Growing food is always a good thing: if you grow more than you can eat or store, you can barter or gift the surplus. I’ve mentioned that when I was growing up my family grew lots of tomatoes, while the neighbor to the north grew sweetcorn along the edge of his corn field, and others grew cucumbers, peppers, onions, or something else. We all traded freely, since we were friends as well as neighbors. Mom and Dad always had chickens for fresh eggs and the surplus were taken to church every Sunday for anyone who wanted them to take home.
Food as a barter item is nothing new, and when TSHTF it will probably come back into use. World supply lines are already under stress, causing localized shortages of some items, and prices for what is available are climbing fast; if our economy takes a serious dive, or we get involved in another war, things will get even harder to find at the supermarket. Having a secondary source of the basics would qualify as a good prepping idea.
Not all of us are going to have the room to set up a garden large enough to sustain our family, but even a few window planters or a vertical garden made of PVC pipe can grow enough to help. If you have neighbors or tribe that can grow food, maybe you should look at growing the herbs and spices that make meals more enjoyable. There are many options that aren’t exactly food but would make good barter items.
Sugar
Modern people are addicted to sugar as a result of marketing strategies developed after WW2. Think about how much sugary crap the average person consumes daily and you’ll see that having a supply of sweetener to trade could be worth its weight in gold.
Sugar comes from two main sources: cane and beets. Sugar cane is a tropical plant that is easy to grow if you have the climate; sugar beets will grow in much colder climates, and once harvested can be left on the ground, frozen, until they’re processed. Sugar cane is a perennial grass similar to bamboo that regrows from the roots every year; sugar beets have to be planted from seed every year. Sugar cane is grown in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas; sugar beets are grown in North Dakota and Minnesota, where they’ll stay frozen after harvest and can be processed over the winter.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a cheap sugar replacement that takes some chemistry and equipment to produce. Having spent several years working in a plant that produced it by the railcar load, I know how it’s made and don’t think many preppers would be able to make it on a small scale.
Spices
Black pepper is a tropical plant, but Cayenne and various other peppers can be used as replacements. With the modern American palate being accustomed to spicy food, peppers are a low-maintenance plant that could be used as a barter item.
Garlic and onions are root crops that take up little room to grow and are easy to store. Most of the other spices like curry, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are all native to small areas of the world and don’t grow well in other areas, hence the trade routes of ancient times. If you can produce enough to trade, there will be a market if our current system fails.
Herbs
The list of herbs used to season and enhance the flavors of food is too long for me to list here. Mints and herbs are easy to grow in a space even as small as a single pot for use in the kitchen. Growing and storing a few varieties of seasoning for trade purposes wouldn’t take much room or time.
Caffeine
Somewhere around 85% of Americans start their day with a caffeinated drink of some sort. Be it coffee, tea, soda, or energy drink, caffeine is an addiction that has its claws in a lot of people.
There’s only one native North American plant that contains caffeine: Yaupon, a variety of holly native to northern Florida and southern Georgia. The leaves make a smooth tea that is richer in caffeine than Asian teas.
We have some cold-hardy tea plants that will grow in colder regions, I’ll cover them in a separate article along with how they are processed.
Arabica coffee can be grown in a greenhouse in the USA, but it takes a lot of care and processing to make into something fit to drink.
Tobacco
This one is controversial; I’ve mentioned growing tobacco before and gotten negative feedback. Feeding this addiction is not supporting a healthy lifestyle, but if a grown adult chooses to partake of it, that’s their choice. It’s a powerful addiction; I’ve been hooked on it since I was about 18 years old. I’ve quit several times, but keep coming back to it.
I switched from smoking to vaping a few years back to reduce the health effects, but I know it’s not good for me. My brain is now wired to expect the nicotine and life is not pleasant without it. This makes it a valuable trade item, but I know nothing about its cultivation and processing.
The nicotine in tobacco has other uses, mainly as a pesticide. It’s a powerful poison, so painting a light coating on seeds or stems will kill most insects that touch it. Since I work with pesticides for a living, I’m aware of how dangerous it can be.
If you find yourself in a community, no matter how small, sometimes specializing in producing one thing can open up lines of barter with others for the things you can’t make yourself. This is one of the basics of civilization and shouldn’t be lost, no matter how bad things get.
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)
Might want to add chickens or chicken eggs. Or perhaps, add it as part 2.
Add the first sugar produced for barter in North America.
Maple Sugar.
HSF sure makes it, as do some of us in Wisconsin.
Mostly nowadays people leave it in liquid form, but the Native Americans did not, they made it solid, and used and bartered maple sugar.
It’s not hard to make sugar out of maple syrup, and is quite flavorful, and of course very sweet.
