u/ExpressClerk9961

Sunflowers are super useful at the start of a playthrough.

I found very early a field with harvestable sunflowers. Got about 60 sunflower heads, dried them on a Large Plant Drying Rack*. Result: 600 sunflower seeds, each with over 300 calories, non-perishable.

The slimmest salad can be upgraded with sunflower seeds or eat them raw.

With 600 of them I got over 180.000 cal (!) in my pantry with minimal effort.

*) If you have problems finding long sticks: Remember, you can get them without any skill/recipe from brooms and mops.