seeds or seedlings in local groups online.
One of my friends, who is in her 70s, is growing for the first time this year. She is only growing tomatoes, strawberries, spring onions, and lettuces on her window sills in her flat. However, this will give her salad, and some fresh food during late Spring and Summer. She is excited about it, and growing your own food is shown in studies to be good for mental health. The food will contain more nutrients than supermarket veg that has travelled and been stored, as well. There are no nasties sprayed on it, either.
If you do decide to grow something for the first time, don’t dive into growing everything all at once. Choose easy crops that you like. Potatoes, salad leaves, onions, tomatoes, runner beans, spinach, and courgettes are all easy to grow and will give you high return. Things like cabbages and cauliflower use up a lot of space, and will need netting to avoid being eaten. I gave up growing them when I stopped having an allotment. Fruit bushes and fruit trees can also be planted at this time of year, even in big pots.
At last my youngest has started listening to me, and is going to grow some food this year, and is buying a few extra items each week to build a store cupboard. She is buying food that is shelf stable, like tomatoes, chickpeas, pasta, peanut butter, oats, tinned fish, and oil. It is important to have a mixture of proteins, carbs, cooking essentials, vegetables, and flavourings. She is not panic buying, but is steadily buying a pantry that will provide a few weeks of food that they like as a family.
Even if these items do not become scarce or rationed, they will definitely rise in price. Being food secure will also reduce her stress. Hopefully the pantry will mean less emergency visits to the supermarket, less impulse spending, and be a buffer against inflation. Are you making preparations to be solution focussed, and take control of the current situation that we all find ourselves in?
Other blogs that may help
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Great article, Toni. You asked for spelling/grammar hints…it should be fewer emergency visits to the supermarket , not less. I know l am pedantic, but you did ask!❤
Thank you for this. A very sensible and helpful approach to all that is going on.
Thank you
This is really helpful, Toni, thank you! I’m lucky in having an allotment, but I’m going to heed your advice to stock up on pantry staples. 😊
I’ll definitely be taking note Toni and bought 24 tins of tomatoes recently, and packets of pasta. Ill stock up on other stables to. Its scary what’s going on, 😳. Thanks for the information. X
For novice growers, a rhubarb crown is really useful – stewed, jam, chutney, even gin! Needs absolutely no attention. Consider planting herbs and veg in flower beds- traditional cottage garden approach. And if you won’t eat it, don’t grow it!
Excellent article and I think you covered all grounds. I have been building a deep pantry since 2017. A bit chaotic it was back then ans I learnt a lot during the pandemic. So I am heading into this crisis feeling more secure. Ive been growing veg for a few years but im not great. I have a old stone tiered garden so do container gardening too. Mostly salad items, summer squash/courgette and strawberries. Some sweetpeas to bring joy. Ive not started as its so cold in Wales and no room inside. However seeds and compost is ready and waiting.
Really helpful Thankyou Toni ! Will be growing a few pots of veg and blueberries ,raspberries and rhubarb !
Hi Toni
I think your approach to building up a pantry is very sensible and practical. I am trying to move to dried pulses and legumes to build up a pantry.
I have an allotment, and am trying to grow more perennial vegetables. I always try different vegetables that you don’t get in the supermarket.
I’ve planted a tree kale, that tastes very sweet, tree spinach and mallow, the latter two can be used raw or cooked and self seed everywhere. They also are quite tall and very abundant.
Thank you for your wonderful blog. I’ve only recently come across it, but it has come at just the right time for me.
I really appreciate your honesty, openness and really great practical ideas.
I also think the community is so very lovely and supportive, with great contributing comments.
Great blog, Toni, and well written! You asked for proof reading – the only one I spotted was under the photo of the tomatoes: you have ‘chosen’ and I think you meant ‘choose’.
Many thanks Toni – a very useful reminder and some great tips