Posted on 06/26/2021 4:45:18 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
An emergency stockpile can greatly increase your chance of survival if SHTF. But creating a stockpile can easily drain your grocery budget if you’re not careful.
Luckily, some of the best foods for stockpiling are extremely cheap, so you can buy them in quantities enough to last you several months. Here are some examples of cheap foods to stockpile:
Rice – Rice is a staple food worldwide. It is also a versatile ingredient as it can be paired with various foods or cooked with various ingredients. When stored in an airtight container, rice keeps for six months. Rice is also cheap when bought in bulk.
Pinto beans – Pinto beans can be cooked in bulk and used in soups and salads. Pinto beans are a cheap way to keep bellies full, too, since they are rich in carbohydrates, fiber and protein. Like rice, they will also keep for several months if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry. Buy pinto beans in bulk to save money.
Lentils – Lentils are another legume that should be part of your emergency stockpile. They give you lots of calories, carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber. Lentils are typically used in soups. But they also make great additions in potato salads, roasted vegetable salads, curries, and other savory dishes.
Oil – Don’t forget to stock up on oil since you’ll need it to cook. Having oil on hand will also give you more variety since you can use it to make marinades, sauces and salad dressings. Choose healthy oils, such as coconut, sesame and olive oils.
Flour – Bread is a staple in various diets worldwide. But bread can quickly go bad and moldy. So instead of buying ready-made bread, stock up on bags of flour. Flour is the single most important baking ingredient. If you have flour, you can make whatever bread or pastry you want.
Cornmeal – Cornmeal is the main ingredient in cornbread, a staple in Native American diets. Cornbread will sustain you in a pinch. You can also use cornmeal to bread fish and chicken. (Related: Have a taste of frontier survival cooking with cornmeal pancakes.)
Chickpeas – Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are a staple in the Mediterranean diet. Like other beans, chickpeas are also high in protein and dietary fiber. Buy chickpeas in bulk and store them in airtight containers for long-term storage.
Pasta – Pasta is a good source of carbohydrates. Pasta also makes a great vehicle for hearty sauces, meat and dehydrated vegetables, among other ingredients. Because pasta is dried, it can keep up to two years past the expiration date printed on the packaging. Opened dry pasta will keep for one year.
Oats – Old-fashioned rolled oats are a pantry staple. You can buy them in large bags and store them in a cool, dry place for long-term storage. Oats are also a versatile ingredient. You can use them to make overnight oats, no-bake granola bars and muffins, to name a few.
Powdered milk – Forget about stocking up on cow’s milk, which will inevitably go bad even when unopened. Stock up on powdered milk instead. You can use powdered milk to make all sorts of ingredients, such as evaporated milk, coffee creamer, yogurt, hot chocolate and cottage cheese.
Meat – Meat can still be part of an emergency stockpile. For long-term storage, you can either cure meat with salt or portion it into airtight containers and place them in the freezer. You can also dry meat to make your own jerky. Check with your local grocery store or butcher for money-saving deals and promos.
Dried foods – Don’t forget to add dried fruits, vegetables and herbs to your emergency stockpile. These foods ensure you still get to eat healthy foods when SHTF. The best part is, you can dehydrate foods yourself. Stalky and starchy foods, such as potatoes, carrots and unripe bananas, are great for dehydrating. Follow this guide to dehydrate your own foods. Learn more about building a stockpile at Preparedness.news.
Wheat can be ground into flour; rice and lentils eaten together gives you all the proteins you need. Hard corn lasts a long time appropriately stored; it can be ground into cornmeal. Now add things like salt, pepper, spices ( you can get them at Sams in bulk for practically nothing) and you have the basis for plenty of practical meals.
Don’t forget things like fuel and vegetable oil. Crisco stores pretty well, keep other oils cool and out of the light to minimize breakdown/oxidation.
**************************************************************************
Good points. I stocked up on popcorn. Popcorn is not GMO. It’s a good treat. Popped at night it can be used with milk and sugar as a cold breakfast cereal-I read somewhere that the pioneers in wagon trains did this.
We have a hand crank mill, but I need to double check to see if it’s sturdy enough for grinding corn - I usually use a coffee bean grinder if I don’t have some jiffy mix handy for corn bread.
I just opened an old pack I had saved since 2015 - it popped fine and tasted good. So at least 6 years shelf life. It was not even vacuum packed - just put the original unopened bag in a metal coffee can with a plastic lid.
