Beans & LegumesThe Top 5 Priorities of Emergency Preparedness – Priority #5 – Food Storage
We have finally arrived at the last installment of the Top 5 Priorities of Emergency Preparedness. Food storage is critical to be able to survive a disaster. In our modern society we can go to the local grocery store any time of day or night and buy whatever food we need. It is so easy and convenient that we don’t consider what we would do if that resource was not available. The idea of food storage can seem so drastic when we have a fully stocked Wal-Mart right around the corner. But, speak with someone who has gone through a hurricane and ask them how quickly the store shelves get cleared out of canned food and water. Not only will those food stuffs disappear within hours or days, but they will not be replenished quickly. At that point you will have to rely on your own food storage to survive. You may have to survive only days, but it may be weeks or even months.
Because food storage is a very in depth topic I will do my best to keep it brief. Here are the areas that we need to understand:
- Why – Specific reasons why you should store food?
- What – What type of foods should I store?
- Where – Where should I store my foods?
- How – How much food should I store? How do I get started?
- Who – For whom should I store food? What should I consider when I am storing food?
First, let’s talk about why you should have food storage. Here are 4 great reasons:
- Insurance – As we have discussed in previous posts, food storage is on the best insurance policies you will ever buy. And best of all, unlike other insurance policies, you can still use it even if you don’t ever really need it. Just remember, when the house is on fire, it is too late to buy fire insurance. You need to prepare ahead of time by having your food storage in place when you need it.
- Hedge against inflation – As fuel and oil prices go up, so do food prices. This will happen. Since July 2008, oil and correspondingly gas prices have come down a ton, but never fear, they will go back up. The food you buy today will be considered a deal 20 years from now when it is still usable and good. That is also why you buy long shelf life items.
- Peace of mind preparedness – What is peace of mind worth to you? With so many worries in our lives isn’t nice to be able to take one off the list? Having your food storage in place and being prepared will help you diminish the fear cycle that we experience when we watch the evening news.
- Food storage is a sound investment – Every expense in your life is some kind of investment. Money spent of long term food storage will pay dividends as a usable insurance policy, as a hedge against inflation and by giving you peace of mind.
Now, let’s talk about what food you should store. Here goes:
- Store food based on how you cook – a 50 lb. bag of wheat is great, but you have to know how to turn it into food. That is why I really like the freeze-dried prepared meals like Mountain House and Saratoga Farms.
- Store food with the longest shelf life possible – To get the most out of your food storage investment, you will need to buy foods that will store for the longest time possible. Look at your food storage as an annual cost. If you spend 1,000 on food that will store for 10 years, your annual cost is $100/year. If you spend the same amount on food that will store for 30 years, your annual cost is $33/year. A big savings. It also means you have to rotate your food a lot less. Which means you will be able to use the food when you need it.
- Store a variety of foods – You should have prepared meals (like Mountain House) and fruits, vegetables and other staples (like Saratoga Farms) in all varieties in your long term food storage. The more variety, the better the nutrition will be and the healthier your food storage will be.
- Work towards at least a 3 month supply for everyone in your family – Having a 3 month supply of long term food storage will give you a good buffer against whatever emergency you may face. After you have built it up to that point, than move to 6 months, then 9 months and then a year.
- Store foods that are easy to prepare – Simplicity goes a long way in your food storage. Don’t store complicated foods or meals. You don’t know what resources will be available to you when you will need to use the food. That is another reason I like Saratoga Farms and Mountain House. You just add hot water and stir. No cooking is required.
Now, you know why you should have food storage and you know what to store. So, let’s talk about where to put all this stuff once you get it. Store the food in a cool, dry place. This one you have heard over and over, but it is the rule of thumb for storing your food. Two things cause your food to loss nutritional value and spoil: oxygen and moisture. Hence the dry place. Keeping your food storage cool slows down spoilage dramatically. The cooler, the better. Make sure you have your food stored in such a way that it has little or no contact with air.
Basements are perfect for food storage because they maintain a steady cool temperature year round. But many people across the country don’t have basements, so storing your food at room temperature (typically 75 degrees year round) will be just fine. I know a lot of people that store their food in cases under their beds or in closets. Just make sure you can get to it when you need it and it won’t get damaged.
