The following article has been contributed by Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition.
Editor’s Note: In our recent article Investments for Preparedness and Wealth Preservation That Your Financial Adviser Will Never Mention, we discussed a variety of strategies and reasons for investing in hard assets like precious metals, arable land, micro-livestock, alternative energy, skills development and bulk foods as a way to hedge against inflation, economic uncertainty and natural disasters. In the following article, Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition provides some excellent recommendations for bulk foods that should be in your preparedness larder – foods that are nutritious and have a shelf life of 20 years or more if stored properly. Now, more than ever, it is important to consider where food prices are headed, and what you might do if disaster strikes, be it natural or man-made. Our view is simple: Buy commodities at today’s lower prices, and consume at tomorrow’s higher prices. The benefit of holding physical assets like bulk foods in your possession is that you have no counter-party risk. Whether the threat we face is inflation, disruptions to our just-in-time transportation systems, a collapse of our Ponzi economy, or food shortages, you can sleep comfortably knowing that your investment is safe and sound, and easily accessible in your kitchen pantry or prep closet.
Did you know that with proper storage techniques, you can have a lifetime supply of certain foods?Certain foods can stand the test of time, and continue being a lifeline to the families that stored it. Knowing which foods last indefinitely and how to store them are you keys to success.
The best way to store food for the long term is by using a multi-barrier system. This system protects the food from natural elements such as moisture and sunlight, as well as from insect infestations.
Typically, those who store bulk foods look for inexpensive items that have multi-purposes and will last long term. Listed below are 11 food items that are not only multi-purpose preps, but they can last a lifetime!
Honey
Honey never really goes bad. In a tomb in Egypt 3,000 years ago, honey was found and was still edible. If there are temperature fluctuations and sunlight, then the consistency and color can change. Many honey harvesters say that when honey crystallizes, then it can be re-heated and used just like fresh honey. Because of honey’s low water content, microorganisms do not like the environment.
Uses: curing, baking, medicinal, wine (mead)
Salt
Although salt is prone to absorbing moisture, it’s shelf life is indefinite. This indispensable mineral will be a valuable commodity in a long term disaster and will be a essential bartering item.
Uses: curing, preservative, cooking, cleaning, medicinal, tanning hides
Sugar
Life would be so boring without sugar. Much like salt, sugar is also prone to absorbing moisture, but this problem can be eradicated by adding some rice granules into the storage container.
Uses: sweetener for beverages, breads, cakes, preservative, curing, gardening, insecticide (equal parts of sugar and baking powder will kill cockroaches).
Wheat
Wheat is a major part of the diet for over 1/3 of the world. This popular staple supplies 20% of daily calories to a majority of the world population. Besides being a high carbohydrate food, wheat contains valuable protein, minerals, and vitamins. Wheat protein, when balanced by other foods that supply certain amino acids such as lysine, is an efficient source of protein.
Uses: baking, making alcohol, livestock feed, leavening agent
Dried corn
Essentially, dried corn can be substituted for any recipe that calls for fresh corn. Our ancestors began drying corn because of its short lived season. To extend the shelf life of corn, it has to be preserved by drying it out so it can be used later in the year.
Uses: soups, cornmeal, livestock feed, hominy and grits, heating source (do a search for corn burning fireplaces).
Baking soda
This multi-purpose prep is a must have for long term storage.
Uses: teeth cleaner, household cleaner, dish cleaner, laundry detergent booster, leavening agent for baked goods, tarnish remover
Instant coffee, tea, and cocoa
Adding these to your long term storage will not only add a variety to just drinking water, but will also lift morale. Instant coffee is high vacuum freeze dried. So, as long as it is not introduced to moisture, then it will last. Storage life for all teas and cocoas can be extended by using desiccant packets or oxygen absorbing packets, and by repackaging the items with a vacuum sealing.
Uses: beverages, flavor additions to baked goods
Non-carbonated soft drinks
Although many of us prefer carbonated beverages, over time the sugars break down and the drink flavor is altered. Non-carbonated beverages stand a longer test of time. And, as long as the bottles are stored in optimum conditions, they will last. Non-carbonated beverages include: vitamin water, Gatorade, juices, bottled water.
Uses: beverages, flavor additions to baked goods
White rice
White rice is a major staple item that preppers like to put away because it’s a great source for calories, cheap and has a long shelf life. If properly stored this popular food staple can last 30 years or more.
Uses: breakfast meal, addition to soups, side dishes, alternative to wheat flour
Bouillon products
Because bouillon products contain large amounts of salt, the product is preserved. However, over time, the taste of the bouillon could be altered. If storing bouillon cubes, it would be best repackage them using a food sealer or sealed in mylar bags.
Uses: flavoring dishes
Powdered milk in nitrogen packed cans
Powdered milk can last indefinitely, however, it is advised to prolong its shelf life by either repackaging it for longer term storage, or placing it in the freezer. If the powdered milk developes an odor or has turned a yellowish tint, it’s time to discard.
