Food Storage :Where To Begin?

 

First  thing is  first,  make a  selection and  decide what  room   or  space  you  will use for your food and   first aid items. It should be the coolest place in the house.  The temperature should be a within the  40-60 degrees Fahrenheit range.   The room should stay dry at all times to avoid damage  or  spoilage to your  items.  Closets, under stairways, spare bedrooms,  crawl space or under beds,any unfinished area  of the home will work as well. North facing walls are cooler  because they are away from excessive heat  exposure from the sun.   This room is where you will store the foods  you  will use  to restock  your  pantry.   The  room  you  choose  will depend  on the  space  you have  available  within  your home. Whatever  space you  can  spare that  will serve to house  your  food  supply will be  good. The reasons for having a separate storage are  simple. Ever hear the saying “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket”?  In a true disaster scenario, it is better to lose some of your food , than all of your food!  Redundancy  is also the  key  to  this  strategy.  Having  the  same  items duplicated in  separate areas will  insure that  you have everything that  you  need should  an unexpected scenario arise.
To elevate the food up off the floor you  can  use  shelving, wooden  planks  or  pallets. The containers should never come in contact with the ground. The moisture from the  ground will rust the  cans  and  can get into the buckets.  Platforms can be made of bricks with wood across them to elevate the food up off the floor,  if you like.  A simple rotation system should be implemented to insure freshness.  The  best system would be  to  stock oldest food to be used first and the newest food to be held further back and moved  forward  as you replace  what  you  have  used. The air must be able to circulate around the food to keep it dry so make  sure they are properly  stacked to allow for this  air  space. Items  with  higher  oil content  or  dairy  products should  be placed  lower because  hot  sir  rises  and it will be  cooler closer to the  ground.
To insure proper rotation, always date the cans and put the newest cans to the back and use the oldest dated cans first. If you  leave a  space  under the  bottom  shelf then you  have  effectively  created a storage  space  for non  food  items.  Such as  cooking equipment, camping equipment ,sleeping bags, blankets, etc.  The smartest thing  you  can  do is  keep  everything  you  will need  for  a  survival  situation together that  way you will find it  when you need it.
If an  emergency arises  and you cannot  find  it ,  then you  might  as  well not have  it .  You may  not have the time  to  go  searching for  something  that is not  readily  available.   In an emergency  situation ….”Time is of  the  essence”.
Do not store food in an attic because it will get too hot and  your  food  items  will spoil.  Seal all cracks and crevices where mice or insects might get in.  Mice and insects  will ruin any unsealed buckets or cardboard containers.  The mice can eat right through the Mylar foil, cardboard and  even  some softer  plastics. Keep  these items in buckets with  sealed lids.  The moth larvae eat  through the Mylar also.  Heavy plastic containers, jars or metal cans with tight-fitting lids will keep mice and insects out.  You  can  also place a bay leaf in with grains, flour, beans, etc to keep them from being  invaded by insects.
Do not leave any food items that have not been sealed properly on the shelves  or you  will risk insect infestation.  Do not store chemicals in the same room as the food or  you  could  face  cross  contamination.
What  To Store.
The best thing to  do  is  focus   on the  foods  that you and  your  family  eat.  If  you  store  foods  that  you normally  do not  eat then you  will not  readily  use  them Rotating  your  supply is  important.  However  , if  you  do  not  eat the  food then you  won’t be  rotating it  will you ?  Not  to mention  that it is  important  for you to know  how  to  prepare the  foods  that  you  have  stored.
CANNED FOODS
Canned foods make an excellent food storage item. Typically, most canned foods have a shelf life of several years, some even longer.
They come in large varieties such as vegetables, meats, fish, soups and fruits to name a few.  Most canned foods, in an emergency situation, will not require that you heat or cook them before eating them. They may not taste as good cold, but they will sustain you. You can also take advantage of great sales on canned foods and stock up quickly.
You  can  also  look into stores in  your area  that  might  sell dented  cans  at a  reduced, price.  As  long  as the  cans  seals  have  not been  compromised there is  absolutely  nothing  wrong  with the  contents of that  dented  can.  Getting it at a  considerable  discount for it’s slightly  dented   exterior is a good deal  and an excellent  way  of  building  your food  storage  quickly  and  inexpensively.
BULK FOODS
Another choice for food storage are bulk foods. Generally they are more cost-effective because you are buying them in bulk quantities.
