What I am interesting is learning about is long term food storage, as well as water too. Today it is very windy around here and a very large maple tree was blown down across the driveway... missed the house and truck, but the driveway was blocked. At least I was prepared with a good pro Stihl chainsaw and chaps and was able to get the driveway cleared. Now got some good maple firewood to add to the alder, fir and oak. Have a generator but like I mentioned want to learn more about long time food storage... just in case.
The easiest way to 'set it and forget it' in food storage is to start with some sort of commercially available dehydrated foods. Of all the kinds I've tried over the years, I've settled on Mountain House. The #10 (large coffee can) are nitrogen packed and have a shelf life of 30 - 40 years if stored well. Take a look here Safecastle - 30-Year Cans and then ask JC Refuge (here on this site) if he has any package deals or promotions coming up. Water: a lot of options depending on how close you live to some. If you are on city water and the nearest source that you could pull from and purify is over a mile away, I'd think about starting to pick up 5 Gallon (like Earth2O) bottles and stocking them away. Need a little bit more about your living situation... Of course, the best way to have food and water is to grow/can your own and have a well or stream with the means to clean the water. Welcome to the Monkey. I'm also in the NW.
...I was just thinking about that just now after reading a post here on Monkey of a guy that butchered his own pork and smoked using maple. I have at least 10 cords of wood on hand so can save the maple for food prep. I also keep a bunch of apple and cherry that I used through out the years smoking baby back ribs.
Thanks Melbo. I do have food and water on hand to easily last a couple of months. Also fuel for a generator for a few weeks anyway. Self defense concerns are covered, no problems there. Have first aid and meds on hand, but would like to have some additional for longer term like blood pressure and other non-narcotics stuff. Do grow fruits and vegetables and recently have put in a larger garden. Have picked up some canning supplies and want to start canning, we did this a lot as a kid so am comfortable doing so. I have been brewing for a couple of decades so have some beer and wine on hand is not a problem either.
...oh and a thought about the long term dehydrated food. My concern is getting enough calories in a day... it seems like a lot of the dehydrated food have a low calorie count per serving. I plan to research what others are doing to supplement in adding additional calories.
Rice stores very well, when packed in sealed containers and flooded with Nitrogen Gas just before sealing. Same with most un-cracked Grains. These are very good Long Life High Carb foodstuffs. Bruce in alaska <BTPost>
Thanks Bruce... I do have a few large different types of rice stored in a rubber maid box that we actually use but I replace when needed. I thought of sealing some stuff in nitrogen for long term storage but need to learn how to do this. Today on the news we learned that the PNW was actually colder today than Barrow, Alaska. Geez.
Yep, Momma is down in Seattle this week, and says it is just like home.... snow & cold.... she is coming home on Friday, from the GrandKid trip...
