Human beings by nature tend to be short sighted. We often think only of today or perhaps tomorrow. We have a hard time thinking a year or perhaps longer down the road. But long term planing is very important for any of us who believe that the ZA (Zombie Apocalypse) could last for more than a few days or weeks.
Stockpiling food is a prime example of short sighted thinking. While I agree it is incredibly important to have as much food on hand as you possibly can. You also need to think about what you are going to do when that stockpile inevitably runs out. What do you need to have in order to start producing your own food. Do you have seeds for planting? Do you have the tools you need? Do you have the skills you need? Do you know how to hunt? Do you know how to fish? And yes you can stockpile skills and knowledge. You may not hunt of fish or farm but you can learn about these things and stockpile it in your head for a rainy day. You can also get books and print things of value off the Internet and add them to your survival library.
Medical supplies are another incredibly important thing to stock up on. You will not be able to run to the store and get a bottle of peroxide during the ZA. Ammunition for your guns. Fuel like gasoline, diesel, propane. Matches. Cleaning supplies like bleach and ammonia. The list of things that would be great to have is endless so each of us has to come up with our own ideas of what is important.
Remember also that you may be able to trade extra things you have for supplies you need. So if you have the opportunity to get more of something than you think you need don't pass it up. I found .22cal ammo on sale for $10 per box of 550 rounds. I now have way more than I need but I know lots of people wont. It could be worth more than gold to someone who has run out.
So yes food comes first. But food is only the beginning.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Emergency Food Supplies for a Family of Four
Hubs and I have a lot of food stored for an emergency. We watch the grocery store flyers carefully so that we can stock up on needed food items when they are on sale. Every family should have at least 3 months of food on hand in case of a disaster or emergency situation.
Sometimes families want to start stockpiling food but they are overwhelmed by the challenge and don't know what to get and how to store it. We aren't experts but we've done a lot of research and a lot of trial and error so we have a pretty good idea of what nutritional value is in certain foods, which foods have the longest shelf life and which are best value for the money (in terms of shelf life, ability to extend the ration, variety of meals possible, and cost)
I've already given you the list of 7 basic essential foods which will keep you alive. I explained how much of each you need for one adult for one week. I know you can do the math but let's look at how much of these basic essential foods an average family of 4 needs for 3 months.
It is going to shock you. But it's doable! An important fact to remember is that any child over the age of 7 is considered a adult in terms of food storage.
I am using mostly metric measurements but you can convert for a fairly accurate measurement by using the following:
1 liter = 0.26 US gallons
1 kg = 2.2 pounds
1 US cup = 236.6 ml but you can convert using 250ml=1cup and remember that 1,000 ml or 4 cups is pretty close to 1 L
Sometimes families want to start stockpiling food but they are overwhelmed by the challenge and don't know what to get and how to store it. We aren't experts but we've done a lot of research and a lot of trial and error so we have a pretty good idea of what nutritional value is in certain foods, which foods have the longest shelf life and which are best value for the money (in terms of shelf life, ability to extend the ration, variety of meals possible, and cost)
I've already given you the list of 7 basic essential foods which will keep you alive. I explained how much of each you need for one adult for one week. I know you can do the math but let's look at how much of these basic essential foods an average family of 4 needs for 3 months.
It is going to shock you. But it's doable! An important fact to remember is that any child over the age of 7 is considered a adult in terms of food storage.
I am using mostly metric measurements but you can convert for a fairly accurate measurement by using the following:
1 liter = 0.26 US gallons
1 kg = 2.2 pounds
1 US cup = 236.6 ml but you can convert using 250ml=1cup and remember that 1,000 ml or 4 cups is pretty close to 1 L
ITEM | 1 ADULT 1 WEEK | 4 ADULTS 3 MOS | SHELF LIFE |
Grains | 3.5kg | 168kg | 20-30yrs |
Legumes | 1/2kg | 24kg | 20-30yrs |
Oils | 3/4 cup | 36c (9L) | forever if vegetable oil |
Salt | 2/3 c | 32 c (8 L) | forever |
Water | 7-21L | 336-1008L | forever |
Sugar | 1/2kg | 24kg | forever |
Milk | 1c | 48c | 20yrs if powder |
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Vinegar, The Magic Food, Medicine and Cleanser for Survival
Vinegar the magical food item. That's what I call it. It's something you should have on hand for long-term food storage.
