What Kinds of Emergency Foods Do You Keep on Hand?
Hurricane Hermine has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. Hermine caused power outages, minor flooding, and evacuations, etc., but will do little damage now other than continue to be a big rainmaker. However, the situation could have been a lot more disruptive. In September of 2005 the area where I live in north Alabama was still receiving Category 1 hurricane winds even though we are 350 miles from the coast. We had lots of downed trees which equates to the loss of electrical power. At my house we were without electricity for six days. Hurricanes represent only one of several possible scenarios that can cramp the lifestyles of not just those who live in rural areas, but practically anyone living anywhere. We have snow storms, ice storms, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and then there are the other possible "grid down" situations that I will not mention at this time. Living in a rural area all my life I have seen disruptions in electricity, municipal water, and even food and fuel for extended periods of time. As a result of an ice storm in December of 1998, parts of the county where I live were without electricity for 28 days. We try to keep enough canned/non-perishable foodstuffs, fuel for the generator, LP gas for the stove on hand to get us these "periods of inconvenience" (clean water is not a problem where I live, but for others the lack of water is a very serious factor to considered). Still, I am always looking for innovative foods/rations to "stash" back for such times or carry camping, hunting, or in my vehicles. I saw this article at TheSurvivalistBlog.net where the author had evaluated these food tabs and thought I would pass them alon. I have not tried them, but I think I might. I also would be interested in hearing from what foods others might store for such "emergencies".
Beans,rice,honey,peanut butter and evaporated milk for the long haul! Dehydrated meals for short term emergencies.
ReplyDeleteBeer. They actually stopped selling beer after the 2004 hurricanes here by order of the city. Fortunately I am a prepper with a generator. :) Ice storms don't require a generator.
ReplyDeleteWe had two hurricanes in two weeks.
I make my own beer so I usually have kegs and cases to spare. I guess that I would be pretty popular down in your neck of the woods during times of emergency.........
DeleteYou have gave got too have BEER!
DeleteI have several of the survival rations like they require on life boats. Walmart has been carrying one version of those and at $5 is priced right (sporting goods/camping section) West Marine has the real sea version. A survival straw for water, huge flint and a block of magnesium, mylar blankets.
ReplyDeleteWe have another month until the "official" start of Cyclone season so I buy extra goodies each time I go to the grocery store. That way you don't have to do any panic buying.
ReplyDeleteWe have another month until the "official" start of Cyclone season so I buy extra goodies each time I go to the grocery store. That way you don't have to do any panic buying.
ReplyDeleteTerry: Real Ice Storms do make a generator a necessity, if you want things like heat (The temps generally drop drastically after an ice storm around here) ...and to keep the fridge and freezer operating. (we can go 2 weeks without power if it is bad....) We generally have a full deep freezer of meat.
ReplyDeleteBut to the topic:
We generally have about 5 days worth of canned food on hand in the upstairs pantry....2 years worth downstairs in the "crypt" Then we have long term stuff, like rice and beans and dehydrated meats and such. We also have about 2 weeks worth of assorted light sources.
Canned over a stove or a campstove works for a few days. After that, it becomes stew and such on the woodstove....then onto "serious" prep stuff...
Terry: Real Ice Storms do make a generator a necessity, if you want things like heat (The temps generally drop drastically after an ice storm around here) ...and to keep the fridge and freezer operating. (we can go 2 weeks without power if it is bad....) We generally have a full deep freezer of meat.
ReplyDeleteBut to the topic:
We generally have about 5 days worth of canned food on hand in the upstairs pantry....2 years worth downstairs in the "crypt" Then we have long term stuff, like rice and beans and dehydrated meats and such. We also have about 2 weeks worth of assorted light sources.
Canned over a stove or a campstove works for a few days. After that, it becomes stew and such on the woodstove....then onto "serious" prep stuff...