Energy intensive.
Ever try it with black Walnut? Was ‘Bucket boy’ for my little sister’s girl scout troop/Sugar Maple experiment, Mom involved and ‘volunteered’ my service/readily accessible trees in our rain forest. Memory a little fuzzy, but i remember a handful of the monsters yielding at least a 5 gal. bucket each, maybe 2, for a few days in a row. Also fuzzy, but something like 45 gal of sap = 1 gal. syrup? Maybe more. NOT involved with that aspect, Local family friend. Do remember vividly the taste, and the surprisingly small yield for all my efforts. 13-14 yrs. old? Eventually, Could carry (2)5 gal. buckets brimming to the top without sloshing a drop, “Easier to balance” my mommy said. That ‘schooling’ started when i was 11, mini-bike payment for a variety of chores, couldn’t very well say no, for ONE MAIN reason that left an ‘impression’ on me several times. Carried many buckets over time, to the horse boarding barn when the owners were on vacation/no show/etc. From the Spring House. The underground portion 8 steps down, 2 rooms. 1 has hand cut stone troughs the water flows through before the drain. Was told that was where they kept the milk cans, makes sense. Animals MUST have access to water. Pasture now a yard, but then, the crick was fenced off. Not generally a problem to turn ‘em out to pasture, toss in some hay/feed, Made decent pocket money cleaning stalls. Have worn long pants almost exclusively since then because of Flea-BiteUm-Me-itis, or whatever was in the poop that jumped on my legs and bit. Parents finally ran a waterline to the barn, Year (15) i got my first ‘Full-time’ Summer job. Some Days, hardly had the energy left when i was dropped off to console the occasional Teenager, her parents having ‘forgotten’ to pick her up after work.
We have made green hull tincture, “historically been known for anti-fungal, anti-helminthic (parasite killing), anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects”. Nut meat extract (proper ‘toasting’ tricky. Like steaming Broccoli, REMOVE from heat at first whiff)…
…for homemade ice cream/Topping. Even ‘Simple Syrup’ is a science. Especially at high concentrations, 2X and above standard 1:1. You’ll get to the point from ‘experience’… and reading (especially the thermometer)…To learn to leave the lid on during cool down, NO crystallization in storage. i think. hafta read my notes. Made a boatload of 8 oz. jars. i understand that the ones containing/utilizing the recycled nuts from the extraction process were particularly well received by those who still drink from the ones i gave away, their choice. Still have at least (2) 12 count cases left…lest my queen gave ’em away. Made me partition off part of a bldg. to put a spare freezer, canned storage/bulk goods. Electric heater hardly runs, The boss has exceptional construction mgmt. skills and acumen that she picked up somewhere. NOT ‘allowed’ in there. Either. Stocking, retrieving, help rotating the stock/etc. not withstanding.
Organic’ natural extract completely unavailable last i checked. Search for“Tincture, decoction, extract”… As with EVERYTHING, there is excellent literature available from multiple sources, another case of “You get what You pay for”. Don’t get me started on Orvis® Fly Rods though. 100% ethanol available online 4+ yrs. ago for extract/tincture production, maybe not now. .federal tax approx 30% of purchase price IIRC. got a few gallons, may be a lifetime supply. 😂
May not be ‘deliverable’ to your state. Ways around any impediment if you are determined enough. Use to be able to get ‘Everclear’ here at a really high proof, maybe 190?. It is now is 151 proof, same as bacardi. Which led to my discovery (and amazement) of availability online. Another source of ‘Amazement’…The avg. persons lack of general knowledge when SO MUCH is available online from countless selfless people for FREE, thanks to algore. Get it while it lasts…
P.S. Read here for quite some time before ever posting. Extremely grateful for the site for many reasons, TRULY and legitimately. Since i started posting…
Intermittent comments from various ‘Attendees ’ about posting time, etc. Lately, just reading….The fan on my 12+ yr. old MacBook Air is gonna need new bearings soon. Present from my little Sister when i was house sitting for 2 yrs. I’ve adopted, and suggested ‘Text Edit’, and If i’m posting on purpose, i generally use the text-edit methodology, less frustration, As a reach-around for ‘posting issues’. Can’t remember what the equivalent is in the windows environment, maybe same, no idea, not a computer person. Not gonna load anymore crap/spyware on it. The few advertisements are being paid for by somebody, don’t wanna reverse false-advertise them…’un-american’ lol. Don’t always ‘remember’ when i’m replying to a post, and i occasionally/usually end up in a long winded diatribe…Like this one. Pain in the butt to cut/paste into TE, interminable wait just to see if the click/hi-light/drag ’Took’ just to do it. 2 paragraphs, and i was an hour+ in before i realized where this might be going, usually just flip to another tab ’til i hear the fan ramp down. Life long victim of ‘Free Association’.
