Food Storage Assessment

[mirkwood]

How much do you have in your home?  I'm challenging everyone on this board the same thing as my stake.  Take the time to honestly assess where you are at and then take steps to following the counsel we have been given.  If you need help, PM me and I will help you get down that path.  I have the poll set so it does not show anyone's names so you can be honest and nobody knows where you are on this principle.

[Traveler]

I have long been of the mind that we should not store food that we do not currently use.  Last year the wife and I (now empty nesters) went through our food storage and through out non dry food pack that was close to 40 years old.  We did not dare open it or try to use it.  I can understand keeping some freeze dried back packing kind of stuff in a 72 hour kit but freezer stuff is not likely to last a year after being stored in the freezer for 7 years and cycling frozen meet in food storage seem most foolish to me.

I do believe in home storage and providing what you can by your own means - but I definingly do not believe in waisting stuff - especially food.

 

The Traveler

Edited November 5, 2021 by Traveler

[laronius]

A year ago in general conference they had some talks about year supply so I decided to take the first step of making sure I had a three month supply. I made a list of what I needed and then spent the next month acquiring it all. Most of it is stuff I use though things like canned vegetables I won't. But I bought them strictly as insurance so I acknowledged that up front. Now that it's been a year I think it's time to reassess and restock. Additionally I have some boxes of traditional year supply items but I definitely need to add to it. Having done some backpacking and a lot of camping I could throw a 72 hr kit together pretty quick if I had to.

What I would be interested in @mirkwood are some ideas of things you've come across that you think would be really helpful to have that may not fall on your typical year supply list, if there is anything. For example I had my brother-in-law build me a rocket stove that utilizes relatively very little fuel when cooking. Also, I like to keep on hand a couple Swedish torches (the name may vary) that produce sustained heat, light and a cooking surface while requiring very little fuel.

[mirkwood]

4 hours ago, laronius said:

 

What I would be interested in @mirkwood are some ideas of things you've come across that you think would be really helpful to have that may not fall on your typical year supply list, if there is anything. 

My thoughts on preparedness are at this link:

http://preppercop.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-food-storage-and-emergency.html?m=1

 

[mirkwood]

7 hours ago, Traveler said:

I have long been of the mind that we should not store food that we do not currently use.  Last year the wife and I (now empty nesters) went through our food storage and through out non dry food pack that was close to 40 years old.  We did not dare open it or try to use it.  I can understand keeping some freeze dried back packing kind of stuff in a 72 hour kit but freezer stuff is not likely to last a year after being stored in the freezer for 7 years and cycling frozen meet in food storage seem most foolish to me.

I do believe in home storage and providing what you can by your own means - but I definingly do not believe in waiting stuff - especially food.

 

The Traveler

If I am reading correctly you do not believe in long term food storage?

[NeuroTypical]

I'm of the opinion that we should store what we eat, and eat what we store.  A basement full of wheat, if that's the extent of your preparations, might be a good thing, but it's going to be a pretty horrible thing trying to convert to a daily diet of wheat.  Such radical diet changes can kill people.

My weird diet consists of an awful lot of vegetarian chili.  At least 4-5 times a week.  Wanna know the recipe?  It's the top and bottom shelves of my food storage:

My kids are used to fast food 4-5x/week.  If hard times come and we're unable to keep that up, hopefully it'll come over the space of a month or two.  A sudden shift from burgers to beans, will make for a week or two of some pretty hefty gastrointestinal discomfort.

Edited November 2, 2021 by NeuroTypical

[Traveler]

6 hours ago, mirkwood said:

If I am reading correctly you do not believe in long term food storage?

I believe in long term but I am trying to determine what is needed at this point.  About 45 years ago I purchased a "2 year" supply of wheat with a grinder to make flower.  It has not been used up yet.  My wife developed type I diabetes as an adult and gluten is now difficult for her so she can only eat limited quantiles of wheat.  It is almost next to impossible to store more than 6 months of insulin for her - especially if there are emergency conditions and there is no or limited power to keep her insulin cold (which will expire in a month without refrigeration) .   

