Food & Drink Shortage Preparedness

Bear Ribs

Well-known member
So I live in a major disaster zone where frequently there are periods of a week or more where all services are cut off. F'rex in spring of this year there was a massive ice storm followed by a blizzard that cut off water and any possibility to travel outside the house for nine days, three of them with no power. I prefer to keep at least two month's worth of food on hand and tend to focus on what has a long shelf-life so that I don't wind up wasting food that went bad from being in storage so long.

So needless to say I'm a little bit of a prepper and keep a decent supply of goods on hand. With other people being interested I thought we could share what and how we store food.

For myself, my staples are dried beans and rice. The two keep for around 30 years when stored correctly, produce a complete protein when eaten together, and both can be used as a base for a variety of different foods. I use 5-gallon buckets, the type used for construction, for each. I just drop the bags in and fill the bucket, that way I can have some variety in my beans. For oil, I keep several gallons of unopened olive oil which have a shelf life of about a decade.

I maintain a large supply of flour for baking purposes (I make my own sourdough bread and haven't purchased bread in years) and it keeps well, but I don't consider this emergency food as getting an oven to work without the utilities working is beyond what I expect to be able to do. I do keep cornmeal on hand for making cornbread, which I know how to cook on a wood fire.

I have a shelving unit bolted to the wall for canned vegetables. Because of the risk of losing access to water, I prefer canned vegetables to be in water so I can drink it in a pinch. This means scads of canned corn, tomatoes, and green beans, along with applesauce and canned fruit that are in juice instead of syrup to make sure I have a bit of variety. Of course, I keep a few gallons of water on hand too but I find that water enough to survive more than a week or so is just too bulky to reasonably store, so I keep a box of iodine tablets so I can disinfect water if I have to. I hate using it as it tastes awful but it will keep you alive...

For cooking purposes, I prefer alcohol to propane. It's relatively easy to make your own can stove and they're handy for camping and hiking as well. This is mostly because the fuel is easier to get and handle in large quantities, I feel much safer with five gallons of pure alcohol sitting in my kitchen than I would with several propane canisters. The fact that it's highly portable where propane isn't is a plus. I still use propane outside on my grill but that's not always an option, so can stove in a pinch.

So, what tricks do you have and what goods do you keep for an emergency?
 

Rocinante

Russian Bot
Founder
Well I was going to suggest the dried beans and rice but you already nailed that.

I'd say if you can find an something affordable, stock up on multivitamins, too.

Eating a healthy diet doesnt require them, but if you're down to only rice and beans, yeah you're good for protein and carbs, but you're probably going to end up malnutritioned after a while.
 

Sobek

Disgusting Scalie
Yeah multivitamins and supplements are a huge deal. In case of actual hunger they can save your life. Most of the time people don't actually die of hunger directly, but of weakened bodies falling for simple diseases once they start starving. Multivitamins can help stop that.

I recommend stocking up on spices as well. Get some small containers that are airtight for it, like a 600ml bottle of soda or similar to that, and fill and label them with spices. Pepper should be stored in the kernel and ground fresh, it tastes better and is stronger meaning it lasts longer. Paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper flakes, turmeric, chilli and more. Eating plain rice and beans will keep you alive but it is not a life worth living. Spices add variety and taste, and will make it actually good eating.
 

Rocinante

Russian Bot
Founder
I'd also keep a stock of seeds for calorie sense crops that grow well in your area.

Your stock of food will run out eventually. You'll want to be able to grow more.
 

Bear Ribs

Well-known member
Well I do keep one bottle of liquid multivitamin on hand but I don't really plan on surviving for years on my supply, it's intended to get me through natural disasters which are typically 1-2 weeks, a month at the outside. I'm less a Doomsday prepper than an emergency-preparedness prepper. The canned fruit and vegetables should have enough vitamins to at least stretch things a bit.

I do keep a pound of salt in reserve but bottles of spices are a good idea.
 

Rocinante

Russian Bot
Founder
Well I do keep one bottle of liquid multivitamin on hand but I don't really plan on surviving for years on my supply, it's intended to get me through natural disasters which are typically 1-2 weeks, a month at the outside. I'm less a Doomsday prepper than an emergency-preparedness prepper. The canned fruit and vegetables should have enough vitamins to at least stretch things a bit.

