Daily Survival

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Easy-To-Make Strawberry Cake Recipe

This is my easy strawberry cake recipe today! Do you love fresh strawberries? I sure do, and they are available in the stores right now. They are super big, juicy, and easy to slice. I love strawberry pie, strawberry shortcake, and this wonderful strawberry cake recipe! It’s a white cake mix made with egg whites, pudding, mini white chocolate chips, and whipping cream (whipped) for the frosting. Just add the fresh strawberries and blueberries; this cake is a winner.

Our family has had an affinity for fresh strawberries for a long time. When our four daughters were very young, we lived in the Logan, Utah, area and bought a home on a half-acre lot. We had a large garden for our veggies, but a sizable space in the side yard for strawberries.

We planted both June-bearing and everbearing varieties so we’d have many berries to pick during the summer. Once they reached maturity, we sent the girls out before dinner to pick the beautiful red fruit. We enjoyed all sorts of strawberry desserts, and the girls loved that they had planted, nurtured, and harvested a crop they were genuinely invested in.

Mark loves his morning cereal. He typically adds sliced bananas and enjoys combining fruit and cereal while reading the newspaper or a magazine article. This week, he’s taken advantage of the strawberries we bought so I could make this cake. I wish you could see the smile on his face as he relishes each spoonful.

This cake would be perfect for a family party, reunion (take it in a cooler with ice), or a neighborhood get-together.

Ingredients

Duncan Hines White Cake Mix

Duncan Hines White Cake Mix is a reliable, time-tested favorite that home bakers have trusted for generations. It provides a perfectly balanced base of flour, leavening, and flavoring that produces a moist, tender cake every single time, taking all the guesswork out of measuring and mixing dry ingredients from scratch.

Instant Pudding

Instant pudding mix is a clever addition to the cake batter that makes a noticeable difference in the finished result. Stirred in dry, it adds extra moisture, a richer texture, and a creamy depth of flavor that makes the cake taste far more homemade than a standard box mix ever could on its own.

Sour Cream

Sour cream is one of the most effective secret ingredients a baker can add to a cake batter. Its thick, creamy consistency and mild tang work together to keep the crumb incredibly soft and moist while adding a subtle richness that makes every bite feel indulgent and satisfying.

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil is a key ingredient in keeping this cake tender and moist from the moment it comes out of the oven to the last slice. Because it remains liquid at any temperature, it ensures the cake stays soft and delicious even after hours in the refrigerator.

Water

Water is the simple, essential liquid that brings the batter together and helps hydrate all of the dry ingredients evenly. It works quietly alongside the oil and sour cream to ensure the batter reaches just the right consistency for a smooth, even bake.

Egg Whites

Using egg whites rather than whole eggs gives this cake its signature bright white color and a delicate, airy crumb. They provide the structure and lift the cake needs to rise properly while keeping the batter light and free of the yellow tint that yolks would otherwise add.

Mini White Chocolate Chips

Mini white chocolate chips are a wonderful addition that tucks little pockets of creamy sweetness throughout every layer of the cake. Their small size allows them to distribute evenly through the batter, so each forkful has a chance to encounter their buttery, melt-in-your-mouth richness.

Strawberry Gelatin

Strawberry gelatin is what transforms this cake from a simple white cake into something truly special. When dissolved in water and allowed to set, it creates a vibrant, fruity filling that soaks into the cake layers and delivers an unmistakable burst of sweet strawberry flavor in every bite.

Whipping Cream

Fresh whipping cream, beaten until it forms soft, cloud-like peaks, is one of the most luxurious toppings a cake can have. It is rich yet light, indulgent yet delicate, and its clean, fresh dairy flavor pairs effortlessly with the fruity strawberry filling and the sweetness of the cake beneath.

Vanilla

A small amount of pure vanilla extract added to the whipped cream makes a surprisingly big impact on the finished cake’s overall flavor. It adds a warm, fragrant depth that rounds out the sweetness and ties all of the individual flavors of the cake together into one harmonious, delicious bite.

Sugar

Sugar does much more than simply sweeten this cake. In the batter, it helps create a tender crumb, and in the whipped cream, it stabilizes the peaks and adds a smooth, balanced sweetness that lets the vanilla and fresh fruit flavors come through clearly without overwhelming the palate.