Uses: beverage, dessert, ingredient for certain breads, addition to soup and baked goods.
Also From Ready Nutrition:
Best Practices For Long Term Food Storage
Essential Prepping Calculators
The Unprepared Population: A Statistic You Don’t Want To Be a Part Of
Basmati Rice is considered a “white” rice, but has a higher nutritional value. something to think about aside from just calories… also, I think quinoa can be stored indefinitely if done in the same manner of rice.
Wonder how long pasta is good to store?
Sketch, quinoa can store as long as rice from the info I’ve gathered, but other sources suggest 5 – 10 years… i’d go with the lower number just in case… Definitely a good reco on the Basmati, as well.
VRF, pastas will store 20 – 30 years in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. The main issue to worry about with spaghetti, angel hair, etc. is that they could potentially puncture the mylar if using a thinner bag, so go with the heavier thickness – 4.5 millimeters or higher… for our 6 gallon buckets we utilize 7.5mil thick, but the 4.5 mil seem decent as well (and are about 50% cheaper). One option if you’d like to avoid puncturing with pastas in a lower mil thickness bag would be to use macaroni, but personally, I’ve never had an issue with a bag being punctured by spaghetti… just thought I’d mention it.
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Anyone know the storage life for cornmeal and germade (cream of wheat) when stored in mylar bags and food grade buckets?
Thanks
Tony,
Cream of wheat is a tricky one. A lot of people don’t like the idea of storing cream of wheat long term because it is processed and may have preservatives.Â
If you are storing wheat, you can make your own cream of wheat. Just run the wheat through your mill once or maybe twice to get the right consistency and cook.
An alternative to cream of wheat is oats (regular or quick cook) which (if stored properly) has a long term storage life of in excess of 20 years.
Corn meal stores like flour. So if stored properly it should store between 5-10 years. However, if you are storing kernels of corn, you can also grind this to make the corn meal fresh.
Regarding germade and cornmeal; plan on a storage life of 5-10 years at a stable temperature of 65 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures. Storing whole corn and grinding it yourself will extend the use by date out to 25-30yrs. Of course lower and constant storage temperatures will extend these timelines out even further.
I just bought a pressure canner yesterday, I plan on adding canned beef and wild game to my stocks. Also I can make “whole” meals in a jar such as chili, stew, soups..ect..ect.It will be nice to grab a jar of ready to go beef tips and throw it over some rice when the SHTF!
Family and I do just this. Quart jar meals, and pint jar meats only.. I have mom moms red sauce and meatballs canned, and taste like she made them, years after canning.
Thanks Mac S.
most grains will store 20 Plus yrs if they’re not process, like corn will store a long time if not ground into cornmeal or oats if not ground into groats or rolled into oatmeal
12 items. Dehydrated mushrooms!
Comments…..My mother is still using ground ginger powder that my grandfather bought in bulk at the start of the war (that is 1939).
@VRF I have “many” 5 gal buckets of pasta noodles and spaghetti (unboxed & vertical). 6 yrs and still good! Cheaper than wheat unless you can get it from Mr. farmer. Dry ice is a must with wheat to kill the critters. But I do have a freezer half full with bread flour and many other buckets of wheat & corn that can be planted or ground in heavy cast iron hand grinder. It’s a green beauty work of art. Grandkids love to crank it. Heavier the better. Insure it has a fly wheel with belt drive & handle to hand crank. I agree Just Me, keep it in its natural form made by God if you want it to last.
Comments…..Your intentions are good, but your suggested food items to store are simply the processed and devitalized remains of what was once whole natural foods, largely stripped of their ability to sustain human health. Why not use whole natural foods? They keep as long or longer than what is suggested, and will sustain abundant health.
For example:
Raw seeds and nuts. shelled sunflower, sesame, almonds, walnuts, pecans
Legumes- beans, peas
For fresh sprouts-Alfalfa and lentil, which can be sprouted in jars, and sunflower (in the shell) sprouted in dirt in flats.
All of these items can be stored and used as needed
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VRF…….The only kicker with putting pasta into mylar bags / 5 gallon buckets is that there is alot of air pockets in that pasta. I packed my spaghetti by leaving it in the box with the tops cut off so it wouldn’t crush, then packed a bunch of different kinds around that. But it took 8000 cc of oxygen absorbers to get the air out….I haven’t tried dry ice, maybe that’s better ?
DCAM……I pressure canned 7 qts of venison strips on Saturday….I marinated for a couple hrs then rinsed it off and added onions, mushrooms, green peppers and just a little garlic to the quarts….Very handy for the pantry or just grabbing a jar and some cooked egg noodles or cooked rice as you go out the door to work….Great lunch…..good luck with the pressure canning.
