Posted on 10/01/2012 12:20:57 PM PDT by djf
As food prices continue to skyrocket, having a bulk supply of food is a great investment. But it also provides security and peace of mind against potential emergencies.
By now most people should be aware that grocery stores only have about 3 days of food in stock when crises strike. So if anything was to disrupt the food supply chain for an extended period of time, there would be untold chaos in most communities.
Any number of events could trigger mass disruption to a fragile food system, many of which are well documented and even predicted. Even NASA has warned its staff to prepare for potential disasters with survival foods and other precautions with their "Family Preparedness Program."
Prepping for disasters can seem overwhelming with so many aspects to be considered. However, for those just beginning to recognize how perilous these times are and are new to prepping, you can find many great survival foods at your local grocery store.
There are many fancy freeze-dried food companies offering light-weight storable meals. These are cost effective and great for new preppers. But if you don't have $1000 laying around to by a large supply, it may be better to pick up a few key items each week at the supermarket to build up your food bank gradually. And by buying base foods at the store, you'll ultimately save money.
It's best to keep your survival food list simple, and concentrate on storing foods with the highest amount of calories and the longest shelf life. This list is geared toward foods that will help you survive a crisis that lasts for extended periods of time.
Here are the ten best and cheapest survival rations available at any store:
Rice: Every time you go to the store you should buy one 10-lb bag of rice. You can find them for around $5 at most supermarkets. Rice will stay in good condition for 10 years or more if stored properly. It offers high carbohydrates which is especially important if you are exerting a lot of physical energy during a crisis.
Beans: Beans are known to be one of the best all-round survival foods. They're high in protein, and if sealed in food-grade buckets with a small amount of dried ice, they'll stay for up to ten years. Make sure to store them in a cool, dry, dark location. Buy a 4-5 lb bags of dried beans every time you go to the store. All dry beans are good to store; black beans, red beans, pinto beans, lentils, etc.
Cornmeal: All-purpose flours are good to store, but cornmeal may be the best overall. Cornmeal is packed with dense carbohydrates and contains oils that helps extend its shelf life. Additionally, if the power grid is down during a mega disaster, it is much easier to make good corn breads and tortillas with cornmeal in a simple skillet or solar oven, where refined flour will need yeast and oil to make decent bread or biscuits. Get a 5-lb bag of cornmeal ($10-$15) at each grocery visit. Seal and store the same way as beans (buckets, salt and dry ice), and it will safely keep 8 months to 2 years.
Lard: If you're a health-conscious reader, hydrogenated lard does not sound very appetizing, but in a survival situation you can't afford to be picky. Animal lard or vegetable shortening both offer much-needed calories during times of crisis, cooking oil for multiple uses, and it will keep longer than cooking oils because of the hydrogenation. Buy a 6-lb can ($12) and store in a cool, dry, and dark place and it will stay good for 2-3 years or longer.
Salt: Salt is one of the most useful survival food items. It's used for storing food, curing beef, and flavoring most meals. Salt will stay forever, so always buy extra when you're shopping.
Canned Fruit & Vegetables: These are another obvious survival food, but not as practical as many would think. They're heavy and somewhat costly for the calories they deliver. Additionally, acidic fruits and any cans with tomatoes will not keep as long as most people think. But most canned food is good for 5+ years. Buy green vegetables and fruits like peaches and pears for long-term storage, but more importantly, buy what you already eat in case you need to rotate them into your diet before they go bad.
Canned Meat: Canned meats like ham, tuna, and chicken are excellent to store. They typically will keep for 6-10 years and they're an excellent source of protein. However, if the grid is down for a long time (apocalyptic), hunting and fishing will likely provide most meats. Therefore, it may be sufficient to buy extra canned meats every other time you go shopping.
Sugar: Brown and white sugar will add much-needed flavor and calories to a survival diet and they'll keep for ten years or more if stored properly. Honey is also excellent as it will store forever. Make sure to buy extra every other time you go grocery shopping. You won't need too much, but they'll be well worth having if a crisis strikes.