Like @NeuroTypical I believe we should store what we eat and eat what we store.  But since my wife is type I diabetic she needs high protean but low calorie foods.  That is quite difficult to find for storage because most long term storage foods are not low in calories.   We will survive but over time part of our storage will be wasted or given away and replaced.  Most commercially canned foods, as for @NeuroTypical picture, have about a year shelf life so most of that type of our storage is turned over yearly and the turnover is donated to the state food bank.  Since most of our diet is fresh and seasonal for the most part long term storage is not practical and since we are both getting old the freeze dried stuff really is not practical - though we do have some - mostly in our 72 hour emergency kits.  We do have some fuel for our generator but even that has limited effective storage.  In essence the foods we use daily - we have about 6 months worth.  We have supplemental dry pack and canned for longer term but most of our long term storage (over a year) has been or will be waisted.

Do you - or anyone else - have any suggestions? 

 

The Traveler

Edited November 2, 2021 by Traveler

[NeuroTypical]

26 minutes ago, Traveler said:

Most commercially canned foods, as for @NeuroTypical picture, have about a year shelf life so most of that type of our storage is turned over yearly and the turnover is donated to the state food bank.

Do you - or anyone else - have any suggestions? 

Yes.  Store what you eat, and eat what you store.  That picture isn't a static thing I throw away and replace every two years.  That picture is constantly in motion.  Old stuff up front, new stuff in the back.  I make a big batch of my daddy chili every week or two, and freeze 8 or so servings in tupperware.  That picture makes maybe 6-8 different recipes that are staples.  Maybe once a month I check what I've used, (3 garbanzo, 7 black beans, 4 corn, 2 spaghetti, etc), get it, and add it to the back of the stack.   

In short, I don't think of food storage as something I only use when needed.  I think of it as my grocery shopping, done months in advance.   If I take @mirkwood's advice and bump it up to a year, I'd still be using it all before any of it would go bad.

Edited November 2, 2021 by NeuroTypical

[mirkwood]

1 hour ago, Traveler said:

Do you - or anyone else - have any suggestions? 

 

Yep.

 

First, you are correct, insulin is a serious problem for your circumstances.  I have friends in the same boat.  I do not have a good answer for that if the world falls apart.  Faith and priesthood is the best I've got.

 

As for gluten free there are long term options.  

Best Gluten-free food storage (happypreppers.com)

Diabetic food storage (happypreppers.com)

Lentils (happypreppers.com)

Gluten Free Emergency Food Storage | My Patriot Supply

Gluten Free– Legacy Food Storage

NuManna INT-NMFPGF 126 Meals, Emergency Survival Food Storage Kit, Separate Rations, in a Bucket, 25 Plus Year Shelf Life, GMO-Free & Gluten Free - - Amazon.com

Amazon.com : Augason Farms Gluten Free Black Bean Burger 16 lbs 2 oz 4 Gallon Pail : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Augason Farms Gluten Free Black Bean Burger 16 lbs 2 oz 4 Gallon Pail : Sports & Outdoors

NorthWest Fork Gluten-Free 30 Day Emergency Food Supply (Kosher, Non-GMO, Vegan) - 10 Year Shelf Life - 90 Servings - - Amazon.com

Amazon.com : Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix, 22-ounce (Pack of 4) : Pancake And Waffle Mixes : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Amazon.com: Mountain House Rice & Chicken | Freeze Dried Backpacking & Camping Food |6-Pack | Gluten-Free : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Amazon.com : Augason Farms Southwest Chili Mix Net wt. 3 lbs 10 oz (1.65 kg) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com: Long Term Gluten Free Food Storage: 60 Large Servings - 16 lbs Emergency Survival Meals - Disaster Insurance Supplies with 25 Year Shelf Life - Prepper : Sports & Outdoors

THE SURVIVAL TABS 8-Day Food Supply 96 Tabs Emergency Food Replacement Disaster Preparedness for Earthquake Flood Tsunami Gluten Free & Non-GMO 25 Years Shelf Life Long Term Food Storage-Mixed Flavor - - Amazon.com

