What do I need for food prep?
 

I'm starting to build a food prep for my family NOW. Will those who have already stashed away tell me what SPECIFICALLY I need and where you got it from?

I know we need canned food or something like dried pasta but what's the expiration date on those and is there any preference in the forum here? Canned beans? Canned peaches? Canned meat? How long would those last? Is there one brand that's better/lasts longer than others? Where would I be able to buy them the cheapest? (important as I'm looking to buy as much as I can).

Thanks guys, for sharing your experience with me.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Pretty much any question you have can be answered in this manual written by Alan T. Hagan:

http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/.../PFSFAQ-1.html

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Go to Winco, FoodMaxx, Food4Less, or similar, and stock up heavily on shelf-stable items that you and your family enjoy. Get a balance of items, not just lots of a few items. Rotate these items into your regular food supply, and perpetually replenish them. Canned pasta, canned meats, canned fruits & vegetables, boxed cereals, powdered milk, and similar. Just remember to keep expiration dates in mind, and regularly move older stuff to the front for soon consumption, replacing it with newer stuff.

This is the quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to get an emergency food supply. Do it tonight if your schedule permits; otherwise, tomorrow.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

I load up on the white castle burgers but hard to keep them for too long. No worries on the expiration dates here.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Think 'dried goods'.

Buying sore bought canned food is buying water.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate your help. I really appreciate your sharing your experience with me.

Pat, what do you mean "buying sore bought canned food is buying water?"

Can anybody recommend ONE particular food item that is a must or I should buy in larger quantity than others?

Thanks again.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

He means that ordinary canned veggies and such have a lot of water in the can. That means that they are heavy and bulky. Dehydrated veggies, on the other hand are light as a feather and take up much less space.

For instance, a five pound bag of mixed veggies, which takes up 5 trays in my dehydrater when properly spread one layer deep, will fit into a one quart jar when they are properly dehydrated. Frozen veggies, by the way, are especially easy to dehydrate because they've already been blanched which you'd have to do yourself when dehydrating fresh veggies.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

First off, eat what you store and store what you eat. Don't buy stuff if the people you're prepping for won't eat it.

Second, there are two levels of food prep, grid-up and grid-down. If things are okay except you don't want to leave where you're holed up (think swine flu pandemic - authorities say only essential people allowed on the roads) then a freezer full of your near daily use stuff (mostly meat) plus the cupboard of the get you thru for a couple of months with "normal" food.

For a grid-down event that is expected to last weeks or months using up what's in your freezer will go one or two weeks (during which you're canning the freezer meat). But you have to think of the heat source (no electric, no natural gas).

Also I've stocked up on spices. Down the road roadkill will be tastier with spices so a tin of pepper will help the prepper in barter situations.

Getting a water purifier should be on the top your list.
Powdered Milk
Veggie oil.
Veggie seeds to start a garden.

(Sorry about being disjointed, worked all night and people stopping by to chat.)

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

I like lentils,
cheap, protein-rich, and can be sprouted and eaten without heat/power.
They keep well too.

Honey will keep forever with no special packing.
Whole wheat berries also keep well, especially if put into mylar with O2 absorbers.
honeyville grain has some good deals.

I always tell my GF, "if it does not spoil, buy it NOW because it is not going to get any cheaper"
ask yourself what you will always use,
TP
shoes (are your feet going to grow any bigger?)

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

What/how does your family eat normally? The single biggest mistake people make in regards to food storage is buying a ton of stuff they either don't know how to use or don't have the equipment to use.

If you buy wheat grains, you're going to need a grain mill, possibly a pasta maker, a quality mixer. You might want to have manual versions of these in addition to electric.

If you are a gardener, you're going to want to have quality canners, a dehydrator and vacuum sealer, not to mention all the other acoutrements such as food mills, jelly strainers, etc.

If you are storing bulk rice (recommended), you might want a rice cooker.

If buying equipment is not in your budget right now, look for foods to store that don't require buying additional hardware. Problem there is that whole grains are the cornerstones of most folks' storage and you NEED the mill, etc., especially if yo plan on baking bread.

The link I posted earlier tells you HOW to store your long term foods so you will not get bugs or vermin in your stores. Read it. Several of the food storage companies quote from Alan Hagan on their web sites (Walton Food for one) and he is considered an "expert" in all things food storage.

Set a goal of how long you want to have food stored. You want 2 weeks? 2 months? 2 years? Look at what your family eats, and start there. If you eat a lot of oats, buy superpails or sacks of oat groats and either a mill or an oat flaker. Does your family eat meat? Then you'll need to look at what sort of meats (canned, freezedried, dried) meats you want to store. Start with basics and build on that as you go.

