Check the trees growing on “public lands”, like the median strips in quiet neighborhoods. Some of them will have edible fruits or nuts. Very few municipalities spray these areas, so on the one hand you can feel smug about eating organic fruits for free. On the other hand, you will learn to slice those apples very, very thin!
I just made up a big batch of crabapple pie filling from such “free trees”. There are crabapple trees around the corner from my parents’ house that bear apples as big as the ones in the store, and almost as sweet. People driving by give me odd looks when they see me out picking, but nobody objects. I’ve gotten raspberries and hickory nuts the same way.
There are also folks who have fruit or nut trees in their yard, but who don’t want the fruit (or nuts) that they bear. If you see a tree dropping its harvest on the sidewalk, ask and see if the owner would mind you taking some. My dad got a wheelbarrow full of black walnuts that way.
Check trapping regulations in your area. I know around here you don’t need a license to trap on your own property. I used to get squirrels regularly right on the back porch. I had to stop due to a muscle problem that keeps me from being able to set the traps anymore, but my nephew has been showing an interest so I might teach him when he’s a bit older.
If you can afford to send a family member to a trapper’s safety class, do so. They often know tricks for trapping in populated areas without getting caught. They can also help you sell the furs.
Sometimes if you put word out that you’re looking for stuff to can or dehydrate, people will bring you extras out of their gardens. Or, maybe a farmer has a field that could be gleaned? Those harvesting machines miss a lot. On one forum I’m on (can’t remember if it was this one, I’m on so many of them) one person said he picked up enough potatoes to feed his family for an entire year, just by spending a couple hours gleaning the potato field after the machines were done. What’s more, he said he only went through a small part of a single row!
I should probably add, my post was for helping stock up BEFORE things hit the fan, not after. Although the skills gained will certainly help with that, too.