Amazon.com: Nature’s Juice Bar Emergency Food Bars - Meal Replacement for Survival, Disaster Preparedness that Provides Healthy Energy, Nutrition- Gluten-Free : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Amazon.com: Augason Farms Long Grain Brown Rice Emergency Food Storage 24 Pound Pail : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Amazon.com : NorQuin White Quinoa Pail 252 Servings / 25 lbs - Big Bulk Bucket Great For Food Storage, Restaurants & Wholesale - Perfect Rice & Grain Alternative - Kosher Certified, Gluten Free, Non-GMO : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Amazon.com: ReadyWise Emergency Food Supply, Freeze-Dried Survival-Food Disaster Kit, Camping Food, Prepper Supplies, Emergency Supplies, Freeze-Dried Fruit Bucket, 20-Year Shelf Life, 120 Servings, Fruits : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Mountain House Cooked Diced Chicken | Freeze Dried Survival & Emergency Food | #10 Can | Gluten-Free, 30235-Parent : Freeze Dried Food : Sports & Outdoors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Backroads]

I daresay I'm in the 3-6 month range. We'd like to do better, and I try to keep it reasonable. We have our share of the prep meals, but I agree with keeping stuff I can use and cook with. We usually buy beef from my brother-in-law every year, which I appreciate having around. 

[laronius]

Well as of this afternoon I am 20 cases closer to a completed food storage. It helps when one of the Church's food storage centers is just down the street. Thanks for beating the food storage drum @mirkwood.

[classylady]

I feel strongly about completing our years supply. I’ve talked to my husband about it and he agrees. I have some long term items stored, such as wheat and sugar and beans. And, I have a lot of canned goods. Just cleaned out our storage and threw a lot of canned goods away. But, I can’t find my wheat grinder. We may need to purchase a new one. I used to grind my wheat and make bread all the time. Haven’t done that in quite some time.

This year for Christmas I’m thinking of buying food storage items for my adult children. 

[JohnsonJones]

We have about a year's supply of food, though we will be eating a lot of wheat, rice, and oats if it ever came down to that.  We have a bunch of other items we cycle through (canned soup, vegetables, and fruits), but it probably would extend up to around 6-9 months as we cycle through it each year.  That's accounting for extra than me and my spouse, we plan that we could also support one of our kids and their family with us.  If it just me and my spouse, we probably have enough for several years.

[mrmarklin]

We have a 72 hour kit at our second home. This because the area is subject to occasional power outages. 
Here in CA, most homes don’t have basements, making any serious storage impractical for most families. Not enough room. 
The real problem in any serious emergency is access to water. Without water one will not live very long. Luckily, in both my residences, the water table is high, and I own a shovel. 😃

Edited November 5, 2021 by mrmarklin

[mrmarklin]

Eating what we store would be very problematic. We eat fresh vegetables, never canned. And my wife is never going to run a wheat grinder, nor am I. 

[estradling75]

Having fresh vegetables as food storage is totally doable.  You just need to commit to a slightly different set of preps.  In this case you learn to garden, you eat what you 'grow' and your food storage isn't massive containers of wheat or beans or whatever... but a seed bank, plus whatever incidentals you like on your vegges.  Of course gardening is not without its own set of challenges... which is why you need to figure it out before you need to live off it.

 

 

[laronius]

13 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

Eating what we store would be very problematic. We eat fresh vegetables, never canned. And my wife is never going to run a wheat grinder, nor am I. 

I personally don't worry too much about eating what I store in my year supply, at least not enough to allow it to be a hindrance to getting prepared. It is simply insurance to me for which I'm glad I didn't have to eat when it gets old. I don't eat canned vegetables either but I do keep some just in case. I also try to keep a decent amount of frozen veggies in my freezer which I do eat. Also, don't take an all or nothing mentality. If you have some room for food storage then use what you got. Better than none at all.

[Ironhold]

15 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

We have a 72 hour kit at our second home. This because the area is subject to occasional power outages. 
Here in CA, most homes don’t have basements, making any serious storage impractical for most families. Not enough room. 
The real problem in any serious emergency is access to water. Without water one will not live very long. Luckily, in both my residences, the water table is high, and I own a shovel. 😃

Almost no basements in my part of Texas either, but we find ways to manage. 

