Food Storage List For 1 Year

A food storage list for 1 year. It sounds simple enough…going through a list of food to acquire in order to set yourself up with food storage for a year. However, let me tell you this, there are a LOT of ways to go about this. I’ve done it for my household of two. Actually I’ve acquired more than that. Over time. And I have learned lots of lessons in the process. Some, the hard way.

Read to the end. I’ve inserted a number of internal links to other articles too. Come back to this one and continue to formulate your own plan…

My first serious attempt at this. It was many years ago. I had lots of questions. I knew this was something the Mormons did, and/or still do. So I figured I would start there first, for ideas. Maybe a list!

Among the many resources for sorting out your survival preparedness regarding long-term food storage is the LDS church (Latter-day Saints).

Written on the cover of the LDS Preparedness manual is a Proverb which reads,

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”

This seems to generally sum up the preparedness movement whereby critical-thinking people are preparing for potential disruptions ahead.

So I found and purchased the following preparedness guide. Actually it was an older version of the the following manual, although I did eventually buy this one too:

LDS Preparedness Manual by Christopher Parrett
(view on amzn)

Note: The manual itself is not an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. However, I have confirmed their recommendations for a 1 year food supply, per adult, to match current recommendations on their official website. Updates referenced below…

I have LOTS of recommendations about FOOD STORAGE on this site. Even if you’re looking for a food storage list for 1 year, or 3 months, I recommend that you check out the Food & Kitchen category up in the menu listing. Use our Search function too.

In general I go way beyond what’s listed here. I highly suggest diversification rather than bulking up too much on just grains, legumes, and other staples (although important too!). Although I absolutely do utilize storage of those dry goods, I also include much more and lots of variety. Again, check out my other articles…

With that said, I wanted to post specifically about the food storage list for 1 year as recommended within the manual linked above. It simply provides another outlook. Maybe a place to start.

1 Year Food Supply

Here is that food storage list for 1 year of bare minimum food storage for one adult.

Consider starting with this as your essentials. And then add additional other food categories for diversification and personal preferences.

Grains (400 lbs)

Grains: Wheat Berries. Oats. Rice. Corn. Rye. Barley. Primarily, we’re talking about wheat berries, rice, oats, or any other dry grains.

LDS recommends a combination thereof, adding up to 400 pounds per adult. This alone will provide a little over a pound of grain per day per adult for a year. That’s about 1,500 calories (uncooked)!

Wheat berries will provide daily bread. Wheat berries store well for decades. They must be ground (milled) into flour in order to make bread. But it’s not that difficult if you have the right tools. We’ve done this for years…

[ Read: Benefits of Milling Your Own Flour From Wheat Berries ]

You can buy many types of grains that are professionally packaged in sealed buckets / pails for long term storage. There are many brands. I’ve used Augason Farms (no affiliation – I just like their product), among others. However, these days, there are sporadic inventory shortages of wheat. Probably due to recent demand and current events.

Update: I’ve adjusted the links to what is currently available. “Wheatland” Hard White Wheat from Utah/Idaho.

25 LBS pail – Wheat Berries
10 LBS pail – Oats
(amzn)

Or you can purchase bulk grains and fill your own buckets. I have done this, as well as purchasing ready made pails such as above. Doing it yourself is more work though. And you still need to buy empty buckets, lids, Mylar bags, oxygen absorbers…

BULK WHEAT:

25 Pounds Hard White Wheat Berries • Family Farmed in Washington State
(their storefront on amzn)

Tip: 25 pounds of wheat berries will perfectly fit in a 5 gallon bucket. Actually, my experience is just over 30 pounds…

Tip: Unless your family already eats 100% whole wheat homemade bread, white flour should be used in the transition process to whole wheat. Adding rye flour (10%) helps make wheat bread a more complete protein.

[ Read:

How-to Seal Mylar Bags in 5 Gallon Buckets

Choosing The Best Hand Grain Mill (Flour Mill)

How Many Pounds of Flour or Wheat Berries To Make Bread

Gamma Seal Lids – What They Are and Why You Want Them

Beans & Legumes (60 lbs)

(Bare minimum LDS church reduced from 90 to 60 lbs in 2002)

At first, I bought various types of dry beans in bulk, and sealed them in 5 gallon buckets. However, later on, and after consuming some of that storage, I decided to do something different. I simply purchased the typical 1 pound bags of beans in the grocery store. I chose a variety of the one’s we like best. Individually vacuum-sealed, and kept in plastic storage bin(s).

[ Read: How I Store Dry Beans For Long Term ]

Tip: Rice is rich in starch, and an excellent source of energy. Beans are rich in protein, and contain other minerals. The consumption of the two together provides ALL the essential amino acids, and it is no wonder that this combination is a staple of many diets throughout the world.