Do some research, then come back with more specific questions. Myself and others can tell you where to get specific items, but this subject is so broad and no one answer is "right" for everyone. Complete pantries include condiments, spices, drink mixes or powders, some quick foods like canned soups, and some items that can be eaten without cooking.

All pantries are not the same - if you cook a lot of Asian dishes, you will have lots of mirin, soy sauce, and sesame oil in your stores. If you can a lot, you'll have more sugar and vinegars and pectin in storage. If you bake, you'll have dough conditioner and wheat glutens.....

Define your goals. Read. Start keeping a log of the foods your family uses the most and how long it takes you to go through different items. Make sure you are aware of how to store foods properly.

Here's some links you might use:

This list is primarily food & kitchen oriented. I compiled it for my friends who were asking about food storage back at the end of 2008, but I think it's all still relevant.


Basic Food Storage Information:

http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/Index.html - Alan Hagan is well-known in the Prep community for his very thorough guide to home food storage. There is a link here to download his PDF of Prudent Food Storage

http://www.providentliving.org/chann...1706-1,00.html - the Mormons know their food storage!

http://www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/current/FDNS-E-34-1.html - UGA is a well-spring of information on several levels including food storage, canning tips, and all things agriculture. I'll add the agri links later

Where to buy stuff: I have purchased from ALL of these companies at one time or another and with minor glitches only, each has followed through on orders with satisfaction.

https://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/ - grains, beans and more, some organic

http://beprepared.com/ - Freeze dried & dehydrated stuff, Mountain House entrees

http://www.waltonfeed.com/ - everything and anything.... shipping is currently 6 weeks or longer

http://www.amazon.com/ - free shipping and most items sold by the case, watch out for items that are not being shipped by Amazon as individual merchants charge for shipping

http://www.azurestandard.com/ - won't ship fresh items that I am aware of, but grains, beans and other staples here.

http://www.ama-ama-products.com/ - Good and healthy food, limited mostly to drinks, cereal and bars you make as needed.

https://wholesale.frontiercoop.com/ - I have a wholesale account with these guys. Very easy to get if you have a tax number. Say you are setting up a small Co-op. I buy almost all of my spices in 1lb increments from them and they also sell products by Dr. Bronner, Nature's Gate, Kiss My Face, Tom's of Maine, and too many others to mention, but all you would recognize if you shop at health food stores (HFS from here on).

http://www.aaoobfoods.com/welcome.html - I actually believe that orders done through these guys ship from Walton Feed, but they do have some things that I do not think Walton has

http://www.internet-grocer.net - Canned butter and meats and cheese - I do not like this guy's politics, so I have switched to...

http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/Categories

http://www.freezedryguy.com/ - this guy has freeze dried cottage cheese good for calcium and making lasagna. And let's face it, who wants to do the apocalypse without lasagna?

Canned meats direct from manufacturer - http://brinkmanfarms.com/ and http://www.yodersmeatshoppe.com/inde...pecialties.htm and http://www.werlingandsons.com/

NOTE: With shipping as high as it is now, I look for certain items on my home turf. Buy your rice locally and learn how to store it. Also, some stores will order bulk for you if they have bulk bins themselves. Hit up your local Big Lots for deals and when they have something good, get a lot of it! I just stocked up on Organic Chicken Broth and Organic pasta.

Buy WHIOLE grains and get a flaker or grain mill to makes oats or flour. Whole grains stay fresh much longer than grains already processed.

Don't buy stuff you won't or don't eat already. Yes, it's tempting to think you might need that lard powder, but unless you bake, you probably won't need it.


Here are folks who sell food supplies AND kitchen equip:

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/ - these guys are awesome. They stand behind their product and if you are an idiot like me and don't read instructions, they with cheerfully help you figure out your new Bosch mixer.

http://www.sealersunlimited.com/prago_flyer.html - industrial vacuum sealers. Bad azz.

http://www.frugalsquirrels.com/ - Need ammo or an oat flaker? A Big Berkey water filter? Mountain House? These guys cover an interesting range of items. They also sell mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, though I believe those can also be found cheaper at....

http://www.uline.com/Product/AdvSear...s=food%20grade - I already searched "food grade" and the link takes you straight to those items. Although, search for "mylar" to go straight to bags approved for long term storage

http://www.hmart.com/ - my new favorite store - sells Zojirushi appliances (the Japanese don't screw around - best rice cookers and bread machines!) and if you have one near you, bulk rice and anything Asian

NOTE: Buy the best appliances you can afford and extra parts if they are available.



