In a recent episode of "The Walking Dead," one of the show's characters said, "It's all about survival now, at any cost."

While a zombie apocalypse may not be a real concern (well... let's hope not), the issue of self-sufficiency is and that's why it's important to prepare for extreme circumstances as well as day-to-day living. Luckily, developments in emergency preparedness products have made it possible for you to survive even if you have limited budget.

With that in mind, check out these two inventions, created right here in Utah, that could help save your life and your wallet:

Life saver 1: Home freeze dryer machine

A home freeze dryer is small enough that anyone can use it in the comfort of their own four walls — a luxury that was previously unattainable. It is also affordable thanks to the efforts of a local company.

"Years ago when we set out to build an affordable freeze dryer for home use, everyone told us it wasn’t possible," Dan Neville, Founder of Harvest Right, said.

"All the research said freeze drying was the best preservation method ever invented, but only big companies could afford this technology. That’s because comparable freeze dryers were $30,000 and were very complicated to run. My team and I quickly realized we were attempting to revolutionize an entire industry. But, we persevered because there is such a great need for this product."

Freeze drying allows storage of fruits, vegetables, desserts, meals and so on, long-term. Not only does this make it easy to have a variety of food in the pantry, it also tackles the problem of food waste.

A 2013 report by Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic and the Natural Resources Defense Council found that “U.S. consumers and businesses throw out billions of pounds of food every year.

Photo credit: Harvest Right

Instead of worrying about whether to throw out something that could be edible, a freeze dryer extends the shelf life of goods exponentially.

“More stable than dehydrated, bottled or canned foods, freeze-dried food has an extremely long shelf life — 25-plus years — and preserves freshness, nutrition, color and taste,” according to Harvest Right, the local company that makes the in-home freeze dryer.

An advantage for those who freeze dry at home as opposed to buying freeze-dried food from a store, is that they will have snacks and meals they like on hand that they can use everyday. This is helpful when overcoming the common complaint that food storage is made up of items that people don’t eat on a day-to-day basis.

A personal freeze dryer means that households not only build up their storage, but eat from it daily because it is food they love. With such a long shelf life and because families love to eat their freeze dried food they will no longer need to worry about food storage rotation.

Additionally, in the event that a family needs to live off their food storage — whether because of job loss, natural disaster or zombie apocalypse — they’ll have mountains of delicious nourishment instead of piles of unappetizing rations.

Life saver 2: Geodesic greenhouses

Now that there is an easy way to freeze dry, what better way to get supplies for the freeze dryer than with homegrown fruits and vegetables? Fresh or freeze-dried, produce nurtured in the backyard year-round is an option for anyone with a greenhouse.

While at-home greenhouses have been available for some time, geodesic greenhouses are different. They have a curved structure — a unique look that allows for continuous solar heating, greater strength and better circulation than other greenhouse shapes.

A Utah company, GardenRight, invented a style of geodesic that revolutionized the greenhouse industry — requiring only one or two people to set it up and no tools. These unique dome greenhouses also cost more than 50 percent less per square foot of growing space compared to other greenhouses.

Photo credit: Harvest Right

Besides the ability to grow plants year-round, gardening in a greenhouse, compared to a yard, offers greater control.

“In a greenhouse, you control temperature, humidity, soil aeration, soil moisture and drainage, fertility levels, and light,” according to the Organic Gardening website. “This degree of environmental control gives you a tremendous amount of latitude as well as some new responsibilities.”

Because changes in the weather are less of an issue, greenhouse gardening allows for freedom to plant throughout the year, meaning at-home gardeners can enjoy fresh produce when others have to rely on what’s available in grocery stores.

If done well, growing a garden can knock money off a grocery bill and, as Kendra Wills wrote for Michigan State University Extension, there are several other benefits.

“Gardens are a potential means to increase our confidence in food safety and security,” Wills writes. “We know where the food is coming from. We know what chemicals were used, and we essentially eliminated the whole transportation chain to get the food to the plate. In addition, gardening is good for you. It is a great form of physical exercise, and I haven’t met a nutritionist yet who didn’t think that fresh produce was healthy.”

Geodesic greenhouses can also double as portable emergency shelters. The Geodesic greenhouse has been proven to withstand 90-100 mph winds, snow and hail. It has yet to be proven whether or not it can withstand a zombie apocalypse, though.

Regardless of your emergency, having fresh fruits and vegetables easily on hand could be a difference maker in lives of those you love. Food security is a worldwide concern, and these two products will help people ensure food security for their families.

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