I recommend keeping your food off the ground and in the original packaging as much as possible. By keeping the food off the ground on shelves or stacked, you will prevent the food from being damaged by somebody stepping on it, dropping it or kicking it. You also want to keep your food in a place where you can get to it, but that isn’t in the way. If you dent a #10 can it may affect the seam of the can and thereby affect the shelf life.
Also, by maintaining as much of the original packaging as possible, you will prolong the shelf life. So, if you buy a bunch food of in #10 cans, keep the food in the #10 cans. You may even want to keep them in the cases that they were shipped to you in. You can repackage your food in zip lock or even vacuum sealed bags, but it will reduce the shelf life.
Let’s talk about how much food you should store and how to get started. Basically, you want to have at least a 3 month supply of long term food storage. Meaning that is food that will store for at least 10 years. You have that much food for each person in your family. After you reach that point keep adding to your storage until you feel comfortable. To get started, just do what you can. Work within your budget and buy the food you need. The most important part about getting started is to get started today!
Who should you have food storage for? Of course yourself, but also everyone in your family. Make sure you take into consideration children and special diets as you store your food. You should also consider your neighbors and others in the community that might be in need of your help. Just make sure you have enough food to take of your family and neighbors if possible. It is always better to have more food than you would need, just in case.
Best regards,
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It’s not just weather emergencies or earthquakes that can cause supermarket shelves to be empty — our heavily urbanized civilization is completely dependent on truck transportation (both long- and short-haul) to continuously supply those shelves. What happens in a pandemic when quarantines severly restrict travel and transportation? What happens when a significant number of truck drivers are either sick themselves, or caring for a sick family member, or afraid of venturing out of their homes? Compound this situation with the absence of large numbers of people who ensure freight moves by train nation-wide, and the people who unload the trucks and re-stock the shelves. Then think about the people it takes to keep clean water and electricity flowing to our urban and suburban dwellings.
I’m not sure that “a 3-month supply of long term food storage” is enough, given the potential for breakdown of the distribution systems for essential commodities (food, water, power, etc.), and the length of time it can take to return to “normalcy,” both after a natural disaster and after a pandemic wave. I’m also not sure that you can buy and store enough food to take care of “your neighbors and others in the community that might be in need of your help.” Perhaps a better solution would be to make sure your neighbors and community leaders are on the same track to preparedness that you are.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:09 amI agree with having a robust supply of freeze dried food in case of an emergency. I am personally building a supply to sustain myself and five family members for at least a year. I am building my food storage in a three pronged approach. I have planted a rather large garden to provide the fresh food needed and have plenty of canning jars for the excess. I have also invested in a one month supply (plan to make it 6 months eventually) worth of canned soup and veggies. This will supplement the garden. Following that will be the freeze dried Mountain House and Saratoga Farms food. I’ve also gotten several 5 gallon water containers and will eventually get a couple of the 30 gallon containers. Can’t have freeze dried food without good water…and you can’t survive without a good supply of water for that matter. So when I look at the political horizon and the financial situation of the world I just laugh and say “Bring it on! I’d love to quit work, live in the mountains, and eat freeze dried food while the rest of the people who think I’m crazy for stocking up on life’s essentials panic.” I’ve been told several times that I’m wasting my money for buying freeze dried food. I ask the people that say that what they will do if the grocery store doesn’t have food for them. “That will never happen, this is America.” I hope they are right, but I’m not going to risk my life or the lives of my family over that “fact.”
May 27th, 2009 at 8:34 amJohn makes great points about how fragile the whole supply chain is.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:53 amI can think of a lot of other reasons for a breakdown in the supply chain.
I live in an area that is overdue for a monster Quake. So I put a lot of my food in a secure storage shed away from the main house. It gets very hot in the summer so I use some cheap space blankets to cover the supplies with and they stay very cool. Everyone should think about getting access to your supplies in different situations.
The just in time food delivery system we depend on can easily be disrupted, even here in the country in Tennessee I here excuses that people will just plant a garden. Well it takes time for that food to grow then you have to can it and preserve it. A good 3 month supply of freeze dried food and 50lb of rice 35lb of beans and 35lb bisquik mix for each family member and 55gal rain barrels at each down spout on your house and a good water filter system will make your life in a prolonged disaster a lot better. Dont forget at least 2 good camp dutch ovens.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:23 am360 watt of solar panels and battery’s and inverter could power a small chest freezer to provide Ice for refrigeration
I approach the subject of food storage from a somewhat philosophical angle as a study in itself of human nature.
