Odd title, but whatever. Character is two years or so into the apocalypse (maybe 1, doesn't really matter, to be honest). Walking down the road, dancing, jiving, and singing into a piece of food while eating it. Just looking for a good piece of food that would realistically still be available (society as a whole is fucked, but there are still small markets in what cities are left [but still in ruins]). They're in West Virginia. Was thinking corn. Realistic at all that it could still grow after two years of probably no maintenance?
Sausage comes to mind. Made entirely from natural ingredients, but requires grinding. I doubt a zombie apocalypse would destroy all the grinders, unless they all got worn out grinding up zombies?
A lot of foods would still be available in the scenario you describe. Your description sounds like it might set things back a few hundred years, but that's not disastrous for food production, just distribution. At the local level, your scenario sounds like it actually might be more like the 1950s or maybe early 70's. Anyways, my suggestion would be cotton candy.
I don't know why, but the random picture of a zucchini brightened up my day. To the OP, a twinkie would probably still be edible.
I didn't realize that was the main point of your post, thought you were asking for suggestions. I had to check if corn self-propagates or not, I have no clue and here's what I found: In larger fields, wind takes care of corn pollination. Between air circulation and stalks jostling one another in the wind, there is enough natural agitation to spread the pollen. So yeah, it sounds like it would re-grow naturally in large fields without need for any help. Read more at Gardening Know How: Corn Pollination – How To Hand Pollinate Corn https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/corn-pollination-how-to-hand-pollinate-corn.htm
As we see here: These are from the wreck of the Steamboat Arabia, which went down in the Missouri River in 1856.
Weird pickle factage: c. 50 B.C. Queen Cleopatra of Egypt credited the pickles in her diet with contributing to her health and legendary beauty. Meanwhile, Cleopatra’s lover Julius Caesar and other Roman emperors gave pickles to their troops to eat in the belief that they would make them strong.
I have never known or heard of corn self-propagating. It may be possible in theory, but I don't think it's realistic. And I don't know how much corn they grow in West Virginia. I would look toward fruits, which are, in general, perennial. The most common would probably be apples, then pears. Ground huggers like squash are also capable of self-propagation, I believe.