You should never can garlic or onions. They become very bitter after about six months after processing. I learned the hard way when I canned 24 quarts of spaghetti sauce with onions and garlic. 🙂
Then adjust your recipe, your doing something incorrectly. I have sausage pepperscn onions canned from 2007 and still taste great once heated.
I have canned for years. Some of my recipes, like sloppy joes, take 5lbs of onion, 5 lbs of beef. Are never bitter
and the longer it sits, the better it gets.
I would suggest the bitterness was from the tomatoes, and you probably cooked it in an aluminum pot. That will ruin
anything with tomatoes. chemical reaction from the acid in the tomatoes, with the aluminum.
for the bitterness use carrots in the sauce its a natural sweetener and will help in the audacious of the sauce
I am hoping that I can get into a Master Preserver Training Class this spring. I have been canning for over 30 years, though, and I have learned that you cannot can onions or garlic BY THEMSELVES safely. It seems that the sugar content prevents successful canning these. Also, BEWARE when canning ready-to-eat meals. If you are pressure canning such meals and the processing time is off, you could wind up with a jar of poison. Things like canned bacon is also a no-no. Please stick to the commercially processed. Please check out the recipes and directions at NCHFP http://nchfp.uga.edu/ for canning help.
Comments…..I failed to also mention that this type of food storage eliminates the high expense of some types of items on the market.
Comments…..There are processed food items that I would concur with such as
owdered whey and soy and their extracts.
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Hmm, I would say “11 emergency foods that can last a life time”, 5 of which will reduce you life time considerably and create a massive physiological emergency before you know it.
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Corn: 85% to 95% now GMO. GMO is poison and will kill you.
Wheat: Most Americans allergic to wheat. Allergies are generally based on a weak Liver and/or Kidney. Acid forming and addictive.
Salt: not a food and with most Americans (who eat massive quantities) harmful to digestion, kidneys and overall system. Highly addictive.
“Life would be so boring without sugar”. Yeah, but a lot healthier for most. Is super, highly addictive and acid producing in the body. One of the most over consumed, misunderstood and abused products in the world.
Non-carbonated soft drinks, like “Gatorade”, wtf? Foods? Highly dangerous and addictive. 85% chance the “corn syrup” is GMO. If it has Aspartame, you’re committing suicide. can be Highly addictive.
Coffee? Food? Drug? Highly addictive and acid producing.
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Is there any wonder why most Americans obese and unhealthy?
Honey…organic? best to eat honey raw and not cook it ( or bake it).
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Well said. I was thinking the same thing. Gatorade? Sugar? GMO Corn and Wheat? Goodluck surviving. I have always felt sprouts were one of the biggest items overlooked by most preppers. One teaspoon of seeds makes a few cups of a vitamin and mineral filled food, that in many instances carrys over 1000% of the vitamin and mineral content of the adult plant. Sprout seeds are my #1 food item.
You should probably go on a natural spring water diet EA.
Comments…..European American, you are so right! at the very least, corn and grains make body fat, cause more hunger due to insulin spike by the carbohydrates. Heathy oils such as unrefined coconut and olive oil, dried beans/pease, nuts, dried beef, etc are much better for the body for many reasons. Pemmican as made by the Native Americans (if you can find it made without sugar) is also a good protein source. Eggs are the most complete food available, so I”m looking for free-range powdered variety. If it needs to last 10 or 20 years, then I dare say that one won’t last long enough to finish the stash.
Hey European American: You sure are preachy when you get on this site. Which half of you is the uber critic? The European or the American? You must be a real nutritional expert. According to you “most Americans” are overeating slobs, addicted to sugar, Gatorade (?). and coffee, and are killing themselves by eating GMO corn and wheat (or at least sneezing alot). I’ll take Tess Pennington’s advice over yours if you please (or not).
he’s correct
Texian, while I don’t know if the powdered eggs at http://www.ShelfRelianceSanAntonio came from free range chicken, I can attest that they taste much better than the other companies. Believe me, we tried them all. They also send me a list with info which items are GMO, MSG, and Gluten free. Both egg powder and Corn are GMO free and many of the other items as well. Check them out and request the list by email. The lady was very helpful.
What shelf life for a Nature Valley oat & honey bar made in NY City?
Hey pappy
The proof is in the pudding. I eat healthy and haven’t been sick in years. I race mt. bike and haven’t lost a race in years. I watch what I put into my system. Organic, non-GMO. If you don’t that’s your problem, not mine. I could go on, but this isn’t about me.
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One out of two Americans is overweight, is that you pappy? One out of three Americans is OBESE, is that you pappy? We are the country whose citizens are addicted to more “junk”, i.e. junk food, prescribed and non-prescribed drugs, alcohol, gadgets, etc, etc., etc., than any other country in the history of civilized world. Every street corner has a fast food restaurant which serves not only food without nutrition, but mostly food that isn’t food. Get that, pappy? Is that where you spend your time eating?