What can you do with vinegar? Vinegar can be used as a disinfectant. Put it on wounds, or with your laundry, or dilute it and wash floors and bedding with it.
Vinegar has medicinal properties and is useful for treating bedding in a sick room. In the 19th century vinegar was an important item for ships' surgeons to have on board. Entire ships were disinfected using vinegar and water to wash floors and bedding and clothing.
Vinegar was in use as a healing medicine and antibiotic in ancient Greece and during the Civil War.
You can also make a salad dressing with vinegar, oil and sugar.
Indigestion can be treated with a dink of vinegar and baking soda.& Yes the old "Make a volcano for science fair" trick. But if you drink a bit, it helps a burp and thus relieves the indigestion. It works better if you use apple cider vinegar.
My father used to drink a small glass of vinegar after every meal. He claimed it helped him digest his food! And my grandmother swore that a tiny glass of vinegar daily helped thin the blood. Who knows, maybe there's some truth in these old home remedies!
What can you do with vinegar? Vinegar can be used as a disinfectant. Put it on wounds, or with your laundry, or dilute it and wash floors and bedding with it.
Vinegar has medicinal properties and is useful for treating bedding in a sick room. In the 19th century vinegar was an important item for ships' surgeons to have on board. Entire ships were disinfected using vinegar and water to wash floors and bedding and clothing.
Vinegar was in use as a healing medicine and antibiotic in ancient Greece and during the Civil War.
You can also make a salad dressing with vinegar, oil and sugar.
Indigestion can be treated with a dink of vinegar and baking soda.& Yes the old "Make a volcano for science fair" trick. But if you drink a bit, it helps a burp and thus relieves the indigestion. It works better if you use apple cider vinegar.
My father used to drink a small glass of vinegar after every meal. He claimed it helped him digest his food! And my grandmother swore that a tiny glass of vinegar daily helped thin the blood. Who knows, maybe there's some truth in these old home remedies!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Bird Flu is Back
The United Nations warned Monday of a possible resurgence of the deadly bird flu virus, saying wild bird migrations had brought it back to previously virus-free countries and that a mutant strain was spreading in Asia. Its unlikely this bird flu will pose much threat to developed nations but it is important to keep an eye on it.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Hurricane Irene a wake up call.
Hurricane Irene is yet another reminder of just how important it is to be prepared. It may not have been the doomsday disaster that many had feared but it did cause severe flooding and power outages. 4 or 5 million people lost power at some point. Irene left at least 21 people dead in eight states. And Initial property damage estimates ranged up to $7 billion.
Again on the news before the storm we had thousands of people running around trying to purchase water, batteries and other supplies. DON'T WAIT TILL ITS TOO LATE. You must get ready for emergencies before they happen. And forget the 48 or 72 hrs of supplies that the Government authorities tell you to have on hand. If you don't have every thing you need to be totally self sufficient for at least a week you are a fool. Sorry to be blunt but that's how I feel.
Its not hard to have a weeks worth of supplies on hand. Every one can do it. It just takes a little effort.
Again on the news before the storm we had thousands of people running around trying to purchase water, batteries and other supplies. DON'T WAIT TILL ITS TOO LATE. You must get ready for emergencies before they happen. And forget the 48 or 72 hrs of supplies that the Government authorities tell you to have on hand. If you don't have every thing you need to be totally self sufficient for at least a week you are a fool. Sorry to be blunt but that's how I feel.
Its not hard to have a weeks worth of supplies on hand. Every one can do it. It just takes a little effort.
Water Water Everywhere...
Water Water everywhere and not a drop to drink? Hopefully you've planned your water storage for emergency situations. An adult requires 1 to 3 litres of water daily so for one month you need 30 to 90 litres! That's for ONE ADULT. Phew. That's a lot of water.
This past weekend I purchased several rain barrels. They hold 200 litres of water so a full one is good for my wife and I for at least one month, perhaps longer. I set one up yesterday on the deck and added a spigot so I can have a tap and a hose to drain the water out. I'll use it for watering my herbs grown in window boxes on the deck. And it will be one of three that we're going to set up around our house and outbuildings.