Oil/fats can be a problem. We prefer Olive Oil and Butter. I have put some extra olive oil in the spare refrigerator, and butter is vacuum packed in the freezer. We won’t use Crisco. I did stock some ghee, clarified butter, and coconut oil and put them in the refrigerator also - to hopefully extend their shelf life.
Last year, I experimented with rendering fat off a pork roast. That worked out pretty well. I just wanted to try out the instructions on that. I kept some in the frig and some in the freezer.
It makes a really good gravy. I have a recipe book for using Lard to make all sorts of stuff.
A few weeks back, I experimented with making my own clarified butter and ghee. Pressure canned it, but I’m storing it in the frig too - except for the one I am currently using to cook the breakfast eggs.
Where did you get the oil in a can? What is the shelf life?
Have you ever seen lard without additives in a can?
That was interesting. Johnny(JRandomFreeper) used to plant pinto beans that he bought from the grocery store, and Roma tomatoes - the only ones he would grow.
We have enough squirrels on our property to last a year, If we just shot a couple per week. It’s been decades since I ate squirrel. We used to eat rabbit at the local restaurant too-tasted kinda like chicken. My sister used to raise them for eating - she had 5 kids to feed.
My grandpa had a quail coop and he raised them and sold them to various people that came by.
I never really cared all that much for squirrel or quail, but the rabbit was pretty good.
JRandom….
There was a truth teller
I did some GV butter last month and some more last week. So far so good. I’ve kept most of it in the spare frig.
I have about 4 Lb. of kerry gold vacuum packed and in the freezer. I plan to continue buying extra till I get a good stash established.
Now is one of the best times to buy butter - lots of green grass to eat for the cows.
Order it at Wal-Mart... :)
I remember reading that on one of your prepper threads years ago. I took that advice and stocked up on quite a bit of gravy. One of hubby’s favorites is my home-canned chicken mixed in with stuffing mix and gravy. Fast meal.
That’s right. And the LDS on line store has some basics-so it’s easy to get those delivered right to your door.
Yep, and a good sense of humor. He and Marcella made for a very entertaining garden thread discussion. Miss them.
Ham jerky. I had not heard or thought about that. Sounds really good. I might just try that.
I have used hamburger to make beef jerky which we like.
What sort of spices do you use with the ham for the jerky?
I wouldn’t add any spice prior to drying.
Thank you! Glad to help.
Sardines are excellent. They’re notably inexpensive and a fish low in toxins and high in Omega 3 and solid protein. And I love them in the mustard sauce.
Can’t say much for the burps afterwards, especially if one drinks beer with them 🤣.
I used to like smoked oysters, but now they’re all made in China.
“Tuna fish...”
The best I have found is Kirkland brand. They sell it at Costco. My Mom has a membership, so I have her stock me up every few months.
It’s water packed and just totally MEATY. So mild, you CAN just eat it from the can.
I DO like oil packed if I’m making that Tuna Pasta Salad with the macaroni, mayo, pickle relish, celery, onion, etc.
If I’m starving? I’ll take either, LOL! ;)
I never assume people are going to carefully pack things away.
I give advise for the people who just buy a twenty pound bag of rice and a twelve pound bag of bean and stick them in a closet.
Heck, if they do that they are ahead of the majority so bravo.
If they get a water drum and keep it filled, a propane burner and some propane they are doing really well.
If I can get them to that point I have started them on the road to having something and I have changed their mindset from "today" to "future".
Can your own meats. The pressure canner costs around 70 bucks. Meat is easier to can than veggies. All you do is put the raw meat in the jar, wipe off the lid with vinegar moistened napkin, put on the lids and process. Label and store. You can put water or broth in the jar before canning -optional, but I like to have the added liquid.
The meat is very tender and tastes great. Once I learned to do it, that became my new Fast Food.
Eggs - They say the life can be extended by covering with oil and putting in the refrigerator. And also there are instructions for freezing them - I haven’t really tried them out though.
All good things too. Twasn’t meant as a criticism. Just some additional info to people who might be ready to move on from buying a bag and sticking it on the shelf.
I found the Berio in a can at Wegmans in CNY.
When moving I found a open jar of coconut oil that was at least ten years old and it was still fine.
Don’t know about its shelf life.
Never saw lard in a can.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.