Hey pappy, I’m just the messenger. You don’t like what you see in the mirror then change your diet. Loose some weight. But don’t bitch with the facts. Â Denial is a contagious dis-ease.
Which is it pappy, salt or sugar, or both?
What this article is truly about is what will sustain life for a period of time when the SHTF. It’s not about eating gourmet dinners every night of the week while the world is plunged into chaos.
EU you are so right about everything except salt. Do a deep research about salt and its benefits, and you will be very surprised.
Comments…..This really works: I was tired of buying by the bulk to find out everything bugged after a short while and had to discard everything (flours of different kinds, grains) Open the sack, stick into the package several “Dry Bay leaves” yes, that’s all, and reseal or use a big tupperware container. I have spelt, rice, corn and some more flours that had lasted more than five years. No more bugs!. Lucia
I have stored flour, pasta, and rice using dry ice in food storage containers. What I found was that after about five years there was a very strange taste which I am sure came from the dry ice. There is a very simple way to combat little critters in the flour and oats and pretty much everything. When you buy a 5lbs. bag of flour or rice etc. put it in your freezer four 4 days at -18°C. (Sorry I don’t know what the equivalent is in °F. Some smart person out there can figure it out for us I’m sure.) After, take it out put it on a table and let the temp go to room temp and put it sealed into a zip lock bag and into your storage. I have bags of flour and oats that are fine and edible that are 5 years and older.
As an off topic comment my husband and I have started the application process to immigrate to Canada. It is a long process. We filled out the forms in December but won’t have an answer before July. For our family of five it has cost us a thousand canadian dollars just to send in the forms.  The move will bring me closer to my family, but further from his. My opinion is that if your family is all in the country where you live, you are better off staying put.  Emigrating is a traumatic thing and is not a vacation.Â
NWO U.N. Blue NAFTA DHS – COP KILLER
Bye Bye American Pie!
I shot and killed a NWO U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Cop with my .45 semi-auto black glock today… a Disabled, Homeless, Cold and Hungry Veteran… I live by the river beneath a bridge… I deserve more than this… why? why? why?
I had done my time… stood my watch upon the wall; a Guardian of Liberty… now a cop killer?  Running from the Law… why? why? why?
The false NWO IMF homo druggy prostitute barry soetoro- a.k.a illegal president Barack Obama and AIPAC israeli jew controlled U.S. congress… stopped canceled my Social Security check the other day… on april 8th, 2011… they broke america’s piggy bank… gave away the pennies to the banks and told me “sorry” none for you! You are Many! We are Few… MORE FOR US! None for You!
I am a Disabled Veteran… I once Served My Country with Honor and Pride.
I murdered killed a NWO U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Cop Today… why? why? why?
 I had robbed the local Korean corner store… while the radio on the shelf played “Bye Bye American Pie”… I’d only pocketed a milk, hot pocket and a pie… ran by the screaming korean clerk for the open sky… hopped on my ex asshole neighbor kids pink huffy bike… peddling in a crazed manic flight… hauling fast down the lane… making my one handed get away… thinking “bye bye american pie”… smiling in mirth… while with my other hand grabbing from my shirt, a half frozen Hot Pocket… then a crushed Moon Pie… shoved both gleefully in my hungry mouth… I had gotten away … then I swore… “shit!”… it all dribbling down my beard… I thought; I shoulda done like Ben Bernanke… acted like a greedy Banker and taken more, more, more…
Then down the way… my calves screaming in pain… I slowed down… a mistake… an A.P.B. an All Points Bulletin – had gone out – “All Patrols Be On The Look Out for a Crazed Bearded Hobo Bum, Riding a Stolen Hot Pink Huffy Bike Down Main Street!â€; I’m screwed now… a NWO U.N. Blue NAFTA DHS Cop car pulled up behind, tires screeching… siren blaring , lights a twirling, screaming over the horn “PULL THE HELL OVER!”
At that time… I said to myself “FUCK IT!” an thought “I’m homeless cold and hungry”… this Asshole Cop isn’t gonna do me like “Rodney King”!… “The NWO U.N. IMF Fuckers did this to me”… I skidded to a stop “swiiishhhh!”… planted my worn out combat boots upon cool concrete of the street… reached into my sweat soiled pants waist… an pulled my cold heavy .45 glock like slow dead weight… fingers numb… pointed and leveled it at the windshield of the NWO U.N. NAFTA blue patrol car… looking the Cop dead in the eye… I recognized him, he use to be nice to me, always smiling when we met on the street… Officer Friendly, now wearing NWO Camo Combat Gear, with U.N. Sky Blue Patches… once our neighborhood hero… here to “Protect and Serve”… now no more… now he is a DHS Federalized Thug… a NWO U.N. NAFTA blue Storm Trooper Whore… ordered by our illegal false president obama to “Punish and Enslave!”
