Most folks would agree—the
economy really sucks. Sorry—there’s just
no better way to say it.
It is at times like this
that we see more people out there coming to the realization that crisis
preparedness does indeed make a lot of sense … that having extra food,
supplies, household products, and savings to draw upon can really soften the
blow of an unexpected downturn in fortune or circumstance.
At this point in the game,
it may not be as easy as it would have been a few years ago when there was more
disposable income to be had. But the rules say you have to play the hand that
you are dealt. If you want to stay in the game, then you need to be determined,
resilient, and optimistic. And that means you start getting serious about preparedness because unfortunately,
the future is not going to be any brighter for a long time. What you can be
optimistic about is that you and yours are going to be just fine, since you are
planning ahead.
Food in the Pantry is Priority #1
The number one priority for
most beginners in preparedness is to get an adequate supply of food laid
away—food that will not expire in the near-term and that will store well
without refrigeration.
Let’s assume you are looking
to do some prepping right now, with a limited budget. If that is the case, then
my recommendation is that you determine what you can afford to spare every week
toward a modest, systematic food
acquisition effort.
1. 1. Use that
budgetary allotment you set—don’t use credit if you can’t afford to or if you
are feeling a sudden panic. The fear will pass. The need to prepare and to pay
your bills and meet all your normal obligations will go on and on.
2. 2. It’s cliché, but
there’s a lot of truth to this: “Store what you eat, eat what you store.” That
means, store the kind of food that you are used to eating. If you eat a lot of
rice and beans, then you can put away a lot of storage food quite cheaply. If
you are like most Americans, you are used to eating entrees, meats, greens,
fruits, and many types of processed foods, so you would be best served storing
similar foods that you will know how to prepare and you and your family will
enjoy eating. The second part of that wise adage refers to rotating your food
so that you do not let it spoil. Common sense.
3. 3. Canned foods are
an excellent choice for beginning food storage programs. Even wet-pack canned
foods will generally store for years (acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus
will go bad within about a year).
4. 4. Dry foods are
great for storage, but if you want to store bulk foods like rice, beans, pasta,
grains, etc., for any length of time, then you either need to rotate your food
into your diet to keep it relatively fresh, or you want to repack those items
(typically purchased in 40-50 pound bags) into food-grade buckets, using mylar
bags and oxygen absorbers. Doing so can double or triple your shelf life, so
you can buy in bulk and store your food well without feeling the pressure to
keep rotating those foods continuously.
5. 5. If longer
shelf-life is important to you and you want food that is the type of food you
are used to eating, then find a reputable online storage food dealer and
purchase well-established brands and food varieties that your family will
enjoy. Food brands such as Mountain House freeze dried foods have been doing what they
do for many decades, and their freeze-dried entrees are certified to store for
several decades. So that’s a unique kind of peace of mind you acquire with
storage food such as that.
6. 6. Keep your food of
all kinds in cool, dry conditions to maximize shelf-life. Don’t expose your
storage food to high heat or dramatic swings in temperature—especially freezing
and thawing.
7. 7. Buy your storage
food on sale and use coupons when possible.
8. 8. Supplementing
your food storage program with home-grown foods can be economical—but don’t
think it will be easy. A productive garden requires, work and over time, your
acquired knowledge will improve your results. At harvest time, you’ll have some
great fresh food to enjoy on the dinner table, but you’ll want to can, freeze,
or dehydrate most of the bounty. Each of those approaches to food preservation
can be rewarding and economical.
9. 9. Many people are
confused by what a serving means. Disregard serving counts. To get a real sense
of how much food you are storing, you need to calculate calories. Figure 2000
calories per adult daily. That is less than what Americans are accustomed to
eating, but it is a healthy level and will keep you alive for a good long
while, assuming your diet is nutritious and well-balanced.
By Vic Rantala.
Vic Rantala is the owner of Safecastle
LLC and is a leading crisis preparedness provider of emergency storage food such as
Mountain House freeze dried foods, Safecastle steel-plate shelters and
saferooms, and other unique survival gear
solutions.
Thanks go out to my friend Vic for a timely and
informative article.
Thanks Vic.
Staying above the water
line!
Riverwalker
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