View Full Version : Best food emergency planning
flowerseverywhere
3-31-14, 6:09am
Any of us can get hit by a disaster that would disrupt our lives. I am not interested in storing buckets of grain and beans, but what ideas do you have to make nutritious meals if you could not get to the store, lost traditional power, or had a disruption in water for instance. In other words practical ways to be self sufficient food and drink wise say for five days.
awakenedsoul
3-31-14, 12:11pm
That's pretty much how I stockpile food. My mom was that way. The cupboards were always full, and we had plenty to eat. That kind of organization is grounding. What she did was to always have one extra jar of things we used regularly:mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc. If you used something up, you put it on the grocery list. We would say, "But there's another one in there!" She'd answer, "Put it on the list, anyway." That was for a family of six. I have three brothers, and we all ate a lot!!!
I keep a lot of staples: a full bag of flour, sugar, extra butter, cheese, tortillas, fruit, and veggies. I generally have enough food to feed myself for a month. I rotate, so things don't go bad. I have a gas oven that doesn't need electricity, and a bbq and plenty of charcoal and lighter fluid. I keep ten gallons of water on hand. I buy in bulk, but use it. (Coffee, green tea, chocolate(!), meat and poultry, pasta, rolled oats, etc.
I also cook for one person like I'm cooking for a family. Right now I have pyrex containers filled with homemade vegetable soup, spaghetti, tuna casserole, and brown rice. As I finish one container, I cook another meal and keep it in the fridge. There's always something to eat!
We have had our water shut off several times for repairs. I was glad I had plenty on hand. When I had my business, at the end of the run I ate from my stockpile for a month to save money. I was surprised at how quickly I went through all of my food. It seemed like so much...but once I stopped shopping, I ate through it in thirty days. I keep extra pet food, too.
I buy milk and soy milk at Costco, and they come in packages of three. I have hurricane lamps and two drawers full of yarn for my knitting passion.
When we had the wildfires here, I realized how important it is to have cash, gas in the car, and a charged cell phone. I had to get out of here in five mins. My biggest issue was I had to leave my pot bellied pig and chicken. I put my three large dogs in my Kia Rio, but had to leave the other two pets. They made it, but I was really worried. The pig has sinced passed away, and I now have a dog crate for the chicken. I'm down to two dogs now, so I think we could all fit in the car. I have my paperwork in a file, and my living trust papers in a binder.
thinkgreen
3-31-14, 12:41pm
We were snowed in once. Fortunately we still had power and water so life was pretty normal. After a week we had run out of fresh items like fruit but still had lots of pantry goods. It got a bit sticky because you'd think OK I can make pancakes but we had run out of eggs and milk. Now I know I can use egg substitute and powdered milk but at that time hadn't any in the house... because I wasn't prepared. We also found we were likely to eat more because there was nothing to do, we couldn't go out ...
Since then I now have powdered milk and egg substitute in the pantry for emergency. I also have a small butane one burner cooker in case we have no power. I have enough fuel canisters to last at least a week.
If caught off guard I would likely eat up all the cheese and crackers then live on soup and cereal.
shadowmoss
3-31-14, 12:51pm
I have a goal of buying one can of freeze-dried something, that I will actually eat, a month. I so far have eggs, tomato powder, sausage flavored tvp nuggets (because it was on sale for less than $3) and tomato pieces. Maybe some black beans as well. The beans I wouldn't spend the money on again because it is so easy to dehydrate a can of beans, or just keep canned beans. The tomato pieces I won't spend the money on because they weren't worth the money when I can get the tomato powder which can be used many different ways. I look at what the freeze-dried distributors put in their 30-day+ packs and figure out what I can buy cheaper. Instant potatoes, dehydrated onions, dehydrated beans are not worth paying the higher prices to me, I can get those at any supermarket and repackage. I work with a guy who is a Mormon and he gives good guidance. He has said that their year's worth of food storage helped out a lot when he was out of work for several months as they didn't have money for food otherwise.
Just a little side note on the pancakes... I have a no-egg recipe for pancakes that I always take camping. I would make several batches of the recipe and put them in canning jars, then just add water when needed, shake and pour!
1 cup self-rising flour (1 cup flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt)
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 heaping tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 cup powdered milk
than add 1 to 1 1/2 cups water to desired consistency.
That's pretty much how I stockpile food.
Same here. Because of where we live, logistics are a pain, so we tend to plan, buy ahead, and buy in bulk. We also can lose power for days-to-a-week in winter storms.
Our main kitchen pantry would easily feed us for weeks, longer with the foods in the freezer and refrigerator. We routinely go a week+ without grocery shopping anyways, except for fresh veggies/fruit.
We have a larger pantry in the mud room that has enough for a few more weeks.
And we have a fair bit of longer-term storage foods set aside, though it isn't earmarked for "survival" purposes, it is staple food we cycle through our regular consumption, it would still provide ~ 1 year of food with some thought and care.
I also keep ~30 days of food on my boat, so I can just hop in and head out on a trip if the whim moves me.
As to cooking it all, between the two wood stoves, camp stoves, and the galley on the boat, I don't suspect cooking will be much of an issue, we manage fine when the power is out already.
Happystuff,
Thank you for the pancake recipe. I have all the ingredients and I will try it out on the weekend.
Storage space and natural resources are an issue for me in this respect.
We are a family of three livin in one bedroom apartment which means that the one bedroom is our daughter's room and me and my husband have a sleeping mattress on a wooden storey above the living room space.
Nevertheless I am always making sure that we have enough food to last for at least a week even should there be a power outage which would mean that the fridge and freezer are out of operation. I have dried and canned legumes, fruit and vegetable and staples such as rice, oats and barley and couple of soy milks. Pretty much all of this is regularly used so we are just continuously re-stocking the supplies so that they never go past the expiry date. I eat plant based diet but the rest of the family doesn't so I am also keeping some canned fish and other meat. I cook pretty much every day and we don't usually use canned food so every year when we go on vacation we take the cans and use them and get fresh ones as soon as we are back.
We are not smokers and don't have a fireplace so I am paying attention to always have couple of boxes of matches to be able to lit a fire should there be any need to.
It used to be much easier where I spent most of my youth. I had a garden where fresh vegetable and fruit could be picked from spring till autumn, well with water (even though there are some disadvantages in not having a running water in the bathroom, having a well comes handy when you are cut off from everything due to weather). There is also an old cellar under the house which we used instead of fridge. Nothing got spoiled or rotten any faster than it does in refrigerator and our electricity bills were super low. There are woods nearby so no shortage of wood and the only heating system is good old fashioned stove. Sometimes we would not notice the electricity is down until evening when we wanted to switch on a lamp. And because the nearest store is in a village about two miles away, we used to make sure to get stocked with food going shopping to a shopping mall by car about four times a year.
flowerseverywhere
4-2-14, 8:12am
Great ideas. Love the pancake recipe. I have a solar sun oven that I learned how to use. Handy to boil water or cook food. Also, I have several weeks worth of canned food that needs no water. I am not crazy about the sodium, but in a pinch it makes do
one thing is I always try to have some hardy veggies on hand that would last once the quick to spoil ones are gone. Cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions and winter squash all will last a while. I rotate them through our food rotation. Lentils don't take lots of water and energy to cook. A lentil soup with carrots, garlic, rosemary and veggie stock is easy and delicious. Spinach adds a lot to the taste in normal times. Also sprouts are easy to do and add some freshness to the diet. Even fresh herbs on a windowsill can add taste and a little nutrition.