Though some of the above links have kitchen equip for canning, here are Canning Specific links:
P.S. A lot of this stuff can be found cheaper locally, like I would not order jars to ship. I did order lids, though, because I could get quantity for less.

http://www.goodmans.net/get_dept_597.htm - wholesale available w/ tax id

http://www.homeandbeyond.com/freezin...-supplies.html

http://www.mrswages.com/

http://www.ballamericas.com/page.jsp?page=148

http://www.canningusa.com/ - has how-to videos!

https://store.wafco.com/ezmerchant/home.nsf - if you do not have a canning pressure cooker, the All-American is the best. It's aluminum, but you will not use this for cooking - canning only. Buy separate SS pressure cookers like Kuhn-Rikon from http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/kuhn_rikon.aspx

http://www.canning-recipes.com/ - I tend to stick with the books as canning can be dangerous if you don't have a proper processing time, but there are somethings like pickles and jams & jellies that you can fudge with a bit as they don't ordinarily have botulism problems.

And speaking of botulism: http://www.foodsafety.org/canhome.htm

University Extension Depts: http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/...ort/g06226.htm and http://uga.edu/nchfp/ - the UGA link is my favorite and the book they sell is awesome.

http://members.tripod.com/~farmgal/index.html

NOTE: Don't be afraid to try home canning. It's not rocket science and it's actually fun albeit a lot of work. It's nice to know exactly what's in your food!


Food Dehydrator:

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/D...ors-37-cat.htm - there can be only one, and if you are wanting the BEST, this is it. I have 3 different models and this is by far my favorite. I use one of the older ones just for meat now so I do not contaminate the veggie/fruit dehydrator



More Misc stuff - As always, most of these items can be found cheaper locally without shipping costs, but if you are looking for specialty items, sometimes the inkernets has it....

http://chefstoys.net/index.php?osCsi...255465b061da28

http://www.peasandcornco.com/

http://www.vitamix.com/ - there are several different makers of high end blenders, but this is what we have

http://www.sausagemaker.com/




Garden Seeds & plants:

Asian veggies - http://www.kitazawaseed.com/index.html

http://www.southernexposure.com/

http://rareseeds.com/

http://www.noursefarms.com/

http://www.seedsavers.org/

http://www.seedsofchange.com/

http://www.territorialseed.com/

http://www.starkbros.com/access

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

http://www.jungseed.com/

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/

Best online gardening reference site.... it's a little awkward to navigate, but there is much info here: http://davesgarden.com/



Blogs, Forums and other Tin Foil Hat stuff:

http://survivalblog.com/

http://bisonsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/

http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/

http://goldismoney.info/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=141

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11

http://www.survivalmonkey.com/forum/index.php

http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

http://www.frugalsquirrels.com - have to register to see forums

http://www.captaindaves.com/

http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/colds.htm

http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedi...s-for-cold.htm

http://www.chiefsupply.com/Medical_S..._Kits,Supplies

http://loftware.wordpress.com/2008/1...ues-to-abound/



Companies I have links for, but have not purchased from:

http://www.awwpa.com/index.htm

http://www.samandy.com/

http://www.nitro-pak.com/

http://www.readymaderesources.com

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/ind.../Bulk_Food.htm

http://www.preparednessplus.net/

http://www.edenfoods.com/

http://www.greenpeople.org/listing/T...ics__30394.cfm

http://www.richardswholefoods.com/

http://www.organickingdom.com/

http://www.sfherb.com/

http://www.herbalcom.com

http://www.quinoa.net/145/index.html

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

http://safecastleroyal.com/category_63/30-yr.-Cans.html

http://www.mountainbrookfoods.com/

http://www.1stopfoodstorage.com/home.php

http://www.storablefoods.com/

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/

http://www.survivalcenter.com/foodstor.html

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Oh, and don't forget the toilet paper.....

:wink:

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Regular retail canned foods are "ready to eat" - hence, they are high in water content. This is useful in case your water supply is disrupted; open the can, and get a spoon.

Dehydrated foods have their place; namely, in ultra-long-term storage life, and space-savings. However, for low-cost and easy emergency preparation work, you cannot beat just buying what you normally would eat, and rotating it. You will pay three times plus the cost for specialized dehydrated/freeze-dried foods as you would for regular canned goods. You also need a constant supply of potable water, or, you need to store vast amounts of water.

There isn't one particular food to buy; like I said, buy what you and your family like, keeping in mind a balance of nutritional needs.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

How long do your home dehydrated veggies last? How do you store them?