We have a small garden shed which only needs a bit of eaves troughing and bingo we can set up another rain barrel. We have another larger shed which can be set up easily too. That gives us 3 200-litre rain barrels, enough water to last the two of us for 3 months or more.
Rain barrels plus large containers of water stored in your basement or closet are a good way to be sure you have enough water on hand for any crisis or emergency situation.
We have a small garden shed which only needs a bit of eaves troughing and bingo we can set up another rain barrel. We have another larger shed which can be set up easily too. That gives us 3 200-litre rain barrels, enough water to last the two of us for 3 months or more.
Rain barrels plus large containers of water stored in your basement or closet are a good way to be sure you have enough water on hand for any crisis or emergency situation.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Survival Food Groups Choices: The Basics
We've talked about the 7 basic survival food groups my family uses to plan and store emergency food for a crisis. I've also mentioned spices and dried soup mixes as an extra to provide more variety. But do you know what food choices there are within each group?
Grains
Rice, oats, wheat, pasta, cornmeal, flour
Legumes
Dried beans, split peas, lentils, dry soup mix (my fav!)
Fats/Oils
Vegetable & Olive Oil, Mayonnaise, Peanut Butter, Shortening
Sugars
Sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup, flavored gelatin, powdered fruit drinks
Milk
Powdered milk, canned milk - evaporated and condensed
Remember that different foods have different shelf lives. So for example I only buy vegetable oil, not olive oil, because vegetable oil lasts indefinitely but olive oil does not.
Canned goods only last about 3 years then you must use them and buy new. So I don't buy canned goods, but that's a personal choice. I'm far too lazy to rotate my food supplies!
Grains
Rice, oats, wheat, pasta, cornmeal, flour
Legumes
Dried beans, split peas, lentils, dry soup mix (my fav!)
Fats/Oils
Vegetable & Olive Oil, Mayonnaise, Peanut Butter, Shortening
Sugars
Sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup, flavored gelatin, powdered fruit drinks
Milk
Powdered milk, canned milk - evaporated and condensed
Remember that different foods have different shelf lives. So for example I only buy vegetable oil, not olive oil, because vegetable oil lasts indefinitely but olive oil does not.
Canned goods only last about 3 years then you must use them and buy new. So I don't buy canned goods, but that's a personal choice. I'm far too lazy to rotate my food supplies!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
More Than the Basics: Additional Foods to add to Your Emergency Storage
I've been working on our plan to buy and store enough basic foods for my family for 3 months. Our goal this year is to concentrate on the 7 basic foods I talked about in a couple of other blog posts.
But we also need other supplies to supplement our basic stockpile. Extra supplies include long-term foods that help give variety to meals and add nutritional value.
If I just had my 7 basic foods PLUS dried soup mixes (I didn't mention those before but I'm hooked on stockpiling as many dried soup mixes as I can!), I could make oatmeal with milk and honey for breakfast, a tortilla and soup for lunch, and tortillas, rice and beans for supper. That's pretty decent in terms of helping to fill someone up but let's look at nutritional value.
1 cup cooked oatmeal, 2 tortillas, 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of pinto beans and 1 cup of beef vegetable soup made from water and dried soup mix provides one adult with the following % of my daily needs for these nutrients:
Fats 55%
Salt 95%
Fiber 83%
Vitamin A 5%
Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 59%
Iron 133%
It's pretty obvious that I need more of Vitamins A and C as well as Calcium. I can live without the fats but I'll start losing weight pretty fast. And more fiber would certainly help.
The question now is to find out what foods will give us those missing vitamins AND have a long storage life. Foods that are high in Vitamin C that my family likes are raspberries (1 cup = 54%) and potatoes (1 large - 37%). The problem is they don't provide enough and I'd have to lay in a stock of dried raspberries or potato powder and those are expensive.