One thing I need to do is get a sourdough starter going. Makes for tasty pancakes, breads and biscuits. I also need to look into container gardening. I am pretty sure I could grow something year round here. We are investigating solar panels,on the house as well.
one more thing. If there is no power there is no internet, so some printed recipes could come in handy, such as the pancake ones.
It used to be much easier where I spent most of my youth. I had a garden where fresh vegetable and fruit could be picked from spring till autumn, well with water (even though there are some disadvantages in not having a running water in the bathroom, having a well comes handy when you are cut off from everything due to weather). There is also an old cellar under the house which we used instead of fridge. Nothing got spoiled or rotten any faster than it does in refrigerator and our electricity bills were super low. There are woods nearby so no shortage of wood and the only heating system is good old fashioned stove. Sometimes we would not notice the electricity is down until evening when we wanted to switch on a lamp. And because the nearest store is in a village about two miles away, we used to make sure to get stocked with food going shopping to a shopping mall by car about four times a year.
I loved reading, this, fascinating!
I have a few weeks worth of canned food - stuff that doesn't need to be cooked and also is packed in water or it's own juices so as to extend my drinking water supply - more of a worry here in hot dry SoCal then food. Also have lots of dry, light weight foods that also don't need to be cooked and that I can easily take with me if I have to leave the area on foot. Lots of water too in 2 gallon jugs as well as small bottles to carry if needed. I also keep lots of water stored in my backyard in case my house collaspes or burns down (plan to camp in the yard if that happens - and have some camping gear for that). Otherwise I don't worry about recipes or cooking - just open a can of beans or tuna and a can of fruit and eat! I also have a bike trailer I use to haul my dog around in and can load that up with food and water and personal stuff and just walk or bike out somewhat supplied in case my area was ever devastated and uninhabitable.
Gardenarian
4-29-14, 2:50pm
I think for those of us who shop at Costco, having 5 days worth of food is not a problem :)
We do keep water on hand. During the 1989 Earthquake our water was off for four days.
I think I have a bout 2 tons of Costco canned beans. I may be able to ride out a disaster but the after effect might not be pleasant :-)!
happystuff
4-30-14, 5:16pm
ROFLOL!
In addition to a well-stocked house, I have a stash away from the house in case of collapse/housefire/etc -- in metal garbage cans, and it works fairly well, cycling through expiring contents on a quarterly basis. But I am SICK of those fake Indian food pouches that look so darn convenient and space efficient -- not to mention cheap on sale regularly. But they are just gross, looking like someone has already digested them! I made one today and decided it's just not worth it -- no disaster can come fast enough for me to be willing to eat these things again. Back to canned foods, I guess, though they aren't much better... :spam:
But I am SICK of those fake Indian food pouches that look so darn convenient and space efficient -- not to mention cheap on sale regularly. But they are just gross, looking like someone has already digested them!
About every 4-5 years, I forget how bad they are, buy one, try it, and swear to never ever try one again. Blech.
Mountain House though makes a line of pretty decent tasty freeze-dried foods, if you are looking for that sort of thing.
I loved reading, this, fascinating!
+1
I think I have a bout 2 tons of Costco canned beans. I may be able to ride out a disaster but the after effect might not be pleasant :-)!
I think you're referring to one of those "secondary disasters" that Rosie spoke about in her thread. :~)
I think you're referring to one of those "secondary disasters" that Rosie spoke about in her thread. :~)
Time to acclimate your digestive tract to avoid any such "secondary disasters"! "Beans, beans they're good for your heart.. I eat them all the time, so I never.."
LOL catherine.....
I've never heard that rendition. I'm used to the "Beans, beans, the musical fruit.....the more you eat the more you toot." :laff:
LOL catherine.....
I've never heard that rendition. I'm used to the "Beans, beans, the musical fruit.....the more you eat the more you toot." :laff:
Well, that's a take-off on the real lyrics--as a "mostly" vegetarian, I'm trying to debunk one of the common barriers to embracing beans! (your digestive tract DOES adapt, trust me.)
Just curious catherine..........do you eat them already cooked from a can, or do you soak them overnight from hard beans?
Blackdog Lin
5-9-14, 9:18pm
Well, that's a take-off on the real lyrics
What do you mean "the real lyrics", catherine? The real lyrics are
Beans beans the musical fruit
the more you eat the more you toot
the more you toot the better you feel
so let's have beans for EVery meal!
:)
(We are also bean lovers, though they still.....affect our digestive systems, shall we say. And in the spirit of this emergency preparedness food thread, I can say that I started out, in '09, with a stockpile of - let me check my notebook - around 60 lbs. of various dried beans, which we vacuum-packed with a Foodsaver and oxygen absorbers. In the last 2 years we've been eating down on them instead of buying new at the grocery - I estimate I am down to about 40 lbs. now. And every bag I open from the stockpiles has cooked up and tasted as fresh as any you could buy today. Dried beans store very well properly vacuum-packed.)
I think the "effects" from beans can vary greatly, depending on a person's individual GI tract. I bought a can of organic beans once that just about did me in.
I agree........I think storing dried beans is a great way to be "prepared". They have tons of carbs, but are very nutritious......which is what you'd need if you couldn't get much of anything else to eat.
Do they hold up well in the freezer long term? (but of course, in a power failure, your freezer wouldn't do well).
In my experience the unpleasant side effects of eating legumes can be greatly reduced by a) soaking and cooking instead of buying canned and b) preparing them with herb called satureja or savory.
Well, that's a take-off on the real lyrics--as a "mostly" vegetarian, I'm trying to debunk one of the common barriers to embracing beans! (your digestive tract DOES adapt, trust me.)
I'm not sure if that's ever been the case for me. To me, some beans are the ultimate comfort foods. I eat lots of beans. But, no, I can't say my digestive tract has ever "adapted".
awakenedsoul
5-11-14, 3:33pm
I was thinking about my stockpile today. I made a lemon poppyseed loaf with flour, sugar, milk, BP, salt, oil, nutmeg, and milk from my stockpile. My chicken had laid an egg yesterday, so I used that. I picked a few lemons off of my lemon tree, and zested one for flavor. Once the bread has cooled, I'll cook the lemon glaze on my stove, and poke holes in the bread so it seeps into all of it. It's nice not to have to go to the store when you pull out a recipe...
My mom always had plenty of food stockpiled, and it was a really good, secure feeling.