Blueberries

Fresh blueberries scattered over the top of the cake add a lovely, juicy pop of flavor and a beautiful visual contrast against the white whipped cream. Their natural tartness provides a pleasant counterbalance to the cake’s sweetness, making the overall dessert feel fresh, bright, and perfectly balanced.

Fresh Strawberries

Fresh sliced strawberries layered on top of the finished cake are the crowning detail that pulls the entire presentation together. Their sweet, sun-ripened flavor echoes the strawberry gelatin within the cake while adding a fresh, natural fruitiness that makes this dessert taste as vibrant and inviting as it looks.

Kitchen Items You May Need:

Hand or Stand Mixer
Spatulas
Serving Spatula
Whisk
Measuring Cups

Strawberry Cake Recipe

Step One: Preheat Oven – Gather Ingredients

Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Gather your ingredients to make the cake.

Step Two: Combine Various Ingredients

Combine the cake mix, instant pudding, sour cream, oil, water, and egg whites. Blend until thoroughly mixed, about 1-2 minutes.

Step Three: Fold in Chips

Fold in the mini white chocolate chips.

Step Four: Grease the Baking Pan

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and scoop the mixture into it.

Step Five: Bake

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.

Step Six: Cool Cake – Poke Holes

Once the cake is completely cooled, poke holes about 2 inches apart. Mix the strawberry gelatin with 3/4 cup boiling water, then stir in 1/2 cup cold water.

Step Seven: Pour the Mixed Gelatin on the Cake

Pour the gelatin mixture evenly over the cake, filling the holes. Refrigerate the cake to let the gelatin mixture set.

Step Eight: Make Whipping Cream

Whip the whipping cream, and add the sugar and vanilla. Mix thoroughly, and spread on the chilled cake. Decorate the cake with fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries.

Step Eight: Refrigerate – Serve

Keep the cake refrigerated. Serve cold.

Finished Product

This strawberry cake is super moist and topped with whipped cream. To add a festive feel to the baking process, add blueberries and sliced strawberries to make it look similar to an American flag.

Strawberry Cake Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings 10 people

Author Linda Loosli

Ingredients

1 package Duncan Hine's White cake mix (my favorite brand)
1 package 5 to 5.9-ounce INSTANT vanilla pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
6 egg whites
3/4 cup mini white chocolate chips

Strawberry Gelatin Filling

1 3-ounce strawberry gelatin box
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water

Whipped Cream Topping

1 pint whipping cream, whipped
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
fresh blueberries
fresh sliced strawberries

Instructions

Strawberry Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Combine the cake mix, instant pudding, sour cream, oil, water, and egg whites. Blend until completely mixed, about 1-2 minutes. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Grease a nine-by-13-inch baking pan and scoop the mixture into the pan.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let the cake cool completely.

Strawberry Gelatin

1. Once the cake is completely cooled, poke holes in the cake about 2-inches apart.
2. Mix the strawberry gelatin with 3/4 cup boiling water, then stir in 1/2 cup of cold water.
3. Pour the gelatin mixture evenly over the cake, filling the holes. Place the cake in the refrigerator to let the gelatin mixture set up.

Whipped Cream Topping

Whip the whipping cream, and add the sugar and vanilla. Mix thoroughly, and spread on chilled cake. Decorate the cake with fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries. Keep the cake refrigerated. Serve cold.

How do I store the strawberry cake after baking?

Please store the cake in the refrigerator, covered. The whipping cream on top has a limited storage life.

Can I use raspberries instead of strawberries?

Yes, you can. Raspberries are so good when they’re in season, too! Almost any berry would work great. Of course, some add more natural flavor than others, so pick the berry variety or other fruit you particularly enjoy and try. You’ll have to consider what gelatin flavors are available to match the berry or other fruit you choose.

How can I keep my strawberries fresh a bit longer?