Pasta: Pasta is a good light-weight storable food that is also a great source of carbohydrates. Pasta will not keep as long as rice, but it can stay for around 5 years in good conditions. Pasta is also very inexpensive and extra should be bought at each trip to the store. It will take up more space in your food bank that rice, beans and cornmeal, so plan your space the best you can.
Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is a terrific source of protein, fat, and calories. Plus, it's just a great treat to have on hand. Peanut butter can last up to five years in root cellar conditions. Stock up whenever there are good deals at your grocery store. You'll be happy you did if the SHTF.
If you consistently buy these items 3-4 times per month, you'll quickly acquire a year's supply of survival rations for your whole family.
How to store it?
A really basic way to store the rice, beans, cornmeal, sugar and pastas is to buy several 5-gallon seal-able paint buckets or food-grade buckets from your local hardware store. Put a cup or so of salt into a sandwich baggie (opened) at the bottom of the buckets. Then fill it with food stuffs and add a couple of ounces of dried ice (found at large grocery stores) which will remove the oxygen from the bucket after it's sealed. Finally, label each bucket with its contents and the date, and place it in your cellar.
Please let us know what other food items you think will be useful for new preppers....
Exactly. Go for the “weight gain” tubs they sell to skinny kids. Mostly sugary carbs, but they are high in calories. Don’t spend too much on whey protein. That is mostly used for packing on muscle and not calories. In a survival situation, you want calories. You can carry a 5 pound tub of strawberry weight gain powder and it will sustain out for a good month for 20 bucks-assuming you can get water. if you are holed up, it wouldnt be bad to have an occassional chocalate shake. No reason to go high quality like Met Rx or anything.
Not food but get your guns in order with a few thousand rounds of ammo.
This will be needed to protect food you store and you from those not being so diligent when the time of need arises.
Come to think of it, I need to order another 1000 rounds from cheaperthandirt
For a more detailed list of preparedness foods as well as methods for storing it please review my Preparedness Manual. You can download it at:
http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf
NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!
For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”
Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.
Underestimation can be fatal.”
We already have an established organic garden, with composted raised beds; a well and a watering system set up. - Even then (and we ARE experienced with years of experience in organic gardening and pest control), we aren’t silly enough to totally depend on what comes out of the garden. We have stored quite a decent supply of food in the bunker, etc. - Still, a vacuum sealed jar of seeds (or two or three) in addition to storage items, is wise. If things go south, everyone will have time to get back to the land real fast. Nothing like a growling gut to motivate one to figure it out eventually. (Oh, and sprouting seeds in a sprouting jar to put on salads or just eat by themselves is a good thing. Broccoli sprouts and others are good.
I cannot agree with you. Although your stores may not last 20-25 years, they should last at least 5-10 years, which still places you in a very good position.
Yes. In fact, I, myself, am a chocolate Twinkie. I cannot recommend Twinkies highly enough! - Twinkie
Here’s one potential problem with this list: a lot of what is on it is pretty much devoid of nutrients! Canned fruit and vegetables aren’t exactly nutrient dense.
The best items are what you already eat, because you can rotate them. Look at what you already have in the pantry, and buy it by the case.
Making jerky is also a great idea. Occasionally some store will have a great deal on London broil, which is perfect for making jerky, and I’ll stock up. If you haven’t made any before it’s easy. You need a salty solution of some sort. Soy sauce works great, but you can use salt water with any condiments you like added (the salt keeps bacteria at bay while the meat dries). I use it as an opportunity to empty those bottles with two tablespoons of ketchap, steak sauce, etc. that seem to accumulate in the fridge. Slice the meat as thin as possible, then soak it for a while, then dry it. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can improvise with an oven. Put the upper rack on the top level, and the bottom rack on the lowest level. Hang the meat over the top rack, and put a baking pan on the bottom to catch any drippings, turn the oven on as low as possible, and leave the door cracked open. Usually it takes a few hours to dry. You can use it in soups, stews, etc. as well as eat it plain.