I think you're referring to one of those "secondary disasters" that Rosie spoke about in her thread. :~)Ha Ha - Yeah. Or maybe a Weapon of Mass Destruction :-)! I actually don't have a bad side effect from beans but I imagine if I was living on them daily that might be a different story. Time to stock up on Beano!
In order to be prepared for an emergency, I wanted to have a weeks worth of food for myself and a couple of other family members. So, I dutifully filled the cupboard with sauces and beans and canned meats. I felt like I reached a sustainable point for a week. Plus water. Now, I'm struggling to empty the thing, because the food is getting dated and the truth is, I just don't use it much. It just isn't food I use too much. Disappointing. I don't have tons of money. Just giving away the food to food banks is frustrating.
awakenedsoul
8-20-14, 11:51pm
Tiam,
Bummer. I don't buy a lot of canned goods for that reason. I stockpile more the things I eat all the time and enjoy. I've eaten a lot of foods past their "best by" date, and they've been fine. I just don't do it with spoiled meat or poultry. With sour milk I'll make biscuits. I'm baking with yeast that I bought a couple of years ago at Costco. Same with the flour I use for baking. (I keep bay leaves in the canister with it.) Hope it works out for you and your budget. It's a a drag to feel like you're wasting food, especially when you don't have much money...
Tiam,
Bummer. I don't buy a lot of canned goods for that reason. I stockpile more the things I eat all the time and enjoy. I've eaten a lot of foods past their "best by" date, and they've been fine. I just don't do it with spoiled meat or poultry. With sour milk I'll make biscuits. I'm baking with yeast that I bought a couple of years ago at Costco. Same with the flour I use for baking. (I keep bay leaves in the canister with it.) Hope it works out for you and your budget. It's a a drag to feel like you're wasting food, especially when you don't have much money...
There's not a lot of processed foods, I DO eat. If I chose to only stock what I might eat I guess it would be pretty slim. But, I supposed if I had nothing but canned tomatoes, rice and canned tuna canned beans and water, I wouldn't starve! And condiments. I tend to buy condiments to stock up on.
It almost feels like a wiser investment to guy a bunch of freeze dried stuff for a weeks worth of emergency food than canned and packaged foods.
For myself, I think money is a better long term hedge. For a 3 week power outage, now there's a goal to start with. I don't eat hardly any canned food. But I have about a weeks worth, and maybe a weeks worth of money. I need to think of more I can add that I can eat and therefore rotate and make meals from.
It almost feels like a wiser investment to guy a bunch of freeze dried stuff for a weeks worth of emergency food than canned and packaged foods.
Maybe just a few packs. I hate seeing them not being used.
lessisbest
10-22-14, 8:21am
I realize this is an older thread.... but, perhaps this information would help answer some questions and issues presented here. I practice home food storage and patterned it after the LDS Church model because they have so much information readily available on-line. It took 18-months and $200 a month in my grocery budget to complete my 3-level storage plan for 2 adults. For the last 3-years our food budget has been $125/month to maintain our food storage. To address the original post about "best emergency plan", that is taken care of in level 1, and I filled my food storage plan this way starting with level 1. When I had level 1 done I worked on level 2 until it was complete, etc. We have used our 72-hour emergency kit once a few years ago during an ice storm when we were without utilities for several days.
For those who wonder about having room for stored food, if done correctly a full years worth of food for one person can be placed under a single-size bed. Sometimes it takes creative storage, but that's a topic for another day.
#1) 72-hour emergency kit (you can find information for these on-line and lists of what to put in a kit) which includes foods that don't require heating or refrigeration. Mostly it's things you can purchase at the store and probably already have in your kitchen, especially items in ready-to-eat individual servings, small cans of meat and meat spreads, peanut butter, trail mix, food bars, etc. I make sure there are foods from all 4 food groups (grains, dairy, meat or substitute, fruit/veg.). You can also purchase 72-hour kits, but food from your kitchen and pantry will work just as well, but put it in a designated storage container so it's all together. I also store large amounts of water in my basement, and before I had a basement I stored it in plastic 2-liter pop and juice bottles behind the sofa, in the corners of closets, behind the bed headboards....) and have 1,000 gallons in our rain barrels when they are full I could purify for drinking water or use for flushing the toilet, etc. I also include foods that would require hot water and have a number of ways I can heat water (including heating it indoors) for instant soup mixes, freeze-dried foods, cocoa mix, coffee and tea bags, instant oatmeal packets, etc.).
I gave my granddaughter a 72-hour back pack she can have at college and take with her on her 3-hour trip to and from home. Will they have a blizzard, ice storm, or other natural disaster - who knows? But if it comes in handy just once, it's worth whatever it took to put it together. I also included a LifeStraw water purifier in her back pack. BTW - we keep our 72-hour kit in a plastic storage container and all the food is rotated out, consumed, and restocked according to the use-by dates. The kit includes lighting, canned heat for cooking indoors, a Buddy Heater to heat indoors, and other emergency things for a grab-and-go emergency kit. I attach an inventory sheet so I know the use-by or best-by dates of the food stored in this plastic tote. We just ate the pudding cups, mandarin oranges, V-8 juice, and applesauce cups out of the kit, and I was able to restock them with discounted items when school started when these lunch items were on sale and I had coupons because these are only used in the emergency kit, not for everyday use.
#2) 6-12 months of pantry items - These are things I use on a regular basis for everyday meal preparation and home baking and are stored in the kitchen. I don't store convenience foods and boxed mixes because I store "ingredients" and whole foods as much as possible for cooking from scratch, and make my own "convenience" foods, but those are also options if that's what you use. As they say, store what you use and use what you store. For instance, I wouldn't store pancake mix because I can make it with a few ingredients, and those same few ingredients can be used to make any number of other things besides pancake mix. An example of a great storage food is tomato powder. I use it with water and a few other pantry ingredients to make tomato juice, tomato paste, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, add it to soup/stew/chili, and even in a pinch can make bbq sauce and ketchup. I no longer store those items freeing up a lot of storage space.
#3) long-term emergency foods - This includes freeze-dried meat, fruit, vegetables, dried dairy products, powdered eggs, beans/seeds/grains, etc. These foods have a long shelf-life, but we also rotate them into the pantry and use them on a regular basis. I have enough food for 12-months, or longer. All these foods are rotated into the kitchen/pantry.
I increased the amount of the "Seven Survival Foods" - grains, legumes, seeds for sprouting, sweetener/s, salt, fats, powdered milk. I have very little food in buckets, and I purchase most of what I use from regular grocery stores.
I got serious about home food storage in 2007 during the financial downturn when they reduced the workforce where hubby works by 50% and he took three pay cuts, but kept his job and position. I knew if we had a good supply of food, our money, should we have a financial crisis, could go for other things besides food. I was already good at having food ahead for a "rainy day", but I put more thought into it for 18-months. It's the main reason I can stick to a $125/month food budget.