A few people, over time, said “You oughta write a book” (in retrospect, just a FEEBLE attempt to shut me up most likely)…Inherently lazy, i’ve spent hours figuring out an easier way to do various things. Not gonna consciously sit down and try to become a ‘John Boy’ type of Writer. But my sister’s name Is Elizabeth.
Silver lining/Lemonade? Got a good start on my memoirs, serendipitously. Wish i would have started the Text edit sooner here, and yrs. ago for Craigslist, before it was effectively ruined. On purpose.
Kitchen Matches, the big box that used to hang next to the stove–or are you gonna rub two sticks together in the rain?
Don’t forget white lightning (as a utility, I don’t drink alcohol). We run potatoes, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, squash, peas, kale, corn, and cukes. We leave an acre tilled (with irrigation) for anyone who wants to grow. We also culture the wild berries to make our own jams, and our pickles are gaining a great reputation. This year we are running a batch of our own cologne!..using an ancient sweet herb we discovered onsite by accident. Does eating healthy food work? I’m a vegetarian (a real one, not a political one) and I can knock down an acre of brambles in 4 hours with 1 machete. In 2 hours if I use 2 machetes. Barter is a way of life around here, but more often things are just given freely or borrowed. “What comes around, goes around.” Advice? Don’t try to do it all in one day. Fit in naps.
I vape because propylene glycol is a surfactant (breaks down virus shells) and vegetable glycerine is an antimicrobial. And a touch of nicotine. I never get sick and a cut heals in a couple days.
Let joy be your plow, and laughter your tiller, then watch your garden grow. 😉
Booze is a great bartering agent. Learning to distill is a good skill to have.
Wine is easy too. I forget the recipe, something like 10 cups of water, 5 cups of sugar, slow boil to dissolve sugar, fill mason jars with CLEAN berries, fill with sugar water leaving 1/2″ head room, seal, keep in dark cool room for a month or so. Open and strain. Freeze off the water if you want concentrated headache hooch. Rule in canning: if in doubt, throw it out.
Well, if any yeast is in that jar, you will make a nice bomb that I wouldn’t want to have in my house. I kid you not. If no yeast, you may end up with either a jar of koolaid or a spoiled mess.
Seriously, no one should follow that recipe. It could kill you if you are nearby when the jar blows. DO NOT SEAL glass fermentation vessels.
If you want to make wine, ferment the berries and sugar in a vessel that has either open venting (safest) to the atmosphere, or a good pressure relief valve rated to the fermentation vessel. I was almost killed fermenting beer – literally – when a PRV stuck and the plastic vessel blew. If it had been glass I would likely have died. Gotta be really careful with this stuff. And if distilling, you need to be really, really careful. Bad shit can happen really fast when distilling. Or so I hear.
😂 🎶 “heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, that you were…🎶
“Since I work with pesticides for a living, I’m aware of how dangerous it can be”
Who said that first?
A) little tony the faucist
B) The ceo’s of moderna®, et al.
Curious timing.
Yesterday we traded a tote full of beef cuts to a friend who owns a fishmarket for a huge box filled with crab, salmon, trout, crab, clams, haddock, and cod. Both of us felt we got the better deal. Made the crab right away and then turned the shells into a stock and wound up with a couple of quarts that was later turned into clam chowder.
Barter always makes me feel like I have done something much more important than when we simply make a purchase and every time we use what we’ve bartered for I appreciate it more.
YMMV
Friends will give us a fish or two, and I give a bag of fresh vegies. Everyone is happy as a clam at high
tide and no mention are ever made of a trade. It’s God’s grace in action.
My 82 year old Dad told me that they used 1/3 of their 1 acre plot for their own vegetables, 1/3 for the pig’s food and 1/3 for tobacco even though nobody in the house smoked, for barter. It was a different time though, the 1940s.
Lol. Perfect German. I am impressed.
Not trying to put a damper on this thread but it takes a bit more thinking.
You might want to read the modern tactics of the us army back in Civil War times, especially Sherman.
This is why the Apocalyptic Horse of Famine rides behinds the Horse of War.
On a side note just want to say that Yaupon tea was used by the Native Americans for ceremonies of cleansing, in other words it will make you violently throw up. So be careful with that one. Camellia sinensis of which tea is made can be grown from about Maryland south, if you can grow Camellias you can grow the tea plant, it is the original Camellia flower. It has caffeine but of a different type than coffee. A week of drinking tea from loose leaves such as the Chinese do will take any addiction to the coffee caffeine away, and is much better for you. I know from experience.