It's all about making the most of what storage you do have. 

For example, our house has a small cabinet to the right of the sink. Other houses with our floor plan have a dishwasher in that spot, but since we wash our dishes by hand we have that little spot for more storage. 

[JohnsonJones]

On 11/4/2021 at 6:40 PM, mrmarklin said:

We have a 72 hour kit at our second home. This because the area is subject to occasional power outages. 
Here in CA, most homes don’t have basements, making any serious storage impractical for most families. Not enough room. 
The real problem in any serious emergency is access to water. Without water one will not live very long. Luckily, in both my residences, the water table is high, and I own a shovel. 😃

We have a sandpoint we can fall back on if the water is ever cut off or unable to be pumped by the local water company.  it's under the Southwest corner of our home. 

Depending on where you live and how high the water table is, a sandpoint or a well can be useful to have.

On 11/4/2021 at 6:44 PM, mrmarklin said:

Eating what we store would be very problematic. We eat fresh vegetables, never canned. And my wife is never going to run a wheat grinder, nor am I. 

Store Oats or Rice, they don't require a wheat grinder and can be easy to make (as long as you have water) or cook.  You could also store cracked wheat (you can buy them in large bags), though they don't keep as long as normal wheat.  It makes a tastier cereal than oats (which is why I'd also suggest keeping a 5 gallon storage bucket of sugar as well as several waterproof containers of salt if you also store oats) and is pretty healthy overall.

[Still_Small_Voice]

We probably have about five to six months of food storage presently.  It would not be good eating though.  I really believe the prophets have asked us to store up one years worth of food so we do not have to turn others away.  Personally I very likely would not distribute any of my food.  It will go to the bishop and he can distribute it in hard times.

If anyone lives in northern Utah and is interested in free wheat that is probably good for another 12 years send me a personal message.  The containers that hold the wheat I wish to keep but you can have the wheat.  I am looking at replacing some of it with pinto beans and great northern beans.  Dry pinto beans and great northern beans are very cheap presently from what I have heard.

Do not forget good quality water filters either.  I also like propane electric generators as propane never goes bad.  As long as the tanks are good the propane is good and that could be several years.

Analyze what you have in preparations, make a plan and then pray about what you buy when you plan to purchase. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Still_Small_Voice

[Still_Small_Voice]

I was thinking today.  Someone posted a while back on the forums that they had a dream.  In the dream food was so expensive many people could not afford it.  Think this will come to pass within the next several years in this nation?

[Grunt]

I've gone with more of a self-sustainment method.   Our immediate, on hand stores fluctuates with the seasons.  My next step will be an underground greenhouse or perhaps two.  Right now canning and freezing vegetables is OK, but I'd really like to have fresh veggies for more months of the year.   I'm also looking into aquaponics with brown trout, as we don't have any fish stores beyond catching them.

When getting started with stores, before adding a self-sustainment model, we built can and box racks in the basement.   It was super quick and easy to do as we nailed them right on the wall.   Every time we went to the store and bought food for the week, we bought extra.   When we use it, we take it from the bottom of the rack, like a soda machine.  New purchases went in the top.   It didn't take long to build up a supply of food, and it rotates naturally because it's what we use regularly.   

I actually wrote up a plan for someone awhile back.  I should dig it out and revisit it.

[Jedi_Nephite]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to store wheat?  

[Still_Small_Voice]

2 hours ago, Jedi_Nephite said:

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to store wheat?  

My wheat has been stored for about thirteen years in a cool and dry place in plastic buckets with bay leaves in them.  No weevils or other pests have been found in the wheat.  It is still good and likely will be for another twelve years or longer.

[NeuroTypical]

3 hours ago, Jedi_Nephite said:

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to store wheat?  

Google has 810 million suggestions.

https://www.google.com/search?q=food+storage+ideas&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS924US924&oq=food+storage+ideas&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l9.3009j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8