Being an Older dude, with a wife...I'm pushin 70, but in good shape, I've been stockin up on food and stuff for years. Just simple stuff. Buy cans of "meat, veggies, and other stuff that will last, at the dollar store for next to nothin. Also, Have alot of water purfication tablets, as I have a pool and a like out back. AMMO too. Got a "fair" supply. 2 Tanks of Gas for the Grill, also have a Fire place, which makes me comfortable too...and a forrest across the street. I'm not really a Survivalist, but...I could stay alive with my wife if the world went dark and to shit for probably at least 6 months... if I could organize the neighborhood for self defense. I'm workin on that. There WILL be gangs and shit. Neighborhood defense, is essential for survival. Ya might want to talk to your neighbors....
ReplyDeleteMe? I feel pretty good.
Canned goods: Soups, veggies, tuna, spam, pasta, chili, colas
ReplyDeleteBottled water, juices, spirits
Dried beans, split peas, barley, pasta, rice, salt, sugar
Pickles, olives, mustard, spices
Coffee, tea
Rotate usage with fresh & frozen foods on a FIFO system
A whole pantry full of anything you might expect to get at the local grocery store. Six months worth of dehydrated stuff. A freezer nearly full of meat (generator included), and as far as the generator counts, it runs the well pump too). Fuel for the generator needs to be stocked up, as I've used the old gas for the KLR when I ride it to work. A KLR will run on any crappy gas you can give it. Coffee beans last forever, got 20~30lbs, Lots of sugar (make booze), flour,SALT!
ReplyDeleteBut before I tell you anything more about this, I have means to protect all this. I haven't done inventory, but between the shootin' irons, and the ammo, the batf would ave shit fit over it, not to mention the "splody components they might deem suspect. It's funny, I got stuff in the shop that could potentially be used for making meth, but they don't bother with that shit. Go figger?
My wife is Asian, so we always have 50-100 pounds of rice on hand. It would be very useful in any situation-it can be eaten with just about everything. We dry lots of stuff like zucchini, and red peppers,too. I tap our maples for syrup in the winter. She grew up during a war, and saw starving people up close. All the people of her generation are preoccupied with food,even now. We don't have a single plant growing on our land that can't be used in some way for food.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments. I, like Swamp Fox, have never considered myself a survivalist. Most country folks around these parts are "preppers" and do not even know it. I live ten miles from a store (forty minutes to the nearest WalMart) and I have never liked the idea of getting home only to realize I had forgotten something. We try to keep on hand things like common plumbing/electrical parts, nails/screws/bolts, etc. and tend to stock our larder with things we normally eat and rotate that stock. I really do not rely on "emergency foods", but do keep MRE's on hand to throw in the truck while hunting or traveling on long trips "just in case". We garden and my wife and I can. We do freeze some things. I also have staples like rice, beans, flour, cornmeal, pasta, etc. and could eat well for quite some time (I could eat beans and cornbread nearly every night). We have electric heat, but mainly use liquid propane heaters. Also, we have a gas stove/oven and hot water heater I have a thousand gallon propane tank. I try to keep the register on the tank closer to the eighty percent mark than the zero. We have a fireplace as well. During the tornado outbreak of April of 2011 we lost electricity, cell phone service (it lasted about six hours to the emergency batteries ran down), the pumping stations that provide municipal water had multiple breakdowns (back-up pumps and generators) and many customers were left without water. I was lucky, living down a long dead end road that drops over 120 feet in elevation from the main line (1.5 miles) to my house and with mostly "weekend lake folks" for neighbors, I had plenty of water and pressure during that ordeal. As far as long term water, there are numerous fresh springs/creeks and one of the purest lakes in the U.S. joining my property. I have several gasoline lanterns and kerosene lanterns. I buy kerosene five gallons at time and also have some solar lights, etc to see what I am doing at night. Furthermore, we try to keep on hand several fully charged fire extinguishers (emergency workers are usually somewhere else during a disaster), adequate First Aid, and of course we have our sporting hardware and plenty of ammo to feed them. Lastly, I strongly agree with the fact that you need to know your neighbors, especially like minded ones who can be trusted to help in a crisis. Fortunately for me, the ones I have are "gooduns". I think being prepared for such interruptions is the prudent thing to do. Thanks to all for stopping in and sharing. Jeffery
ReplyDelete