I tried once with frozen peas and they came out ok. They werent all the great when rehydrated, but I guess it would have been better than nothing.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

All of it irradiated by nuclear waste.

Agreed on the need for spices, but buy organic only.


The problem with the LDS recommended lists are that they heavily rely on unmilled grains. I don't recommend that for most people.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Great thread, and a big help to those of us still working on our preps.

The prepping challenge I've been facing, is canned meats. I'm a big meat eater, and do not have room for a freezer, so it has to be canned meat. Any recommendations on quality canned meats? I've got plenty of tuna, spam, beef with gravy, chili, etc..but locally my choices are limited.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

There was a thread about this not too long ago. The OP had put his up in quart jars without vacuum sealing or O2 absorbers and claimed they were still good after 8 years.

I'm putting mine in quart jars with oxygen absorbers, which should extend the shelf life. I agree that reconstituted dehydrated veggies are not among my favorite foods and see their best use in stews and soups. I have no intention of eating dehydrated foods as part of my regular diet unless/until TSHTF. In the meantime, I'll go ahead and enjoy the fresh and frozen produce that I prefer. That's the main reason I used O2 absorbers. I'm storing dehydrated veggies strictly for disaster preparedness.

Having said that, there are some freeze-dried fruits that I think are absolutely wonderful. The strawberries, for instance are great on top of breakfast cereal. I don't even reconstitute them. Just sprinkle on top and eat quick before anything goes soggy :)

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

You'll also find canned chicken breast, salmon, and corned beef at the store. My advice is to buy meat on sale and can it yourself. I've canned hamburger, for instance, and see no reason it should not keep for a long, long time.

The Freeze Dry Guy sells freeze dried meats. I haven't tried them; but that's another option.;

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Unfortunately, you can have quality and expensive or low-quality and inexpensive. There are some great canned meats, but it's outrageous in price (and shipping).

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Pssst, I have a secret for you BA.... once you start prepping, you will be prepping for the rest of your life. This quite often becomes a lifestyle choice - we look for deals and stock up on items when they go on sale. We rotate our stored foods, so we're always replacing something. I'm sure there are some who just buy a year or 2 supply package from some company and just put it up and forget about it, but the vast majority of people who have already started working on being somewhat self-sufficient are working on it all of the time.

It starts with buying some rice or oats and then there comes a garden... maybe some chickens or goats or rabbits.... ;o)

Canned meats direct from manufacturer - http://brinkmanfarms.com/ and http://www.yodersmeatshoppe.com/inde...pecialties.htm and http://www.werlingandsons.com/

I've purchased from all and canned meat is well, canned meat. I'm going to start canning my own, but I want to purchase my meat straight from the farm and just haven't gotten to that yet.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Milled grains get rancid pretty quickly. I recommend whole grains and buying at least one grain mill.... unless you are storing all of your flours and meals in a freezer.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

I forgot to add another very important point..... despite all of the research and careful purchasing, sometimes we get something to put in the pantry that doesn't quite live up to our tastes or expectations.

When buying something that you haven't used before, try to buy a small amount and actually EAT it or use it in a recipe. If it's not up to your standards, DON'T STOCK IT.

If you invest in a case or more of something before you try it and THEN discover you don't like it, you've simply wasted your money and have to figure out a way to eat it that doesn't offend you.

If you are dehydrating veggies, make sure you rehydrate some and eat them to see if this will work for you.

Nothing could be more depressing that to be facing a shtf situation with a closet full of sh!t you don't find palatable or don't know how to cook.

:no_ma:

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Put me in the camp that says to focus on buying what your family already eats.

Let's use pasta as an example. Check the expiration date on a new 1-pound box. Let's say it's December 2011. So a box is good for 30 months. Figure out how much pasta your family eats. Let's say 2 boxes per month. That means you can have up to 60 boxes of pasta on hand at all times, making sure to rotate so that you are always using the oldest. If you only use 1 box a month, you can have up to 30 on hand.

Do this for all of the long-expiration stuff (1-year+) that your family already eats and likes, and you'll be well on your way. Make sure you include drinkable water.

After that, you can supplement with the "dried stuff" if you want to join the big league preppers. Gotta be concerned about taste and waste if you go that route. If TSHTF, I don't want to eat 100 pounds of beans. There are plenty of things I like that last a long time: pasta, sauce, canned stews, canned fruit, breakfast cereal, etc. I do buy dehydrated milk, though.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Buy your meat locally when it's on sale (or buy half sides of beef or whatnot). can it using mason jars & a pressure cooker. This is VERY easy is you haven't tried it before. Just get a Ball Blue Book of Canning & a decent sized pressure cooker (look on Amazon for a low cost 23 qt Presto pressure canner/cooker). Ace Hardware or Tractor Supply sells canning jars. eBay for canning lids.