Please don’t wash them immediately; place them in an airtight container with a paper towel folded at the bottom until you’re ready to cut/slice them for use in the recipe. Rubbermaid Containers

My Other Cake Recipes:

Final Word

Here is another easy-to-make strawberry cake recipe to teach our kids and grandkids to cook from scratch. Please let me know if you make a cake similar to this one. Life is good when we share recipes. May God bless this world, Linda

The post Easy-To-Make Strawberry Cake Recipe appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

Black Mold Survival and Cleaning Guide

Out of all the unwanted and unexpected messes you might have to deal with in and around your home, one of the very worst and most dreaded is mold. Specifically, black mold! This nasty fungus has achieved boogeyman status over the past couple of decades because of its propensity to make people sick, sometimes terribly ... Read more

Black Mold Survival and Cleaning Guide can be read in full at New Life On A Homestead- Be sure to check it out!

from New Life On A Homestead

Friday, May 22, 2026

The Great Depression Pantry: What They Stocked and What We Can Learn From It

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How to Get Endless Hot Water Off the Grid

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

When the grid goes down, one of the first comforts people miss is hot water. It's easy to take for granted until it's gone, and then suddenly everything from washing dishes to preparing food to basic hygiene becomes a challenge. Knowing how to get hot water without electricity isn't just a convenience in a survival situation, it's a genuine necessity.

Most preppers who think about this problem default to solar water heating, but solar hot water systems come with a significant limitation: they depend entirely on sunlight. Cloudy days, storms, and winter conditions can all reduce or eliminate their effectiveness, which is a serious problem when you need hot water.

There's a better solution for off-grid hot water that works in any weather, at any time of day, and requires no electricity, no solar panels, and no propane. It's called thermal siphoning, and it's actually the same basic principle people used to heat water long before modern plumbing existed.

All it requires is a fire, a coil of copper tubing, and a water container. Once it's running, it can heat a 40-gallon tank in roughly 30 minutes using nothing but scrap wood.

This idea comes from the YouTube channel Engineer775, where the host demonstrates how to build and operate a DIY thermal siphon water heater using mostly salvaged and inexpensive materials. You can watch his video and read the instructions below.

What You'll Need

A rocket stove or small wood-burning stove with a chimney
A large water storage container (a salvaged 40-gallon water heater works perfectly — people throw these away all the time)
Copper tubing, ideally 3/8 inch diameter or larger (upgrading to 1/2 inch tubing will increase your hot water output by roughly 40%)
Stovepipe to house the copper coil inside the heat chamber
Two pipe fittings to adapt the stovepipe connections
A shut-off valve and a check valve
Standard water pipe or hose to connect the container to the coil
Wood fuel

How Thermal Siphoning Works

Before getting into the build, it helps to understand the principle behind it, because once you do, the whole setup makes more sense.

When water gets hot, it becomes less dense and naturally rises. When it cools, it becomes denser and sinks. A thermal siphon exploits this property to move water without any pump or electricity. Cold water enters the bottom of a heated coil, warms up rapidly, becomes buoyant, and rises up through the coil and out into the top of your storage tank.

As that hot water exits, it pulls more cold water in from the bottom of the tank, creating a continuous circulation loop driven entirely by heat. The bigger the temperature difference between the incoming cold water and the heated coil, the faster and more vigorously the siphon pumps.

How to Set It Up

Start by positioning your stove and water container near each other. The water container should be elevated slightly above the stove if possible, as this helps the thermosiphon circulate more efficiently.

Bend your copper tubing into a coil that fits inside your stovepipe. Engineer775 has a separate video demonstrating how to bend copper tubing using ice or sand to prevent it from kinking. It's worth watching before you attempt this step.

Once your coil is shaped, drill two holes in the stovepipe on opposite sides, one near the bottom for the cold water inlet and one near the top for the hot water outlet, and feed the ends of the coil through. Adapt the stovepipe fittings down to match your copper tubing diameter and seal the connections so heat doesn't escape.

Connect the cold water inlet at the bottom of the coil to the drain valve at the bottom of your water storage tank using your water pipe or hose. Install a shut-off valve and a check valve on this line. The check valve is important as it prevents hot water from flowing back the wrong direction.

Run the hot water outlet from the top of the coil back up to the top of your water storage tank. This is where the heated water will return after passing through the coil.

Inside the stove, position a small diffuser plate just above the coil to keep the heat concentrated in the coil chamber rather than letting it all escape up the chimney. This significantly improves heat exchange efficiency.

Operating the System

Fill your water storage tank with cold water before lighting the fire. Once the tank is full, get your fire going and let the stove build up heat. You're aiming for a temperature of around 500–560°F at the coil. At those temperatures, the water exiting the coil will be close to 180°F, which is hot enough to produce visible steam and will absolutely burn you if you're not careful.

Once the stove is up to temperature, open your shut-off valve to allow water flow. From this point, the thermal siphon takes over automatically. You'll hear gurgling as the hot water rises through the coil and pumps into the top of the tank, pushing cold water down and out through the bottom inlet.