[ Read: Rice & Beans – A Survival Combination ]

Milk-Dairy products (16 lbs)

(Bare minimum LDS church reduced from 75 to 16 lbs in 2002)

I will advise you as to what I buy. A powdered milk that actually tastes good! Seriously. We’ve been buying this stuff for years. Packaged in sealed #10 cans. It has a 25 year shelf life unopened, and a one to two year shelf life if opened. 

Each can weighs 3.5 pounds and will make about 6 gallons (depends how strong you mix it). If your household goes through a gallon of milk a week, that’s about 9 cans. So just do the math for your own household for a year.

Augason Farms Morning Moo’s Low Fat Milk Alternative – Makes 6 Gallons
(view on amzn)

[ Read: The Benefits of Powdered Milk ]

If you’re looking for real nonfat dry milk, rather than the alternative above, Augason also supplies the following:

Country Fresh 100% Real Instant Nonfat Dry Milk
(Augason Farms on amzn)

As far as other dairy products, we keep some #10 cans of powdered butter, powdered cheese, and powdered eggs (although now we have chickens). Be aware that these won’t last as long as the powdered milk. I believe most manufacturers indicate about 5 years shelf life. Check the label. So be sure to use/consume and rotate so you don’t waste it.

Augason Farms Dried Whole Egg Product
(Augason Farms on amzn)

We also freeze some (though not too much) block cheese in a chest freezer. Be aware that the cheese may be a bit crumbly after having been frozen for some time.

Meats (20 lbs)

(Bare minimum reduced by LDS church to ZERO in 2002)

Oh my, I disagree with LDS on this one! I am a carnivore (grin). You can do what you want, but I keep at least one large chest freezer filled with beef. Another has pork and chicken.

Yes, I know what you’re going to say… what if the power goes out or grid-down? That’s a valid concern for preparedness! Shortly after I moved to my current homestead, I built a solar power separate off-grid system. Enough to run all my home ‘essentials’. So, I’m less worried about that. Obviously a generator will power it for awhile. Just not long term.

[ Read: How-to Keep Chest Freezer Running During a Power Outage ]

[ Read: Frozen Vacuum Sealed Meat – How Long Is Storage Life In The Freezer ]

Freeze Dried Meat. It’s very expensive. I did purchase a quantity of this years ago. Don’t make the initial mistake I made which was “meat” that was actually a flavored soy product. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP). Yuck (in my opinion). Get the real deal. 100% meat. Again, it’s very expensive. But I diversify all my food storage.

Example: Mountain House Chicken or Beef
(amzn)

#10 Cans of Freeze Dried Meat from Mountain House

Fats / Oils (20 lbs)

Official LDS guidelines for Cooking Oils: 10 Quarts

This group can boost the calories one is getting from food storage products, and supply essential fatty acids.

I keep three types of oils. Olive oil. Avocado oil. Coconut oil.

Store these oils in a dark place out of direct sun – for best operating shelf life while in use. I keep mine in the cupboard.

Oils like olive or avocado will begin to go “off” in taste after about one year. Eventually they will go rancid. So, I keep my extra in a chest freezer. That’s the way to store cooking oils for long term storage if you can.

The bottle size that I get (olive & avocado oil) are around 50 ounces. That’s about 3 pounds each. So, LDS is saying about 6 or 7 of those. Maybe three of each? Sounds about right…

I’ve not had a problem with storage of coconut oil at room temp. It will be somewhat solid (but pliable) when its cool. It will become more liquid when room temperature gets fairly warm. But that’s okay.

Sugars and/or Honey (60 lbs)

What are the size of typical bags of sugar these days? Seems like they keep getting smaller. Used to be 5 pounds. Now I believe it’s 4 pounds (or maybe less?).

Anyway, you’re looking at about 15 of those bags. It lasts forever, so don’t worry. I keep some in a plastic storage bin. I also have bulk sugar in 5-gallon pail.

Tip: Gamma Seal Lids! They’re awesome!

[ Read: Gamma Lids – What They Are, And Why You Want Them ]

HONEY. It lasts forever. Get the REAL honey. Not the corn syrup. BIG difference.

Salt (8 lbs)

Our body needs salt. Not only does it add flavor, but it’s part of keeping your electrolytes in check too. It can also be used to help preserve other foods. It’s simple enough to purchase more salt. I also like Kosher salt (larger granules) for my steaks. Delish.

I really like the following Redmond natural salt from Utah. Conveniently, it also comes in a 10 pound pail.

Redmond Real Sea Salt – Natural Unrefined Gluten Free Fine, 10 Pound Bucket
(Redmond on amzn)

Fruits / Vegetables (90 lbs)

(Bare minimum reduced by LDS church to ZERO in 2002, only because they consider it not initially essential to supply yourself with first.) However, this is their statement…

The First Presidency recommends that Church members “begin their home storage by storing the basic foods that would be required to keep them alive if they did not have anything else to eat.” After they have a year’s supply of the basics, they may then add other foods they are accustomed to eating regularly. (See First Presidency letter, Jan. 20, 2002.)

