Best Prep Food?

09/01/2021 | 4everontheright

[4everontheRight]

Folks - I want to buy some "prep" food for my son & his soon-to-be-bride. I want to make sure they have some stored food & the easiest way (unlike how I've done it) is to just buy some stored food from Patriot Food Supply or such. I'm curious if any Freepers have purchased & what they consider the best options, where you have purchased from or what advice you might have. Appreciate the advice!

[The Duke]

What I did is purchase some big plastic storage bins from Walmart. In each one I drop 30-40lb bags of white rice, and large bags of dried pinto and black beans, purchased from SAMS. Also from SAMS:

- Large containers of spices
- Packaged cans of chicken breast meat
- Sauces such as Sriracha sauce
- large (~1 gal) containers of picked banana and jalapeno peppers.
- Large containers of peanut butter (shelf life - at least 18 months)
- Boxes of shrimp, chicken and beef Raman noodles.

NOTE: I do love peanut butter as a prep food. Proteins, carbs and fats together, and with a 18+ month shelf life.

From my local grocery store I’ve also put back a good number of 88-cent cans of brand name, packaged in the USA, ravaoli and cans of fruit cocktail (to at least give us some sense of having a ‘treat’).

Those plastic bins of rice and beans have a shelf life of about 3 years. The bins stack nicely and help keep rodents/pests away. After two years I’ll start rotating them out.

Hope this helps.

SIDENOTE: FWIW, I did author a book on disaster preparedness in 2013, so I’ve put more than a little thought into the subject.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Prepper Medicine Cabinet - Suggestion of Resources :

4everontheRight :"Has anyone any recommendations for medical needs
such as what might be the inability to get prescription drugs,etc. ?"

Prepper Medicines (information contained in books and online)
The best information on prescription drugs, contra-indications, side effects, and color photos for medication pills and tablets identification is the:
PDR ..(Physicians Desk Reference) which is published and updated annually in order to remain current (generally comes out in the beginning of the year).
The PDR is a directory of all approved FDA medications, but may also require a dictionary to understand context since it is published to professional physicians.
Physicians pay for the PDR subscription, but generally throw out the previous copies;
if you have a close relationship with a physician, ask for their older office copy.

Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy (Survival Medicine)
https://www.doomandbloom.net/about/
and they have videos about (resource) fish antibiotics at:
Prepper's Medicine Cabinet
https://www.happypreppers.com/medicine-cabinet.html

Doom and Bloom ( Survival Medicine and First Aid )
https://www.doomandbloom.net
Disaster Preparedness Survival First Aid Kits | Natural ...
https://store.doomandbloom.net (Medical Kits for purchase)

Medical Preparedness Education - The Patriot Nurse
https://www.thepatriotnurse.com

theprovidentprepper.org
Best Medications and anti-biotics for preppers
Excellent guidance, suggestions, organizing & tracking expiration dates, suitability, and not wasting medications
https://theprovidentprepper.org/prepper-home-pharmacy-the-best-medications-to-stockpile

Please note that there are several herbalists who hang out on occasion, in the weekly Gardening Ping, with moderator Diana In Wisconsin.
Here you may find herbal information and sources, where the only rule is :
that there is 'no such thing as a stupid question, ..except a failure to ask '.

[metmom]

Prescription meds are the ones of greatest concern because it is difficult, but not impossible, to stock up on those.

For general first aid type stuff, all the over the counter stuff is readily available and much of it used to need a prescription but has been dosed for OTC use.

So it’s easy to stock up on first aid ointment, bandages, antihistamines, reflux meds, etc. Don’t forget antiseptics, tweezers, nail clippers, personal care and hygiene items, cotton balls, Q-tips, toothpaste, floss, toothbrushes, etc.

Look at what you have and what you use and replace anything old or worn out that needs replacing. Check expiration dates on ointments and creams.

So much of a well stocked medicine cabinet takes up very little space and you could easily store a few years worth of stuff in a small space.

Another thing I have always done is saved medical equipment from injuries, etc. So I have carpal tunnel braces, slings, knee braces, canes, a walker, a shower stool, etc

[Jane Long]

Thx!!

[taxcontrol]

Thanks!

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Metmom : "Prescription meds are the ones of greatest concern because it is difficult, but not impossible, to stock up on those."