Very simple!

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

A certain level of compromise is necessary I'm afraid. In the U.S. we've been blessed in recent years with year-round fresh vegetables shipped from all around the planet. For instance, I cannot think of a month that has gone by in years when I could not find fresh broccoli at the local market. Those cans of dehydrated broccoli are going to sit on the shelf until hell freezes over (or until TSHTF) as far as I'm concerned. I've tried the dehydrated broccoli and would be grateful to have it in my pantry when store shelves go empty. But while my preferred alternative is available, that's what I'll eat. I have fresh snow peas from the garden prepared to cook for dinner this evening. Meanwhile the dehydrated peas hunker down in their #10 cans and quart jars in the basement waiting for Armageddon. I don't see anything wrong with that.

In principle, I agree with you, MagpieFairy. I would not store anything that I could not choke down in a crisis. And the compromises lead to some undesirable outcomes. I don't particularly relish reconstituted dry milk when fresh milk is available every day of the week. But I store the dry milk anyway, even knowing it has a limited shelf life and may go bad, because life without dairy would be impossible.

I try to keep the following perspective on my food preps:

"Mikkelsen and Iversen, under the stress of starvation, decided to try the liver of a dead dog which even their own dogs would not eat and which they knew was to some extent poisonous. After cooking it, "We taste it critically . . . ; but the first little mouthful is speedily followed by one considerably larger, and two broad grins of delight with inarticulate murmurs of satisfaction, announce that we find it delicious." What is "tasteless" or even nauseating under normal circumstances becomes "delectable" to a famished person."

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

And lastly, don't tell neighbors, friends, or family about your year supply down in the basement. Otherwise, you'll have to prep for 10 times the number of people who know about your stash. Head over to the survivalblog.com for a daily dose of prepping for shtf.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

So far, my approach has been slow and steady. For example, I get various things from vitacost.com, who also sells Mountain House at a good price. I'll get a sample of something, taste it, and buy a can the next time.

I also store cans of stuff I normally eat (baked beans, etc.). My big concern is a heat source and water to prepare things like Mountain House.

I don't routinely use bulk wheat, rice, etc. so I'm not storing those at this point. Focus on the things you can use in the short term. Have extra TP, paper towel, canned veggies, tuna, boxes of water, etc. When I have the funds to purchase and learn to prepare the more raw goods, I will, but for now, I just want to have something to eat and drink when necessary.

And it's true, once you start you don't stop. Instead of buying a can of green beans for this weeks menu, I buy a case.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

In our neighborhood in NW Indiana, I'm not sure I'd be able to drink well water even if we had a well. But there's a stream a block and a half from our house and we have a Berkey water filter. I'd still like to do rain water cachement off the roof; but that isn't done yet. As for heat, I'm in a suburban neighborhood, so heating with wood isn't really practical. But I have a solar oven and many bags of charcoal briquettes that I bought on sale.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

lol, actually Merlin, you and I are more on the same page than you know already. I garden, so I have fresh food nearly year round which means I'm storing a lot more than I'm eating. I do try to keep abreast of expiration dates and put stuff like the dried milk into rotation with the fresh, tho. I cook with the powdered when necessary and when I don't feel like heading out to the store.

I will eat just about anything..... especially if hungry enough.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Hey, thanks everyone for the great responses!!

I've got a pressure cooker already, and use it to make stews. It's quick and easy, and saves a lot of cooking fuel.

I didn't realize you could can food with it too. That's fantastic. I think canning my own meat is definitely the way to go. I'm going to learn how.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Good info there Merlin. BTW, I've tried the freeze dried pork chops and they are top notch, can barely tell the difference from fresh, shelf life 30+ years!

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

You are talking about one of these

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

And not one of these?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Not if packaged properly. Unless you believe "many years" is pretty quickly.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

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Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Are you certain Costco's bulk spices are organic? If so, are they certified so by a reputable agency (that is, NOT the USDA)?

If it's not legitimately organic, it is irradiated.


Yes, I know...I meant that if one looks at an LDS food prep chart, the foundation is unmilled grains. I suggest people focus more towards what they enjoy/regularly eat.

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

This is the pressure cooker I have..


It's a very good one, but does not have an actual PSI pressure gauge. It has a high pressure relief at 20 psi, I believe. It's very easy to use and maintain high pressure. Do you think this will work for canning?

Re: What do I need for food prep?
 

Not for canning in jars. That is for pressure cooking your meal for the night!!