Food supply

I don't know a lot about food storage other than what I find on the bottom of the can. but I've been trying to get some emergency food together. Here's what I've got so far. This is only the stuff in my "supply closet" not my pantry.

6 MRE’s
4 Lb rice
4 Lb mixed beans
5 boxes of pasta/Mac & cheese
22 canned goods 5 meat/5 soup/12 vegetable
2 Ld Quick oats
4 Lb salt
4 Lb sugar
5 Lb All purpose Flour
3 Pt Vegetable oil

I'm trying to add a few things every time I go shopping. Next up is honey, peanut butter and probably some canned fruit
i have no idea how long this food would actually last me.

 

good start, I'm a little rice heavy Dry foods require water and cooking energy, canned stuff with its own liquid that can be eaten cold is better...

commercially canned (supermarket) goods generally have a two year shelf life; However that is the shelf life to maintain original vitamin content. I have this argument with the wife:" IMHO just because the vitamin content may drop off from fresh doesn't make it worthless. I'd rather have a two year old can of rather tasteless beanie-weanies than nothing at all if kali drops into the ocean and wear living off of scrounged beefaroni up in wisconsin...

 

First I'd just like to say that out of curiosity i "attempted" to eat a Fudge Brownie out of one of my MRE's. I can honestly say it it was one of the worst things I've ever eaten. It was like eating grated cardboard flavred with old cheep coco powder with 0% moisture content and a bad after taste.

On another note I picked up two bukets with lids today and i'm looking into options for storing food in them. I'm thinking rice and coarnmeal.

I'm also picking up 5 more MRE's and about 20 more canned goods. Also another 2 packs of bottled water and watter treatment tablits.

 

Tried the rtv rubber frisbee scrambled eggs yet???Blechh... Its no wonder each came with the cute little tobasco bottle. you quiclky learn that's what the expanding knee pocket was for on the bdu's ( tobasco.)
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I'm looking for wheat now, several bulk sellers online. but its expensive. from what i've read figure 150lbs/person/year( $400 for two adults online).it can be ground into flour, soaked over night to sprout green edible sprouts (whoich convert some of the starch to sugar too), or itcan be planted like any other grass and raise your own, "They" say wheat found stored in the pyramids was perfectly edible/viable.
Our Sam's has 40lb bags of rice...and 50lb bags flour,they'll fit in a 5gallon bucket with some room for beans , yeast other things. don't forget spices, oils and bullion)
peanut butter is a good item lots of calories from fats and oils and doesn't need to be cooked or refridgeration once opened.

I get overwhelmed easily ... Its best for me to think about what a weeks worth lookslike , than two, than three, pretty soon weeks turn into months.

 

Ramen Noodles. Cheap/easy.

 

Ramen Noodles = fried in oil which may go rancid in two or three years, and the 'flavor packet' is loaded with MSG and other chemical preservatives. Okay once in awhile, but not as a long term survival food.

MREs are very dense, and good as 'travel food' if bugging out. Good for camping. Not good as a constant menu item. Stock some constipation meds if you do....... Those brownies were known as "John Wayne Bars" - makes you walk like the Duke......

Rice and beans are a fairly complete meal, but can be very boring. Stock some variety. Green peas and lentils are really good, as they don't require the long soaking that other dried beans require. You can mix the peas or lentils with rice in storage, then just add water and cook later.

I like canned goods - most are precooked and can be eaten cold from the can - especially Chef Boy Ardee stuff!

Look into the various "Ready To Eat" rice meals in packets too - I do like to add a bit of water to prevent them sticking to the bottom of the pan when heating. They can be eaten cold from the pouch ("Poor Man's MRE") but taste better heated. Adding a pouched meat is good too! The rice pouches will store a good year or better. Tastes a bit 'processed' but not at all bad.

Peanut butter is good stuff - I prefer the Natural varieties - I avoid those with Canola Oil - bad stuff! The Natural is no more expensive, tastes good and does not require refridgeration. Pancake syrup does not need refridgeration either. Mixed together, Peanut butter and syrup make a high-energy food that will get you by. Good for travelling or camping.

I store powdered milk too - mostly for cooking, as I haven't found a variety that truly tastes like 'real' milk to drink. Makes good coffee creamer.

Pasta is fairly cheap and can store well - best in a can or heavy grade plastic bottle. The sharp ends can puncture plastic bags.

Fish oil is a good nutrient - I like canned Sardines, Smoked Oysters and Smoked Kippers (herring). Tuna is a good source of Omega 3 oils too, as is Salmon. All will store for years.

