Emergency prepper grows 900lbs of fruit and veg a year with enough in the cupboard to last a YEAR - and even has earthquake survival kits
SWNS
2023-03-20
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Meet the emergency prepper who grows 900lbs of fruit and vegetables with enough in the cupboard to last a year - and even has earthquake survival kits.
Kerrina Sanchez, 37, lives on a quarter acre of land with her husband, Jason, 34, and their three children - and they grow 80 per cent of the food they consume.
She began prepping during lockdown after it "opened her eyes" to becoming less reliant on supermarkets.
Kerrina spends her days harvesting and prepping the fruit and vegetables they grow for long-term storage as well as cleaning and preparing meals.
They grow all of their fruit and vegetables, recording over 900lbs of produce last year - including 400lbs of tomatoes, 300 avocados, squash, pumpkin, onions, garlic, cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts.
They have a $200 shop-bought budget for items like milk, cheese, meats, rice, apples
bananas and cereal - down significantly from their monthly $600 budget before prepping and home-growing.
Kerrina uses methods such as water-bath canning - a process using boiling water to heat sealed jars of acidic foods - as well as pressure canning, dehydrating, freeze-drying and vacuum sealing to "amplify" food preservation.
She estimates that their current produce could last them between eight and 12 months.
The mum-of-three packages half their food for short-term storage - around four months - whilst the other half is split equally between mid and long-term storage - which are four to six months and 12 to 18 months.
Kerrina, a homesteader and prepper, from Long Beach, California, US, said: "We've always had to make a little extra food as kids don't stop eating.
"But when covid happened it was an eye opener for the whole world, and we wanted to prep on a larger scale so we're not reliant on a grocery store.
"At end of the day, inflation is rising, and food is available but at what cost?
"We now grow 80 per cent of the produce that we utilise.
"I store produce in jars for short-term storage, mylar bags for mid-term and mylar bags with an oxygen absorber in a food grade bucket for long term.
"We also have earthquake kits which include everything we need to be prepared in case of an emergency.
"Prepping is the most liberating and satisfying thing as it allows me to teach my children to be self-reliant and have the experiences of growing their own food.
"There's something satisfying about growing something and eating it six to 18 months later."
Kerrina quit her job in the corporate world to focus full-time on homesteading and prepping as well as home-schooling her children, whilst her husband Jason still works remotely.
She said: "At least 25 per cent of every single day is spent prepping - at least 2 hours a day.
"Two days a week are dedicated almost entirely to prepping.
"Then there's harvesting food, cleaning, pressure canning, water-bath canning.
Kerrina Sanchez, 37, lives on a quarter acre of land with her husband, Jason, 34, and their three children - and they grow 80 per cent of the food they consume.
She began prepping during lockdown after it "opened her eyes" to becoming less reliant on supermarkets.
Kerrina spends her days harvesting and prepping the fruit and vegetables they grow for long-term storage as well as cleaning and preparing meals.
They grow all of their fruit and vegetables, recording over 900lbs of produce last year - including 400lbs of tomatoes, 300 avocados, squash, pumpkin, onions, garlic, cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts.
They have a $200 shop-bought budget for items like milk, cheese, meats, rice, apples
bananas and cereal - down significantly from their monthly $600 budget before prepping and home-growing.
Kerrina uses methods such as water-bath canning - a process using boiling water to heat sealed jars of acidic foods - as well as pressure canning, dehydrating, freeze-drying and vacuum sealing to "amplify" food preservation.
She estimates that their current produce could last them between eight and 12 months.
The mum-of-three packages half their food for short-term storage - around four months - whilst the other half is split equally between mid and long-term storage - which are four to six months and 12 to 18 months.
Kerrina, a homesteader and prepper, from Long Beach, California, US, said: "We've always had to make a little extra food as kids don't stop eating.
"But when covid happened it was an eye opener for the whole world, and we wanted to prep on a larger scale so we're not reliant on a grocery store.
"At end of the day, inflation is rising, and food is available but at what cost?
"We now grow 80 per cent of the produce that we utilise.
"I store produce in jars for short-term storage, mylar bags for mid-term and mylar bags with an oxygen absorber in a food grade bucket for long term.
"We also have earthquake kits which include everything we need to be prepared in case of an emergency.
"Prepping is the most liberating and satisfying thing as it allows me to teach my children to be self-reliant and have the experiences of growing their own food.
"There's something satisfying about growing something and eating it six to 18 months later."
Kerrina quit her job in the corporate world to focus full-time on homesteading and prepping as well as home-schooling her children, whilst her husband Jason still works remotely.
She said: "At least 25 per cent of every single day is spent prepping - at least 2 hours a day.
"Two days a week are dedicated almost entirely to prepping.
"Then there's harvesting food, cleaning, pressure canning, water-bath canning.
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