I know that I don’t have to convince anyone already on this site about how important serious food storage is. Of course we all know people out there who nod and smile politely when we discuss it, but secretly think we are a little crazy.
As a student of human nature I can guarantee one thing: The people who are in contact with us who doubt the need for longterm food storage the most will be the first ones who show up at our door when disaster strikes.
On a lighter note, the folks at this site are doing a great service to their fellow man by giving us advice and in effect giving many of us moral support in our quest to spread the “good news” about storable food, emergency supplies and being prepared.
I am an American living in Europe, but I am nonetheless building a storable food stash back in the States with the help of The ReadyStore. I would like to point out to all my fellow Americans that we are truly and uniquely blessed in many ways. You should all know that we are (to the best of my knowledge), the only country in the world that has a long-term food industry and great distribution companies like the ReadyStore. I have searched for similar products and distributors here in Europe, but they don’t exist. And if they don’t exist in Europe, you can be pretty sure that they don’t exist anywhere else outside the US.
I wish all Americans would take advantage of it.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:10 amMy sister and I have been using our freeze dried fruits and vegetables along with other things such as wheat, so that not only are we rotating the food, but our family is getting use to it.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:23 amIt does no good to store 100lb or more of wheat if you don’t know what to do with it. I once heard someone say that he takes his favorite sweetened cereal and cans it in #10cans so that when an emergency hits he will have his comfort food. You can also do it with chocolate chips or other things. As long as you are rotating your food.
There are many threats to food storage besides storing it in a cool dry place. Fire, tornadoes, and the worst scenerio-government confiscation. Let’s not forget Janet Reno and her remarks that when she described what a cult was ….one of the things she mentioned was “those who store food”. I’m sure many of you have heard about that report that labels about 75% of Americans as extremists and for the most stupid reasons.
This Obama and democrat congress is HE** bent on destroying our economy and doing so on purpose eventually, if not stopped will land all of those that can be rounded up and put in detention camps for the most stupid of reasons as well. We are a threat, we own guns, we’re in the way of the NAU and One World Government, etc. Obama and company are already moving us to a Hitler’s Germany. The signs are all around us if you stop watching the TV news and get your news from online news sources you will know what we really are being pushed towards.
Nevertheless, I have ramped up my storage with a variety of long shelf foods, MREs, Food Bars, Water in 3 liter containers (for now) I intend on emptying those into water designated containers and put water preservative in it all. (water preservative, clorine bleach-unscented, tincture of iodine are all good) The water preservative I bought will keep the water storage I have good for 5 years…if kept in a proper place. I also have a water still and manually operated grain mill, plenty of propane and a couple camp stoves and a gas grill with extra propane for it as well. I also have a seed bank in a water proof container that can be buries in case these nuts in Washington declare seeds as items to be confiscated.
Let’s face it we are facing a dangerous occupier of the Oval Office with a combination of personality disorders (which has been proven by specialists)and a VERY lame-brained Democrat, liberal Congress who are stooping so low to even deprive us of the necessities of life and appear from videos I viewed the lose of our property, homes, cars, and everything we think we own and herded into one of the 600 camps scattered throughout this country not to speak or the 35 terrorists training camps these nitwits in Washington won’t shut down. One way or another are demise is almost ready to fully implemented. The Swine Flu scare was one of them. We must stop these seditionists or most of us will cease to exist and the rest whom are found useful will be in servitude. I don’t care if anyone thinks I am being paranoid or over reacting..it’s real and those of you who haven’t..WAKE UP AND SAVE OUR BELOVED COUNTRY FROM THESE LIARS AND CORPORATE GANSTERS BEFORE YOU FIND YOUR MONEY NOT WORTH THE PAPER IT’S PRINTED ON!!!!!!