One thing you will need to do with bulk items after you purchase them is transfer them to  long  term  storage  containers.  Such as  5 gallon  plastic  buckets, #10  cans or Mylar vacuum sealed bags.  Many of the items that you can buy in bulk are items such as rice, grains and beans. If you are not familiar with cooking these items, you will need to educate yourself now. Cooking with whole grains takes time  and practice. Better to learn now than have to  learn  when you  and  you r family  are  hungry. These  items  can  be  very  versatile  once you learn to  cook  with them  and they  are  much  healthier  for you as  well.
Please  remember that  Salt  and  Sugar  are  essentials.  Salt is  necessary for  good  health and  sugar  is  needed to assist in making things   palatable and   for  energy.  Unless you  have the  money  to  buy cases of  honey.  Sugar will be   your  best  asset in providing the necessary calories  and  energy needed.  They  are  relatively  inexpensive in comparison to  most  other  bulk  foods.  Making it  rather  easy  to  stock up on these  two  very  essential  items.
**Another  thing  you  may  want to  consider  is that salt and  sugar  may   very  well be used   as  a bartering  currency during  a  crisis  when these items might not  be  readily  available.
Baking Items
Simple raw materials for baking, such as flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oil and shortening, can be assets in a survival situation. With these staple items, you can make everything from pancakes or rolls to breading fresh fish. Powdered milk can be mixed with water. Oatmeal, wheat flour and sugar are other staples with which you can make baked goods.
For those looking for a simpler answer, mixes for muffins, corn bread and pancakes mean you do not need to add eggs or measure ingredients. These ready-made or pre-mixed ingredients can be time and  labor saving.  However, one  must  also  consider the  added  expense the pre-packaged  items will cost as  opposed to  bulk foods  that  you  can readily mix  to  make the same things at  a much  lower price.  If  your  budget  allows  then  feel free to purchase the  pre-packaged .
For long-term survival storage, honey stores for years and can replace sugar in recipes. Rather than storing flour or meal, purchase the raw grain and a hand mill. Then you can mill your own flour whenever necessary. Red winter wheat, golden wheat, corn and other grains can be purchased in 45-pound lots packed in nitrogen-packed bags and shipped in large plastic pails.   Or  you  can  purchase your own in the  local  feed  store and package them yourself.
Large canned goods, on the other hand, are difficult to transport. But if you’re stocking up your survival retreat or planning to weather the  storm at home, the large canned goods are easy to store and can keep you well-fed for months. While individual cans can be purchased, most popular are sets of multiple items. These are designed to provide a specific number of calories per day (they’ll recommend 1,800 per day, but you’ll probably want more) for a set period of time, often three months, six months or a year. Remember, however, if you have four people in your family or survival group, purchasing a one-year supply of food will only equate to three months worth for the family.
It is recommended that one purchase the largest set of these canned, dried foods one’s budget can handle. Then supplement the set with items tailored to you and your family or survival group. Also, MREs are excellent supplements, as prepared sets of #10 cans are typically vegetables, pasta and grains, while MREs are usually meat-based. Although there  are  some companies that  do  have the freeze dried  meats  available in  #10  cans if  it is within your  budget.
You may also want to add a few special items, such as hard candy, chocolate or desserts, to reward yourself , for quick energy or to  stave off  palate fatigue.
Don’t forget to add vitamins and mineral supplements.   Fruits, green vegetables and other items rich in vitamin C and other nutrients may be difficult to come by and a  good multi-vitamin can  make all the  difference in  your  nutritional  intake.  Well  worth  having in  your  food  storage.
MREs (MEALS READY TO EAT)
With these you will have a nice hot meal without having to cook. A disposable MRE heater provides a chemical reaction which heats the food.
Ease of portability of these meals is  also a  plus. They are small and easy to store, perfect for an evacuation scenario and keeping some in your car kit. They are also quite tasty. One disadvantage, however, is that they can be pricey and they do not provide as much roughage as you need. (This can lead to digestive problems if you plan to live on them for an  extended  period  of time.)
Beverages Other  Than Water
such as powdered milk, cocoa mix, a fortified fruit drink mix, evaporated milk, and some bottled juice.  In a winter emergency, having cocoa mix around is a blessing.  The  milk  will come in handy for many  things  including  cooking.  However,  one important  thing  you  must keep in  mind is  palate  fatigue.  If you  have the  same foods  over  and over  again  palate  fatigue  will set  in and in a survival  situation  it is  not a good idea  to  go  without  food.  Children  especially  can  suffer  from palate  fatigue  and it is  important  that  these situations  be  taken into account  when  building a  food  storage for  future   use.

