I am sitting here with store flyers and my food inventory trying to determine exactly where to put my long term storage food dollars. After cleaning the cellar and rearranging my stored food it is clear I need to shop today. We have gone through an amazing amount of food. If I am having this much trouble with many years of experience under my belt, I can imagine how someone new to the idea feels. Overwhelmed I’ll bet. I started gradually, as the fragility of our systems, economic, environment, biological and food based became more and more clear to me but many today are feeling as though they don’t have time to go slowly and I tend to agree.
I like the idea of having a meal plan for a few weeks worth of food that can be prepared with the fuel source you will have available to you. After that, you can look longer term. I would start with grains. They are cheap, easy to store, easy to prepare and familiar. You will need a grain grinder if you store wheat and you can’t go from a diet where you never use it to whole wheat several times a day without serious digestive issues so begin eating it now. Otherwise, just store flour. It is far less nutritious and more expensive but there is no point in buying 500 pounds of wheat that you can’t prepare. Rice and oats are good first choices. Corn will need to be ground into meal too.
Sugar and salt are basics and you will need more than you think. The same with vinegar and oils. make sure to rotate the oils. I store several cans of shortening although I can’t remember the last time I used it. That is one of those non foods that will do in an emergency but otherwise, YUK! Soon I will have real lard. It’s still pure fat but at least it’s real food.
Fruits and vegetables are next. I love the dried stuff. I can a lot and I also freeze a lot. I store a ton of extra canning jars and if the power went out, I would fire up the cooker and can around the clock to reuse what I could. The quality would be impacted and I would only do this in a true emergency. If you have no other option look for the best sales you can find and stock up on canned supplies. Canned tomato sauce is a versatile food. If you don’t can it then by all means buy a lot when it goes on sale. I can get a national brand right now for $.99 a jar and I have bunch of $.20 cent off coupons. I am going to get a couple of cases. If I don’t eat it. it makes a good charity item for food pantry collections. Powdered milk and instant potatoes have a place in food storage. I like the good quality milk in the #10 cans.
You probably have a lot of baking supplies in your pantry. Make a list of the ones you use most often and stok up today. They are fairly cheap and have a long shelf life. Baking powder, baking soda, spices and flavorings are good places to start.
This is a jumping off place for beginners. I wrote this post in part for my daughters who are just getting serious about preparedness. I know most of you are further than this but it doesn’t hurt to have a post you can send on to others who are not yet on the path. Maybe you will encourage someone to take action today that will serve them well down the road.
August 26, 2009 at 8:40 am
When we first started working on preparedness 1.5 years ago, my husband would take 10$ and go to Aldi’s first thing after cashing his check. 10$ doesn’t sound like much, but week after week it adds up quickly. He’d pick up pasta, beans, rice, flour, canned milk, salt, sugar, whatever happened to be on sale and that became the foundation of our food storage. Then we add our homegrown veggies and local fruits, either canned, frozen or dried, to round it out and make it familiar.
I’m still learning, but I think we have a pretty fair start. For organization, nothing beats a spread sheet, by the way!!!
August 26, 2009 at 8:56 am
I can’t believe it, with the muggy weather we just had, my salt got mushy. Even the ones that were unopened. What is the easiest way to prevent this? I’m thinking to put them in ziplock bags when I bring them home next time.
August 26, 2009 at 9:15 am
Heather, yeah thick freezer baggies should work.
If they are soggy but clean, dry it in the oven? (spread out on baking sheet, when done put into labeled baggie)
August 26, 2009 at 9:26 am
I find that HoneyvilleGrain.com is a good place to get #10 cans and 50#’s of some grains. They charge only $4.95 for shipping any size order. This is how I built my dried milk stores.
August 26, 2009 at 9:33 am
I meant to mention, this is going to be my food prep talk at the next meeting; how much should we store and of what? lol, great minds think alike!
August 26, 2009 at 9:56 am
I bought your book about 6 month ago and I am slowly getting the preparation bug. I have at the very beginning of food storage and first aim for 3 months worth. I am also facing question like should I buy store brand on sale (cheap cheap) or store organic? Does it really matter? I am not over the debate if food storage is more immediate need then saving the planet. I do go to the local farmer market even if it is not the get all place.
Caroline
August 26, 2009 at 10:26 am
Oh Caroline. You have hit the great connundrum. Who knows what’s right. I go organic when I can and don’t beat myself up when I can’t. Right now I am agitating about turkey. The wonderful locdal, free range birds are upwards of $60.00 for an 18 pound bird. I do it once ayear for the holidays. Now I have my big freezer and can store some. Do I go for the good stuff or support a factory farm. I will probably opt to do without tghe factory birds and stick to the occasional splurge but when we were young and broke the answer would have been different. For a couple who wants to feed their kids in an emergency, I would get what I could afford. Best of luck. At least you are asking the right questions.
