Food storage list must haves

[justusnak]

Last week I was talking with my FIL. In my opinion, he is one of the smartest man I have ever met. He is really into the survival tactics...and makeing it without power ideas. He even drew up a plan for a cabin...the water tank for hot water was located over the chimney for the wood stove and was gravity fed to the sink...and the tank was filled by rainfall. Hmmm, good idea I think. Anyways...he and I were talking about " stocking up" My biggest concern is haveing a way to light my wood stove. Yes, I have several...and I mean close to 50 boxes of matches...but I also bought a flint stone and striker. Not sure I know how to use it, but plan to test it out. I was telling him my plans to "survive" when he looked at me and said...." Sounds like you have everything you need to make it...for a while..but the ONE thing you might want to have plenty of....... sewing needles and good strong thread. Well, being I love to sew, I honestly have over 500 sewing needles. If I see them at a yard sale, I grab them...when they go on sale cheap...I buy what I can...I tend to lose them easily. Now, I need to start getting my threads....black and white...mainly. And, dont forget the boredome times...cards, games,( we love dominos,cribbage) puzzle books, and lots of pencils and paper. When the time comes, a journal will be your best friend, and maybe the one thing to hand down through your family.

 

[Homesteadmom]

Justusnak, thanks I hadn't thought of matches but they would be very important to light my stove with if we have no elec, as the starter's would not work then & it would be light by hand. I was thinking more paper as we homeschool & we would need it to write our assignments on. And we have plenty of games(card, board & domino's too) so boredom wouldn't really be a problem here for us. Plus for about 10 months we would be gardening anyway so not an excessive amt of boredom time here(unless my greenhouse tent experiment works).

 

[Homesteadmom]

Justusnak, thanks I hadn't thought of matches but they would be very important to light my stove with if we have no elec, as the starter's would not work then & it would be light by hand. I was thinking more paper as we homeschool & we would need it to write our assignments on. And we have plenty of games(card, board & domino's too) so boredom wouldn't really be a problem here for us. Plus for about 10 months we would be gardening anyway so not an excessive amt of boredom time here(unless my greenhouse tent experiment works).

 

[Helena]

I have enough food for 3-4 weeks. Not much by some standards, but it's ok for me.

Dried beans
Teff grain and flour (I don't eat the other grains, special diet and all.)
Dried seaweed (I get mine from Larch Hanson in Maine.)
Cans of wild salmon
Canned vegetables, and fruit in pear juice
Prunes

Local honey
Local bee pollen
Organic, grade B maple syrup

Baking soda
Baking powder (Rumford, it's aluminum-free)
Sea salt
Real Salt (a brand name)

Organic, evaporated cane juice (I like Rapadura from Rapunzel.)
Nutmeg
Allspice
Cinnamon
Cloves
Ginger
Black Pepper

Matches
Beeswax candles
Oil for lamps
Sterno
(I'm looking for a camp stove.)


Iodine/potassium iodide for purifying water
Water filters and cartridges
(Can drink water out of hot water heater, if boiled and purified)

Tea, loose and tea bags
Instant milk


Borax
Washing soda
Baking soda
Soap
Shampoo
Coconut oil for moisturizer

Vitamins, supplements, first aid for one year

Flashlights, batteries

Pellets and ammo for keeping away small varmints
D-Con
Traps and plastic bags

Wool comforters
Fleece jacket
Long underwear

Binoculars
Battery-powered fan
Washboard
Sturdy clothes pins
Battery tester
Eight gallons of gas in proper gas cans

Shortwave radio
Weather alert radio

Am also thinking about getting a generator.

I rotate, use, and replenish the perishables.

It's not much of a list for some. But, it's coming along.

 

[Zenbirder]

Helena, that is a great starting list!

Justusnak, I thank you. I read your post this morning and got a couple of boxes of matches when I went to the store. I am so spoiled by using the lighters with the long ponts for lighting the wood stove that I never thought to have matches as reserve.

 

[Farmfresh]

Maybe I missed it - I confess I skipped through this thread - but what about water?

A disruption would mean no electric. No electric = no water. Even with your own well you would need a manual pump of some sort.

Water is LIFE.

You should at least add regular Clorox bleach - no other brand is as good - for disinfecting your water supply.

Also pure salt.

Antiseptic for wounds - but hurts like the dickens.
Necessary for life.
Preservative for food.

Just a thought.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Good suggestions, Farm Fresh!

We have a fresh running spring on the back of our property, and I have spouting up to catch rain water. In winter, if you get snow, you can melt it for water...would take a lot of snow to get enough water!

 

[Helena]

Farmfresh, there are other choices, and healthier ones for purifying water.

Potassium iodide/iodine tablets. Katadyn filters. Boiling. Or a combination.

To reiterate: water from the hot water heater can be drunk if boiled and filtered.

If using raw water, it ought to be boiled and run thru something like the Katadyn filter. Or boiled, strained, the iodine/iodide tablets used, and then run thru a charcoal filter.

Tinture of iodine, and hydrogen peroxide are good for helping heal infections. Don't cost much, and don't have bad side effects.

The brand Real Salt has many minerals. There are many good sea salts on the market.

Commercial salt is full of stuff that isn't good for us.

If you have your own property, you can put in a well or a cistern for water.

 

[dacjohns]

Commercial salt is full of stuff that isn't good for us.

You've piqued my curiosity. What is in it and why isn't it good for you.

 

[Zenbirder]

A lot of commercial salt has silica-aluminate in it to keep it from caking, and consuming aluminum isn't a good thing. Salt can either be mined from old ocean deposits or evaporated from current ocean waters. I like the Real Salt, like Helena said. My problem with sea salts that are evaporated is that all modern oceans have contaminants. The mined salts were deposited before humans, and thus are cleaner.