Long Term Food Storage

Once we have a cupboard full of food and some prepackaged food to take on the move, then we can move on to long term storage planning. This would be food which is packaged and able to store for twenty or more years.

Why would we need food to last this long? Think of it as ‘buy and forget’. Hopefully you can build a stockpile of these types of foods and forget about it until you need it. This way no matter what comes you have something to turn to. Maybe you lose a job and are completely broke, you still can put something on the table for the children to eat. Even if you have burned through all the other food you have. Remember we are planning for all kinds of emergencies not just the end of the world!

These types of stored food are expensive so be prepared for the sticker shock before you start looking for items to buy! Unless you package the food yourself, which is a post for a different day, you are going to pay in order to have food which last so long. To counter the shock of seeing the price start small, buy just one can a month focus on what is on sale. After twelve months hopefully you are in a better position to spend a bit more.

Start with items on sale. Most of the sales you will find are hit and miss. Try to focus on things you need for an extended situation, things high in protein, fruits, vegetables and staples. If you are to a point where you have to use your long term storage, things are bad. You are going to want to keep people full and healthy till the situation changes.

Focus on sales of items which “put meat on your bones” and items you cannot get in the local area. Canned meats are the most expensive but you are going to want your children to eat protein to stay healthy. Fruits and vegetables you cannot find locally will give you diversity in your meals and go a long way in keeping people healthy. Almost anything you eat regularly can be found in large #10 cans.

Why #10 cans? Because most have at least a pound or more of food stuff inside, the cans are sturdy and if stored properly will last the 30 years or whatever the length of time the company claims. They also let you adjust the amounts used to your needs.
These cans take up space and you need somewhere to store them. If you are thinking you will simply buy a year supply and been done with it you will have to have the space for all the cans. When you look for a space the same rules apply to these cans as apply to the smaller ones; a cool, dry, dark place, a place rodents and other pest cannot get to. If you are storing the cans in a garage or other area, place them off the floor and away from the side of the area which gets the most sunlight. This would be the north side of buildings for those of us in the northern hemisphere. By keeping them off the floor you cut down on flooding or moisture collecting on the can. Moisture brings rust and rust ruins food. The side away from the sun stays cooler and the temperature does not fluctuate as much as the sun exposed side.

The longest lasting types of #10 cans are the ones packed with dehydrated food. You can also buy none dehydrated food in #10 cans at most big box stores and at some grocery stores. These might not last as long as the dehydrated types. What they will do is allow you to increase your food storage and give you more selection of items. If you have a big family this might be something you want to put into practice every day and not just during a bad day.

Again, try starting off with items on sale. Start with items you cannot easily get in the local area. Move onto staples which will allow you to make different things. After these you might be surprised in what you can find packaged in cans!!!! (I have found the company Auguason Farms to have the best deals. No I do not get anything for promoting them!)

When you start on this project do not forget the most important item you will need........ a can opener!!!!

As Always,
Stay Safe

Prepackaged Emergency Foods

As we gather and stockpile food stuffs in our home we will get to a level of preparedness where we are ready to add another layer to our abilities. Each of us will reach this at a different pace and for this reason no set “must have” mile marker is suggested. Maybe you live in a very small flat; you have stocked up on what you eat every day, along with staple food items and have reached your goal of food stuff. This could be three days’ worth of food, one week or even a months’ worth of food. Each of our situations is different and we are customizing to each of our situations.

The next layer or tier to your food preparedness is suggested to be mobile food sources. These are items you can quickly pack, already have packed, grab and go. This gives you the ability to move quickly, save space and still have food with you if the situation you find yourself in causes you to leave your home. Fire, floods, earthquakes and other issues are reasons you might have to leave your home and cannot carry with you all the food items you have stored away. With these items you can move when needed; although not the ideal situation, your family will not go hungry.