About that "musical fruit" problem.....;) I sprout most of the beans/grains/seeds we consume. By sprouting beans first, it makes them easier to digest (no gas problems) and they don't take as long to cook, as well as increasing the nutrients. In fact, once sprouted, I can place them in a Thermos, or my Thermal Cooker or Wonder Oven if I'm going to cook a large amount, and "cook" them in hot water in the Thermos overnight. As part of my emergency preparedness, I have a number of ways to cook food without the typical kitchen appliances using electricity and gas, including solar ovens along with those passive methods already mentioned.
Well, I did put a lot of time, (not money) buy one or two extra things at a time and stocking up. But as I said, I don't eat canned foods too often. So, most of these items are hitting the two year mark and it's time to clear the cupboards. I think I may have had enough for a couple or more people to get by for a couple of weeks. But now I'm in the process of purging the cupboards to get the food out. It's getting old. I still have a few cans of soup and lots of canned beans. If the SHTF tomorrow I may have enough for a week or so. And a weeks worth of drinking water and another weeks worth of non drinking water. (those are gallon jugs that are years old that are stored. I don't count them as drinking water, but could be for washing or cleaning or flushing. The pinto bean stock is used up. The rice is about used up too. Good. Then I can start fresh. I just can't do this prep thing and rotate the food. I just don't use them enough. I'd never be a good mormon!:laff:
Well, I did put a lot of time, (not money) buy one or two extra things at a time and stocking up. But as I said, I don't eat canned foods too often. So, most of these items are hitting the two year mark and it's time to clear the cupboards. I think I may have had enough for a couple or more people to get by for a couple of weeks. But now I'm in the process of purging the cupboards to get the food out. It's getting old. I still have a few cans of soup and lots of canned beans. If the SHTF tomorrow I may have enough for a week or so. And a weeks worth of drinking water and another weeks worth of non drinking water. (those are gallon jugs that are years old that are stored. I don't count them as drinking water, but could be for washing or cleaning or flushing. The pinto bean stock is used up. The rice is about used up too. Good. Then I can start fresh. I just can't do this prep thing and rotate the food. I just don't use them enough. I'd never be a good mormon!:laff:
The best emergency plan is one you use. Like you, canned fruit and veg. aren't my first choice so I consider my commercially canned foods mostly as emergency use (open and eat or heat and eat) items and donate a large percent of it to the local Food Bank each year. But they are easy to use and easy to store, and you can find them at a good price. In an emergency, you won't really care if it's in a can.....
In order to use more of them I have one day a week where I serve canned fruit of some kind, and I have a few recipes where I incorporate some canned items. It's a small percentage of our food consumption. Small cans of pineapple tidbits and cans of mandarin oranges are easy to store and use (mix them with fresh fruit) if you don't like canned pears and peaches as much. I usually use dry beans, but I do keep a few cans of black beans, pork n' beans, and cannellini beans because each one of those are used in my list of "emergency" recipes, but they can also be rotated into my kitchen just as easily. Try choosing those you could actually use.
You might find freeze-dried foods a better choice that you could put to good use and rotate from storage into your kitchen much easier. I keep a 6-gallon variety bucket of vegetables ( http://www.augasonfarms.com/Vegetables/Freeze-Dried-Vegetable-Variety-Pack-6-Gallon-Pail-UPC-078716202506 ) and a 6-gallon variety bucket of fruit from Augason Farms (I also use their whey-based milk substitute - Morning Moo's - and purchase enough for a year at a time when they have a BOGO special), and a selection of Mountain House pouches of peas, corn, green beans, etc. (http://www.mountainhouse.com/). The nutrition level of freeze-dried food is far superior to canned, and most so-called "fresh" food you purchase. Now that there is a home freeze-drier available, I can hardly wait until there is some competition and the price goes down so I can freeze-dry my garden produce.
I find freeze-dried vegetables especially easy to use, and if you get the small pouches they are easier to store than #10 cans (unless you are feeding a family and could easily use a #10 can). I'll take a cup of leftover rice and rehydrate 1-2 T. of peas and corn and some salsa to make a quick Spanish Rice side dish, or add some rehydrated freeze-dried meat for a meal. Add freeze-dried veg. to soup/stew and you can also use them in stir-fry. There is a learning curve....
Time to acclimate your digestive tract to avoid any such "secondary disasters"! "Beans, beans they're good for your heart.. I eat them all the time, so I never.."
Yeah, that doesn't make a difference to me. I eat lots of beans and legumes and never cease to have that problem. But the baking soda trick really does work and it would work with canned beans that are being heated also. I notice it wears off. So if you are eating left over cooked beans or legumes, you have to add it again.
I just lost my job one month ago. We haven't had a cash problem. Yet. But I'm trying, as I shop to keep a mind open to stockpiling without spending much. Plus there are the fires. Not too close. but present. I don't live out in the country where the fires destroy homes. But not having an income is a crisis and an emergency to be prepared for.
I just lost my job one month ago. We haven't had a cash problem. Yet. But I'm trying, as I shop to keep a mind open to stockpiling without spending much. Plus there are the fires. Not too close. but present. I don't live out in the country where the fires destroy homes. But not having an income is a crisis and an emergency to be prepared for.
I'm so sorry to hear about your predicament. Times like this is why it's important to have a stockpile before it's needed, but it's wise to do what you can while you can. These are things I would do, or have already done.
1. Focus on ingredients. Staple products like sugar, honey, flour, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, gelatin, spices/herbs, legumes, cornmeal, pasta, rice, oatmeal, dried onions, frozen mixed vegetables, 100% frozen fruit juice concentrate – add your own water for a good source of vitamin C – avoid highly-processed foods and reach for whole foods.
Choose foods you like, those that have a long shelf life, and store them properly. Using ingredients, make your own “convenience foods” like biscuit mix, pancake/waffle mix, SOS (soup and sauce mix), Magic Mix….
2. Give priority to the "Seven Survival Foods" - whole grains, legumes, sprouting seeds, sweetener/s, oil, and powdered milk (optional). When fresh vegetables are over-priced and lack good nutrition because they are out-of-season and shipped from the other side of the world, I rely on seed sprouts and micro-greens for our “fresh” food in the winter. It’s my little garden-in-a-jar. Purchase a large bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Take out a portion that is mixed (great for casseroles, Shepherd’s Pie, soup, etc.) and divide the remaining into individual kinds of vegetables. Now you have several kinds of vegetables out of one bag. It’s also time (at least here in Kansas) to plant our fall gardens. You can harvest a lot of spinach, leaf lettuce, radishes, carrots grown in planters, if you don’t have a viable garden spot.
3. Make sure you have a wide variety of foods from all the food groups. Foods, when they are combined, will make a complete protein. Examples include: rice and beans, lentils and barley, bulgur with beans, or peanut butter on 100% whole wheat bread. Combining legumes with nuts and seeds also provides a complete protein. Mix small amounts of meat (which cost more) with low-costing meat substitutes: eggs, dairy, beans. Mix a can of tuna into tuna salad with a hard-cooked egg and/or white cannellini beans to stretch the protein. You can’t stretch protein by over-eating more carbohydrates (pasta, rice). Most people already consume far too many servings of low-nutrition carbohydrates.
