Food Storage Basics

What you need to know to get started

  Why store food? There are plenty of stores in your area, when the time comes just go pick up what you need. If only that would work. Take a moment and think back to Katrina... Do you recall the looting? The violence? Now think about you and your loved ones. Do you want to be out in that? Do you want your loved ones to endure the chaos of such events? My guess is no. So why not start storing up supplies.Well sometimes the thought of getting food stored up for you and your loved ones can seem overwhelming. I don't blame you it can be overwhelming! The key here is to not try to do it all at once. Here are some simple steps to getting started.
  First decide on what you can spend on it a month. Many times we say " Food storage?! I barely have enough to feed us now!". As true as this statement may be we must store some supplies up in case of disaster. Do you eat out a lot? Maybe go to the movies once a month? Perhaps you drink or smoke? Maybe for the time being cut some things out so you can store up. If you have extra money to spend on food storage, awesome get started right away. Start collecting what you can on your budget. Don't fret not being ready right away, start small buy only what you can. Don't go into debt trying to get everything at once.
  Now that you know what you can spend its time to find out how much you need for a family of your size. It is recommended that each person should have a minimum of 2 cans of food a day. There are many calculators online if you choose to search through them. It all ends up depending on what you and your family use on a regular basis. Food plans are not one size fits all so look around for one that works for you. Once you know how much you will need the next step is storage.
  Where you store your food will decide how long the shelf life is. Pantry storage conditions should be dry, cool and dark. Ideally, the temperature in the pantry
should be 50 to 70 °F. Always store foods in the coolest cabinets away from the range, oven, water heater, dishwasher or any hot pipes. Although many staples and pantry items have a long shelf life and may be on sale, buy only what you can use within the recommended storage times. Eating what you store will keep your stash "fresh".To keep foods from "fresh" in the pantry, store them in metal, glass or plastic containers. Keep these containers, as well as commercially canned foods, clean and free of dust, which can drop into them when opened. Treat storage areas for pests and clean the pantry often. I also recommend having 2 hand crank can openers kept with your food storage. Imagine having all this canned food with no way to get into it! Speaking of food...
  Here are some ideas of the food available. Grocery store goods: Cans and Boxes. (Often inexpensive, but little to no nutritional value.) Freeze dried foods: lightweight and don’t take up much room, High nutrition value priced out per serving, its budget friendly. Freeze dried & dehydrated fruits and vegetables will be the backbone of your food storage and last up to 20-30 years. Bulk dry food: Beans, Rice and dried pasta, flour, cornmeal, dried milk, etc. Now that you know what to eat what will you drink?
  Do not rely on your city water. They may not keep it pumping to your house depending on the situation.It is recommend to have minimum a 2 liters per person / per day for consumption and washing. You can re use your 2 liter soda bottles by washing them with warm soap and water. Gallon jugs of water can be purchased at your local markets at a reasonable price. If your pocket book is ok with it, purchase a good portable water filter system.If a situation arises where water is an issue be sure to have stash of paper plates, napkins, plastic ware and moist wipes stored. Conserve your water supply; it will be your life line.
 These are just the basics to help you get started. More in depth articles will be part of our future newsletters