Of course if you have to move weight becomes a major issue. You can only carry so much food. Your husband, wife, children and pets can only carry so much. Especially if you consider all the other items you need if you are forced to become a refugee! Are you going to carry ten pounds of rice or ten gallons of water, change of clothing for you and the children or fifteen cans of green beans, taking a tent to shelter in or meat for the children to eat? All of these can become life changing decisions if you are in this situation. Having prepackaged foods can go a long way in this situation. Any of the items we are going to discuss here are expensive and this needs to be factored in when planning for this level of readiness.

MREs are always brought into the conversation when mobile food sources are brought up. They are a quick solution to the issue. Having eaten these for days on end……. MREs get old really fast! There are only so many types and everyone is not going to like every type of meal. The upside to them is one meal has enough calories to keep you alive for one day, the have a variety of food items and if you buy the right type you can have a hot meal at a time you probably really need one. The military and civilian versions are not that different and there are types for every food preference.

Prepackaged containers or ‘buckets’ are another option. Most of these come in some kind of container for easy of carrying. The majority of these containers are not designed for carrying the food any great distance by hand. If you choose to purchase these types of portable food make sure you read the packaging carefully. Unlike an MRE some of these meals require water to be added in order to prepare the food for eating. Serving sizes also very greatly from one company to the next with most hovering around a 1 cup serving size. This could be far less than you might think the serving should be.

Along with these types of meals backpacking meals are also an option. Some of these can be eaten right out of the bag without water. Most have the same concerns as the prepackaged “emergency” meals, serving size and the need for water. On the plus side when using backpacking meals; they come in a wide variety of meal types and they lack the weight of MREs. You can even find ice cream and other desserts if you shop around!!!!

Another option is emergency ration bars. These are ‘bricks’ of food used aboard life boats. If you decide to buy these try and find ones approved by the Coast Guard because they have the most nutrient value in almost every case. You will often see these as items in survival kits which state they will keep you and others alive for days at a time…………….. yes these can keep you alive. One word of caution, they taste like cardboard and in most cases are not pleasing to the pallet!!!! You can live off of these food rations but you will not enjoy eating them for days at a time. A suggestion would be to have these rations as a last resort, the finally line between your family and starvation.

One thing we can do with all of these items which is seldom discussed is to give them away. If you are in a situation where you are at home, have other food stuff and are not in fear of starving or going without having these items on hand can solve a problem. “What do you do when the neighbors ask for food? What do you do when you see other people’s children going without? One answer can be to give them any of these items. I know some people say they will never give anything to anyone during an emergency and I would say you have never seen a child really going hungry!!!

If you do not want to be charitable, what about using these items for trade? During an emergency people are not going to want to be paid in money, checks or by credit card not if they are hungry right now and do not have access to food. Food will be a far greater priority then the check they might be able to put in the bank later. What if you need something done or an item you do not have and you can pay for the service or item by trading someone a prepackaged meal?

Think of this tier as giving you more options. If you can, buy some of each type of prepackaged food to give you more flexibility in your response to situations. Should you have to leave do not think you can only bring these sorts of food items with you. If you have the ability bring ALL your food with you!!

As Always,
Stay Safe

Reality of Government help.

Over the course of time I have had conversations with people who believe the government, primarily first responders will be there when something happens, this gives them a reason to not take any steps to prepare on their own. A few quick searches on the internet should be enough for most of us to understand this is not always the case. For those of us in areas where the government, at any level, does not provide for first responders you already understand this.

Let's say the tornado or storm rips through your area, luckily no one you care for needs immediate assistance from the first responders. What do they do? They move on to people who do need their assistance. What else can you expect from the first responders? Simply getting on the web and doing a search will tell you in the agencies own words what most people do not want to consider, you are on your own for a while:

From the FEMA website, I highlighted the relevant section

"BUILD A KIT

A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.

Try to assemble your kit well in advance of an emergency. You may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and take essentials with you. You will probably not have time to search for the supplies you need or shop for them.

