So lets say you wanted to invest a little in some bulk food that would be easy to store. Something that would keep you alive and not kill the bank, say a starter kit.
I would suggest the following, A large 20 pound bag of rice, a ten pound bag of pinto beans, a five pound bag of red beans and a five pound bag of navy beans. Toss in if you can a 20 pound bag of whole oat groats and a 20 pound bag of red bakers wheat.
Add a five pound bag of salt, an two five pound bags of sugar.
You are talking months of food, for a very little investment. White rice contains lysine which is missing from the beans. Rice and beans together, and you have a complete meal.
The wheat and oats can be chopped up easily with a knife, the wheat soaked over night, the oats are ready instantly, Boil in hot water for 20 minutes and you have a great breakfast meal.
All of these items are whole seed and keep indefinatly except the beans, beans are oxygen sensitive and after a year or two exposed to air will not soften properly when you cook them. However the nutrition is there. If you wanted the beans to be stored for emergencys only, and last for years, put the beans in gallon zip lock baggies with an oxygen adsorber and stack the gallon bags in a five gallon bucket with lid. The beans will last for decades if dry and no oxygen.
Oxygen adsorbers can be purchased on the internet (ebay) or if you are in a pinch hand warmers work just as good. The basicly are the same thing.
what is in oxygen adsorbers by the way is iron powder and salt. The salt causes the iron to rust by stealing oxygen from the air.
K, guys, there you are, the poor mans Food storage. It may be boring food, but it will keep you alive and is easy to store.
A couple of hundred bucks spent this way will go miles farther than any other type of SHTF food and is super easy to preserve and store.
My kit is all in mylar bags with oxygen adsorbers, inside 5 gallon buckets with lids. Done deal for the next few decades.
You never heard of menu fatigue, have you?
Those things are good to have, but you can't live a normal life on them. Those are refugee foods by themselves.
And you left out oil or fat of some kind.
Me? I'm not going to live like a refugee, ever. Not after the market crash in 2008, when I had to rely on stored and foraged provisions, not next month, not next year, not ever.
/johnny
Absolutely true - a great list. Add some shortening and oil, some popcorn and some baking soda. You can have cornbread or biscuits to go with the beans and rice.
I’ve read that the pioneers used pop corn as a ready breakfast cereal, and that grinding the popcorn makes a good cornmeal. Add some seeds for veggies, and potato eyes and you can make my favorite meal.
My favorite meal is beans, fried taters, maters, a slice of onion and a big slice of cornbread with butter.