That is why I included Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy (Survival Medicine)
who provide information on fish antibiotics which are produced in the same facilities as human antibiotics.
They have the same quality production, and may be more available.
Yes all antibiotics have certain expiration dates , temperature, and storage considerations which may vary greatly.
The last reference to theprovidentprepper.org discusses organization and control of certain medications,
as well as identifying individual family medication needs and having those medications staying current through organization.

[riri]

Stay away from anything with oils

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My Dad was a total ‘Prepper’ from as far back as I can remember. He grew up in the Depression, so that explains a lot right there.

Anyhow, he passed away last May. Prior to that, I had moved him from his 2 bedfoom apartment to Assisted Living, and ‘inherited’ his HUGE stash of freeze-dried #32 cans of food, milk powder, oatmeal, grains, pasta, dried veggies, etc.

He bought it all from Efoodsdirect, which doesn’t appear to be in business anymore. And he bought a LOT Of it - so much that it filled up 1/4 of his spare bedroom.

It’s serviceable, and I use it up where I can in the rotation, but it’s NOT how I would invest my prepping dollars.

I can see having SOME items on hand like a #32 can of powdered milk, but a lot of it is not all that appetizing. If I’m Last Woman Standing, I’m STILL going to eat as well as I possibly can! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I will also put in a plug for MaryJane Butters. Her stuff is DELICIOUS, and I love her life story. Not cheap, though, but I have some as part of my ‘stash.’

I bought the ‘Get Acquainted Sampler’ to start:

https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/store/c/47-Samplers.aspx

https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/store/c/48-Storage-Food.aspx

[CottonBall]

https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/usa/en/food-storage-3074457345616678849-1

Here’s a link to the LDS online store. I’ve been buying my oxygen absorbers and mylar there for years. Lately I was looking for beans, they average about eight dollars a can whereas other places start at $14 a can. But most those other places don’t even have any right now.

You will have to create create an account but you don’t have to be a church member.

[Melian]

Check out “longevity spinach” on you tube.

[Donnafrflorida]

Do they cook home cooked meals? If so the list will be significantly different then if they do not. Obviously canned meats veggies and fruits plus macaroni and tomato sauce if not.

[greeneyes]

All good. Additional:

The Survival Medicine Handbook by Dr. Joseph Alton, MF and Amy Alton, ARNP

Also the SAS Survival Handbook

And Where There Is No Dentist Murray Dickson

[greeneyes]

I’m lazy with sugar. I get the pure cane sugar in plastic bags. Stuff them in a 5 gallon bucket. Use a gamma seal screw type lid.

Even when I was just storing them in the paper bags they came in, and stacked in a storage cabinet, I never had any ant problems though.

[greeneyes]

Expiration dates are bogus for most of them-they are actually the best estimate by the manufacturer for best flavor etc. They have opened and tested canned goods that are decades old and they were safe to eat.

If the item is not acidic, it will last a long time. Still, I try to rotate on a 3-5 year schedule. And canned evaporated milk I try to use by the suggested date.

[greeneyes]

I also like the Peanut butter and Ramen Noodles. I try to keep quite a few items that are basically edible straight from the can or just a quick heat to boiling and wait.

Pork and Beans, Cans of Brown Bread, Tuna, fruits etc.
Also instant mashed potatoes, dehydrated onions, and milk-makes a quick soup.

[greeneyes]

Many antibiotics are still good after about 15 years.
I ordered some fish antibiotics - they back ordered it and I still don’t have it. We aren’t the only ones prepping these days. Ha.

[The Duke]

Oh...I forgot about tuna .. I've got a ton of those little packs of flavored tuna.

I opened a large container of peanut butter that I've had on the shelf since COVID started (about 18 months), and it was still quite edible (well, as edible as *creamy* peanut butter can be).

Container size is important too. Once you open it, of course the clock starts ticking.

[greeneyes]

I have some peanut butter that I stashed as a test in 2016, opened it last week - still good. Have one more that I’ll save till next year. When the grand kids lived closer we used a jar per month. Now not so much, but I used to have a couple of jars and some crackers in my car during the winter when I was commuting 150 miles daily-for emergency purposes.

[The Duke]

5 years?!?! Now that’s excellent intel!