You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least 72 hours. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours or it might take days.

Additionally, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment and telephones may be cut off for days or even a week, or longer. Your supplies kit should contain items to help you manage during these outages."
http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

In some literature this time period has been upped to as many as five days!!! The government is telling you what to expect from them. The minimum amount of time you can expect before the government even claims to be able to help you. And the time frame when you can not get upset by the lack of 'help'. Agencies people think they are going to count on in their time of need are already giving you the reasons why they will not be there to help you and your loved ones BEFORE anything has even happened!

Let that idea sink in for a minute………. What if your health insurance provider told you the same thing? “Sorry we will not be able to assist you for at least three days. Yes we understand you broke your arm but you have to take care of it for three days before we can even claim to be ready to help you.” If you could odds are you would change your provider, right? For us we have a choice and change our “provider” for emergencies. We can change the provider to ourselves! This way we do not become another statistic on a spread sheet somewhere in a government office.

Now to be fair to the government workers out there, they have to follow rules and at times those rules do not allow them to do what needs to be done in a timely manner. The guy in the warehouse cannot let supplies go until his supervisor tells him to and the proper form is filled out. Why? Because she/he does not want to lose their job when everything is said and done. They have family to feed also. Their supervisor won’t fill out the form or tell them to release supplies from the warehouse until their manager tells them it is alright and they present the supervisor with the proper form. Of course the manager will not tell them to release the supplies until the executive level person above them is told all of the factors revolving around the present situation have been taken into account, along with any mitigating circumstances the manager may not be aware of have been brought into the conversation and only after all concerns have been address in the committee meeting, at which a joint decision will be reached in regard to the appropriate response the agency should deploy in order to properly assist with, in keeping with the mandates of the agency and maintaining a positive impression with the laws regulating the response of the agency to the situation which might or might not require a response from the agency. Of course none of this can take place until such time as the director of the agency has been directed to formulate a response to the crisis by the chief executive officer overseeing the agencies delegated with the responsibility to respond to situations which they have been organized to provide, if required, responses to. If you are confused after reading all that try working in an environment where all of this makes sense!

Logistical the response you can expect from any agency is going to be slower than what you might think it should be if you are the one needing assistance. Especially if you are a parent and are forced to watch your children while they suffer. Trucks only drive so fast, planes can only fly so fast and lines only move so fast. Some issues simply cannot be changed by wishing they were different. In any situation supplies along with aid have to come from some area outside the affected area. The larger the incident the further away the aid has to come from.

Reality check!!! When the people bringing the aid are deciding where the aid goes first they do not care about you! Your family is not the first people on their list to help no matter the situation. In large scale incidents the people directing the response do not see individual people; they look at the larger picture. If they can deliver water to a hundred people by driving the truck past your house they are going to. They are thinking about larger numbers of people and in the end five is a smaller group to lose than 100. Sorry this is the reality of the situation. Sure they would love to be able to help everyone but it would be impossible to give each person involved this level of personal care. Aid workers have to deal with large groups of people only in smaller scale scenarios could you ever hope for the personal level of service most people want during large scale emergencies.

Given the agencies flat out tell you, you are on your own for several days we should think of any aid as supplementing what we have already set aside. If we believe the cavalry is going to come over the hill and save the day we have only ourselves to blame when we are hungry, homeless and desperate! Never count on others to take care of you and your family. You have to take care of yourselves first and foremost.

Any time a disaster happens there are good people in the government working hard to bring aid to those people in need. These people must wait for the red tape to be taken care of before they can do anything which might help. After the red tape is dealt with they have to deal with logistics. Something they can do very little about at the end of the day. Physics dictate how fast supplies can be moved and not governments. When planning we must take into account this reality, we must provide ourselves with the supplies and skill sets to survive until help can supplement what we have already provided ourselves with.

As Always,

Stay Safe!

Food storage - whats in the can?