August 26, 2009 at 11:13 am
Kathy, this was an ideal post for a beginner like me. I’m going to the LDS cannery tomorrow to learn more from the local preparedness mavens. My biggest conundrum in a southern climate is cool, dry storage, both for food longevity and for processing equipment (the dehydrator, vacuum sealer, bags, etc. take up a surprising amount of space). We may all end up with beds elevated to the crown molding so I can create dark nooks and crannies for our food. And Andrea, I have started a long-term pantry spreadsheet, because I am anal and anxious and I can’t remember anything I did yesterday!
August 26, 2009 at 11:35 am
We purchased Kathy’s book in April of this year and started with water because we are on a well system, it does take up a great deal of space for 4 people so we only have 6 – 7 days of water, but hubby is going to have an outlet installed that we can hook our generator up to it. From there it was canned fruit and veggies and canned meat. Our canned meat we pick up at Sams, but daughter loves the turkey so much, we have to keep it well stocked. Then there is the normal staples of ketchup, mustard, and peanut butter. Powdered drink mixes last just as long as normal juice jugs. We have powdered milk from emergency essentials. As time goes on we added boxed meals and canned soups that don’t require water or milk. Raman noodles are cheap cheap cheap and great for a pinch and don’t expire too quickly. Yes they are loaded with salt. I have found dirty rice (Zatarains) has a great shelf life. We have moved on to the non-food essentials, such as lighting and batteries and personal hygiene items. I actually decided to clean out my bathroom closet and found I had enough items spread all over the place to make up a good first aid kit. Who knew I had so much stuff. I keep all my inventory in a notebook with exp dates listed, and keep a list of things I want to pick up. I’m actually now at the point I want to make “to-go” bags and take first-aid classes.
August 26, 2009 at 11:50 am
Question regarding oats…if I don’t have a grinder, which kind do I buy…there is so much to choose from…whole oat groats, steel cut oats, rolled oats, oat flour, oat bran. I’m a quaker oats girl, HELP.
August 26, 2009 at 11:56 am
Get regular rolled oats. The groats need a roller to turn them into flakes.
August 26, 2009 at 11:57 am
I am so pleased!!!
August 26, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Kimberly, I too find water hard to store, so I have around 40 gal stored up and then I bought an inexpensive water filtration gadget…only 22$ and recommended by Ol’ Remus. We have access to a lot of ground water and rain barrels, but I wouldn’t consider drinking it without this purifier. It freed up a LOT of space in my basement for storage.
When we moved into our house, we had a crappy, leaky shower in the master bath that we removed and turned into a linen closet. Good move because now it’s full of quilts, toothpaste, deodorant, lamp oil, candles, etc. For more space, I’ve been giving thought to those Rubbermaid under-bed storage bins with wheels…what a simple way to use useless space.
And PS: you don’t realize how that water will come in handy until your pump/well is struck by lightning and you go 2 weeks without drinkable water. We’d been up poo-poo creek if we hadn’t had water in storage. And to all those folks who thought I was neurotic for storing water and such: told you so.
August 26, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I wrote a while back about the system I use to keep track of my food inventory. The only thing I need to add is dates things were bought, and maybe used, too, so I can see how fast we got through various foods.
I’ve ordered vital wheat gluten (for making vegan faux “meat”) from Honeyville Grain and was pleased with price and service.
Another easy way I get “free” emergency food is through my credit card. We got one with REI which gives a 1% credit on all purchases towards REI goods. Since we don’t really need any more gear or clothes, we spend it on the dried food they sell for backpacking. The soup and meal mixes are great for an emergency or for traveling and the backpacking kit full of dried beans and veggies is a wonderful addition to the kitchen. (We use our credit card wisely and pay it off every month.)
Regarding oat groats, they are easy to grind into “grits” (steel-cut oats) with a $60 Basic handmill. I actually prefer these to rolled oats.
August 26, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Ok, so I wrote a comment and it kept getting longer and longer so I decided to blog about my feelings about meat storage questions (organic or not, etc).
I dont think that there is an easy answer to that question and I think it is absolutely bound up in the kind of prepper one is – for short term emergencies or for longer term food security and resilience (self sufficiency for the post-carbon powered down world)
August 26, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I like your idea Andrea of underbed storage, I may have to use that for my canned goods, depending on how cold it gets in my cellar this winter. We have a king size bed so I should be able to get plenty under there. I also think I’m going to pull all my dry goods (the ones in boxes)and put them in freezer bags for added protection from bugs and deteriation. What is the filtration gadget called and where did you pick it up? We had a similar situation with our water, we had a storm go through one evening and when we woke up to no power, that was when I experienced the negative of well water, it was a real eye opener.
August 26, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Hi, Kathy-
Read your book a few months ago…really enjoyed the scope of the scenarios you used. I’ve been prepping for about 2 years now and am starting to wonder if there might be a group of similarly minded folks in my area (Greater Boston). How would I go about finding such a group, do you think? Google wasn’t all that helpful. I’d appreciate your thoughts…and I’m very happy that I found your blog a few days ago! Regards-
Diana
August 26, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Kimberly, here’s the links for you…
here’s the article about the filter:
http://woodpilereport.com/html/index-page2.htm
and here’s the site to buy it:
http://shop.monolithic.com/products/just-water-ceramic-drip-filter
It’s not a fancy set up, about as simple as it gets really. But the ceramic filter is supposed to remove pretty much anything and everything that’s harmful to you. It doesn’t include the buckets, so you’ll have to buy those; I found mine at a local bakery for a buck each. I couldn’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on a water filtration system, so this one sort of fit the bill. I figure if they can use it in storm-ravaged, sub-tropical shanty towns, it oughta do a fine job on rain barrel water and such.
