Home food storage question

Discuss how to prepare yourself, family or group in the event of disaster.
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Jer
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Home food storage question

Post by Jer » Sat Mar 30, 2013 1:37 pm

So, I have a small cellar in my house - about 10x10 - it's mostly waterproof but I do have a sump pump for heavy rains. I have shelves and a de-humidifier in there as well.

For a family of 4 - to survive (and survive well) for a period of 1 year - what are the recommended supplies?
I'm looking for answers such as "10lbs of brand x of dehydrated fish plus, plus, plus"

I'm not worried about water as we have a good well, a backup generator and the ability to pump well water directly into the house. We also have numerous 55 gallon drums with debris filters we can position under gutters. I am looking more for the amount of food, standard medicines, and other items that would keep a family of 4 alive and happy(ish) for one year.
(I chose a year because that allows for enough time to create a garden, and enough time for hunting and meat curing. - This is in West Virginia and there are plenty of acres of deer and other critters around.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
--John F. Kennedy

-goddess
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by -goddess » Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:04 pm

https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage ... lang=eng#1

these are the recommendations i try to achieve. for children, I half the adult portion. It does list the monthly amount needed just multiply that by 12.

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Jer
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by Jer » Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:23 pm

Looks like that covers the basics.
I found their online store that anyone can purchase from. Looks like that may be a decent way to purchase some basic supplies and get a home storage area started:

Not trying to interject any kind of religion into this, but they do seem to have decent supplies at decent prices to start building a food storage system... I'm not recommending them over anyone else, just saying that I found some info here.

Self Reliance - Home Storage - Online Supply Store
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
--John F. Kennedy

-goddess
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by -goddess » Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:43 pm

agreed...I'm not pushing any ideology, and i don't subscribe to theirs...they do advocate every member of their faith having a year supply of food, and they promote a self reliance mind set... I've ordered and can vouch for their items and pricing.

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Blackthorn-USA
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by Blackthorn-USA » Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:45 pm

LDS has been in the preparedness game since long before it was mainstream. No doubt they have overcome a lot of the obstacles you would face starting from scratch. Many cities also have LDS locations where you can go and buy their products and eliminate the shipping. Often they will have things not listed on the website as well. Prices seem to be quite reasonable and I believe it’s because they aren’t in it for profit.

A couple things to keep in mind when stocking food.

You have got to rotate it out or you find yourself with a bunch of food that you paid for but didn’t eat. So if you have 100 pounds of wheat, sooner or later you either have to use it, give it away or dump it.

Eat what you stock. If you only eat processed foods don’t stock 500 pounds of wheat for emergencies. Sure it’s a staple and may keep you alive, but you won’t want to be alive if that’s all you’re eating. Whole grains will play havoc on your system and you’ll become well acquainted with the bathroom. If you are going to stock grains, crack them for cereal or grind them for bread once in a while. Not only does it taste good, but it won’t be such a shock to your system if you suddenly have to eat it much more often. And it helps rotate through your stock.

Stock what you eat. Yes that sounds contrary to what I just wrote above, but you can, (and) should, do both. If you eat 10 cans of Spaghetti-o’s a week then you should have some Spaghetti-o’s to go with your 500 pounds of wheat.
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SurvivIt
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by SurvivIt » Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:29 pm

Consider how important establishing a home stockpile is to your family, and then determine how much of your monthly budget you'd like to devote to it.

Most of us are pretty organized like that, and if you've got 10% of the budget allocated, you know that every month you'll be adding to your stockpile accordingly.

The only real question that remains at that point is one of prioritization... Water - filtration / purification capability, storage capability if not on a well. Food - long-term storage in bulk 5 gallon buckets... basics like rice & beans & pasta to begin, then add more and more nicer to have items. Shelter, Lighting, Sanitation, Defense / Security, Transportation, Heating & cooking fuel... you get the idea. The list can get pretty long.

Have fun prepping. It's addicting!

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Jer
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by Jer » Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:53 pm

Well, being on a very tight budget for the next month or so (in the process of changing jobs after being in South America for the last 4 years...) I decided to buy that starter kit the LDS store has for $30 Didn't seem like a bad idea to get a close up look at what they consider 30 year expiration food. That seems to be the best way to go for me - I don't can anything and don't know how. So, aside from being able to go out in the wilds of WV and get a deer, rabbits, turkeys and such for meat - I need to start stockpiling the essentials to get started. Figured that was a decent way to start. Then I'll obviously build from there.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
--John F. Kennedy

WVPreppers
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by WVPreppers » Fri Apr 12, 2013 10:59 pm

This has been my plan that I have recently put into place. I can't speak for stocking food as I have not really started.