Working in layers or tiers we need to build up our stockpiles. Why? Because most of us can afford to only spend a small amount on planning each month. Once we have put some staples in the house we need to think about adding some canned goods to what we have on hand.

Can goods can last a very long time, if you properly inspect them before purchase and if you store them properly. Once you start looking at canned goods you might be surprised to see what comes in a can now days.

The first thing to do with any can is check if the can is dented, deformed, rusted or any other issue which does not make it the perfect can. These are all signs of the food in side of the can not being edible. Bulging cans are absolutely not something you want to buy. We need cans with nothing which might compromise the seal of the can. The next thing to check is the date. The date is when the food inside of the can starts to lose nutritional value. From that date forward the company is saying the food is degrading. This does not mean the food is not edible, it does mean the food is not the same as the day it was put in the can.

When selecting cans try to replicate what you eat on a regular basis. You can easily find precooked meals in cans which are a plus during a bad day. Toss a couple cans of chili in a pot and feed everyone quickly. You can also find ingredients inside cans to make different meals with. Of course having the meal already made in the can cuts down on the number of cans you have to buy.

Buy things which are good for you. During an emergency, be it a lost job or natural disaster you want to keep everyone's health as high as possible. With the proper nutrition your body can fight off dieses and infection. You can perform more physical labor if need be and believe it or not, eating good food keeps you mentally clear and in better spirits. If you are in a truly bad situation eating good for you food can help your body last longer than filling yourself with chips and soda all day.

Vegetables should be one of the first things you look for in canned goods. There are a host of options in this category and you should look for items your family already eats. This will help with keeping things as close to normal as you can, get it…. CAN!!! A good suggestion is to focus on buying mixed vegetables to start, especially if you are on a tight budget. This gives you the most variety. If you have a picky eater they can take out what vegetable they do not like. Once you have a couple cans of mixed vegetables focus on getting a variety. We do not want to have to eat the same thing every day.

Fruit can also be found in cans. Almost any fruit you can think of is found in a can. Start with a couple cans of fruit salad for the same reason we have mixed vegetables. Most cans of fruit are also filled with syrup and water all of which can be used to increase the amount of calories your family is taking in. During an emergency you should never count calories in a negative light. Be happy you have the ability to put those calories into your families’ stomach! Syrup from a can of peaches can be poured over rice to give the rice some flavor other than “rice flavor” and increase the odds of people eating the rice for yet another meal!!! By a variety of fruit and focus on what your group will eat. I have someone who likes strawberries; a few extra cans were bought just for this person.

Protein is essential and cans are the easiest way to store meat. Start with some basic protein, SPAM is a good example. A couple of cans of SPAM can be put away and then added to all sorts of meals to ensure your family is getting protein. Ham, turkey, fish and all kinds of other protein can be found in cans. Be careful of the price!!!! Meat in a can of any type can get expensive!!! Store meat this way is especially easy if you have no idea how to smoke meat or know any other way of preserving meat.

If you have some staples in the house another category of canned goods to look for are items to enhance your staples. Spaghetti noodles can be eaten alone yet are so much more appetizing if you cover them with sauce. A good suggestion is to buy several types of sauce to give you variety in what you are feeding the family. Tomato sauce and other ingredients can be found to add to staples.

Look for items on sale and pick up what is on sale. There always seems to be sales on soups and other items when I go to the store. Plan on spending a extra two to five dollars when you shop every week. If you pick up a can a week only you will be working toward being able to feed your family one more meal and this might make all the difference. One can of chili, macaroni and cheese might be all you need to get through until the situation changes for the better.

Spending some time at the dollar store is good idea when you start to look for canned goods. You will be surprised when you can find the same item there for a dollar which you seen at the grocery store for two or three dollars! Buy some cans, mark the date on them you bought them and find a box or bin to hold them in. After a month or two of just buying one or two cans each trip to the store you will be surprised how many cans you have put away.

As Always,
Stay Safe