Store some multi-vitamins, or whatever vitamins and other supplements you find usefull. I am using Vitamin C, D,and E and the Chondroiten/Glucosimine supplements for my joints. These will help fortify your system vs. the Mexican Flu too, as well as other illnesses.

I use unused (NEW) 'paint cans' from the hardware stores to store dry foods - if they have the non-food grade gray lining, just use a plastic bag inside the can. The food grade cans have a gold lining, and need no plastic added. Pop in an oxygen absorber, the stuff will keep for years.
DO NOT use an O2 absorber for salt or sugar - it'll harden into a brick.

 

Hey Tango, here is a LDS site that is a bit cheaper. It is their open to the public mail order site. What they have available here is nothing compared to what you can get at their distribution center/warehouses, but their non members have to put in a days work packing orders to be able to buy for themselves... not a bad deal considering the low prices. It works out to $324 for 12 cases of 6 each #10 cans ... each case about 33 lbs of wheat total.

this is the website for the Mormons online store. Not nearly as much as the LDS's regional warehouses have but what they do offer is very cheap and with free shipping.

http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10151&categoryId=10002&langId=-1&cg1=14087&cg2=&cg3=&cg4=&cg5=

 

here's a calculator on how much food you will need for what ever amount of people you have for 1 year. i think i might have gotten it from this website or maybe not i don't know but it's helpfull for sure.


http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm

 

i just read the packets of ramen noodles and i didn't see any preservatives or artificial flavors it seems to be all natural ingredients so i think they would have a very long shelf life if kept dry that is. you might wanna invest in some of them space bags that you can vacume seal cloths in and just load them up with food and vacume it out and store them.

 

i figured they would be good heck billy mays said they was grreat.

 

Don't forget the Mountain House stuff. JCrefuge sells it here. I can't speak from personal experience, but some here really like it and the shelf life is incredible. I keep telling myself I am gonna get a can to try when I walk by their table at the gun show.

Oh yeah, and I think JC's website has Yoder's Canned meat. Bacon...In a CAn!

 

Just a little input and a few plugs here.... hopefully I don't incur the wrath of the moderators.
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I subscribe to Backwoods Home Magazine. If you haven't read it, I suggest you find a copy somewhere and decide for yourself if you need to subscribe. The wealth of good information is amazing. I have been a subsciber for over 16 years. One of their regular contributing writers is "Jackie Clay" her column, much of which is archived at www.backwoodshome.com can be accessed for free. She also has a new book out available thru BWH called "Growing and Canning your own Food". IMHO my BWH back issues, anthologies, and downloaded info from this source are some of my most precious items in my post SHTF library. Check out Backwoods Home Magazine online or hard copy.

 

I like the Mountain House freeze-dried foods, especially for camping. But, they aren't to everyone's taste. Best to buy a single-meal pouch of several flavors from WalMart or a good sporting goods/camping store, and try them first. Then, you can order the #10 cans of the ones you like from the online vendors.
I keep a bunch of the pouches in a plastic storage tote in my house (away from pesky meeces...) - they store well for a few years, up to five I think, while the cans will store for 20 years if kept cool & dry.

 

I will definately 2nd Backwoods Home as a great magazine for people who want to be self reilant. Jackie Clays articles and information is golden, she has info on food storage, to gardening to raising and slautering animals.

I purchased their anthologies and they also are a part of my library

 

Curious about Freeze / Thaw issues with canned Non-dry goods. Our remote cabin is not heated when we are not there. Even though is is passive solar it may still get quite cold during the winter...

I was wondering if any of you had direct experience with canned goods, chili, soups, veggies etc . That have seen this freeze Thaw cycle...do the cans stay intact...does it turn the food to mush...other ??? issues.

Our goal is to lay up a variety of supplies, in addition to basic dried beans, rice etc....A can of Corned beef Hash...after a week of dried beans would be a great treat eh?

 

Do you have electric available at the cabin, and turned on 24/7-365? if so, I would consider insulating a closet to turn into a 24/7-365 pantry. tight door with weatherstripping and all. one 100 watt light bulb burning 24/7-365 should not bankrupt you and if the closet is insulated no way should it drop below 32 degrees. just a suggestion.

 

Off grid...have small Solar set up...110 ah battery 80 watt panel...we run LEDs for light...we also run the kerosene lights when we are there...we like the warmer glow...heat is woodstove

 

sorry, other than super insulating an interior space, at least 10 inches walls, ceiling. and floor to R-38 and storing food there, I have no answer for you.