Food storage list must haves

[Asher]

For those who want to "stock up", but not fill their house entirely with food (i.e I have no room for 100's of lbs of wheat ;-) ), do you know of any good links or lists for "real people" stock up ideas?

Some off the top of my head would be:
Flour
Rice
Sugar
Salt
Canned tuna

None food products:
Toilet paper
Feminine Hygeine products
Diapers/babywipes if you have children (babywipes I think would be great either way)

Others? Also, what do you feel is the right amount? Again, I saw 100's of lbs of wheat and that was just for two people. We have six. I'd have a basement full of food if I did that. heh Which isn't neccesarily a bad thing if it could be kept dry and animal free (not to mention in date), but not quite realistic economically.

 

[heatherv]

Some off the top of my head would be:
Flour
Rice
Sugar
Salt
Canned tuna

None food products:
Toilet paper
Feminine Hygeine products
Diapers/babywipes if you have children (babywipes I think would be great either way)

I''d add beans to that

 

[yotetrapper]

Get you some 5 gallon buckets with sealable lids for bug and critter proofing. I'd feel comfortable with 2 5 gallon buckets of flour, 1 of sugar, 1 of rice, 5 lbs of salt, and as many canned goods as money and space allow. No need to worry about dates on cans... they'll last indefinitely. Also might want some yeast, although that will need to be rotated to keep it fresh. Baking powder and soda.

 

[ticks]

Canned foods also, spaghetti o's, chef boyardee, etc.

 

[heatherv]

canned foods can be stored in odd places too, like under your bed or couch! Sounds weird! Last night I picked up a bunch of canned store brand spaghettios (my little ones love thse) on sale 3 for $1 (usually .79c) so I bought what was left on the shelf .. would've bought more if there had been anymore.

Also.. i store yeast in the freezer to keep it longer.

I like the 5 gallon bucket idea. We can get them from the bakery for $1.00 per bucket. my mom's work sells lids w/ a seal.... I'd buy those new (with her discount of course).

I've been known to store dry goods in large rubbermaid (or whatever brand) bins that have tight lids. My kitchen table has benches on each side which fit bins under them neatly. Our garage (which is used for storage right now) is very cool, and I've also kept items in bins out there. Not canned goods though b/c the garage gets to freezing temperatures and not sure how canned goods would fair through freezing? When I worked at a candy store, the owner stored dry goods in big garbage cans with tight fitting lids. (sugars, corn, etc)

something else I always have on hand is buillon (helps all those dry goods taste better) and some type of fat/oil (butter, oil, shortening etc)

 

[hoosier]

I would also add peanutbutter.
The five gallon buckets work a treat.

 

[Woodland Woman]

I have read some books and given a lot of thought to stocking up on food for emergencies. I have been doing it for years. First of all buy what you would normally use. What would you do with 100 pounds of wheat? You would need a grinder and the efficient ones run on electricity.

Secondly, figure out how much you normally use. Let's say with a family of 6 you go through 6 cans of tuna a month. The expiration date is 1 year from today. Then you would buy 72 cans of tuna. Don't buy them all at once unless they are on a good sale. Just buy a few extra every time you shop. Try to stock up on things that are easy to prepare.

These are some things I stock up: canola oil, peanut butter, jam, crackers, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned beans, canned chili and tamales, tomato sauce, pasta, salsa, refried beans, juice, coffee, tea, sugar, salt, tuna, canned salmon, canned chicken, rice, instant mashed potatoes, canned milk, soy milk, rice milk, oatmeal, grits, boxed cereal, and different kinds of nuts. Bread making supplies: flour, yeast, etc... (We are on special diets: no artificial colors, artificial flavors, certain preservatives and corn syrup and gluten free). If anyone is on a special diet make sure you have food they can eat.

Third, make sure you have a place to store everything. I keep most of my canned and boxed goods in a storage pantry in the basement. I use rubbermaid tubs stacked up also. They are excellent for rice, dried beans, sugar and flours.

Fourth, make sure you have a way of cooking food. A wood stove or propane camping stove would work.

Lastly, as you slowly purchase food to stock up make sure you pay attention to expiration dates and rotate. A couple times a year I go through everything and donate to a food pantry if I have too much to use up before it expires. I save a lot of money buying food on sale this way too. Some stores will give you a discount for buying a case.

 

[Beekissed]

What would you do with 100 pounds of wheat?

Plant more wheat?

Don't forget to save vegetable seeds in your emergency kits. And a generator!

Is this for in case of a world changing disaster, a local disaster like floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, or just for?

I was just blessed with #30 tins of red turkey wheat that someone had sealed for Y2K! And an electric grinder. Makes the best bread ever! I would think, that no longer than it takes to grind the wheat, (and considering how expensive the hand grinders are)one could use your generator for the time it takes to grind your wheat. If you don't have a generator, one can grind their wheat the old fashioned way, mortar and pestle! Yeah, it takes longer but, you'll have the time...all systems will be down and surviving will be first priority.

I would say the oils, spices, grain, seeds, fuel, hand tools, guns, ammo, are pretty important. The rest you can obtain on your own, if it came to absolute survival.

If this is for power outages caused by local disasters, then I would go with your lists as above!

 

[Woodland Woman]

This plan is pretty much for power outages or disasters that interrupt access to stores like hurricane Katrina. And this is for emergency food supplies, not sustaining yourself for a long period of time. That would include seeds and livestock among other things. That's a whole other deep topic!

 

[ticks]

Thankfully in Vermont there is not many natural disasters.