The whole tank shakes slightly as the siphon runs, but that's normal. With a good fire going, you can heat a full 40-gallon tank in approximately 30 minutes.

As the tank water temperature rises over time, the temperature differential between the incoming water and the coil decreases, which slows the siphoning rate. This is normal behavior and not a problem in practice. By the time it slows down, you'll already have plenty of hot water.

One important caution: if you run the fire long enough with a sealed tank, pressure will build. Most salvaged water heaters have a pressure relief valve (also called a pop-off valve) that will activate before things get dangerous, but be aware of this and don't leave the system completely unattended for extended periods.

Getting More Output

The version Engineer775 demonstrates uses 3/8-inch copper tubing, which works well but leaves room for improvement. Upgrading to 1/2-inch copper tubing increases the surface area inside the coil by roughly 40%, which translates directly to faster heating and more hot water output. This is a worthwhile upgrade if you're building this system for serious long-term use.

You can also mix the output water with cold water to bring it down to a usable temperature for showering or washing. At nearly 180°F, the output is too hot to use directly on skin, but blended with cold water it becomes a very practical hot water supply.

A Note on Water Safety

If you plan to use any of this hot water for cooking, drinking, or food preparation, be sure to treat it first. The thermal siphon process heats the water but does not filter or purify it.

If your source water is from a questionable supply, boil it separately or run it through a filter before consuming it. For laundry and dish washing, the water coming straight from the system is more than adequate.

You May Also Like:

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Drought: How Will It Affect Our Food Prices?

Drought: How Will It Affect Our Food Prices? This post deals with what every American family needs to know about the coming food cost crisis across the United States. Drought conditions are intensifying in ways that scientists and farmers say haven’t been seen in a generation. Rivers are running low. Reservoirs are shrinking. Fields that once yielded bumper crops are cracking under a relentless sun. And while the images of parched earth are striking on their own, the consequences of this drought will reach far beyond the farm. They’ll reach your grocery cart.

This post explains, in plain language, how the ongoing drought in the USA will affect the price and availability of the food your family eats every day, from the fresh produce section all the way to the cereal aisle.

Understanding the Drought and Why It Matters for Food

The United States relies on a handful of key agricultural regions to feed the majority of the country. California’s Central Valley produces more than a third of the nation’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. The Great Plains supply enormous quantities of wheat, corn, and sorghum. Texas and the Southeast are home to vast cattle ranches and poultry operations. When drought grips these regions simultaneously, the ripple effects move quickly through the entire food supply chain.

Drought doesn’t just reduce what farmers can grow. It raises the cost of growing it. When water becomes scarce, farmers pay more for irrigation. Then pastures dry up, and ranchers pay more to feed their animals. When crop yields fall short, food processors pay more for the raw ingredients they need. Every one of those extra costs eventually shows up as a higher price on the shelf at your local store.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: The First to Feel the Impact

Fresh produce is among the most water-intensive food we grow, and it’s typically the first place families notice price increases during a drought. Crops like lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, almonds, and avocados require enormous volumes of water at precise times during their growing cycles. When that water isn’t available, growers face a difficult choice: pay a premium for whatever irrigation water remains, reduce their planted acreage, or walk away from the crop entirely.

Smaller harvests mean fewer food products arriving at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Basic supply and demand take over from there. When there are fewer strawberries to go around, the price of each pint goes up. When lettuce heads are in short supply, salad bags get smaller or cost more. Families who rely on fresh fruits and vegetables as a cornerstone of healthy eating may find their grocery bills climbing steeply, and may need to consider substitutes or seasonal alternatives to keep costs manageable.

Nuts, a major California export, are especially vulnerable because nut trees like almonds and pistachios can’t simply be left unwatered for a season. They require consistent irrigation year-round, or they die, meaning growers must either find the water at any price or risk losing trees that took years to mature. That long-term investment pressure pushes nut prices higher and keeps them there long after a single dry year.

Meat Prices: Beef, Pork, and Chicken Under Pressure

Raising animals for food is one of the most water-intensive activities in agriculture, and drought affects the meat industry in several ways at once.

