One only has to watch the news...or read Newsweek...to see that strange things are going on in the world. Emergencies can happen in any form -- earthquakes, floods, civil unrest, government collapse, economic problems (global, national, or even personal), and more. While I've always felt more comfortable with a good supply of food in my cupboards (probably due to my Mormon upbringing), I started to get uneasy about not having enough long-term food storage -- things I could purchase now and then put away and not really think about, but have it should I need it for any reason. I started to research and found that food storage today is much better than when my mom and dad would buy bulk beans, wheat and rice and store it all in 55 gallon drums in the basement.
Now you can purchase items in more manageable #10 cans, with all of the oxygen removed, which makes the shelf live of most products 25-30 years. I visited an LDS cannery and made my first purchase -- beans, rice, pasta, flour, sugar, oats, milk, apples, and potato flakes. All in easy to store #10 cans (they fit in closets, under beds, etc -- however, the temperature in the storage area must be around 72 or below -- as when the temperature goes up, the shelf live dramatically decreases).
My children shook their heads and rolled their eyes at my latest project. I told them that if we never needed these items, that would be wonderful. In 25 or 30 years, my husband and I will be pretty old and probably living on a fixed income. We can always open the cans then and supplement our food supply with our food storage then. However, if we ever need the food storage for whatever reason, we'll all be grateful it is there!
Then I started thinking -- while my purchases were a good start, they would certainly be boring to eat after awhile and they probably would not supply all of the needed nutrition. What I wanted was some additional items that would allow me to cook my food storage and make meals similar to what we eat now! I then started researching more and found other places that sold food storage. Some companies really charge an arm and a leg for products -- but I did find that Costco and Sam's Club both sell food storage items from various companies through their websites (and in certain cases in the B&M stores). I then made another purchase -- this time of things like powdered eggs, pancake/biscuit mix, freeze-dried vegetable mixes (for soups and stews) and also texturized vegetable protein (TVP) -- a meat substitute. I found the real meat (which you CAN purchase freeze-dried) is terribly expensive. While TVP is not something I would eat on a daily basis, it now comes in various textures and flavors and would work in a pinch to supply the taste and nutrition I'm looking for. For example, you could throw some bacon or ham flavored TVP in with some beans or lentils and have red beans and rice, or lentil soup -- things that we eat often now.
My next project is to see if I can find a place where I can can my own items into #10 cans. Buying things like lentils, bulgar wheat, and split peas from companies are quite expensive. I would much rather buy in bulk from a local supplier and then take care of the canning on my own. I know it can be done (Mormons up in Utah have access to personal canners through their churches) -- I just need to figure out how and where in my area.
By the way -- when the great catastrophe happens and you start starving because you didn't plan ahead, don't come looking for food from me. I'm a big believer in the adage "Lack of preparation on YOUR part does NOT constitute an emergency on MY part." Part of my plan also includes getting some firearms and ammunition -- both for hunting and for personal protection of my family and our food :)
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