Broccoli Rising, Stormy Weather and the Life Force
This Broccoli Rising is for everyone, but it’s dedicated to all our friends and families, both at home and abroad facing natural or man-made disasters.
Please consider donating to or volunteering with World Central Kitchen. Chef José Andrés and the WCK team are working to feed Hurricane Helene survivors and first responders as well as those suffering in Ukraine and Gaza.
Southern Foodways Alliance lists more resources and more ways you can help.
Hurricane Helene thrashed Florida’s Gulf Coast last week and kept on going, battering its way through Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. Helene brought screaming 140-mile-per-hour winds and belted some areas with a year’s worth of rainfall in just a few hours — up to 30 inches. Enduring such a terrifying onslaught is bad enough, but the aftermath, while not as dramatic, is a long, soul-sapping slog — weeks, even months without power and comfort. But oddly, you still need to eat. It’s the damnedest thing. Actually, it’s a wonderful thing. Appetite is your life force exerting itself even when life sucks.
May Helene be the last natural disaster any of us ever experiences. But the odds are against us. There’s already another tropical storm dancing this way. Climate change means hurricanes are more powerful yet less predictable. Human activity drives climate change. It drives war too. That’s a part of human behavior I don’t get. You know I can go off on a philosophical tangent. Now I just want to keep your life force lit. So here’s my annual hurricane preparedness list:
water, one gallon per person per day, enough to get you through a week
a week’s worth of jarred baby food for those with infants
candles
matches
batteries
flashlight
alcohol (I mean the first aid kind, but you do you)
compostable tableware (because honey, dishes are the last thing you’lre going to feel like doing)
paper goods like napkins, paper towels and toilet paper
propane stove or Sterno
cleaning supplies — things get gross and sticky really fast
can opener, the manual kind
ice chest
reusable ice bricks/cooler packs
nut butters
tahini
applesauce
bulgur
dried fruit
nuts
canned or shelf-stable prepared beans
cereal, especially old-fashioned or instant oats — you’ll always be able to make overnight oats
shelf-stable plant-based milk
cash – ATMs won’t be functioning
gas or power up your car – gas pumps and changing stations won’t be working either
food and other supplies for your faithful animal companions
Yeah, it’s a long list. It takes a lot to keep going in a disaster. Just remember, in the aftermath of a storm, Uber Eats of InstaCart will not save you. If you have a favorite packaged plant-based snack, get it. Mine’s graham crackers.
What’s on your disaster emergency list?
Especially in difficult times, our food choices matter. Stress messes with decision-making. I’m not even talking about weight management, I’m talking about staying nourished, about keeping you and your life force going.
I’m broken-hearted for those who felt Hurricane Helene’s wrath. Please keep your fans like me posted on how you’re doing. I’m cheering for you and wish you whatever comforts you best. Keep that life force burning.
An offer for everyone: I’m proud to be a member of the Organic Marketing Association, promoting organic not because it’s healthier and more sustainble (though it is) but because it’s fun. So are these spiced nuts from Rich Nuts. They are sprouted for wellness, dehydrated for crunch, organic and vegan because they wanna be, and available to you at a discount. Go to Rich Nuts and enter the special discount code OMA10. Rich Nuts are pantry-friendly too. They’re good any time, and especially good in a disaster. Stock up.
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