Home Made Survival Foods
Canning goods is a tradition that will come in very handy in a survival situation.  From spaghetti sauce to your own jam. The types of  foods you can  preserve  with this  method  is  limitless.  However, when you are dealing with canning fruits, vegetables or meats, its important to follow the latest specifics from the true experts.
You can also dry, vacuum-pack and otherwise prepare food for storage. Vacuum pumps are available commercially or can be constructed in your own home. You can use them to seal dried food in mason jars and other containers.
When packing foods for storage, you want to eliminate oxygen (which is why a vacuum is so good). Bugs, such as weevils, and other organisms that can destroy your food need the oxygen to live, just as we do. That’s why commercial companies who prepare survival food pack grains, cereals, pasta, beans and other food in nitrogen-filled containers. You can accomplish a similar packaging yourself by using dried ice.
Simply take the 10 pounds of noodles (or 25 pounds of rice or other dried food) you picked up from the warehouse and put them in an appropriately sized plastic bucket with a lid that can create a good seal.  Add several chunks of dried ice. As it sublimates, your bucket will fill with carbon dioxide, which will displace all or most of the oxygen (since carbon dioxide is heavier, the oxygen should rise to the top and out of the bucket). Place the lid on the bucket, but don’t seal it all the way until you think the dry ice has completely turned to gas. This is a fine line, since you want to seal it before oxygen starts leaking back into the bucket.
Drying fresh  fruit ,  vegetables, herbs, spices  and  meats at  home is also a good  way  of  preserving  foods.
With a  good  dehydrator you  can make  fruit leather ( like   fruit  rollups) and  jerky.  Some  have  even dehydrated  scrambled  eggs.  You  can  dehydrate  any type of  food that  does not have a  high  fat  content ( at  can  turn  rancid  and  make  your  food  unappetizing).  Storing   dehydrated  foods  will  be  done  in the  same  manner as  bulk foods to  insure freshness and safety  when  you need them  most.  If  stored  properly dehydrated  foods can  last for 5  or more  years.
Comfort Foods
Coffee, hard candy and chocolate ( chocolate chips keep  well and  can be used the  same  as baking  chocolate and is  better than a chocolate bar when trying  to  maximize storage  space). Boosting morale with comfort foods can help keep spirits high in an emergency situation.
High Energy Items
You may need to make a special effort to keep your energy levels high, so stock up on items with plenty of protein and fiber. Peanut butter, granola bars and trail mix are recommended. Energy bars  and  protein bars  can  also  come in handy, if  you  can spare the  expense.  Also  having peanut  butter,  flour and  honey  you  can  make  high calories protein bars of your  own.
Specialty Items
Don’t forget to store specialty items that you might need. If you have a baby, cans of powdered formula would be good to have on hand, even if you’re nursing. Diabetics who eat certain foods and supplements will need to keep those on hand. Elderly people who use a meal supplement will need to stock that.
Making  sure  you  have an  ample  amount  of  cases  of  Ensure or  something like it would not  be a  bad  idea if  you have  children  or  elderly   family  members.  This  will help  to  supplement  their  diet and  keep  them  healthy in an  emergency  situation.
**Having nuts  like   almonds, walnuts, cashews and  grains like  rice and  oats will also give  you  an advantage aside  from the  menu  aspect.  They can all  be used  to  make  nut and grain  milk  to  supplement for  babies or  even lactose intolerant adults.  They  are  nutritious  and  easily  digested.
SEEDS
Many people forget this item. Seeds are a ‘must’ for every prepper in order to grow your own food.  In a long  term survival  scenario  it  will be  the  difference  between  surviving and  possibly starving to  death.   These should be rotated every year or two. Check your packets for an expiration date. As seed packets are inexpensive enough, it’s not a huge endeavor to rotate these.  Besides  you  can  always  practice  with  a  garden  now and use  those soon to expire  seeds in your own backyard garden and  grow  your  own  food.  Practice  makes  perfect.  A survival emergency  scenario  is not a  good  place to  practice skills that  you are  not  familiar  with.  Focus on  Heirloom seeds  rather  than  hybrid  as  they  are  stronger and have  stood  the  test  of  time.
**May  also  be  proven  to  be  valuable as  a bartering  method during  an emergency  situation  when seeds  would  not be readily  available.