PREPARE in a YEAR

Next to water, food is the most basic necessity. Last spring we urged everyone to stockpile food to use in an emergency—mostly food with a long shelf life. But preparedness isn't only about what we put on a shelf. It's also about what we can grow, produce, preserve and share together.

Even in the winter time, we can have food in the ground, ready to be harvested. This tried-and-true method got our country through World War II when “Victory Gardens” produced 40% of the fresh produce. We love our local farms, but frankly, there are not enough of them to feed us in an emergency. We have to do our part, too.

Here is where the magic of neighborhoods comes in. A little asking around might well reveal gardens that are no longer being worked, neighbors who would love to share their garden and the work involved, a bit of unused land that could be turned into a neighborhood “pea patch” where you work together to grow whatever.  

Or... share a CSA (community supported agriculture) subscription. That helps our farmers have a steady demand for produce and other products. Or do both—get that CSA share to carry you while you build your community garden. 

Then there are the fruit trees. Who has apples, plums or pears coming out their ears? Imagine neighbors gathering the harvest together, then sharing a meal at the end of the day. That's not just food resilience. That's community building—with dessert.

And what you grow can be wonderfully individual. Grow what you love. Share it with someone who grows something different. Then add preserves to the neighborhood swap: tomato sauce, applesauce, jams, pickles, smoked vegetables, dried herbs—whatever your garden and your imagination can produce.

Every neighborhood probably has someone who knows how to preserve food. You know the person: the one who looks at a bumper crop and thinks, “Excellent. I have 47 jars.” Find that person. Let them teach. Let them shine. And let them help the rest of us fill our shelves with local food that will last.

The Tilth Alliance's Maritime Northwest Garden Guide: Planning Calendar for Year-Round Organic Gardening offers a month-by-month guide to what to plant, harvest and do throughout the year, along with plenty of tips for growing successfully in our climate.

So look around your neighborhood. Find the garden. Find the gardener. Find the empty patch of dirt. Find the person with the mysterious collection of canning jars.

Then grow something. Share something. Preserve something.

And tell us how it goes. We want the pictures—and the success stories.

Together, we can make our food supply more resilient, one garden, jar and neighborhood at a time.

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