Beef

Cattle ranching is deeply tied to the health of rangeland grasses and hay fields. When drought burns those pastures dry, ranchers can’t graze their herds the way they normally would. Buying supplemental feed becomes an immediate and expensive necessity. Many ranchers, faced with the cost of feeding animals on dry land, choose to sell off portions of their herds early rather than take on that expense. This creates a short-term surge in beef supply that can temporarily push prices down, but it’s followed by a significant and lasting price increase once the herd has been reduced and there are fewer cattle to go to market in future months and years. American families should be prepared for beef prices to rise substantially and remain elevated for an extended period.

Pork

Hogs are raised largely on corn and soybean feed. When drought reduces corn and soybean harvests, the cost of that feed rises sharply. Pork producers absorb those higher feed costs for as long as they can, but eventually pass them along to grocery stores and restaurant suppliers. The result is higher prices for pork chops, bacon, sausage, and every other pork product that families depend on. Because the pork production cycle moves faster than beef, these price changes can appear on store shelves relatively quickly after a major drought year.

Chicken

Poultry is often considered the most affordable meat option for families on a budget, but chicken prices aren’t immune to the impacts of drought. Like pork, chicken production relies heavily on corn and soybean feed. When drought drives those grain prices up, chicken producers face the same cost pressure as pork producers. Chicken wings, breasts, thighs, and whole birds all become more expensive when the grains that fuel poultry growth become scarce and costly. Families who have turned to chicken to keep their grocery bills in check may find that option less affordable than it once was.

Dairy Products: Milk, Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt

Dairy farming requires a remarkable amount of water. A single dairy cow can drink between 30 and 50 gallons of water per day, and that number climbs higher in hot drought conditions. Dairy operations also need water for cooling systems, cleaning equipment, and irrigating the feed crops that sustain their herds. When water becomes scarce and expensive, dairy farmers face higher operating costs across the board.

Beyond water access, drought affects dairy production by impacting feed. Alfalfa, which is one of the primary hay crops fed to dairy cows, is extremely water-intensive. Reduced alfalfa harvests mean higher prices for that hay, which translates directly into higher costs for dairy farmers. Some operations scale back their herds when the economics become too difficult, reducing the overall supply of milk entering the market.

Families can expect to see the effects in the dairy case, with higher prices for milk by the gallon, shredded and block cheese, butter, sour cream, and yogurt. Because so many everyday recipes and meals depend on dairy products, these price increases have a broad effect on overall household food budgets.

Processed Foods: The Hidden Drought on Your Pantry Shelves

Many families may assume that processed and packaged foods are insulated from drought because they don’t come directly from the farm. In reality, the opposite is often true. Processed foods are built from agricultural ingredients, and those ingredients face the same supply pressures that affect fresh produce and livestock.

Corn syrup, soybean oil, wheat flour, and dairy solids are the backbone of many processed foods. When drought squeezes the supply of those raw ingredients, food manufacturers pay more for them and adjust their product prices accordingly. Canned soups, frozen meals, snack foods, condiments, sauces, and packaged side dishes all become more expensive as the ingredients they contain become harder to source and more costly.

In some cases, manufacturers may also reduce the size of their product offerings rather than raise the price on the label. This practice, sometimes called shrinkflation, means that families get less food for the same amount of money. Paying attention to unit pricing rather than the total price can help households spot this kind of subtle change at the store and make buying decisions based on the actual prices they pay.

Please Stock Up On Canned Goods ASAP

Cereal: A Breakfast Staple Under Strain

Breakfast cereal is one of the most widely consumed pantry staples in American households, and it is deeply dependent on the grain harvests that drought threatens most directly. Corn, wheat, oats, and rice are the primary grains used in cereal production. Each of these crops requires significant rainfall or irrigation during the growing season and is vulnerable to sustained water stress from drought.

When wheat harvests fall short on the Great Plains or corn yields disappoint in the Midwest, cereal manufacturers face rising costs for their most essential raw material. Those costs are passed on to the consumer in the form of higher per-box prices. For families who rely on cereal as an affordable and convenient breakfast, this is a meaningful budget concern.

Oats, which are a primary ingredient in granola and oatmeal products, face similar pressures. Drought-stressed oat fields produce smaller kernels and lower yields. The increasing popularity of oat-based products, including oat milk, oat flour, and oat-based snack bars, is adding to demand on a supply already strained by drought.

Packaged Goods Made with Flour and Sugar

Flour and sugar are two of the most fundamental ingredients in the American food supply, and both face significant drought-related pressure.

