How To Start A Food Storage Program

[Cheryl Nelson]

Storage food is food that has a longer-than-normal shelf life.  It is usually grains still in their original shells/hulls (like Hard Red Winter Wheat or oat groats) and dehydrated or freeze dried.  Olive oil and honey have natural long shelf lives.  Does that mean you have to invest big bucks into Mountain House or other long-term-survival-food products?  No.  There is plenty you can get at your local supermarket and lengthen its shelf life yourself (such as placing in plastic buckets with oxygen absorbers).

There are other foods that you can get your local markets to order if they don't stock it or order from Walton Feed or beprepared.com or other suppliers:  large bags or pails of wheat (hard red winter and spring), honey (super-long shelf life), and other grains. 

Here is a list of long-shelf-life food items available at places such as Wal-Mart or your local supermarket:

Milk, powdered

Potato, flakes

Pasta, all (including Ramen noodles)

Macaroni & Cheese (contains powdered cheese)

Rice, white

Flour

Corn meal

Grits

Oatmeal

Sugar, white

Oil, olive

Peanut butter

Jellies, Jams, Preserves

Beans, dry, various

Vegetables, canned

Meats & fish, canned

Meats, jerky (you can also make your own)

Fruits, canned

Jello

Puddings

Baking items:  baking soda, baking powder

Salt

Boullion cubes

Gravy mixes

Cake mixes

Spices

Hot chocolate, tea, coffee

Drink mixes (Tang, Lemonade, Powdered Tea)

Popcorn (cheap filler / bulk)

Note:  You can get larger sacks of things like flour, sugar, popcorn, etc. at "big box" stores like Sam's, Costco, etc.  Many grocery stores that cater to a Hispanic population usually carries 50-lb. sacks of pinto beans.

 

Prepare menus for one week. Make your menus from long-term-storage food.  Look at every ingredient you will need to make those meals.  Prepare a list from the ingredients.  That's what you should have on hand for one week.  Now, start collecting those ingredients until you have a week's worth.  (Take into account some things like boullion, salt, sugar, oil, etc. will last longer than a week, so your first week will be higher in cost.)  Now, work on your second week's worth of food. Keep doing this until you have as much as you decide you need.

You can also grow or buy fruits and vegetables in season and dehydrate them inexpensively then vacuum ziploc them for long-term-storage.  You can "can" your own butter, cakes, jello, hamburger easily.  See www.endtimesreport.com (Manna Meals). 

Also consider inexpensive barter items such as salt, tea, coffee, ramen, hygiene items, tobacco, etc.  Use these to exchange for other things that you need. 

Add to this list in the comments below.  And check out http://www.antsinyourpantry.com for more information about shelf life, preservation methods, recipes from storage food, and more.  And check out this link http://endtimesreport.com/food.html for more basic information; www.endtimesreport.com contains a wealth of information on self-sufficiency so bookmark it.

[Cheryl Nelson]

Ronnie, LOL, I just had a dream about eating a large bug last night.  It had huge wings and it was fried.  I kept looking at it like, "Do I really want to eat this?" 

[RLP]

LOL! Well. you all were certainly not short of answers! I don't know about the spam tho.....although I might pick spam over eating bugs! LOL!

I guess all these packaged foods are pretty much the same. Yes, I know canned goods can last a while, and I have a bit of water too...but since I bought the original surplus, have been chipping away at it for five years now and need to replenish quickly.

All kidding aside tho - if anyone is NOT prepared, you better get your tails moving FAST! If there is any chance of surface people surviving this, providing you are in a basically 'safe' place....time is cutting it close now. That thing is on top of us and we are not far from it going perihelion!! Get moving guys, if you have been on the fence!!

Thanks for the info and love to all!~

[Jim Balister]

Cheryl, I put rice in 5# mylar bags and throw in about several 2000 O2 packets then seal the bag.  It shrinks so tight you can see the rice.   And once the packet is useless the bag is still sealed tight.

[Cheryl Nelson]

Thanks, Carolyn.  I'll add it to my supplies.

And, Jim, thanks for sharing that Treat is less salty.  That is good to know.  As time is running out, having something is better than having nothing.  True that O2 destroys food.  However, in case you don't know, the O2 packets that are thrown into the bulk foods have a shelf life on them, so if purchasing them, make sure they are still good.

[Jim Balister]

Cheryl, I buy Treat by the case.  It is less salty then spam and last just as long cause it is tightly packed.  The experts at LDS found out that it is oxygen that destroys food.  So vacuum packing is good to do.

[Cheryl Nelson]

They have pink himalayan at walmart now.

[Kim B]

The unprocessed salt is healthier. I go buy it at my local health food store

[Kim B]

Lol Jim!

[Kim B]

Wheat is out for me. Allergic. So is dairy none of that either.

[Cheryl Nelson]

Nice to see you again, Jim!  What did you do with your pasta that went bitter?  I have wheat that is 18 years old.  Half was thrown out because the seams on the metal cans started rusting on the outside.