Sprouts The Magical Powerhouse
But I have a solution. Sprouts. Sprouts are an amazing powerhouse of nutrition. They also give high yield of edibles compared to the small amount of raw seeds you start with. As an example, 1 cup of sprouted kidney beans provides 119% of your daily Vitamin C needs! So start sprouting right now. You want to be sure you know how to do it in case of an emergency. I'll talk more about how we grow our sprouts in future blog posts.
There is one caveat - kidney bean sprouts are toxic if eaten raw, so must be cooked. To be safe, cook all bean sprouts (mung, lentils, navy etc) before eating. Just toss them into stews or soups or stir fry them to remove the toxins. Soaking beans overnight prior to sprouting will also help neutralize the toxins present in them but better safe than sorry, especially if you are in a crisis (emergency) survival situation where little or no medical help is available.
You can eat most other sprouts such as alfalfa raw. Think about what a great "salad" you can toss together during a crisis - 3 or 4 varieties of sprouts and some homegrown herbs such as parsley make a tasty (and nutritional) addition to an emergency survival meal. Or stuff them into your tortilla with a few beans. Yum!
Vitamin A Foods
1 cup of dehydrated carrots provides 1013% of daily Vitamin A needs. Wow. So that means to have 100% all you need is 1/10th of a cup. Now dehydrated carrots are expensive but what a magical food!
This will blow your mind - did you know that you can get 44% of your daily Vitamin A needs from 1 Tablespoon of chili powder or cayenne pepper? So why not stock up on one or both of these spices? There's another magical spice you might want to have on hand - paprika - it gives 71% of your daily Vitamin A needs in 1 Tablespoon.
Calcium
We need 41% more of our daily calcium needs. How can we do that? Well, we could stock up on Calcium Pills but they are expensive and gradually lose potency over time. So let's look at foods rich in Calcium. 1 cup of cooked rhubarb gives us 35% so if you have rhubarb in your garden (as I do) you've got a great source of extra calcium when it's in season.
Those magical dehydrated carrots are helpful and if you're eating them to get their high Vitamin A, guess what - you've just given yourself an extra 16% of your daily calcium and iron needs too! They sure pack a nutrition punch in every cup.
I'm going to talk about menus and recipes and dried soup mixes in another blog post so stay tuned. I'm also going to show you my successful sprouting of Alfalfa and share how I save and store my seeds.
But we also need other supplies to supplement our basic stockpile. Extra supplies include long-term foods that help give variety to meals and add nutritional value.
If I just had my 7 basic foods PLUS dried soup mixes (I didn't mention those before but I'm hooked on stockpiling as many dried soup mixes as I can!), I could make oatmeal with milk and honey for breakfast, a tortilla and soup for lunch, and tortillas, rice and beans for supper. That's pretty decent in terms of helping to fill someone up but let's look at nutritional value.
1 cup cooked oatmeal, 2 tortillas, 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of pinto beans and 1 cup of beef vegetable soup made from water and dried soup mix provides one adult with the following % of my daily needs for these nutrients:
Fats 55%
Salt 95%
Fiber 83%
Vitamin A 5%
Vitamin C 5%
Calcium 59%
Iron 133%
It's pretty obvious that I need more of Vitamins A and C as well as Calcium. I can live without the fats but I'll start losing weight pretty fast. And more fiber would certainly help.
The question now is to find out what foods will give us those missing vitamins AND have a long storage life. Foods that are high in Vitamin C that my family likes are raspberries (1 cup = 54%) and potatoes (1 large - 37%). The problem is they don't provide enough and I'd have to lay in a stock of dried raspberries or potato powder and those are expensive.
Sprouts The Magical Powerhouse
But I have a solution. Sprouts. Sprouts are an amazing powerhouse of nutrition. They also give high yield of edibles compared to the small amount of raw seeds you start with. As an example, 1 cup of sprouted kidney beans provides 119% of your daily Vitamin C needs! So start sprouting right now. You want to be sure you know how to do it in case of an emergency. I'll talk more about how we grow our sprouts in future blog posts.
There is one caveat - kidney bean sprouts are toxic if eaten raw, so must be cooked. To be safe, cook all bean sprouts (mung, lentils, navy etc) before eating. Just toss them into stews or soups or stir fry them to remove the toxins. Soaking beans overnight prior to sprouting will also help neutralize the toxins present in them but better safe than sorry, especially if you are in a crisis (emergency) survival situation where little or no medical help is available.