And while the innocent child in me… kept asking… “why, why, why ?”… the newly found Stone Cold Cop Killer in me… didn’t bat an eye… I aimed an pulled the trigger BLAMÂ BLAM BLAM 1,2,3… I emptied the clip right through the windshield… into the NWO U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Whore’s red screaming face!!!
Empty inside… now that I had unleashed all my NWO New World Order – Bilderberg Debt Slave Hate!
There I stood astride my stolen pink huffy steed… staring dead pan at the car’s brown vinyl covered rear seat, red blood, white bone chips and grey pink brain matter splattered over it. Staring through the shattered windshield and GAPING cavernous blood red hole that had been, Officer Friendly’s Red Raging New World Order U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Cop Face.
There I stood… Humming to myself “BYE BYE AMERICAN PIE”… thinking “I’m still Hungry!
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author after note:
{ There are over 600,000 unemployed war trained experienced Homeless poor starving Veterans just like our “hero†above walking thru your yards and living in the woods of your neighborhoods!} Just think about that for a moment America… there are more Veterans joining our ranks every day from the Illegal NWO Global Domination Wars and Economic Debt Slave War here in America. JUST PAUSE THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE! Scary???? Maybe a little.
Wake up America, there are 1 million – 1,000,000 foreign troops and american traitor troops under the United Nations blue Flag, NAFTA blue Patch and IMF Bank Control right now; at this very moment here on American, Canadian and Mexican soil. Just waiting for our Illegal President Obama to call MARTIAL LAW! Upon which time they will crash the dollar, invade america and place you all; america under their U.N. NWO IMF military control. It’s either YOU or THEM!!! U.N. AGENDA 21 is here!!!
NOW is the time to…
Talk to family and friends…
AMERICA IS A LIE owned controled by The Bank Of England!
YOU ARE NOT FREE!
ARM UP STOCK UP PREPARE
PREDITOR OR PREY THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
And remember all US POLICE and SHERIFF DEPARTMENTS , NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ARE NOW FEDERALIZED UNDER FEMA, DHS, NAFTA -UNITED NATIONS blue CONTROL!
They are not here to protect you! They are here to DisArm you – “Punish and Enslave!”
To Force you all under their nwo one world IMF WORLD BANK government control – NWO Debt Slaves one and all!
U.N. AGENDA 21 is here!
… spread the word.
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tek,
You’d do well to spend more time in a garden and woodpile, and less behind a keyboard.
It is heartening to realize that there are so many like minded people out there such as myself. Many would say we are cooks, but they are the ones who will have problems when and if the SHTF.
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Although food will be needed, there are many other concerns that seem to stay in the shadows when discussing a SHTF scenario. Water would be at the top of the list. It is heavy and bulky and we need a lot of it, especially to cook the food we have stored. And how are you going to cook the food? What about heat? Many live in areas that get damned cold in the winter and if the SHTF in winter, what are you going to do for heat? What about electricity? Candles work well for a brief time, but I doubt you will want to live by candle light. How many people have put away toilet paper, tooth paste, or soap? Do you have a means by which to protect these assets? And so on and so on. I may be beating a dead horse here, but our focus cannot be just about food. We need a well rounded plan to get us through to the other side.
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As for my food storage, I purchased a commercial table top vacuum chamber machine. It pulls an almost perfect vacuum. Yes I know they are expensive, but so is the food I am packaging and I want it to last. Adding the oxygen absorbers ensures a very long shelf life and with no oxygen, no critters!
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Some on here may criticize different types of foods to store. In a SHTF scenario, I don’t believe we are going to be so worried about food additives or preservatives as we are staying alive and getting through the crisis at hand.
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Be safe everyone, keep your eyes open and your head up.
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I have gone a couple steps ahead and bought a bottle nitrogen to put my vacuum packed food into Mylar bags with nitrogen instead. I have 2 45’s .357 and ar15 building another AR myself right now. I have a reloader and loaded thousands of rounds of ammo. don’t forget the gas mask and emergency blankets.
Some on here need to remember that one of the main purposes of long term emergency storage is maximum calorie per item stored. If the shtf, food would not be available. You would want everything you eat to help you survive. You would be working your butt off daily to garden, farm, hunt, etc. You will need the calories – badly.Â
I do agree that beans should have been on the list. They store for 30 years and provide a wonderful source of protein.
You can get your vitamins & nutrition from a garden with good variety.Â
This list was not intended to be the ONLY thing you eat.
Comments…..How bout foraging for raw foods, like dandelions? Don’t put anything in your lawn. ref: http://www.rawfamily.com great anticancer site, too.
Comments…..foraging for raw foods, great anticancer. http://www.rawfamily.com
You have a great deal of common sense GA Mom. I hope storms were not damaging.
Better put lots of water in those storage plans to!
Trace Amounts of Radiation From Japan Found in U.S. Drinking Water
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Published April 05, 2011
| FoxNews.com
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Once our water goes so begins the dying off process…
The dust fell, temporarily blinding the intrepid archeologist…
“Right! Wot’s all this, then?” he exclaimed. For right in front of his bleary, sleep-deprived eyes, was a 2000 year old mummy!
