Saturday at the biannual Wasatch County Self-Reliance and Preparedness Fair, Wasatch Back locals learned about everything from preparing for a community disaster to controlling weeds and keeping chickens.
Long-time Heber City resident Larry Bauer attended to learn about gardening and bees.
“The way the world's going, we don't know what's going to happen with calamities, and you need to be prepared,” he said.
Bauer said recent world events and the U.S. economy have driven him to think about self-reliance more. He also wants to be prepared for natural disasters that could impact the Heber Valley, including floods and earthquakes.
Rebekah Wadsworth was at the event sharing information about food storage. Her Alpine Food Storage business helps locals store essentials for emergencies.
She said the COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of when storing food comes in handy.
“People were scrambling to find the things they needed,” Wadsworth said. “You just never know when something like that's going to happen.”
Wadsworth said she’s heard from many who are worried about the economy. She said the best way to start being prepared is to collect food a little at a time.
“Price is going up all the time and the fluctuation there, grab things while they are on a sale,” she said. “Start with what you already use. If you’re going to the store to get two cans of corn, get four cans of corn, and you have a little bit of extra in case you need something.”
Russ Olsen, who teaches weekly self-reliance classes as part of the Heber Valley Self-Reliance Group, agreed it’s good to start small. He said canned goods are a good start, but growing food can be a healthier option.
He recommends locals begin by growing microgreens in their homes, then move to a small garden in the summer.
Olsen said freeze-drying food is also a more nutritious choice when compared to canning food. That’s because bottled goods are heated to high temperatures first, which decreases the nutritional value.
“The nutritional value of freeze-dried food is, like, 100 times better and lasts up to 25, 30 years, whereas, if you're canning or bottling, it only lasts five years,” he said.
Freeze-dryers can be expensive, so Olsen recommends families and friends buy one together and share it.
He said self-reliance is important for a wide variety of reasons.
“We can always think of the major disasters that could happen in a community, but how about if you have a personal tragedy in your family, lose a job, and you're out of work for some time,” he said.
All in all, Olsen said many things go into self-reliance, including food storage or gardens, financial security, communication systems and more.
