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How I Started My Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness

Submitted by Rebecca from Minnesota

I have been taught since I was a child to be prepared, store food, water, and learn to grow my own food. Growing up in a city it was hard to do! Now that I am in my 30s I realized the time is right. Better late than never.

I had to address my fears regarding food storage. My biggest fear was not knowing what to do with all the grains, beans and powdered milk. Living in a household with no children yet, many nights we ate on the go. Our lunches consisted of going out to eat with our colleagues, breakfasts consisted of a quick bowl of cereal or a piece of toast. Dinners sometimes were takeout, or a quick boxed meal. This 50-lb bag of grain was just not going to cut it.

So, I searched my options. At first I tried to learn how to cook beans and wheat. Every loaf of bread I made was hard as rock. My dough wouldn’t rise. The taste was horrible. I found out you have to pick through the beans to take out rocks and pebbles. I didn’t want to do this! I was frustrated to no end, and scared that I wasn’t going to be able to do this “food storage” thing after all.

Then I came across freeze dried and dehydrated foods. I can do this! Finally, something that I know how to do! I started purchasing freeze dried foods, and I have a huge closet with shelves completely dedicated to my food storage. One shelf is for dairy products – dehydrated eggs, powdered milk, cheeses, butter, etc. Another shelf is for my freeze dried veggies and fruits, and various potatoes. Another shelf is for my gravy mixes, soups, bouillon, and meats. I also have my necessary wheat and rice and oats, along with beans. But now I feel comfortable making dishes with rice and putting in some meat and flavoring. I also have gotten a little better at making bread, though perfection is years away!

And the next thing I addressed is my water storage. I have a water delivery service (bottled water). I always have at least ten 5-gallon jugs on hand, which I rotate. Beyond that, we are looking at getting a manual pump for our well. We have two freshwater ponds on our property and a freshwater lake across the street. We purchased water purification tablets, we have liquid water purification supplements, and filters. If necessary we can use the water on our land to sustain us. I now feel comfortable knowing that I have a supply of food and water to last over 6 months. According to the Food Storage Analyzer from Emergency Essentials, I have almost 7 months of food for my family. This was all done in the past year, and I hope that in the next year I can make it to a full year.


Another thing that is important is learning to grow your own food. We have some land now that I don’t live in the city, and we are learning to garden. Last year was our first year, and we ate green beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini and peppers from our garden. This year we are planning on planting more, along with adding more berry bushes. We added strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and grapes to our landscape, and this year they should start to produce more than just the handful that they did last year. We also have a dozen fruit trees hardy to Minnesota, and hope to be able to learn to can and preserve.


The last important thing that I considered essential was our toiletries and bath products. We have stocked up on toilet paper, shampoo, soap, cleansers, deodorant, lotions, medicines, first aid supplies, and vitamins.

We still need to work on some items. We only have about a 3-month supply of food stored for our animals. We hope to have at least a 6-month supply before the end of this year.

This is how I got started being prepared. It was very difficult in the beginning, but I got the “bug” and started getting into it, it was fun! And, I can sleep better at night knowing my family and I won’t be going hungry anytime soon!
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5 comments

Anonymous

Anonymous

I agree that eating a spartan meal of half a cup of wheat or corn cooked in water may be inexpensive and contain good nutrients, but it is not what most people are going to call "breakfast."
There may come a time when some/many/all of us will long for just a cup of grain in hot clean water each day (as many people around the world do already), but if we are able to I think most of us prefer something more varied and substantial.
For health's sake, breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper!
Good luck to all who are preparing and planning!

GraceGranny

GraceGranny

These comments are so helpful and interesting… We're "seniors" so our circumstances are different and it's so encouraging to learn from you and gather additional ideas! I have always been a "sucker" for another cookbook and now here's all the new recipes! Yea for me… so now I'll use a 3 ring binder with nonglare sleeves to save these great recipes and ideas! Thank you… Only problem, I knew I should have eaten before checking out these recipes :-)

Anonymous

Anonymous

What a wonderful and encouraging article for those starting out. Nicely written Rebecca! How have you found baking with the powdered eggs? Or have you acquired a few hens to go with your cow?

LakeLili

Rebecca

Rebecca

Red — some of us don't like the taste of that. So while it is very inexpensive to do that, we have to be reasonable and prepare for what would be easiest for us to do, considering our circumstances. We can afford to spend up to $500 per month on our food storage, without taking away from any other bills, or our savings, etc. So that is what we did. For me, when I manage a department at an electronics company, along with running a side business, and doing a lot of volunteer work, church activities, etc. it is very stressful for me to have to think of ways to use wheat and beans and flour. With the freeze dried meals and then the regular freeze dried products (veggies, fruits, etc) it makes it so much easier for me. So in your situation, a 25c breakfast might be fine for your circumstances, but not mine. In fact, I drink raw, unpasteurized milk every morning. I get it free (yep!) so in that instance, my breakfast is even cheaper than 25C and I didn't even have to take the time to boil water. It is also filled with amazing nutrients and enzymes that my body needs. But if the time comes when we are in survivalist mode, it is important to be as stress free as possible. For me, that means knowing I can whip up a meal quickly from my food storage without undue stress. I was raised in a city and never had to bake bread, or do anything that required me to be good in the kitchen. That is just me.

Red Icculus

Red Icculus

I can knock out an entire breakfast meal with about 25c expenditure. A half cup of winter wheat or corn is put into a metal thermos with a pinch of salt and sugar. 2 c. of boiling water is poured into the thermos and it is sealed up overnight.

In the morning, you will have a hearty breakfast on the cheap. The leftover soup is full of electrolytes for the day and the fiber from the grain keeps you full.

This is breakfast on the cheap.

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