You can eat most other sprouts such as alfalfa raw. Think about what a great "salad" you can toss together during a crisis - 3 or 4 varieties of sprouts and some homegrown herbs such as parsley make a tasty (and nutritional) addition to an emergency survival meal. Or stuff them into your tortilla with a few beans. Yum!
Vitamin A Foods
This will blow your mind - did you know that you can get 44% of your daily Vitamin A needs from 1 Tablespoon of chili powder or cayenne pepper? So why not stock up on one or both of these spices? There's another magical spice you might want to have on hand - paprika - it gives 71% of your daily Vitamin A needs in 1 Tablespoon.
Calcium
We need 41% more of our daily calcium needs. How can we do that? Well, we could stock up on Calcium Pills but they are expensive and gradually lose potency over time. So let's look at foods rich in Calcium. 1 cup of cooked rhubarb gives us 35% so if you have rhubarb in your garden (as I do) you've got a great source of extra calcium when it's in season.
Those magical dehydrated carrots are helpful and if you're eating them to get their high Vitamin A, guess what - you've just given yourself an extra 16% of your daily calcium and iron needs too! They sure pack a nutrition punch in every cup.
I'm going to talk about menus and recipes and dried soup mixes in another blog post so stay tuned. I'm also going to show you my successful sprouting of Alfalfa and share how I save and store my seeds.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Buy Emergency Foods on Sale and Buy in Bulk
 |
| Kraft Dinner Emergency Food |
This is how you stock up on foods for long-term storage for your family. Buy on sale and buy in bulk.
One box of Kraft Dinner cooks up to 3 cups of final product for lunch, dinner or a snack.
Can't afford to stock survival emergency foods for a year? Aim for one month. One flat of Kraft Dinner cost $21.30 and is 35 boxes.
Guess what? 35 boxes of Kraft Dinner at 1/2 cup per person per day feeds a family of 6 for just over a month (at one box daily)
Guess what? 35 boxes of Kraft Dinner at 1 cup per person daily fees two adults for 7 1/2 weeks. Wow, almost two months of survival!
You are a family of two adults and two children? Okay for 4 people you will get at least 4 weeks and you can have 1 full cup of Kraft Dinner daily.
Everyone can do this. Aim for 30 days of food. Watch for sales. Be sure the foods you are buying have a good shelf life. Store them carefully when you get them home. Protect from humidity and extreme temperatures.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Basic Suvival Foods to Keep You Alive
Grains (Rice, Pasta, Wheat, Oats, Cornmeal)
One adult needs 3.5 kg or 7.5 lb of grains for one week
Legumes (Beans, Peas, Lentils)
One adult needs 1/2 kg or 1 lb of legumes for one week
Fats and Oils (Vegetable Oil, Mayonnaise, Peanut Butter, Olive Oil, Shortening)
One adult needs 3/4 cup of fats or oils per week
Salt
One adult needs 70 grams or 2/3 cup of salt for one week
Water
One adult needs between 1 to 3 L of water daily which is 7 to 21 L of water per week. Water requirements depend on the temperature, the amount of exercise the person is doing (how hard they are working) and their body weight.
I also include in my basic survival needs plan Sugar (sugar or honey) and Milk (powdered or canned)
Sugar (sugar, honey)
For one adult you should have 1/2 kg or 17 1/2 oz. or just over 2 cups or 1 lb of sugar per week
Milk (powdered milk, canned milk)
For one adult plan on 140 grams or about 1 cup of milk per week
Note that there are only 15 L of water (30 bottles) in this photo on the right. I personally store the maximum per adult per week which is 21 L.
I've included oatmeal and rice as my weekly grains as that gives me more variety in meals. What meals can I make with these basic foods?
Not much! That's the reality. But I can make hot oatmeal every morning with a bit of sugar (or honey)
I can make beans and rice for supper. Lunch could be lentil soup. I think you get the idea.
Remember, these are BASIC survival rations. They will keep ONE adult alive for ONE week.
I'll show you how to expand your food rations and make more variety of meals cheaply and easily in future blog posts.
Reen
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