It looked like it did when it was wrapped up 2000 years ago, in fine white linen. It was unchanged.
Guess what also is made of nigh indestructible linen? That will last for over 2000 years, as well? It’s our old friend, the crisp, new, un-circulated $10 bill…and unlike our friend the mummy, it will not provide fodder for B-Movie MST3K plotlines.
All it will do is provide you with a store of value, backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Federal Government, which is in turn backed by the studious, productive and stoic American People!
Those of you who do not succumb to the siren song of new, crisp un-circulated $10 bills are in fact voting against your fellow Americans, yourself, and your own children. And your pets as well.
Put a stack of beautiful, new, never circulated $10 bills next to those bags of rice and 7.62 sealed canisters.
Well that will solve the toilet paper issue Rafterman! Cause IMO the dollar is head right down there and sooner than most think. The smart money is on the SHTF well before 12-20-2012 from what I can gather. Get ready boys and girls.
Score!
My local bakery gets a bunch of food grade 5 gal buckets, all the time day in day out..
he sells em to me for a dollar a bucket..I think thats good? isnt it?
VRF
That’s a great deal! Most food grade buckets you buy from preparedness sites are around $7.Â
You can also go to restaurants and ask around for food grade buckets. Typically, they throw them away… just a thought.
@RafterManFMJ, brand new, crisp, uncirculted $10 bills was the toilet paper I was asking about! And yes, mine are stacked next to the cases of 223’s, 7.62’s, 22’s, 12 gauge shot, 45’s and the good old 38’s!!! Oh, I forgot the 30.06’s!
Don’t worry about the bugs in the pasta, they don’t eat much…just boil them up and skim them off of the top, with a fine-mesh utensil .
If you make your own bread, or would like to, go to the “No-Knead” bread cite. Each recipe has only five ingredients, and is so easy to prepare.
Beans of all kinds are easy to prepare, and make a great soup. Since I have discovered them, I make them often, my husband prefers steak, and I tell him…one day you will be so happy just to have these beans.
Take care and good luck to you all!
@tess
I should look into that, the “free” buckets..
I know a few people well enough in the Restaurant Biz..maybe you just set me up for a better score!
I’m here for you VRF!
Tess
Most interesting.
Beans will dry out and are hard to rehydrate. Use a pressure cooker.
As for raw nuts, they will go rancid. Been there done that.
Seeds for sprouting? You can store them for a few years frozen. But what if the power goes out?
As for EA’s arguments? I’m 60, eat all the crap he condemns and the VA says I’m in peak health. Garbage in, garbage out. Otherwise you just pack the garbage around your middle and in your circulatory system.
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Reality 101. Store what you eat. Dry it, can it, salt it, pickle it, it doesn’t matter. During times of stress, supplement with vitamins. Even pancake batter and oatmeal store just fine. I’m still using dried lasagna I bought on sale in 10# boxes 30 years ago. Stock up on canned jams.
I don’t know where some folks get thier info, but I’ve lived the life for 30+ years and the reality is simple: Stock what you eat. Exercise daily. Get good sleep nightly and forget all the so-called experts. That includes everyone on this forum, yep me too. Do your own research.
The only thing I saw missing from the initial list was beans. Otherwise, great article.
Comments…..What disaster are you preparing for? Long term breakdown in society, Instant catastraphy, A room full of supplies doesn’t do any good if it’s all under five feet of water, or washed or blown away by winds. There is little left to save along the coasts when a major disaster occures. Having a safe and secure location is priority, if you can stay there, but an alternitive plan is needed if the area becomes uninhabitable and your family has to leave. You can’t carry five gallon buckets into Red Cross evac centers and they certainly don’ let you in with Ak 47’s.
Ps. What is the shelf life of peanut butter, i know a couple of spoon fulls go along way?
OTE…..Amen!
NWO U.N. blue NAFTA DHS – COP KILLER
Bye Bye American Pie…
I shot and killed a NWO U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Cop with my .45 semi-auto black Glock today… a Disabled, Homeless, Cold and Hungry Veteran… I live by the river beneath a bridge… I deserve better than this… tsk, tsk, tsk…
I had done my time… stood my watch upon the wall; a Guardian of Liberty… and after a fall… now a Stone Cold Cop Killer?  Running from the Ameri’kan Fascist Traitorous Law… why? why? why?
The false NWO IMF homo druggy prostitute barry soetoro- a.k.a illegal president barack obama and AIPAC israeli jew controlled U.S. congress… stopped canceled my social security check the other day… on APRIL 8th, 2011… they broke america’s piggy bank… gave away the pennies to the banks and told me “sorry” none for you! You are Many! We are Few… MORE FOR US! None for You!
I am a Disabled Veteran… I once Served My Country with Honor and Pride.
