Prepping

[Wrangler]

I'm working at rebuilding my home food inventory. Were up to 90 days of edible food. Good for our family only. Next step is 120,180,270 365.
How many do the 2x what ya eat and then and dried foods as an extra safety margin?
I had 1 years before but moved out of states and sold it all.

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[erudne]

I think dried beans and rice is a good starting place, it is inexpensive, lasts for years and will keep you healthy for months, you will also want some sort of fat or veg.oil various flavoring agents and some multi-vitamins figure 50 pounds per month @4 PPL or a combined amount of 600 pounds per year. Dried Mung beans are shipped in from China, I special orded some in through Cash and Carry, IIRC it was about $1.50 a pound, you use them for sprouts, they are loaded with nutrients and give you a salad type entree.
These products will extend your current supplys and possibably give you some tradeing stock that won't have PPL beating down your door like tobacco or booze will.

 

[Kevinkris]

beans and rice will actually sustain you with only the addition of water. if youre talking about keeping a stock of food that will last long term and still complete your diet in a healthy way, its the most financially practical and will fill your needs. past that, adding some animal fat anytime you can would be the only thing you would really need to worry about. i could be mistaken but im to understand beef and pork bullion has fat contents and adding some to each pot will cover that. all the same you should find things you enjoy eating and have the beans and rice for the end of stock meals.

 

[AMProducts]

Two words: peanut butter

It's like meat, but it's shelf stable. I like beans and rice also, but don't forget to add some bullion cubes, and spices, otherwise you will likely hate life in short order. May also want to add some cooking oil, shortening has the longest shelf life.

 

[1stklass]

50 lb bags of salt! you have no idea how much you actually will go through. Pepper in bulk also, some basic spices in bulk. Rice and beans, but rice and beans isnt enough to stay healthy by themselves. If you can garden then do it! Vegetables nowadays are picked weeks early so they last in the stores longer, the problem with this is the bulk of the nutrients in fresh vegetables are developed in the last 3 weeks of ripening. Just from a health perspective grow whatever you can grow instead of buying it at the store. I will be installing a small lake and reservoir on my property that i will stock with fish, probably grow some wild turkeys and elk also. I already have sturgeon and will be breeding them so i'll have plenty of fish and meat available also.

 

[erudne]

Salem, ehh?

 

[Silver Fox]

Your beans can be your vegetables also. Just soak over night, drain and place on a towel and cover with another damp towel. About 1/3 will start to sprout. About another 12 hours later the rest will start to sprout. Fresh vegetables right there.

SF-

 

[mosinguy1]

Movin down by 1stKlass........ lol

 

[Burt Gummer]

This is a decent deal on a lot of re-fried beans - Dehydrated Refried Bean Flakes 1 Case 6 10 Cans Emergency Survival Food | eBay

 

[Kevinkris]

50 lb bags of salt! you have no idea how much you actually will go through. Pepper in bulk also, some basic spices in bulk. Rice and beans, but rice and beans isnt enough to stay healthy by themselves. If you can garden then do it! Vegetables nowadays are picked weeks early so they last in the stores longer, the problem with this is the bulk of the nutrients in fresh vegetables are developed in the last 3 weeks of ripening. Just from a health perspective grow whatever you can grow instead of buying it at the store. I will be installing a small lake and reservoir on my property that i will stock with fish, probably grow some wild turkeys and elk also. I already have sturgeon and will be breeding them so i'll have plenty of fish and meat available also.

i agree, salt is definitely something you will use a whole lot of and not necessarily just for cooking or food preparation in general. having spices is also great, bland food is not.one thing you arent quite accurate on is bean and rice can and will keep you healthy for an extended period of time without adding anything other than water, provided they have been well kept. no, you wont be happy with your diet but it will get the job done. granted not everyone is the same and this could actually cause problems with some people, likely a bad option for those with diabetes.

 

[JackThompson]

I understand rice being bad for diabetics, but beans too?

Funny thing is, if food became a scarcity and we had to live off our stored foods only I bet diabetes would all but disappear. (Type 2 anyway)

You would lose weight and only getting sugar from those foods wouldn't be nearly as unhealthy as diet Pepsi and sneaking candy, pastries and cheeseburgers like so many do. (Myself included!) My wife is diabetic.

 

[Kevinkris]

beans are still okay for most people with diabetes but they wont cover all of your dietary needs alone, which is where the rice comes into play. even then some rice wont hurt those with diabetes, so long as its just a very small part of the diet.

