As preppers, many of us often get too caught up in things we can buy and store and not spend enough time learning valuable skills that be needed in a SHTF situation or even a Covid lockdown, prolonged natural disaster or power outage. Yes, it is very important to stock up on food, water, bullets, beans and bandages. But having certain skills can be just as important and can make you a highly sought after team member if things go sideways.
In my opinion, one of the most underrated of these skills is baking. Yes, I said baking. Think about it. If you are all good and stocked up on beans, rice, spam and other non perishables, having somebody that is good at whipping up a cake or pie is gold! You probably won’t have access to store bought sweets or baked goods. After a while, you will want variety in your diet and a nice cake, pie or bread from scratch will not only make your taste buds happy but will also help your emotional state, at least for a while.
So I believe it is vital to learn how to bake the basics. And google won’t be available so attain and keep some cook books. We have a good many at our house, including some Amish cookbooks that make some great meals with common ingredients and are great for families. Now is the time to practice. If you can already bake, hone that skill even more! Not just sweets, but bread, biscuits, cookies, even hard tack. We have a bread maker and love it. When my wife first bought it, I was a bit skeptical, but it is really good! So much better tasting than store bought bread anyway.
If these global lockdowns continue, food manufacturing and the supply chain will become more and more stressed. You may see less of a choice in foods at the grocery store. You may already be seeing this where you live. Instead of 10 different flavors of potato chips, candy, cookies or cakes, you may start seeing just few or one. So the more variety you can produce on your own, the better. At any rate, making it homemade tastes so much better and works out cheaper as well.
In addition to baking, there are some other underrated skills when it comes to prepping. I will have future posts devoted to skills alone. Please stay tuned.
Please let me know your thoughts and questions!