I do keep a pound of salt in reserve but bottles of spices are a good idea.
Salt is a really good idea

If we are talking s few weeks, then we don't need the seeds I mentioned.

I was thinking surviving an apocalypse rather than being cut off for a few weeks/months. In that case the storage space for the multi vitamins and seeds could be used for additional food and supplies
 

Bear Ribs

Well-known member
The area I'm in grows few useful crops. I do have some fruit trees planted, as peaches do alright.

I've been looking at aquaponics but finding a way to keep the system running without power, and from freezing when it's sub-zero for weeks straight, is proving difficult.
 

Rocinante

Russian Bot
Founder
The area I'm in grows few useful crops. I do have some fruit trees planted, as peaches do alright.

I've been looking at aquaponics but finding a way to keep the system running without power, and from freezing when it's sub-zero for weeks straight, is proving difficult.
You could easily run just a small pump off solar panels. a fish tank's pump is good enough to support water circulation to several plants. The issue would be lighting if you're growing indoors. HPS and MH are the best lighting for growing plants but are very power intensive. LEDs have come a long way though, but I don't know enough about them to say they'd really be good enough or how much power they'd use.
 

PeaceMaker 03

Well-known member
I recommend a Berkey filter for cleaning water. You can find videos for making a DIY version with filters and 5-gallon buckets for an inexpensive system.
 

Whitestrake Pelinal

Like a dream without a dreamer
So, what tricks do you have and what goods do you keep for an emergency?
I like to look at the question of prepping through the lens of the rule of threes. Short version: "three minutes without air, three hours without warmth/shelter, three days without water, three weeks without food".

Air:
Try to be right with the Lord. A full face gas mask with filters for smoke and chemical agents would be a luxury buy, but no harm in having it, for urban police disruptions or forest fires.

Warmth/Shelter:
Clothes: climate-appropriate, fitting, durable, not flashy. A period of unrest is the wrong time to signal wealth and status with designer gear. Sneakers are fine for around the house, but boots with reinforced toes offer more protection and a modest improvement in self-defense capability.

Housing: keep the oil / kerosene / propane tank half-full or better (a big minus to natural gas here, if line pressure drops you're boned). Generator to power the furnace with enough fuel for at least a week of house-heating during a cold snap, enough time to figure out where I go next. A generator that could run on heating fuel would be even better. Kerosene space heater for backup. Solar panels would be nice, and I'll be adding a solar+battery setup soon, but... solar panels must be exposed to the sun. Where people can see them and decide they deserve them more than I.

Water:
At least a week of potable water stored somewhere it won't freeze. Water filtration options are a fine choice as well, I have a pitcher and a few backup filters in case minor disruptions. Something like the berkey mentioned above would not be remiss, but I don't have it yet. A home within walking distance of a pond or river is a big plus here.

Tea or coffee if you consume them regularly, and the means to brew them without consuming electricity. For me, that's a cast iron teapot.

For alcohol, have a couple cases of the cheapest vodka in the basement, to wean off on.

Food:
Already been said, but I'll say it again: rice + beans + multivitamins + spices. Doesn't require more than hot water to make edible, stores for years, cheap. Spices for a curry or chili are a quality of life improvement and don't cost much either. Canned / jarred vegetables and fruits a big plus, fruit trees are a good long term investment. If you have confidence in your long term electricity supply a drop-in freezer can run more cheaply than the standard consumer fridge, and store a whole lot of meat. This is on my list when I've upgraded my generator.

Durable cookware which can be used on stove or flame, and means to provide said flame.

Home defense:
As alluded to in the Dilbert comic above, anything worth having can be worth taking. For an American, I like what I have: a rifle, a handgun, a bunch of ammo, and useful landscaping tools (hatchet & machete). Of all those, I think having at least one firearm is a must. They are the original power tool. Materials for maintaining said tools are also appropriate.

First aid kit, additional bandages and antibiotic ointment, bottles of tablets of aspirin / acetaminophen / ibuprofen.
 

bintananth

behind a desk
@Alathon

The cheap vodka you mentioned has other uses too. It's a disinfectant and mild anaesthetic. It's on my must-have list for camping trips just to add a bit to the local water supply as insurance and clean the inevitable cuts and scrapes so they don't get infected.
 

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