What I have done though is I purchased meat rabbits. I bought 1 male and 3 females. They are already wanting to breed but I am making them wait a few more months. I plan on butchering their babies once they are of age and putting them in the freezer. Also plan on using them to sale to buy more preps or use them for bartering.

Next we just started a small potbelly pig farm. Was given 5 for free. boar and sow and their 3 babies. Traded one of the babies for another female and we bought another female for $40. Plan on selling the babies (they go for $75-300 each) to buy more preps. Also in a SHTF situation the pigs can be eaten and/or traded for barter.

Also just bought a whole bunch of baby Rhode Island Red chicks. Plan on having enough of them to get a dozen of eggs a day. Same guy I bought them from is selling rooster chicks for $0.75 each. Going to get 20-30 of them to fatten up to butcher in the fall.

And last I have a 180 gallon fish tank that I am going to order 25-50 tilapia and start growing them out. Once they get a bit bigger than fingerlings I will be moving them to a built 500-600 gallon aquaponics set up. I plan on growing lots of food indoors. I have already been playing around with it and I have lettuce ready to eat, strawberries that are turning red, and broccoli that is almost ready.

Also with my garden that I am planting next week and a couple green houses I am building around the house I should be able to put up enough to last us a while.

I do still plan on "stocking the shelves". I have a well on my property and I live less than 50 yards from a nice size river. Once the animals are in place I will be working on a system to get water from the river to the house and filtered.

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Jer
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by Jer » Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:04 pm

I've found a good chart to have - everyone should print out a copy of this for reference. There is additional information below the chart:

Image

This chart shows the number of SERVINGS that is recommended per MONTH for food storage.
The USDA recommends that you get 2,000 calories per day as an adult. HOWEVER in a survival situation, you will be burning more calories than normal therefore you will need more calories than normal. So to use this chart accurately you will need to figure on a minimum of 2,700 calories per day and if you are going to plan on eating 3 times a day you will need to store servings of food that add up to 900 calories per meal (serving.)

So, according to that chart, if you are going to create a food storage area for 1 person to survive for 6 months - that's 540 servings or 486,000 calories of food that needs to be on hand.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
--John F. Kennedy

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Blackthorn-USA
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by Blackthorn-USA » Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:41 pm

So I found this online somewhere long ago and thought it might be of interest here. It doesn't exactly answer the OP's question, but combined with other food storage it might allow one to really bulk up their supplies.

A years worth of food storage for under $300! Yes, you read that right. How does expanding your food storage with literally hundreds of meals for around $300 sound? I think I may have found one of the best kept secrets around for pumping your food storage up REAL FAST and REAL CHEAP.

Scotch Broth is a combination of grains and legumes and it provides a balanced and nutritious meal on the cheap! "This particular combination is said to provide a balance of ALL of the appropriate amino acids required for a person."

This is really easy recipe to "change" in countless ways. By adding left over meats or vegetables or adding dried vegetables to the mix you could totally change it up. It wouldn't have to be "the same ol' thing either!
One thought that I had was that this would be a good way to have some "charitable" foods on hand. You could package it into smaller containers (1 or 2 pounds) and have a few meals on hand for the less fortunate.
If you were to do one batch every pay-day over 12 pay-days, and if you are paid weekly, - you would have a10-year food supply in just 3 months. What a super way to "pump up" your food storage!

This recipe has been floating around the internet for several years but I don't think it has gotten nearly enough attention.

This is what you will need
4 x 22lb (or 10kg) rice. (Any kind will do).
2 x 11lb (or 5kg) kidney beans
2 x 11lb (or 5kg) barley
2 x 11lb (or 5kg) lentils (yellow)
1 x 5.5lb (or 2.5kg) green split peas
1 x 5.5lb (or2.5 kg) chick peas (garbanzo beans)"

( You will also need a total of 30 pounds of bouillon. You will add it to each batch as you cook it. I think I will store both chicken AND beef bouillon. I added this into the cost and it IS reflected in the $300) I was able to find the bouillon sold in bulk here http://www.bulkfoods.com/spices.asp

"Method:
Put the rice in a mixing container. Then add each of the other ingredients 5kg at a time, mixing as you go. (Use surgical gloves or you'll have no nails left, LOL!).
When you have all the other ingredients mixed in with the first two bags of rice, add the last two bags of rice and *REALLY* mix well or you'll get all rice on the bottom of your mixture."

