Food & Growing
Food Storage & Growing
Kate's food resilience journey started with a chest freezer of homegrown courgettes and a panic-buy of tinned tomatoes. Her guides cover both ends: what to grow, and what to store.
“I grew too many courgettes. That's how it started. Then I learned to preserve them. Then I realised I'd accidentally built a food storage system.”
— Kate, SelfSufficientNow
Food & Growing Guides
Guide
How to Build a 3-Month Food Pantry (Without Spending a Fortune)
Add £20 to your weekly shop — that's how to build a food pantry over 6 months without panic-buying. Kate's rotation system, first buys, and pantry layout.
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How to Build a 3-Month Food Pantry USA (Without Spending a Fortune)
Add $30–50 to your weekly shop — that's how to build a food pantry usa families can actually maintain. Kate's rotation system, first buys, and layout guide.
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Best Freeze-Dried Food Storage 2026: ReadyWise, Mountain House, and UK Alternatives
Mountain House wins on taste; ReadyWise on price. For best freeze dried food storage with a 25-year shelf life, both beat tinned food. Kate compares 3.
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Best Heirloom Seeds 2026: Varieties Kate Grows and What to Order First
Real Seeds wins in the UK; Baker Creek wins in the US. Kate's guide to heirloom seeds — why open-pollinated beats F1 hybrids for long-term food security.
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How to Start a Vegetable Garden for Food Security: Kate's First-Season Guide
Start with courgettes — impossible to fail. Kate's first-season guide on how to start a vegetable garden for food security: top 5 crops by yield per m².
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Best Food Dehydrator 2026: What Kate Uses and Why It's Her Favourite Preservation Tool
Excalibur 3926TB is the best food dehydrator for serious preservers; COSORI wins on price. Kate explains what dehydrated food lasts and which to skip.
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Best Pressure Canner 2026: Presto vs All American vs Ball — Kate's Verdict
Presto 23-Quart is the best pressure canner for most beginners — affordable, US-made, accurate. All American for the long haul. Kate's honest comparison.
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How to Preserve Vegetables at Home: Canning, Freezing, and Fermentation
Freezing is quickest; dehydrating stores longest. Here's how to preserve vegetables at home — Kate's method guide across canning, drying, and fermentation.
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Best Mylar Bags for Food Storage 2026: Sizes, Oxygen Absorbers, and What Kate Stores in Them
Wallaby 5-gallon bags with 300cc O2 absorbers: Kate's mylar bags for food storage pick. Here's the sealing method, sizes by dry good, and 25-year shelf life.
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How to Can Food at Home: Kate's Beginner Guide to Pressure and Water Bath Canning
Water bath for high-acid foods; pressure for low-acid. That's the first rule of how to can food at home. Kate's beginner guide — method, equipment, safety.
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