Stockpiling the Basics (Shortened)

The Organic Prepper ^ | 10/17/13 | Daisy Luther

[Kartographer]

Someone asked me about buy prepared food 'kits', my take is it's cheap and you can have a far better variety of food, by storing the 'makings' vs prepared foods.

[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!!

[Scrambler Bob]

More M4L. Prepping for L.

[yarddog]

I bought a Coleman meal where you just add hot water. It was horrible, I threw it out. Tried another dish thinking maybe I just got a bad one. It was horrible and I threw it out.

I next tried a Mountain House meal. Same thing just add water. It was delicious. Tried another and it too was delicious.

I just don’t understand how a company like Coleman could put out such a bad product. They have a good name, why make it worse?

If I get enough money I will but a bunch of the Mountain House products and also get a bunch of MREs.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Problem is if the power goes out, you may not have a way to prepare the food. Keep a good supply of canned soups and stews.

[Faith65]

Hi-
please add me to your ping list. Thanks

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

A few prepared meals are a good idea for short term emergencies. If you are spending the day clearing downed trees with the rest of your neighbors then you will not be interested in cooking. So your preps should include foods that are "dump and heat" and "eat from can".

You should also have food that is lightweight, high energy and requires minimal preparation. You might need to walk some distance for some reason.

In other words your preps should be heavy on basic regular food but there should be a few of the other types of food as well.

[greeneyes]

I too would rather have the makings than a bunch of dehydrated stuff that I don’t particularly like. I have alternative ways of cooking if the stove, oven, or microwave doesn’t work.

I also keep cans of stuff that can be opened and eaten with out cooking, like Tuna , Peanut Butter, Jerky, Pork and Beans, canned fruit, canned pie filling, lots of cheeses covered in wax, etc.

I do have a few of the soups from the grocery store that you just add hot water to, like the cups of ramien noodles, for example.

I can stock up much cheaper the way I am doing it, and have more variety, and ensure that I have stuff we all like.

[One Name]

Your advice and education efforts are outstanding!

We went thru this in the lead-up to Y2K and found some weak spots, but were never really tested.

Water, and the ability to cook/boil water with wood or whatever are mission-critical.

If you lack fuel to get off the place or run chainsaws you better have axes and cross-cut saws, etc.

I had a bunch of corn bagged to grind but mid-winter once I heard a strange noise in the middle of the night which turned out to be worms eating their way thru the corn.

Its always something messing your plan up!

[deoetdoctrinae]

With the resources we have available, I try to do some of each. FWIW, I just tried a couple of my older MRE’s in the last few days, and they were still fine. Long term stability is one of their strengths, although menu boredom can be a drawback. That’s why I try to keep a decent variety of “makings” in the pantry as well.

[driftdiver]

I use a mixed approach. Have some of the dehydrated stuff, bags of rice, beans and a few other things. A few cases of MREs.

The canned stuff goes much quicker then you would think. I’ve gone to counting the cans figuring 365 days x 3 meals. Its a lot of cans and bags.

[Kartographer]

Rocket Stoves

http://www.rocketstove.org/

I build my own using a old ammo can.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2914240/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2863465/posts

[raybbr]

Do have any links to a site that shows how to make a homemade Berkey water filtration system? Thanks

[Donnafrflorida]

solar oven.
if u cant afford i have seen them made out if dashboard protectors(silver ones).

[101stAirborneVet]

I was boycotting this store due to some political miscalculations they made regarding the Second Amendment, but they appear to be back to selling ARs and whatnot, so maybe it's okay.

Anyway, here is a relatively inexpensive 5 gallon bucket system (buckets not included).

Link

There is a video below the product with instructions.

[Iron Munro]

Do have any links to a site that shows how to make a homemade Berkey water filtration system?

Go to this link and check out item #6

How to Build a Very Effective Water Filter System for Approxmiately $75

There have been some reports of problems with Berkefeld Filters so you might want to do some research before making a purchase.

Here is some helpful info:

Water Filter Recommendation

[Marcella]

First, there is no reason to buy long term food you won't eat. No one is making you buy food you won't eat. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM, just buy long term food you eat. It's the same food you eat now, just prepared to last 20-25 years.

