[Cacique500]

The best way to do food prep for long term is to start with 5 or 6 gallon food grade buckets. Then you get heavy mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and a GOOD LID. Place the mylar in the bucket, place an O2 absorber in the bottom, dump your food on top (rice, beans, corn, wheat, etc.) up to about 1 inch from the top, place another O2 absorber on top, then seal the mylar with an iron (or much better is a heat seal gun). Get as much air out as you can before you seal the mylar...and the O2 absorbers will do the rest.

There are a few places online to buy bulk (Honeyville, Pleasant Hill Grain, and others)...you can also get the mylar and absorbers from the above).

I’ve purchased from both and while a little more expensive, the bulk food quality is EXCELLENT. Packaged this way, in a cool environment and with a good seal on the mylar, you’re looking at 25+ years for most of these foods.

Do your research on what foods you’re putting away since some don’t last as long, where others will last indefinitely. It’s also a good idea to keep an inventory of what you have...and make a recipe book using only items you have on hand. I also recommend a good dutch oven setup - in case your electric or gas stoves don’t work you’ll still be able to cook with the dutch oven & charcoal.

Also remember (VERY IMPORTANT) that while food is very necessary, WATER is EXTREMELY important. We have one of the Berkey Water Purifier systems that can process a few hundred gallons per day, with a water reservoir very close to the house. The unit takes up very little space in the kitchen and the filter elements are good for a total of about 12,000 gallons (and you can buy extra filter elements).

For those interested, Frugal Squirrels is a great website to find in depth info on food storage. Youtube also has some excellent videos on how to pack buckets using the method I described above...search for “The 5 Gallon Bucket Food Storage Project” - a series of several videos that will show how it’s done.

Two very important things about prepping...1) Tell NO ONE what you have and 2) Have a means to defend your preps...

[Vendome]

For those of who have not done so, I would encourage you to buy a water purifier.

 

On the order of things, it really isn't expensive and i

 

Last week, in an American city, 2 Million people are boiling their water, due to a break in their primary water main.

 

In Katrina, people were walking through water they could drink but for a purifier.

 

In Haiti, the water was contaminated and a water purifier would have helped stem problems associated with fouled water.

 

In Tennessee the floods took out the clean water supply but again, a water purifier would have delivered clean water.

 

Please note there is a difference between filtered water and purified water.  Filters are fine for backwoods hikes, for the most part but, a water purifier in a grid down situation is an absolute must.

 

NACN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HasTWSZVYtU&feature=player_embedded

 

CNN

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/02/boston-area-communities-under-boil-water-order/

 

I personally have the Lifesaver bottle for just such an emergency.

 

It can purify 6,000(1,500 gallons) liters of water on one filter.  That's Katrina water that everyone was walking through.

 

It will remove germs, chemical, effluence, etc and return pure water that is drinkable and can deliver 2.5L per minute.

 

“ The smallest bacteria are about 200nm (200 nanometers) in size, the smallest viruses are about 25nm. The holes in LIFESAVER membranes are 15nm so nothing is getting through.”

 

FAQ's

http://www.lifesaversystems.com/faqs.html

 

 

                      

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They also offer a jerry can version that holds 18 liters and filters 20,000 liters(next on my list)

 

                    

 

 

                      

 

 

 

These things aren't cheap but hey, When you are thirsty you will be glad you invested in these and so will your family

 

The prices are as follows:

 

6,000 liter  Lifesaver bottle =  $179.99

 

20,000 Liter Lifesaver Jerry Can =  $399.00

 

 

 

 

[blam]

"There are a few places online to buy bulk (Honeyville, Pleasant Hill Grain, and others)...you can also get the mylar and absorbers from the above)."

I just received two 2.25 pound cans of dehydrated eggs from Honeyville. Each can will make 80-90 eggs when reconstituted.