August 26, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Welcome Diana. I would suggest you check out Massachusettspreppersnetwork. Ii know the is Western Maa group. Herbal Pagan-Can you help Diana?
August 26, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Kathy, I started reading your old posts starting in Jan of this year and I just want to thank you for all the great information you offer. What a great resource you are and I think of you as a friend, and yes, I wish I could move to MA, except I think you actually get colder (wetter) then we in MN do. It definately gets cold here, but it’s dryer air. Well, I finally decided to pull out the dehydrator we have. You have convinced me I can do this. Let me fill you in on a quick story on how we obtained this dehydrator. About 6 years ago my husband came home from some kind of yard sale with a trailer and a snowmobile and a water ATV and this dehydrator. The snowmobile and water ATV don’t work, and my husband thought he would dehydrate food…never touched it. So here I am, taking it out of the bag, looking at it like a new toy – without instructions. Do I just plug this puppy in, place cut up potatoes on it and sit back and relax? How do I clean it? Do I need to clean it? It is stacked 4 high, the top divider has some kind of mesh plastic on it, the 2nd divider a solid round tray, (hmm, I think I read something about applesauce), and the bottom 2 is without an attachment, just plastic trays. I want to dehydrate my potatoes because I hate to admit the amount of potatoes I throw away. In the winter I love potato soup. Can you help?
August 26, 2009 at 8:32 pm
okay, after some research and a great youtube instructional video I think I have the hang of this thing, however, I also found out my dehydrator was recalled some time ago. Since it was something someone else didn’t want to have to deal with, I think I’ll pitch this in the garage sell pile in my basement and purchase a new one. It won’t be an Excalibur but it will do the job.
August 26, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Heather, you can put some rice grains in with the salt to stop it from going soggy.
August 26, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Wow! I missed out on a lot of great discussion until late in the day. The Washer flooded during the night and I had to deal with insurance stuff all morning.
After reading the comments I kept thinking that all this needs to be a way of life, not just a short term rush to be prepared because things are crazy right now economically and politically. I made the mistake of jumping on the Y2K thing and then after a couple of years, I sold stuff that I’m crying over right now: Berkey Water filter, hand crank mill, hand pump vacuum sealer, etc. All this would be so useful, but I had a short term view of things. Periods of crisis come and go and come again and go again. It’s got to be a lifestyle. (Kathy, I know you’ve talked about this more than once!). I’d caution people not to be in such a hurry that you burn out. Every bit that you do, puts you that much better off. I plan to slowly replace some of these items and do like Kathy says – use them periodically so that they are a part of my lifestyle. I’m really anxious to get a solar oven and make that a regular thing (though not a daily habit unless I must).
August 27, 2009 at 7:20 am
Such a good point Amy. But WHOA!!! What about this hand cranked vacuum sealer. I would love to know more about this. I think we make a mistake when we invest big bucks in trying to maintain the same lifestyle we now enjoy. I want to reduce my energy consumption as a matter of course and purchase low tech, low energy when I can. This from a waman who just a bundle on a new freezer.
August 27, 2009 at 8:00 am
I had a question about baking soda and baking powder. I know these get old and lose efficacy. But is that only the case once the containers are opened? Can I stock up on a few canisters or sealed bags and confidently leave them in storage? (No sense in buying more than I could use up in a year if it won’t last any longer than that.)
Also, do you know if washing soda also ages out once the container is opened? TIA for any answers!
August 27, 2009 at 8:57 am
This is what I think. Baking soda has a very long shelf life. If in doubt, add some to some vinegar and see if there is a reaction. Baking powder will deteriorate once it’s open but I go through it before that happens. I have no idea about washing soda but I think it’s not a problem.
August 27, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Okay, the vacuum sealer was for canning jars and I can’t remember if it resealed bags, but it looked a bit like a bike tire pump but it had a tube. I found one on line and I think this is it:
http://grainmills.com.au/category70_1.htm
The only drawback was the little seals that you had to use, but it seemed they were really like bits of tape. You had to punch a whole in the top of the canning jar lid and to open the seal, you lifted the tape off. I haven’t compared it to the new ones on the market by Zip Lock – do the zip lock brand use batteries?
August 28, 2009 at 4:04 pm
If you stock cream of tartar and baking soda you can make baking powder.
I also stock molasses and use it with white sugar to make my own brown sugar.
Using the blender to make sugar into castor sugar for icing is another trick for the pantry.
I find that a spreadsheet works wonders and I tend to do my stock ups seasonally, October is when I want to be done for the winter and then in April I try to finish eating old stuff and start stocking from the gardens again.