I Murdered Killed a NWO U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Cop Today… why? why? why?
 I had robbed the local Korean corner store… while the radio on the shelf played “Bye Bye American Pie”… I’d only pocketed a milk, hot pocket and a pie… ran by the Screaming Korean Clerk for the open sky… hopped on my ex Asshole Neighbor kids pink huffy bike… peddling in a crazed manic flight… hauling fast down the lane… making my one handed get away… thinking “bye bye american pie”… smiling in mirth… while with my other hand grabbing from my shirt, a half frozen Hot Pocket… then a crushed Moon Pie… shovin’ an munchin both in a hunger frenzy… my adrenaline and sugar high now kicking me into Over-Drive… I had gotten away … then I swore… “SHIT!”… it all dribbling down my beard… I thought to myself; I shoulda done like Ben Bernanke… acted like a greedy slimy Banker whore and taken more, more, more… for you see – IT’s ALL ABOUT ME! When I’m HUNGRY!
Then down the way… my calves screaming in pain… I slowed down… a mistake… an A.P.B. an All Points Bulletin – had gone out – “All Patrols Be On The Look Out for a Crazed Bearded Hobo Bum, Riding a Stolen Hot Pink Huffy Bike Down Main Street!â€; I’m screwed now… a NWO U.N. Blue NAFTA DHS Cop car pulled up behind, tires screeching… siren blaring , lights a twirling, screaming over the horn “PULL THE FUCK OVER!”
At that time… I said to myself “Screw It!” an thought “I’m homeless cold and hungry”… this Asshole Cop isn’t gonna do me like “Rodney King”!… “The NWO U.N. IMF Greedy Banker Fuckers did this to me!”… “It is either Him or Me!†I skidded to a stop “swiiishhhh!”… planted my worn out combat boots upon the cool concrete of the street… reached into my sweat soiled pants waist… an pulled my cold heavy .45 Glock like slow dead weight… fingers numb… pointed and leveled it at the windshield of the NWO U.N. NAFTA blue Patrol Car… looking the Cop dead in the eye… I recognized him, he use to be nice to me, always smiling when we met on the street… Officer Friendly, now wearing NWO camo green Combat Gear, with U.N. sky blue Patches… once our neighborhood hero… here to “Protect and Serve”… now no more… now he is a DHS Federalized Thug… a NWO U.N. NAFTA blue Storm Trooper Whore… ordered by our illegal alien false president obama to “Punish and Enslave!”
And while the innocent curious child side of me… kept asking… “why, why, why ?”… the newly found grown up tired Stone Cold Cop Killer in me… didn’t bat an eye… I aimed an pulled the trigger BLAM BLAM BLAM 1,2,3… It was HIM or ME you MUST see… I emptied the entire clip right through the windshield… into the NWO U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Whore’s red screaming face!!!
Empty inside… now that I had unleashed all my NWO New World Order – Bilderberg Debt Slave Hate!
There I stood astride my stolen pink huffy steed… staring dead pan at the car’s brown vinyl covered rear seat, red blood, white bone chips and grey pink brain matter splattered over it. Staring through the shattered windshield and GAPING cavernous blood red hole that had been, Officer Friendly’s Red Raging New World Order U.N. blue NAFTA DHS Cop Face.
There I stood… Humming to myself “BYE BYE AMERICAN PIE”… thinking “I’m still Hungry!â€
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author after note:
-Property of TekRoanin – final draft – a living work in progress – share with all pls – I encourage all Veterans to use this story poem as a template and tell us their own story – write their own and post on the web so they may be heard – dtp.
{ There are over 600,000 unemployed war trained experienced Homeless poor starving Veterans just like our “hero†above walking thru your yards and living in the woods of your neighborhoods!} Just think about that for a moment America… there are more Veterans joining our ranks every day from the Illegal NWO Global Domination Wars and Economic Debt Slave War here in America. JUST PAUSE THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE! Scary???? Maybe a little.
Wake up America, there are 1 million – 1,000,000 foreign troops and american traitor troops under the United Nations blue Flag, NAFTA blue Patch and IMF Bank Control right now; at this very moment here on American, Canadian and Mexican soil. Just waiting for our Illegal President Obama to call MARTIAL LAW! Upon which time they will crash the dollar, invade america and place you all; america under their U.N. NWO IMF military control. It’s either YOU or THEM!!! U.N. AGENDA 21 is here!!!
NOW is the time to…
Talk to family and friends…
AMERICA IS A LIE owned controled by the family Rothschilds – The Bank Of England!
YOU ARE NOT FREE! You are DEBT SLAVES!
ARM UP STOCK UP PREPARE
PREDITOR OR PREY THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
And remember all US POLICE and SHERIFF DEPARTMENTS , NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ARE NOW FEDERALIZED UNDER FEMA, DHS, NAFTA -UNITED NATIONS blue CONTROL!