4. When it comes to spending the money you have, this breakdown may be helpful once you have your basic food items:
For every $25 per person per week (I currently spend around $17 per person per week, and having a garden means I spend even less, or purchase stock-up products at rock-bottom prices for winter):
-vegetables - $6
-fruit - $5
-grains - $4
-protein - $4-5
-dairy - $4
-fats/other - $1-2
5. Know how much a serving size is, and try to stick to those amounts. If you are still hungry, find low-cost foods that are high in fiber to help keep you full longer --- like fresh apples, chia seeds, high-fiber grains, make smoothies with powdered protein products.
7. Double-duty foods. You know the root ends of green onions you throw away? You can plant them and grow more. They will even grow in a tall glass with water in it (good in the winter), but you can plant them in a small pot or in-ground. I plant the base end (about 2-3") of Romaine or Leaf Lettuce, as well as celery. I’ve been using celery I planted in the spring all summer.
I have a lot of recipes that cost between $1 to $3 to prepare, and there is usually enough leftover for lunch the next day. Check your local library for books that make $3 meals.
Hope things turn around for you soon.
Thanks, Lessisbest. Just as a side note to any one who's interested, the concept of needing to "combine" proteins to make a "complete" protein for nutrition is a myth that has long been proven to be untrue. There's nothing wrong with it if you choose to do so, but it isn't necessary for nutrition. UNLESS it's possible that combining incomplete proteins to make complete proteins creates more "staying" power. Meaning if it keeps you full longer than an incomplete protein. But I've never seen any research on that end.Other that, combining for the sake of creating "complete" proteins seems overly fussy to me. http://www.forksoverknives.com/the-myth-of-complementary-protein/
Thanks, Lessisbest. Just as a side note to any one who's interested, the concept of needing to "combine" proteins to make a "complete" protein for nutrition is a myth that has long been proven to be untrue. There's nothing wrong with it if you choose to do so, but it isn't necessary for nutrition. UNLESS it's possible that combining incomplete proteins to make complete proteins creates more "staying" power. Meaning if it keeps you full longer than an incomplete protein. But I've never seen any research on that end.Other that, combining for the sake of creating "complete" proteins seems overly fussy to me. http://www.forksoverknives.com/the-myth-of-complementary-protein/
You are correct, our body will make a complete protein from the combination of foods you eat during the day --- as long as you consume foods that would equal a complete protein. It's just as easy to consume them in combination with the meal. That's why we combine peanut butter with wholegrain bread, refried beans on a tortilla, rice and beans - traditional combinations that make a complete protein. I actually plan my vegetable proteins to be complete proteins at each no-meat meal, but that's how I was trained to teach nutrition when I got my certification. Knowing about plant proteins and combining them to make complete proteins can be important. Without a complete protein, our bodies will take it from our muscles. That's essentially what killed the singer, Karen Carpenter.
simplelife4me
8-5-15, 10:22pm
I disagree. What killed Karen Carpenter is lack of all foods (voluntary marasmus). Kwashiokor is protein calorie malnutrition, a different form of malnutrition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marasmus
Muscle remodeling goes on 24/7 to include any missing amino acids from the diet, possibly at the expense of some muscle mass depending on the protein intake. I think Jeff Novick missed the point of the medical article. Take any one vegetable and it may very well be missing an essential amino acid. Eating different vegetables will provide the entire compliment so minimal muscle mass is lost. My thoughts only.
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/104/15/1869.full
You are correct, our body will make a complete protein from the combination of foods you eat during the day --- as long as you consume foods that would equal a complete protein. It's just as easy to consume them in combination with the meal. That's why we combine peanut butter with wholegrain bread, refried beans on a tortilla, rice and beans - traditional combinations that make a complete protein. I actually plan my vegetable proteins to be complete proteins at each no-meat meal, but that's how I was trained to teach nutrition when I got my certification. Knowing about plant proteins and combining them to make complete proteins can be important. Without a complete protein, our bodies will take it from our muscles. That's essentially what killed the singer, Karen Carpenter.
Sorry. I don't think this makes much sense, Karen Carpenter aside. Why I would want to combine plant proteins to make complete proteins when it isn't necessary makes no sense to me. If it happens it happens. Sure, wheat bread and peanut butter, or beans and rice, which I love will make complete proteins. So, they happen. But making an effort to do so makes little sense. I know many people have been taught this. But it's one of the biggest myths in terms of what is essential in nutrition out there. It's the calorie intake that matters in order to make the proteins complete at the end of the day. There is a massive amount of research out there disputing the old combining proteins. I know eating pure proteins is helpful to me personally. Like eggs or tuna. And beans and rice is great. Stays with me for hours and hours. I don't know if that's the protein or what, but it is a great long lasting fuel. I don't know if just having beans with no rice would have made a difference. I'd have to experiment with that. I only posted it as informational to anyone out there feeling that combining proteins is necessary to good nutrition. Who knows....maybe in a few years research will show Frances Moore Lappe to have some credence after all! :)
I've seen several, what we call, "Twinkie" vegetarians (people who avoid meat, but eat a lot of junk, and low-nutrition fast food that has little nutritional value) admitted to the hospital due to malnutrition. Two of my son's college buddies ended up like this. They had nutritionists teach them the importance of a balanced diet, including food combining. It pays dividends to remember, and consume, those simple plant food combinations to assure you are getting all the amino acids - especially if you are vegetarian or vegan. And yes, it's the protein that satisfies your hunger. When you stoke your body with slow-burning protein, it will keep you from getting hungry as quickly. If all you consume are fast-burning carbs, it's like trying to keep a fire burning with paper plates, while proteins are like burning with hardwood.
At a Seventh-Adventist class for vegans we were taught to eat a gnat (or several) when we drove through a swarm of them on the road while bicycling to provide the all important B12. Third-world vegetarians get the same benefit from pests in their grains. Here in the US where we try to avoid those pesky pantry pests, we are also missing out on the health benefits they can provide. An entomologist at a class entitled "Pantry Pests" explained how weevils (and their ilk) are actually edible and essential in the diets of vegetarians/vegans in 3rd world countries.
It's like the little vegan couple I stopped to help at the store one day. Their arms were about a 3" diameter, or less. Walking skeletons. Their muscle mass was so depleted from years of avoiding protein and cannibalizing their own muscles, together, they couldn't lift the 5-gallon jugs of water into their shopping cart. Former farm gal that I am, and avid resistance/strength trainer, I can lift two 5-gallon jugs at a time. And I'm not a huge protein eater because my food budget only allows $10 per week for meat for two adults. So I rely on a lot of food combining to get our daily allowance in protein from both meat and non-meat protein foods.
