Subj : Food Storage On A Budget.
LC>to make towards establishing emergency supplies is to have a years supply of
LC>food, which would be available to me with or without use of electricity, I w
LC>wondering if anyone has considered a frugal approach to this via dehydrated
LC>and dried products. Portability is of less concern but should be considered
LC>somewhat in case relocation was necessary.
You'll probably find each person has found they have a special
preference for food storage, so get prepared for a bunch of different
opinions!
For a one year storage, I've decided to simply use regular
canned foods. Easy to buy, cook, its cheap, and I'm used to the taste.
Personally, I feel its a good idea to have at least 3 months supply of
canned food even if you choose something else, so you can switch back
and forth as you're getting used to to the new way of cooking.
On portability, that can present a problem. I used to think I
could simply throw all my stuff in the back of my pickup and boogey,
but I have too much stuff! Unless you're fortunate enough to own
something as big as a school bus, you may find the weight and bulk of
stored food, clothing, and gear to be overwhelming.
The most natural solution to all of this is of course to move
out to some land now. You can store all the stuff you want, cache the
stuff you may not be able to transport at one time, and of course food
storage requirements drop dramatically, as there's no need to harvest
root vegetables until the day you need them, which means you'd need
far less in food supplies.
Guess it all depends on what type of future you're planning for.
Some of us keep a year's supply of food around just so we won't have
to go to town as often. Some are preparing for a depression, some for
natural disasters, some for war. The things you'll be needing will
depend largely on what you're expecting to use them for.
LC>It would seem that dried beans available in grocery stores would be a basic
LC>staple and I am sure that in proper combination they may provide complete
LC>proteins. Powdered milk products would also provide protein and is readily
LC>available. Rice would store indefinitity and while providing no protein
LC>is an excellent carbohydrate. Nuts, raisins, dates, etc, would seem to keep
LC>well if stored properly. Also, use of my home dehydrator is an option.
I too like the idea of beans and rice. We're still not sold on
powdered milk though (matter of taste preference). My wife loves
noodles, which store well. For our preference, we'll probably be going
freeze dried foods for long term storage due to its lighter weight and
fewer demands on storage proceedures.
I like things that are easy to prepare, taste ok, and aren't
expensive. Being the lazy bum I am, I've also chosen to buy most all
of my stuff already sealed. Due to the area in which I live, there is
enough wild vegetation growing around me to supply us with most of our
needs, so my long term storage needs aren't a high priority right now.
Just in case you haven't given it much thought yet, before you
get too involved in food storage, be sure to be 100% sure you have a
good water supply. Food can usually be had without much effort, but
good water is scarce already, and would be even more so in an
emergency.
One good way to make plans is to look at what happened in Rwanda
and Japan. Rwanda's civil war created unsanitary conditions, and
Japan's earthquake left them without everything. I watch the news
clippings and think to myself how I'd react in such a situation.
LC>Now, what I was wondering is this: Considering one of the first moves I want
LC>to make towards establishing emergency supplies is to have a years supply of
LC>food, which would be available to me with or without use of electricity, I
LC>was
LC>wondering if anyone has considered a frugal approach to this via dehydrated
LC>and dried products. Portability is of less concern but should be considered
LC>somewhat in case relocation was necessary.
Well, first of all food is only about third in you needs. If cut off
from civilization completely your #1 priority is water. So conside
haveing a reliable source or a years supply on hand. Then you need
protection from the elements. Clothing, a roof,etc. THEN you will need
food. And yes, dried foods PROPERLY STORED, are a major way to go. I am playing arround with vacume packing as a
means of storage. I understand that a mixture of rice and beans is
enough to sustain a human with very little else needed. I will have
about 100 lbs of each set asside by the middle of this
year. A 100lb bag of rice is relatively cheap. 20lb bags of beans cost
about the same as the 100 lb bag of rice. Of course the canned foods are
a nice suplement to the dried stuff but if you are wondering what to lay
away first my opinion would be with the dried foods first, then wory
about adding the "extras" that makes life more bareable. I hop to have
fresh caught fish and other of natures bounty to add to my dried
supplys.
LC>It would seem that dried beans available in grocery stores would be a basic
LC>staple and I am sure that in proper combination they may provide complete
LC>proteins. Powdered milk products would also provide protein and is readily
LC>available. Rice would store indefinitity and while providing no protein
LC>is an excellent carbohydrate. Nuts, raisins, dates, etc, would seem to keep
LC>well if stored properly. Also, use of my home dehydrator is an option.
All excellent choices. However, storage is a very important point.
Haveing all that stuff doesn't do you much good if when you open it up
you find that bugs have nested in it or the rats have chewed through the
plastic container. I personaly am going the vacume packing route in
glass bottles. The vacume elimenates the bugs and the glass jars are to
hard to eat through.
LC>Hopefully you get the idea. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is
LC>available and easy to start with on this type of program.
If going with vacume packing I are still experimenting with the
best way. Jars like the Ball canning jars work best for vacume packing.
There were some vacume packing machines that were very small and simple
that were manufactured about 2 years ago. They all came with an
atachment to pull a vacume in a ball jar.
Poor Man's Food Storage
Consider $1000 to $2000 dollars a year per person for long term
food storage. MREs are more expensive. I do not know about your
finances, but I am acutely aware that I may never have that much extra
money. Between the NRA, GOA, political activities, telephone and
computer costs, other mandatory equipment, vehicle maintenance, and all
of the incidentals to maintain constant preparedness I consider my money
pre-spent.
Another problem with food storage is a health issue. Some plans do
not offer a balanced diet. MREs offer the poorest balance of vitamins
and minerals of all. An even greater health concern is the change in
diet between your normal fare and a survival diet. An abrupt change in
diet often triggers adverse physiological changes. This is not a good
time to contract a prolonged illness.
There is a practical approach. It will not adversely effect your
health and in the long run will not cost you anything. You may even
save some money.
Any money you save collects interest at a rate below the rate of
inflation. Any money you invest in hard assets appreciates at the rate
of inflation. This will make you money, but only if the assets retain
their value. Food retains its value and increases that value with time.
If you use a can of beans, or peaches, or some other food that can be
stored you use it at the price you paid for it. If you bought it for
$.79 and it currently sell for $.89 you have saved $.10. How would you
like to be drinking coffee you bought last year?
If you increase the amount you spend on food by 10% you will find
that you will soon have more food than you can store. When you have as
much food as you can reasonably use you will find that you have to
reduce the amount of money you are spending. If inflation continues you
will have to reduce your expenditures below the 10% you originally added
to your food budget. Your only problem will be how decide what to do
with the extra money. That is no problem for me, like I said, my money
is pre-spent.
No special skills needed. However, you may have to build some
shelves to hold the food.