In the age of the 24 hour supermarket, food storage may seem like a crazy concept. But economic forces are converging in such a way that skyrocketing food prices no longer seem like a possibility, more and more they appear to be an impending certainty. Don’t be the person holding up a sign looking for help, be the person with a life raft. Look at the information on food storage and decide what’s best for you and your family.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
- No refrigeration, plan for emergency assuming no electricity.
- Be nutritious, there may be some more physical activity required (ie. Blizzard requires more shoveling)
- Keep calorie count
FOOD
- Recommend you start with 2 week supply of food
- Good no-cook food items
- Energy bars / breakfast bars
- Almonds
- Peanut butter
- Tuna packages
- Canned pasta
- Dried fruit / canned fruit
- Dry milk
- Instant coffee
- V-8 juice
- Plan around the way you already eat.
- Build around 3 categories of food
- Grocery store goods: often inexpensive, and it’s all familiar stuff. (i.e. mac & cheese)
- Freeze dried foods: lightweight and don’t take up much room. more expensive up front, but priced out per serving, it’s budget friendly.
- Bulk dry food: rice, beans, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, cornmeal, wheat, dried milk, etc. It will be the backbone of your food storage and last up to 20-30 years.
- Don’t stock up on it unless you know you like it.
- Look at ingredients. You don’t want something high in sodium or preservatives
- Pay attention to shelf life. Take a look at package, can. Soup doesn’t need water and can store this for a few years. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes – 1 yr max
WATER
- Easiest way to store is by using cleaned out 2 liter soda bottles. You can easily clean out with hot water, drop of soap. Rinse thoroughly. That type of plastic is safe for storage.
- Recommend 2 liter soda bottle / per person / per day. For consumption and washing.
- If a situation where water is an issue, be sure to have stash of paper plates & freeze dried meals.
- If you can heat water, then at least you can enjoy a hot meal (i.e. mac & cheese, pasta, soup)
STORAGE
- 5 main enemies to storing food
- Temperature: ideal is 40 degrees - 72 degrees. For every 18 degrees above 72, food will lose its’ nutritional value by half
- Humidity: Store food off the floor and away from outside walls
- Pests: Keep food in air-tight containers clean up food particles on the shelves or floor
- Oxygen: Use oxygen absorbers, rotate food, vacuum packing food to reduce oxidation
- Light: Keep your pantry area dark. If food is in clear containers, keep them in labeled boxes with lids.
- Look for places where can you declutter (I have water bottles stored under my kids’ beds)
- You can store food in bin under a bed, clear out space in closet and designate a shelf.
- I recommend pieces of furniture that can double as storage. (i.e. Bench that opens up with a storage component – especially good for small homes)
- Store in a place that you won’t be dipping into constantly.
NON-FOOD ITEMS
- Items like toilet paper, can be bulky but it can be stored in garage, attic, shed, etc. moisture will affect it but temperature won’t.
- Non-food items, purposefully 1-2 weeks supply
- Go through entire day and jot down every non-item used. Soap, shampoo, contact solution, etc. buy extras of those.
- Keep easily organized in buckets (i.e. dental, laundry, etc.)
- Give serious consideration to how your family will cope when power is down. Communication, entertainment, What would we do to take care of pets? Keep things cool in the home, etc?
Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Storage information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/store.html
Canning information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html
Drying information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry.html
Thanks for this, Bri.. We’ve been hearing more and more about this, and we are starting to stockpile. I’ve been doing some for a year or so, but I’m starting to step it up. I want to have enough for us, and to be a blessing.. I’m getting my family to do it, also.. most of the canned goods we’re getting will last a couple of years, and we can rotate til we need to quit.. I’m glad to get the idea for the water bottles.. I use cat litter jugs to save about 5 gallons at a time for toilets and cleaning, etc. It’s just clean clay litter, so just a quick wash makes it good for most uses. I don’t know about in cities, but with our rural systems, we can count on the toilets working as long as we can pour water in the tank, and the lake in front of me will let me refill them! That’s a big mental plus to me!!LOL Let me know if you have any other great ideas!