On the other hand, a long term, real life 'experiment' showed something else. In the 1940's in England, severe food rationing severely limited fats, proteins, sugars, and processed foods. People had to rely much more on vegetables, mixed with the meager rations of fats and proteins provided through rationing. After the end of the 2nd world war, the population had shown to grown more, and be in better health than ever before. Growing taller, weighing more or less accordingly, with improvements in health disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. This would have been accomplished on a low protein, high carb, high veg, mid level calorie level along with supplementation. No complimenting proteins.
flowerseverywhere
8-9-15, 8:05am
Of course I can't find it now, but I recently read that basically with genetic engineering of plants the diversity of the food source is greatly reduced and it is becoming far more difficult to get what your body needs. There are plenty of calories, but with all these roundup ready GMO seeds you aren't seeing the varieties our descendants did. It does make some sense and something to keep an eye on. Also, there is no regulation of vitamins so who knows what is really in that pill many take.
On on the other hand, anyone heard of Soylent? Like in the book. It is supposed to be a complete nutritional drink. My kids were talking about it. Fascinating but I would terribly miss chewing and the texture of food.
Ultralight
8-10-15, 9:29am
This has been an incredibly interesting thread to read! Good info and insights all around.
As an "extreme" minimalist I often wonder: "Do I have enough food and water to make it through an emergency?" and "Is my stoic knack for doing without (or very little) enough for disaster preparedness?"
I have maybe a dozen 12 ounce bottles of water on hand, a few frozen items, a few canned items, and a bit of dried items too. But it is all rather haphazard. I have no system for food and water in a disaster scenario. When I lived in AZ I stockpiled a sh*t-ton of water though! It was an entire closet's worth. Living in the desert just freaked me out. Now I live in rainy Ohio with lakes all over. So I don't worry... perhaps I ought to..
thunderseed
8-15-15, 6:09pm
Any of us can get hit by a disaster that would disrupt our lives. I am not interested in storing buckets of grain and beans, but what ideas do you have to make nutritious meals if you could not get to the store, lost traditional power, or had a disruption in water for instance. In other words practical ways to be self sufficient food and drink wise say for five days.
Why can't you get to the store? That is a scenario you should probably think about. If you can't get to the store, then you obviously must be pretty injured which means you have bigger problems than just getting something to eat, you also won't be able to go out into your garden or the forest or go fishing, and you'll have to ration out the food you do have currently in your kitchen, or drag yourself to your neighbours house and hopefully they can spare you some bread or something (and help you with your injury). You aren't going to starve to death in 5 days... But if you can't get to the store just because you think it won't be open, you are probably wrong. Most grocery stores are going to be open because they want to get rid of all the perishables as soon as possible, and most grocery stores have generators.
IMHO the only thing you should NEVER be minimal about is first aid supplies. I might be biased since I'm a first aider, but I've made that mistake before. I like to test my survival, you see, by going on crazy wilderness expeditions with barely anything, and all it took one day was me accidentally falling on a barnacle and cutting my foot. It was a tiny cut, and within a couple of days the infection was so bad I could have died out there. I didn't have enough first aid supplies. I had to kayak many miles to get to get back to civilization just to get antibiotics because I didn't have the right tools to keep a tiny injury clean. When it comes to bare survival it is so easy to die. One tiny thing and you'll be dead so it's important to be super prepared. I have a huge first aid kit and supplies in my house.
I don't like stocking up on a bunch of canned goods for disasters, because it all goes to waste once it hits the expiration date. I don't keep more food than I need in my kitchen, otherwise it just gets wasted.
Besides I don't even eat canned foods because they aren't healthy, and I'm not going to start eating canned and processed foods just because a disaster comes.
What you have to do personally, is look at what kind of disasters could happen in your area. There are some disasters that may prevent you from obtaining food, so stocking up on food may be critical. Then think about what kinds of risks and scenarios could be presented with these disasters.
But generally in my area, the only things we really have to worry about are floods, storms, forest fires and earthquakes, in fact we are expecting a really big earthquake any time. For all of those scenarios, obtaining food isn't going to be a problem.
In most cases, you'll find that you can still get to a grocery store (if you haven't been seriously injured) and that the grocery store will have generators on if power has gone out, and they will be urgently trying to sell all the perishables. We have had big storms here that caused massive black outs for days and the local grocery stores gave us really good deals on all the frozen and perishable foods so that they could clear them out as soon as possible.
That's exactly what I do when disasters hit. I just go down to the grocery store and stock up on plenty of fresh food to last me for about a week or so.
A lot of people don't do this because they don't realize that most things don't have to be refridgerated, and even the things that do, can easily be kept outside in protected containers or somewhere that is cool.
You don't have to live on dry goods and canned foods, you can still eat healthy perishables. You don't need a freezer or a fridge! Of course you will want to eat up all the things in your freezer before anything else.
For example, even something like milk doesn't have to be refridgerated. I manged to keep a container of milk for 2 whole weeks on a solo camping trip by simply resting it in a bucket of cool water in shady place outside.
During state of emergencies, you don't want to be eating crappy food, because you'll be stressed out and your health could be affected in more than one way, it's important to get healthy, fresh food, not just dry processed stuff and canned goods.
Recently we had over hundreds of forest fires nearby, the smoke haze here was thick for a long time, people were getting really sick and I felt it in my lungs right away. I was very quick to act, I went to buy a mask as well as an air filter and stocked up on a lot of healthy food as well as a supplement for the lungs, made sure to drink lots of water and basically stayed inside the whole time in a small room that was being filtered. It was so hot that I had to cool down with a cold cloth, because there was no going outside to cool off that's for sure. Honestly, I've been prepared all of my life for disasters but this was one thing I had not thought of or prepared for and it was terrifying. Thank goodness I remembered the haze that happened in Singapore, I rememeber talking to some guy while it happened there and people were actually dying there, it got so bad, but I looked up tips on how people survived it, and that's how I learned what to do. There is nothing worse than not being able to find fresh air anywhere to breathe, it was suffocating and aweful like breathing in thick particles of ash, needless to say I also had to supplement with natural anxiety reducing chewables. I pray to god that it never happens again. I've always loved earth disasters, I'm really excited for earthquakes, tornadoes and all storms, but constant smoke inhalation is not something I would ever want to endure again.
For any disaster, it is advised to get enough supplies for about 3 days, because that is the time when emergency personell won't be available for. But I usually just stock up for a week, as soon as the disaster hits, I just get to the grocery store and get any other things I might need. In most cases, grocery stores are going to be open because they won't want to let all the food go bad and they will take the opportunity to make some sales. It was downright apocalyptic last time it happened, they had some generators on but most of the grocery store was pitch dark, there were sales people carrying around flashlights, and everyone had a lot of fun, it was pretty neat despite how much money they were losing.
Also when push comes to shove, make sure you know about the wild edibles in your area, and know how to fish, gather shellfish and hunt. I live in the perfect place, surrounded by forests and oceans, so even if grocery stores do shut down, I would never go hungry.
All you have to do to get water (if you don't have a good filtration device) is simply put it in a clear, plastic bottle and put it out in the sun, it will get disinfected... Water really isn't a big deal, especially if you have a good water filtration system. We've had floods here and had boil water advisaries, but I've never boiled the water, just put it through my awesome filter and it's good to go. And also, it's not hard to boil water either...