And from what I understand, you aint seen nothin of what he has!! But of course, it was all lost in a boating accident. How sad! :-)
I live near Seattle.
Water is on my list. But nowheres near the top...
(see, it really does rain alot here...)
;-)
I would disagree. The biggest problem with canned vegetables is the high salt content and what I tend to describe as their “mushiness” but nutritionally speaking, canned is not much different than frozen or even fresh. If you are worried about the salt, get the sodium reduced or just rinse them well.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/vitamins-minerals/vitamins-in-veggies-fresh-vs-canned-vs-frozen.html#b
The problem with a lot of canned fruit is the high sugar content so buy the one packed in water or natural juices with no sugar added.
Rice and beans and lentils are very nutritious. Personally I’d be sure to get a good amount of brown rice. And the same with pasta – go for the whole wheat.
Below is what he/she said about beans and protein, and my objection to what he/she said, and under that is a quote from an article I wrote on Survival Podcast (a survival website) that explains beans/rice and complete protein.
“Beans: Beans are known to be one of the best all-round survival foods. They're high in protein...”
The above is incorrect. Beans by themselves are not a complete protein. Proper proportions of rice and beans does makes a complete protein.
Excerpt from an article I wrote that concerns rice and beans: “The chemistry part: Beans and rice do not have to be eaten in equal amounts in order for the body to break it down into complete protein. Denise Hansen, the dietitian tells us in, “Eating off the Grid”, that the ratio of 3 or 4 portions of grains (rice) to 1 of legumes (beans), is sufficient. Let's see, that's about 4 tablespoons of cooked rice (grain) and 1 tablespoon of cooked beans (legumes), or about 1/2 cup cooked rice and 1/8 cp. cooked beans, or 1 cup cooked rice and 1/4 cup cooked beans. Get the idea? Be sure to eat enough rice with the beans and be sure smaller children don't just eat one or the other. Said another way by Utah State University: “Dry beans average about 22% protein in the seed, the highest protein content of any seed crop. They contain all essential amino acids, except methionine. Methionine can be obtained from corn, rice, or meat.”“
He/she also said: “Cornmeal is packed with dense carbohydrates and contains oils that helps extend its shelf life.” That’s incorrect. Oil in a food makes it more susceptible to spoiling faster.
He/she said about pasta: “It will take up more space in your food bank that rice, beans and cornmeal, so plan your space the best you can.” I don’t agree pasta would take up more room than those mentioned, unless he/she is storing smaller amounts of rice, beans and cornmeal, and huge amounts of pasta - maybe he/she is.
Can you get a large quantity of rice, flour or other similar food stuff already vacuum sealed in a large container?
Ground whole wheat and brown rice both do not store well over a long period due to their high oil content and will go rancid.
Nestle powder?
Or the movie Wall-E.
Not sure. Maybe someone else knows.
Anybody?
Buying pre-vacummed rice, beans, pasta?
Look for Nestle Quick at Mexican food markets. It comes in CANS not foil lined cardboard tubes. I purchase a number of 14 oz. cans for $2.00 each on sale.
Also I recommend Augason Brownie mix just add water and bake! Great chocolate fix!
http://www.augasonfarms.com/Bakery/Chocolate-Fudge-Brownie-Mix-10-Can-UPC-00946-40024
I have been dry canning in the oven and think that is the best way for me to store flour and cornmeal for long term. I can store quart jars much more easily than the 5 gallon buckets. I have stored cereal, almonds, powdered milk, baking powder, dry beans, etc. All vacuum sealed inside the quart jar.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2244402_store-wheat.html
As I understand it, it drives the oxygen out of the bucket so that the critters and critter eggs that might be in there cannot survive.
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