May 27th, 2009 at 3:36 pmI am 53 so I figure if we stock up in our 50′s and early 60′s then if my husband and I don’t need our #10 cans of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods for an emergency, when we get in our 70′s and 80′s we will have a stock of food to help us when we are on a limited income. I have also bought some extra cans of dehydrated vegetables to use now in cooking. Since there are only two of us we have a hard time using fresh vegetables up before they go bad or frozen vegetables before they get freezer burn. In the winter when there isn’t a garden it is saving us money to not have to buy as many fresh veggies.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:59 pmGreat articles and responses about long term food storage, and the reason for having ready food in the first place. But barring natural disasters, what exactly are you Americans doing? Why aren’t you standing up for your rights? Sitting at home, playing arm chair quarterbacks (or know-it-alls) typing on your computers at home, in my opinion is a start, but it’s also cowardly. Your parents weren’t afraid to march in the streets, why don’t we see you. We march the streets and sometimes die for our beliefs. At least we are willing to stand!!!! Where’s that American spirit, statements of being free is pounded down the worlds throats on a daily basis? Some parts of the world can’t elect an official, but you can. Your news reports to us the freedom to have an election, this too is pounded down the worlds throat. Yet, you elected every one of your official and somehow you keep electing them over and over again. Folks outside America might not be as educated as you, but my gosh, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see a pattern here. Humans will always survive. It’s up to you, America! The question is: Do you want to survive? Do you like owing property? Driving anywhere around your Country and the world without being harassed? Practice and worship your own beliefs? Then for God sakes, stand up and fight!!!!! You have boys and girls taking bullets for you and your way of life. Don’t let them die in vain!!
May 28th, 2009 at 4:29 amDitto to Nathan. Our family is using the freezed dried food and MRS’s as a supliment to fresh garden foods with the intent to build up a one year supply. Our economy and the frequency of natural disasters are far too threatening right now to not plan ahead.
June 18th, 2009 at 12:13 pmTHE READY STORE IS THE MOST INFORMATIVE AND BEST SITE ON THE WEBfor emergency supplies. THEY NOT ONLY OFFER GOOD ADVICE BUT EXCELLANT PRICING ON THEIR LONG SHELF LIFE FOOD. THE NEWSLETTER IS SO FULL OF GOOD ADVICE, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. BE PREPARED VISIT THE READY STORE BEFORE A REAL EMERGENCY STRIKES!
June 18th, 2009 at 1:46 pmTHANKS,
SHERRY
Yes it would be nice if we had a way to kick people out of office after we find out they are “bad” or not even American citizens – yet there are so few that are willing to stick their necks out, their pocketbooks and their status in society for the right. What happened to Men like our Founding Fathers? They went into debt freeing our land from the King for US- their children’s children. Most had no home to go home to after the war.
June 25th, 2009 at 5:38 pmAre we more worried if our boat will be ready for the lake this weekend instead of how we could voice an opinion and make a difference to a government who feels that the average Joe NEEDS to be told what to do!?! Every day we lose another freedom and gain another taxable way of life.
I will store what I can, get off the energy grid and write and ask what do these laws do for me? (And one response I have gotten is “I wrote this law- sorry that we don’t have the same opinion…but its for the good of everyone.”) How do you go on from that?
This has been an awesome website! I began reading this, and every site I can find specifically because of the camps. There are 800 that I know of.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:55 amThe reason why the Americans who know what’s going on don’t stand up and voice ou opinions on the streets of Washington:
Well, unfortunately we are outragiously outnumbered by these ignorant, overly patriotic “Normals” in society who will never believe what’s blatantly obvious. Imagine gathering tens of thousands to march on Washington in defense of our lives & freedoms. It would create mass histeria, people would be gunned down and murdered in the streets by law enforcement while the rest of the nation sits @ home being lied to by the media about why we are there in the first place. They would think ” man those kids are morons & go on eating their poisoned TV dinners.”
Eventually it will happen and it will cause Martial Law, which is what we are stocking up for, whether you know it or not.
Our awesome president has already told us that if we mess around, we can be imprisoned forever without due process.
There is a plan in place & it’s nearly accomplished.
I too wish there was something I could do but I have to trust that God will keep my family and I safe, show us the way. Until then We must all do as much as we can to make sure we hve enough food to feed as many people as we can for as long as possible. People with starving children will come to your door, people will break into your home. My advice is that you move as far away from society as possible & buy weapons & a seemingly endless supply of amunition. Study now with your Internet as much as you can and be prepared!
Everyone thought Noah was nuts too but he survived and was able to save his extended family. I pray that you and yours does as well! God Bless
Hello! I understand this is somewhat off-topic however I needed to ask. Does running a well-established website such as yours take a large amount of work? I’m completely new to operating a blog but I do write in my diary daily. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my experience and thoughts online. Please let me know if you have any kind of suggestions or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!
April 30th, 2011 at 12:28 amIt needs a lot of planning and study. There is a bunch of mental planning. It is nearly like going to university every week.
March 29th, 2012 at 10:38 pm