I'm by no means an expert, and I don't store vast quantities of food myself, but please be aware that it is not necessarily guaranteed that the stores will have food to sell. In an emergency, people seem to empty out the store's supply more quickly than you would think. And if there has been a significant disaster, the supply chain will most likely be disrupted for a while. So at least have a sufficient supply that you wouldn't need to rely on a store to provide your basic needs for at least three days---a week would be even better.
This has been an incredibly interesting thread to read! Good info and insights all around.
As an "extreme" minimalist I often wonder: "Do I have enough food and water to make it through an emergency?" and "Is my stoic knack for doing without (or very little) enough for disaster preparedness?"
I have maybe a dozen 12 ounce bottles of water on hand, a few frozen items, a few canned items, and a bit of dried items too. But it is all rather haphazard. I have no system for food and water in a disaster scenario. When I lived in AZ I stockpiled a sh*t-ton of water though! It was an entire closet's worth. Living in the desert just freaked me out. Now I live in rainy Ohio with lakes all over. So I don't worry... perhaps I ought to..
I'm about like you. No system. I don't even have a system for daily non emergency. I'm not a very systematic person. For one things, systems seems to frustrate and confuse me. At a glance, I'd say, that what I have would get myself and perhaps two others by for a week if we were very careful.
Why can't you get to the store? That is a scenario you should probably think about. If you can't get to the store, then you obviously must be pretty injured which means you have bigger problems than just getting something to eat, you also won't be able to go out into your garden or the forest or go fishing, and you'll have to ration out the food you do have currently in your kitchen, or drag yourself to your neighbours house and hopefully they can spare you some bread or something (and help you with your injury). You aren't going to starve to death in 5 days... But if you can't get to the store just because you think it won't be open, you are probably wrong. Most grocery stores are going to be open because they want to get rid of all the perishables as soon as possible, and most grocery stores have generators.
IMHO the only thing you should NEVER be minimal about is first aid supplies. I might be biased since I'm a first aider, but I've made that mistake before. I like to test my survival, you see, by going on crazy wilderness expeditions with barely anything, and all it took one day was me accidentally falling on a barnacle and cutting my foot. It was a tiny cut, and within a couple of days the infection was so bad I could have died out there. I didn't have enough first aid supplies. I had to kayak many miles to get to get back to civilization just to get antibiotics because I didn't have the right tools to keep a tiny injury clean. When it comes to bare survival it is so easy to die. One tiny thing and you'll be dead so it's important to be super prepared. I have a huge first aid kit and supplies in my house.
I don't like stocking up on a bunch of canned goods for disasters, because it all goes to waste once it hits the expiration date. I don't keep more food than I need in my kitchen, otherwise it just gets wasted.
Besides I don't even eat canned foods because they aren't healthy, and I'm not going to start eating canned and processed foods just because a disaster comes.
What you have to do personally, is look at what kind of disasters could happen in your area. There are some disasters that may prevent you from obtaining food, so stocking up on food may be critical. Then think about what kinds of risks and scenarios could be presented with these disasters.
But generally in my area, the only things we really have to worry about are floods, storms, forest fires and earthquakes, in fact we are expecting a really big earthquake any time. For all of those scenarios, obtaining food isn't going to be a problem.
In most cases, you'll find that you can still get to a grocery store (if you haven't been seriously injured) and that the grocery store will have generators on if power has gone out, and they will be urgently trying to sell all the perishables. We have had big storms here that caused massive black outs for days and the local grocery stores gave us really good deals on all the frozen and perishable foods so that they could clear them out as soon as possible.
That's exactly what I do when disasters hit. I just go down to the grocery store and stock up on plenty of fresh food to last me for about a week or so.
A lot of people don't do this because they don't realize that most things don't have to be refridgerated, and even the things that do, can easily be kept outside in protected containers or somewhere that is cool.
You don't have to live on dry goods and canned foods, you can still eat healthy perishables. You don't need a freezer or a fridge! Of course you will want to eat up all the things in your freezer before anything else.
For example, even something like milk doesn't have to be refridgerated. I manged to keep a container of milk for 2 whole weeks on a solo camping trip by simply resting it in a bucket of cool water in shady place outside.
During state of emergencies, you don't want to be eating crappy food, because you'll be stressed out and your health could be affected in more than one way, it's important to get healthy, fresh food, not just dry processed stuff and canned goods.
Recently we had over hundreds of forest fires nearby, the smoke haze here was thick for a long time, people were getting really sick and I felt it in my lungs right away. I was very quick to act, I went to buy a mask as well as an air filter and stocked up on a lot of healthy food as well as a supplement for the lungs, made sure to drink lots of water and basically stayed inside the whole time in a small room that was being filtered. It was so hot that I had to cool down with a cold cloth, because there was no going outside to cool off that's for sure. Honestly, I've been prepared all of my life for disasters but this was one thing I had not thought of or prepared for and it was terrifying. Thank goodness I remembered the haze that happened in Singapore, I rememeber talking to some guy while it happened there and people were actually dying there, it got so bad, but I looked up tips on how people survived it, and that's how I learned what to do. There is nothing worse than not being able to find fresh air anywhere to breathe, it was suffocating and aweful like breathing in thick particles of ash, needless to say I also had to supplement with natural anxiety reducing chewables. I pray to god that it never happens again. I've always loved earth disasters, I'm really excited for earthquakes, tornadoes and all storms, but constant smoke inhalation is not something I would ever want to endure again.
For any disaster, it is advised to get enough supplies for about 3 days, because that is the time when emergency personell won't be available for. But I usually just stock up for a week, as soon as the disaster hits, I just get to the grocery store and get any other things I might need. In most cases, grocery stores are going to be open because they won't want to let all the food go bad and they will take the opportunity to make some sales. It was downright apocalyptic last time it happened, they had some generators on but most of the grocery store was pitch dark, there were sales people carrying around flashlights, and everyone had a lot of fun, it was pretty neat despite how much money they were losing.
Also when push comes to shove, make sure you know about the wild edibles in your area, and know how to fish, gather shellfish and hunt. I live in the perfect place, surrounded by forests and oceans, so even if grocery stores do shut down, I would never go hungry.
All you have to do to get water (if you don't have a good filtration device) is simply put it in a clear, plastic bottle and put it out in the sun, it will get disinfected... Water really isn't a big deal, especially if you have a good water filtration system. We've had floods here and had boil water advisaries, but I've never boiled the water, just put it through my awesome filter and it's good to go. And also, it's not hard to boil water either...
I think the most common examples of "not being able to get to a store" would be Katrina. Nobody could get out. they had what they had. And no power or even capability to create a fire in an attic or a rooftop. Japan also. The people were very orderly, but they were lining up for hours for two bottles of water and a bag of rice and some yogurt if I remember. IF they could get to a supply station. In both scenarios, water and wild edibles were not easy to get to.
thunderseed
8-15-15, 9:59pm
I think the most common examples of "not being able to get to a store" would be Katrina. Nobody could get out. they had what they had. And no power or even capability to create a fire in an attic or a rooftop. Japan also. The people were very orderly, but they were lining up for hours for two bottles of water and a bag of rice and some yogurt if I remember. IF they could get to a supply station. In both scenarios, water and wild edibles were not easy to get to.