They are not here to protect you! They are here to DisArm you – “Punish and Enslave!”
To Force you all under their nwo one world IMF WORLD BANK government control – NWO Debt Slaves one and all!
U.N. AGENDA 21 is here!
… spread the word.
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Store like a Third World poor person would do: lentils, bulger wheat, couscous, brown rice (more nutritious), malt drink, hot sauce. That stuff will keep you going. Forget about a North American middle class diet in an SHTF scenario. Trying to store those foods is a recipe for fail.
You are going to lose weight and lean-up. Bonus points: you will get healthier, will look great, and have that lean and mean look beloved of slum dwellers everywhere (white women fly to Africa to get some of that all the time).
If you are male, I would also add an Eastern European woman to the list: they are hot, very resourceful, been-there, done-that when it comes to major crises. That woman will get you through the crisis and keep a smile on your face.
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Comments…..I’ve know scotch, rye, gin, rum, vodka and even tequila to keep very well for ages, so long as the cap remains on the jug- Once the cap is removed, removed they all tend to evaporate rather rapidly-Â
Comments…..
Wheat, navy beans, and red kidney beans will keep for at least 30 years when stored in a plastic bucket with calcium chloride in a bottle (don’t tip the bucket over). We are still cooking and making bread with items stored in 1981.
Soak beans, cracked wheat, dried garbanzo beans, and mung beans for about 24 hours and then treat them as sprouting seeds for 12 to 24 hours before cooking. Look up sprouting on the internet.
Store foods that you are used to eating. Increase the size of your pantry so that you can stay a few months ahead of inflation. Introducing new foods during a time of stress is not wise.
Hey Mr Frank, just wanted to mention that brown rice falls into the category of healthier,less refined,food,but has a shorter shelf life(due to oils in whole grain) then the more refined white rice or par-boiled rice.If your going for real long shelf life go with white,although euro-american dude won’t like it…
Comments…..Brown rice will go rancid. However, while I haven’t tried it I understand that if you bring it to a boil for about a minute or two, dump that first water, wash and reboil the brown rice and it should be fine. Personally I put up white rice, and while it doesn’t have the total nutritional value as brown rice you may not want to waste water which may be at a premium. Fill up as many barrels of clean water as you possibly can and bury it. It will be more valuable than food. Also, water prueifiers. I try to put a box of salt in each bucket. If you don’t use it all it will be good for barter. You can find buckets in the bakery area of any store.
Silver coins can be used to purify water. Choice site.
Just wanted to say thanks for the Info…..
GFG
How about beans? I have twenty year old bags of beans that I cook, they taste fine.
Penelope and others are correct. People are not going to need to worry about getting fat during a food shortage brainiacs!! People did not have to start worrying about insulin levels until they started consuming way more energy than they were using. Also, stop reading women’s magazines or whatever for your nutrition information. Sodium has never been proven unhealthy in one single scientific study. If you spent any time at all, in gym, you would know that that kind of physical activity actually requires one to replace sodium..you know they kind of sweating that peole will be doing during a crisis!!
what about fuel say for example there is no gas or electricity any product that can be of replacement
I know wood would do but in a serious disaster all the food you store can’t be cooked.
EU, I would say the best rule of thumb is still ‘all things in moderation’, and that includes your comments.
In a SHTF scenario, morale will be an important issue, and I think some instant coffee for the coffee drinkers will help that goal. Like another reader said, this isn’t time for gourmet meals or even for the debatable ‘healthiest’ stuff you can store, it’s about survival. I congratulate you on your healthy lifestyle, but please don’t make it more complicated than it has to be.
My family spent a lot of time and money on food preperation. There is a big difference between surviving and living. I started with survival food and worked my way up, over the years up to buying supplies that allowed us to live.
One of the items we had the most trouble finding was coffee packed in a way that it would stay fresh for years. Canned coffee is not always fresh. Once roasted it oxidizes (spoils) quickly. Coffee, despite the hype is a health food if prepared and packaged right. We store green coffee beans and plan on roasting ourselves. A much healther solution than storing roasted beans that are in many cases spoiled or spoiling.
This site sells green beans packed for long term storage.
http://www.coffee-reserves.com
A leading health magazine just publish a large number of articles on the health benefits of green coffee. Most of don’t drink green coffee but the benefits can also be achieved from roasted coffee too.
read article here
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2011/ss2011_Are-We-All-Pre-Diabetic_02.htm?source=search&key=coffee
Coffee is a feel good food. Imagine a time when we all are relying on our emergency foods. We will need all the “feel good” food we can get. Depression will be a constant threat. I bought good coffee because I don’t want to regret not buying it when the SHTF.
Coffee is also an excellent food store item because of its use for barter. If you doubt that, count how many latte and coffee shops there are in your town. All those people will be willing to trade for a good cup of coffee.
The three things that kill food are light, heat, and oxygen.
Make sure you know how to protect against these three when
storing your food.