I'll go through her list and describe what I did:

Baking Items:

Baking soda
Baking powder
Both baking soda and powder have a short shelf life. I bought it professionally sealed without the presence of oxygen so it's good for many years. I bought it in small cans, meaning less than #10 cans.

Yeast
The only yeast I have is in boxes of Fleischmann’s “Simply Homemade No Knead Bread Mix”. They have several different kinds of bread to just add water and have bread in less than one hour. I don't have many of these - my bread will consist of several ways of making Indian flat or fry bread and tortillas and pioneer flat breads. Some of these also make dessert bread or breakfast bread with honey or syrup.

Cocoa - have can of cocoa and cocoa mixes to make hot and cold chocolate drink.

Nonfat dry milk
This is another important one. I have grocery store instant milk in quart packages. I do not have a big box of free flowing instant milk. If the packages absorb moisture, you have a brick.
Because it is so important, I have professionally packed milk powder which is different than instant milk. The powder will last for years. It takes less powder to make a quart of milk than it does instant milk.

Fats:
Olive oil
I have no olive oil for long term emergency as it will spoil in less time than other oils.

Coconut oil - don't have any.
Shortening - yes, this is my choice for lasting a long time - Crisco regular and butter flavor Crisco.
Butter - I don't store canned butter, too expensive. I use butter flavor Crisco for recipes and Molly McButter to put butter flavor on veggies or anything else.

I called the Crisco company and they told me use Crisco past the dated time - don't use it when it finally has an off odor. It won't kill you if it is off but will make whatever you are cooking taste “off”.

Sweeteners:
White sugar
I sealed bags of regular sugar in plastic bags so the original package is there with the addition of the plastic bag to keep out moisture. Sugar will last forever.

Turbinado sugar - I don't have any.

Muscavado sugar/brown sugar
I don't know what “Muscavado” is, I have plastic bags of brown sugar, it will last forever.

Honey
I have grocery store 100% honey and it will last forever. If it turns into crystals, place the bottle in lukewarm to warm water and it will go back to its original liquid state.

Molasses - don't have any.

Maple syrup - I have fake maple syrup - it will last a long time.

Other: I have a Stevia plant. The small leaves are many times sweeter than sugar. Diabetics can use these leaves instead of sugar to sweeten drinks. I still have to research how to turn the leaves into powder.

Salt
I have grocery salt sealed in plastic bags to keep out moisture.

White vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
I have to buy more of all three - the white and apple for canning.

Black pepper
I have Tones brand large plastic containers of black pepper.

Herbs and spices
I will be growing these next spring. Right now, I have them in bottles. I just bought a book written by a research doctor at MD Anderson in Houston. It's “Healing Spices”. The uses of spices for treating various health problems are there based on research instead of someone’s guessing. It is a thorough book including onions and other veggies he is calling “spices”. Basically, if you use a plant for changing/adding flavor, he is calling it a spice. I just got this book and it is very good to have. Just call me "medicine woman" with my elixirs as in the American settler time period when medicine men hawked their wares in a wagon.

Cornstarch
This is another one I bought in smaller size cans professionally packed without the presence of oxygen.

[Marcella]

“Problem is if the power goes out, you may not have a way to prepare the food.”

I have many ways to cook. Canned heat and Sterno stoves - enough for a year.

I have an outdoor fireplace with a shelf in there for cooking. It has a pull out drawer for wood or charcoal.

I have a propane stove with two large bottles of propane.

I have a rocket stove I bought and this one is the ultimate way to cook since it only takes a small amount of fuel to burn hot - twigs will burn hot until there is nothing left but a small amount of ash. Twigs are everywhere so there will always be fuel for this stove.

I have jar candles and can put one of those into a sterno stove and heat food with it. I have enough jar candles to provide light or cooking fuel for a year.

I have an outdoor oven that bakes just like a regular oven and uses small propane canisters.

[SatinDoll]

Did you know you can make pita bread on your charcoal fired griddle? Or you can make it in your home oven?

http://www.ehow.com/how_2068016_make-pita-bread.html

I like pita bread because it has pockets, perfect for making ham, tuna, or chicken salad sandwiches. The filling doesn’t squeeze out between slices of bread!

[Kartographer]

How To Make A Homemade Berkey Water Filter

http://www.survivalistdaily.com/how-to-make-a-berkey-water-filter/

Made one myself. Best prices on the filters I found on EBay say for the spigot.