Bugging out is not always the best option. In many cases riding out the scenario would be the better option, and it is for this reason the various government agencies tasked with dealing with emergencies always advise us to store food. How much, what type, and a few other points what I’ll attempt to address here. Understand this is a subject that could very easily take several volumes to properly address. What I will attempt to do here is give you the quick and dirty, guerrilla version of it.
In the spirit of first principle thinking this conversation should start by determining how much our daily caloric needs are. This is something I often see overlooked in favor of a “let’s guesstimate it” approach. Know that during a true disaster your caloric needs will often increase. In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew I found myself, along with friends and family, working several very long days clearing debris from fallen trees and damaged structures. My caloric needs easily doubled during those days, and it is my recommendation that you also double your perceived caloric needs when organizing your food preps.
A simple technique to figure out your caloric needs begins with logging in what you normally eat throughout the day for several days. Once that’s done find an online calorie calculator and plug in your food choices. It is important to calculate at least three separate days in order to then get an average. This will help deal with the potential daily deviation. I should also mention this is based on current consumption and not optimal consumption for health and fitness. Of course, it helps if you are fit from the get go, but this formula is designed for you right now. Once you’ve determined your normal caloric usage double it and make that your target goal when getting your food preps for storage. You’ll very quickly realize those premade food buckets very often fall short, very short!
Now that we know how many calories per day we need, how many days should we plan for? We’ve seen anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks proposed by the various emergency management agencies. In my case I needed a month after Hurricane Andrew and depending on your envisioned scenario it may be more, possibly a LOT more. The folks of the LDS church usually advise at least one year’s worth of provisions. That may be a bit of a challenge for many but its something that can be built up to. Certainly 2 weeks is a worthy goal to start with.
A real easy starting off point is with bulk type foods such as rice, beans, or wheat. It should be mentioned though that the preppers maxim “prep what you eat, and eat what you prep” is very important. A radical change of diet during a crisis is not what you want. Bloating, constipation, or diarrhea can be deadly in a true emergency scenario. We’ve discussed this in a previous blog post titled “SHTF Food Considerations”. An easy way to store these items is in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers in them. It’s as easy as filling the bag, throwing an appropriately sized oxygen absorber, and sealing it with a purpose-built heat sealer. There are easily thousands of tutorials online so I’ll limit my description to what I’ve just mentioned, but it really is that easy.
Once the bulk items are addressed start considering protein sources (eggs, meats, etc.) and fruits & vegetables. Freeze dried are the best, with dehydrated a close second. The downside is that they are usually more expensive than other forms preservation such as canning. Don’t dismiss canned foods as a viable option though. You could can your own, but that requires some skill and experience. If this interests you, I recommend taking a class and The LDS Church often offers them (classes are usually open to public regardless of religious inclination. Just don’t be obnoxious, they’re usually very nice people). If you decide to go the canned route, buying canned foods is a time proven strategy.
The first quick acquisition method I advocate is the method my mom used, and I later heard called “copy canning” by survival expert Karen Hood. Simply buy two cans of something you’d normally buy once during your normal shopping interval. For me that would be weekly, so by “copy canning” I’d have six weeks worth of a canned food after six weeks. Get it? By the way taking advantage of coupons, sales and special offers such as BOGO’s (buy one get one free) or “twofers” you’ll go even further in your preparedness efforts so keep an eye out for them.
The second method I like to advocate is what we call the yearly menu method. Its very straight forward and if you are a member of a wholesale club it makes great sense. Note that we call it the yearly method but you can adapt it to 6 months, 2 weeks or whatever works for you. Simply buy a large batch of the item at a reduced price due to volume. Wholesale clubs and restaurant supply places are where you go for the best deals when using this method.
Please note that cans, while long lasting, are the least long lasting of the methods we’ve discussed thus necessitating rotation in order to be a viable method. Simply put the most recently acquired in the back of the stack, using the oldest ones first. How long do cans last? According to the labels usually 3-6 years depending on the food and what preservation method they used. However, I know from personal experience that they often last much longer than that. In fact, several studies have shown that while the overall nutritional value decreases some over time, the macro nutrients tend to hold up the longest. Of-course avoid cans that are dented, rusted, or bloated as well as cans whose contents are discolored, have black or white spotting, or smell badly.
One last thing I’ll mention that pertains to preparedness food storage is to make sure you have the appropriate tools to make use of your preparations. For example: a manual can opener. How many people do you know that have an electric can opener but neglected to have a back-up manual one? Or a means of cooking your food? Does the Perce Nez Indian rule of 3s apply to means of cooking? I think it does. I have a gas grill with plenty of gas for it; a barbecue with some charcoal and the knowledge I could also use wood in it; as well as a solar cooker to take advantage of the free fuel from the sun and preserve my other fuel sources. Food is a powerful moral booster in addition to a source of energy taking the time to best prepare this extremely valuable preparedness item should be very high on your survival checklist.
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