"MAKING SOUP.
Take 16oz of the dry mixture and put in about 6-7 quarts of water (with a nut of butter or a tsp. of olive oil to prevent soup boiling over) and add 3 tablespoons (or to taste) of powdered soup stock. We like to use chicken stock.
Then add any veggies, meat, & seasoning you like (if available). (We like to also put in lots of garlic) (DO NOT USE ONIONS - they'll spoil the mixture).
Bring to a boil and let simmer for two hours and you have enough soup for two days for 4 people.

On the second day you'll need to add some more water (it thickens in the fridge overnight) and another tablespoon of stock. Make sure to boil for at least 10 minutes the second day to kill off any potential bacteria, - especially if you are not storing in fridge, but just in a root cellar or like that in the event of no electricity in summer.

We make our own bread and have a thick slice fer dunkin' with a large bowl of this delicious soup and it serves as a main meal. You are FULL after just one (large size) bowl of this stuff.

Kids will usually only be able to eat half a bowl w/bread, or a small bowl, whichever you prefer. Adults will likely want a nice big bowl.

If there is any mixture left on the third day, just add the new mixture to it. You will need less of course, but you'll get to know how to gauge things as you go along catering to the requirements of your own little family."

"ONIONS>>>Re: onions... They ferment too quickly, and cut down the amount of time you can safely store already cooked soup.

Assuming there are no refrigerators etc., it's best to err on the side of caution and not use them in the soup. If you want to waste fuel and make your soup daily, then onions aren't a problem.

We LOVE onions in our house, and cook them by wrapping them in tinfoil, and putting them in the ever-burning wood stove for an hour. We put in some potatoes too usually, and have a meal of tatties & onions. They taste wonderful prepared in this way, particularly if you add a little butter or olive oil and some herbs when you take them out of the fire. This and some greens is all you need to exist except for vitamin B12.

The recipe calls for the following ingredients by weight
88 pound(s) or 40 kilogram(s) rice
22 pound(s) or 10 kilogram(s) kidney beans
22 pound(s) or 10 kilogram(s) barley
22 pound(s) or 10 kilogram(s) lentils, yellow
5.50 pound(s) or 05 kilogram(s) green split peas
5.50 pound(s) or 05 kilogram(s) chick peas
165 pound(s) or 80 kilogram(s) Total weight

These parts are converted (by weight) as follows to arrive at one pound of broth.
08 ounce(s) rice
02 ounce(s) red kidney beans
02 ounce(s) pearl barley
02 ounce(s) lentils (yellow)
01 ounce(s) green split peas
01 ounce(s) chick peas (Garbanzos)
16 ounce(s) Total Food"
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peacefrog
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getten prepared to take care of my family and I

Post by peacefrog » Wed May 01, 2013 7:01 pm

I got me a good well, Few guns and thousands of rounds of ammo, investigated and save n for my solar generator, hunt and fish like its going out of style, got chickens, ducks, geese, guinees, and a pot belly (Going to get some hogs). Got a good trail horse, little lady training a buggy horse and got my trusty pack mule. I have been storeing some can goods and got me a few cases of MREs for eating on my hunts and my fishing trips. My new thing is canning. Got a few of the elders in my neck of the woods (Randolph area) and been eating some canned meat almost 2 years old and not to shabby I have to admit. And I dry a few things ( 30 years of muzzle loading with the mountain men) Was curious to hears some pros and cons from you folk that I respect and am glad to find on this site. Was curious if many of you can to prepare??

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Trekker Outdoors
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Re: Home food storage question

Post by Trekker Outdoors » Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:32 pm

Three things that are really missing from my food preps are hunting/fishing, gardening, and canning. I live in the suburbs of Olathe, so I don't really have much land, about 3/4 acre. I'm looking into buying land, hopefully around the Randolph area because I think the land around Blackthorn-USA is some of the best I've ever seen in Kansas. Most of my food preps up till now have mostly been #10 cans and other freeze dried foods. It's not a cheap way to prep, that's for sure. Since I live close to a major metropolitan area, I think the odds of sheltering in place are slim. I might stay here about 3 days at the longest, then I want to bugout to our land.

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