Yeah, like I said it all depends on where you live and what the risks are. After any earthquake you should get to higher ground if there is a chance of tsunami, but depending where you live, you'll probably have grocery stores in areas that are out of tsunami range.
lessisbest
8-16-15, 11:00am
I think the most common examples of "not being able to get to a store" would be Katrina. Nobody could get out. they had what they had. And no power or even capability to create a fire in an attic or a rooftop. Japan also. The people were very orderly, but they were lining up for hours for two bottles of water and a bag of rice and some yogurt if I remember. IF they could get to a supply station. In both scenarios, water and wild edibles were not easy to get to.
Tiam-
1. When people have home food storage they don't hoard the food they store, they rotate and use it. I literally “shop” at home first. My food budget ($125/month for two adults) is spent like this: 70-80% for restocking when I find it at rock-bottom prices, and 20-30% for fresh foods. Because I purchase food ahead of need, I can wait until it’s the lowest possible price – which is another way to stretch my food dollars. I can purchase in bulk and share the savings with our family/friends, as well as sharing through donations to the Food Bank. I donate at least 10% of our food, or food dollars, to the Food Bank. Wasted food, junk food, and over-eating are ways to break a food budget. In fact, they are the most expensive food we purchase; and home food storage helps me avoid that.
If planned correctly, as Mary Wilde outlines in her book A Year’s Supply In “Seven Days”, her grocery list for her family of six consists of less than 50 individual items.
The amount of basic food required for one person for a year, when purchased in #10 cans, will fit the space of a single bed, for anyone who thinks they don’t have enough space. Even if you manage to accumulate 3-6 months ahead of a variety of foods from all the food groups, you will be able to withstand a loss of income, unexpected medical expenses, a major appliance needs to be replaced and you need the grocery budget to afford the expense, because you won’t need food, and those dollars can go towards other essentials in hard times. We can exist on the “Seven Survival Foods” (grains, legumes, sprouting seeds, sweetener/s, salt, oil, and powdered milk), which can be very versatile foods when combined, flavored, seasoned, modified, and even disguised, to create delicious meals.
2. MILK - I haven't purchased liquid milk from the store since 1981; and we purchase enough powdered milk products to last a year. Why? Because it's much cheaper to purchase by-the-bucket than powdered milk you get from the grocery store, and it’s less expensive per gallon reconstituted with water when compared to liquid milk from the grocery store. There are also better-tasting products than you find at the store.
Regular liquid milk for a two-week camping trip? There are great powdered milk products available. They are lightweight and easy to make by-the-serving, or by-the-quart or gallon. Not to mention all the homemade “convenience” foods I make using powdered milk – soup mixes, pancake/waffle mix, Magic Mix, condensed Cream of _____ soup substitute, cocoa mix, basic white sauce mix, biscuit mix, cheese sauce mix, muffin mix, cookie mix, cake mix, bread mix, and the list goes on and on…. I can also make cheese, yogurt and kefir using powdered milk. I use powdered milk, hot water and white vinegar to make “cheeseburgers”, which are actually curds I form into a patty. The curds from this mixture can be flavored and used as meatless patties, or breaded meatless “Chicken-like” Tenders.
3. In 2008, during the economic downturn, the company my husband worked for went from two shifts to one and reduced the manufacturing line employees by 50%. I have always been good at buying ahead to save money, but that's when I got serious and focused about home food storage. It was a safeguard against the potential for loss of income. As it turned out, he never was unemployed, but received 3 major pay reductions, and has remained at that lower amount due to the economics of the business. Therefore, I purchase as much food as I can with the limited food budget I have. It is paramount to the whole budget. I knew if we had enough food for a year, we could divert money towards other essentials in an emergency. We were also able to give food we had in storage to a number of the employees who had families and had a difficult time finding employment.
4. Our 72-hour emergency kit has been put to use during a couple ice storms and a post-tornado event when power was out for extended periods of time. It includes foods that do NOT require heating or refrigerating, therefore I wouldn’t need to be stuck in the attic during Katrina trying to heat food (although we have that capability in the kit as well, whether it would have been for heating food, pasteurizing drinking water, or heat from the cold temperatures). It’s all in a grab-and-go Bug-Out bag, and also a couple plastic tubs we can quickly place in our vehicle/s.
Our granddaughter lives away at college (in a dorm) where there was a railroad chemical spill this summer. Part of the town was evacuated. She grabbed her Bug-Out Bag in case she needed the N95 Respirator for breathing, making sure she had sufficient water (filling every empty container she owned) should they need to shelter-in-place and the drinking water would be contaminated somehow. She also has a LifeStraw for safe drinking water. This was a man-made disaster that can happen in any town, at any time.
5. It is a well-documented fact that there is approximately 3-days worth of food at any supermarket. All you have to do is walk through a Super Wal-Mart at 6 a.m. Sunday morning and realize how much food was purchased on Saturday, or check any store just hours before a winter storm event to realize how quickly shelves are cleared of stock.
In an article I read several years ago, “The U.K. is only 3 missed meals away from total anarchy.” As of 3-18-2010 the U.K. has 3 days of food available, approximately 7 days of fuel, no large amounts of medical kits, about 50-hours of natural gas. There are many small towns out here in the middle of Kansas where that is true today. Many small towns don’t have a local grocer at ALL! Families travel a couple hundred miles to do their monthly grocery shopping here at Aldi. One major snow/ice event and you’ll find all your town’s food sitting at a truck stop near an Interstate Highway waiting for the highway to open to traffic again. This is one cause of an interrupted food supply. Truckers went on strike when fuel prices skyrocketed several years ago, and some or our local stores had food shortages and outages due to striking truckers. One winter snow/ice event left people unable to get out of their homes for 4-6-weeks in some places a few years ago. You really don’t realize how fragile our food supply is if you only rely on your local store.
6. Long before we depended on our local grocery stores, statistics from pre-WWII, families preserved much of the food they grew and were self-reliant since the largest percentage of the population were in the agriculture areas, not urban dwellers. Today that is reverse, families don’t have much reason, or much practice, at self-sufficient living. Which looming disaster will it take to make it clear the practical benefits of being more self-sufficient?
I'm curious, Lessibest, why you directed the above post to me? I was simply replying to Thunderseed about stores. We've had this conversation before. I don't eat much processed canned foods, so the whole storage thing becomes a bit moot. What I do have, some beans, tomatoes, and condiments I rotate. My legumes and rice are rotated as used. I do not bake. I don't drink milk. So, in terms of Thunderseed, I was only pointing out what kind of emergency might make going to the store out of the question. People used to preserve because it was the only way to make it through winter and because to eat they mostly had to eat what they grew, and had to preserve that same food. Things aren't like that anymore. People live in condos, and apartments. They go to stores.
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