Wheat flour, which is used in bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, cakes, muffins, tortillas, and countless other products, comes primarily from hard red winter wheat grown in drought-prone regions of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and the surrounding states. When dry conditions damage wheat crops, the price of flour rises at the mill and eventually rises at the store. Every product made with wheat flour becomes more expensive as a result.

Sugar presents a more complex picture. The United States produces sugar from both sugarcane, grown primarily in Florida, Louisiana, and Hawaii, and sugar beets, grown in drier inland states where drought risk is real. When either crop is compromised by insufficient water, the domestic sugar supply tightens. Combined with global sugar market pressures, this can push the price of sugar-containing products noticeably higher.

Consider how many items in a typical grocery run include flour or sugar: bread, rolls, sandwich wraps, pasta, boxed macaroni and cheese, cake mixes, brownie mixes, cookies, crackers, granola bars, frozen pastries, pancake mix, and more. A sustained increase in the price of these two ingredients casts a wide shadow across the entire packaged foods section of any grocery store.

How Long Could These Price Increases Last?

One of the most important things families should understand about drought-driven food price increases is that they don’t always go away quickly when rain eventually returns. Some effects are short-term, tied to a single bad harvest that corrects itself the following year. But others are longer-lasting.

Cattle herds, once reduced, take several years to rebuild to previous levels. Fruit orchards and nut groves that are abandoned or damaged by drought could take a decade or more to replace. Aquifers and groundwater supplies that’ve been depleted over years of drought don’t refill after a single wet winter. These structural effects mean that some food prices, particularly for beef and certain fruits and nuts, could remain elevated for years even after drought conditions improve.

Climate scientists have also noted that the western United States is entering a period of what they call aridification. This long-term drying trend goes beyond any single drought cycle. If this trend continues, the regions that grow much of America’s food will face increasingly persistent water challenges, suggesting that food price pressure could become a regular feature of the grocery experience for American families rather than a temporary crisis.

What Families Can Do to Prepare

While no family can stop a drought, there are practical steps households can take to stretch their food budgets and minimize the impact of rising prices.

Shopping seasonally and locally remains one of the best ways to find fresh produce at lower prices. When a crop is in peak season in your region, there is typically more of it available, and it costs less. Getting to know what’s in season in your area and planning meals around those ingredients is a time-tested way to eat well for less.

Expanding the range of protein sources your family enjoys can also help cushion the impact of rising meat prices. Beans, lentils, canned fish, and eggs are all nutritious and relatively affordable protein options that are less directly affected by livestock feed cost pressures. Incorporating more of these alternatives into weekly meal planning can help balance a budget squeezed by higher beef and pork prices.

Buying in bulk and stocking up on staples when prices are lower is another useful strategy. Flour, sugar, dried beans, canned goods, and frozen vegetables often go on sale, and purchasing extra when prices are favorable can help families ride out periods when drought-driven price increases hit hard.

Home gardening, even on a small scale, can provide meaningful amounts of fresh produce during the growing season. Tomatoes, herbs, green beans, and salad greens can be grown in modest garden beds or even in containers on a patio or balcony. The investment in seeds and soil mix is small compared to the grocery savings over a full summer season.

Finally, reducing food waste is one of the most powerful things a household can do to stretch a food budget under any circumstances, but especially during periods of rising prices. Planning meals before shopping, using leftovers creatively, and properly storing produce to extend its life are habits that can make a real difference in how much a family actually spends on food each week.

The Bottom Line for American Families

Drought isn’t just a problem for farmers. It’s a problem for every family that buys groceries, which is to say every family in America. The water shortage unfolding across large portions of the United States is setting in motion a chain of events that’ll push up the cost of fresh produce, raise prices at the meat counter, increase dairy expenses, and drive up the cost of the cereals, breads, packaged snacks, and processed foods that fill our pantries and feed our children.

Is There a Water Shortage Where You Live?

Pork: Everything You Need to Know

Final Word

Understanding how drought connects to food prices is the first step in preparing your household for what’s coming. The families who come through this challenge most successfully will be those who plan ahead, shop smart, reduce waste, and find creative ways to keep nutritious and delicious meals on the table even as ingredients cost more. The drought may be happening far away in sun-baked fields and depleted reservoirs, but its effects are on their way to your kitchen. Knowing that, and acting on it, is something every American family can do right now. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Drought With Little Boy AdobeStock_354212936 By r_tee, Drought Agricultural AdobeStock_282532077 By sima

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from Food Storage Moms