 

[1stklass]

Rice and beans will keep you alive for an extended period of time, it wont keep you healthy for an extended period of time. Of course my idea of healthy is the body receiving all the vitamins and minerals it needs to function at an optimum condition. The rice and beans as a staple is fine but i would not feed only rice and beans to my kids even in a SHTF situation without making sure they had salad or vegetables to eat also.

 

[mosinguy1]

another good easy storing way of meat is pemmican long life and eas to make!!!!!!!

 

[erudne]

I understand rice being bad for diabetics, but beans too?

Funny thing is, if food became a scarcity and we had to live off our stored foods only I bet diabetes would all but disappear. (Type 2 anyway)

You would lose weight and only getting sugar from those foods wouldn't be nearly as unhealthy as diet Pepsi and sneaking candy, pastries and cheeseburgers like so many do. (Myself included!) My wife is diabetic.

If you read 1 Second After and Footfall you'll realise that Diabetics will disappear from the landscape.

 

[Robb]

I think dried beans and rice is a good starting place, it is inexpensive, lasts for years and will keep you healthy for months, you will also want some sort of fat or veg.oil various flavoring agents and some multi-vitamins figure 50 pounds per month @4 PPL or a combined amount of 600 pounds per year. Dried Mung beans are shipped in from China, I special orded some in through Cash and Carry, IIRC it was about $1.50 a pound, you use them for sprouts, they are loaded with nutrients and give you a salad type entree.
These products will extend your current supplys and possibably give you some tradeing stock that won't have PPL beating down your door like tobacco or booze will.

What have you found the most effective to store your food in? I need to start working on this in the next few months, and am not sure where to get started at.

Thank you.

 

[PolishedBrass]

You know ... I have perhaps 10-15 or more years of food in storage. (Easy)
My (I can fix it) food is perhaps 2years of rats. (Skinny 4 people minimums.)
My (I can grow this indoors as long as I have water/rain and solar/sunshine is another 2 years minimum.)
My (I can grow this outdoors as long as I have water/rain and can protect it is another 20 years minimum.)

It is all mobile as well. I can move it as easy as a 3 year 4 person kit.

Best solution I have found is wheatgrasskits.com ... #10 cans of sprouts.
Basically if you have water you can sprout and increase food and nutrients 20 fold.

If you have no water your dead anyways. So the best food takes water and light to "create" food fast. (4-8 days)
Plus yearly you can grow the seeds to maturity to create more seed and food.

I have solar and a mylar tent and LED lighting as an easy cheap solution for controlled food production.
Plus I use Fulvic Acid and Humic Acid to drastically increase the nutrient values. (The Best Broccoli Sprouts you have ever had period ... Tastes so strong they taste like radishes)
Have Hydrogen peroxide 35% for addl cleansing.

I'm working at rebuilding my home food inventory. Were up to 90 days of edible food. Good for our family only. Next step is 120,180,270 365.
How many do the 2x what ya eat and then and dried foods as an extra safety margin?
I had 1 years before but moved out of states and sold it all.

 

[Dirty Harriet]

I'm into variety as far as food storage goes. I have built up a supply of regular pantry/canned food and long term #10 cans and some MREs. We started a garden last year and I learned how to can last spring so I can now preserve our surplus. MAN it tastes so much better than store bought, and any monkey can do it with time and a little bit of effort. Very rewarding. Plus, I can now preserve the apples and pears in our yard. Then there's the chickens for eggs. Anyway, the way I store my rice and beans is in mylar bags in 6 gallon buckets with 1000 cc oxygen absorbers. Later, I started using smaller mylar bags with less ccs because it will be more practical if I ever actually have to break into it. I find cheap food-grade buckets on Craigslist. With regard to the canning and mylar, I am youtube trained.

 

[ocarolan]

Anyway, the way I store my rice and beans is in mylar bags in 6 gallon buckets with 1000 cc oxygen absorbers.

Ditto. Personally I want prepping to be like 1% of my life, and the buckets will maximize your time vs the #10 cans. Similarly, you could go scrounging for buckets from stores, or just buy like 100 from Home Depot online (free shipping). Work with friend(s) and you guys can go factory style - one guy seals the mylar, two guys pour the rice, etc.

IMO, a lot of preppers undervalue their time and do things the cheap, hard way (or don't do it at all). No need to make it a hobby. Just invest the $$ and get it done.

 

[erudne]

What have you found the most effective to store your food in? I need to start working on this in the next few months, and am not sure where to get started at.

Thank you.

I use 5 gallon buckets with those screw top lids. Mylar bags and a dry, dark, cool storeroom. I also have canned meat,veggies, fruit, oil and the like.