You gotta have yur veggies. Here’s a thought… Grow a garden! There’s your vegetables!

For example, the last two years I had a wildly successful crop of bell peppers (green, red) and jalapenos. We saved enough to last us more than a year, easily… They’re vacuum sealed in pint size bags, a perfect meal size.

[ Read: Brandywine Tomatoes, Jalapeno’s, and Bell Pepper Bumper Crop ]

Carrots! Again, we had a ton of them from our garden. So, we canned them with our pressure canner. Oh my, oh my, they are so good.

[ Read: How to Can Carrots ]

Oh, by the way, potatoes are the most calorie-dense vegetable. Important information to know for survival!

[ Read: Garden Vegetable Calories ]

Okay, with that said (grow your own vegetables), we also keep a quantity of various store-bought canned vegetables. Remember to rotate through these within a year or two. Also, we have a quantity of various dehydrated and freeze-dried fruits and vegetables in #10 cans. Diversification!

Auxiliary foods (weight varies)

Things like herbs and spices. Ingredients to make various sauces. Your condiments like mustard, ketchup, L&P Worcestershire, Franks Red Hot! Etc..

There are lots of other complimentary food items. You know what they are…

Chocolate? (grin) What about a chest freezer full of ice cream?! (maybe not such a good idea)

Note:

The LDS manual recommended the following:

For adults engaged in manual labor multiply by 1.25-1.50
For an average adult Female – multiply the weight by 0.75

Children ages 1-3 multiply by 0.3
For children ages 4-6 multiply by 0.5
For children ages 7-9 multiply by 0.75

Food Storage List For 1 Year Food Supply – Calories

As indicated above, the LDS are now suggesting the following absolute bare minimums for each adult. I did the math to portion these quantities per day, just to get an idea of what we’re talking about…

These basic ingredients amount to approximately 2,600 calories per day. Or, nearly 950,000 calories for one year.

For me personally, I would make adjustments to this list. Meat. I would reduce the carbohydrates and increase the meat/protein. But again, this is basic. It will help get you started on all this.

Grains 400 lbs.
17.5oz / day (~ 1750 calories)

Beans 60 lbs.
2.6oz / day (~ 260 calories)

Oils 20 lbs.
0.87oz / day (~ 220 calories)

Sugar 60 lbs.
2.63oz / day (~ 280 calories)

Salt 8 lbs.
0.35oz / day (0 calories)

Milk-Dairy 16 lbs.
0.70oz / day (~ 100 calories)

5-gallon buckets will hold about 33 pounds of wheat berries, rice or other grains. They’re all similar in that way. This means you would need about 12 (5-gallon) buckets of these grains for each adult in your family. This will give you an idea of the space you would need for this.

[ Read: How Much Wheat in a 5 Gallon Bucket – Pounds, Calories, #Loaves Bread ]

 
60 pounds of beans will fit in two 5-gallon buckets. Or, if you buy 1-lb bags, these will fit in a couple of plastic storage bins of sufficient size (helps keep critters out).

 
Daily Food

Dividing 400lbs by 365days, equals out to 1.1 lbs, or just over 1 lb of grain, per person, per day. That is approximately 2 cups of unground grain to cover your breakfast lunch and dinner. Some might be rice. Some might go towards making bread. You will be using this to make bread, pancakes, biscuits, rice & beans, or whatever…

Dividing 60lbs by 365, this works out to 0.16 lbs of beans per day, or 2.6oz — approximately 3/4 cup (uncooked).

This is not much food, folks. Get the basics, then immediately begin to diversify further. Maybe add more kinds of grain, canned and/or dehydrated vegetables and fruit, MEAT, etc. to add variety and provide more than the minimal survival diet.

It’s a process. Diversify!

I have lots of articles here on this subject. Again, there’s lots of ways to go about this. You could start buying kits like the Augason Farms 30-day supply, for example. Or their Lunch and Dinner kits. And Breakfast kits.

Or, you could start building your own. (Or both).

153 Comments

  1. There are some thoughtful suggestions here. I never thought of oil as a calorie booster (duh), but that makes perfect sense. It is a lot to bug out with, though.

    1. I cringe every time I read “bugout”. You will leave everything behind: shelter, food, family, friends, neighbors… everything that makes it possible for you to team up and survive. On the road with nothing you become a refugee or a predator until you are shot by someone who stayed home.

      1. The first thing you should do is to avoid telling people you have food stored. You should not tell this even to your family not living with you otherwise you may have 20 relatives going to your house in a case of emergency and asking you to help them to survive. There is no way to store food for 3 persons at the rate suggested for a year so imagine 20 persons. So you will have to plant, sprout, etc. food in case of an emergency. But you do not wait until the emergency happens to start learning how to plant, sprout and on how to can, etc.

        1. On the other hand, 20 other people could bring their survival food and emergency items. I’d welcome family members, who’ll contribute these things. Keep all information very private, “need to know only”!

        2. So for 20 people to survive a year they would everything on this list. If you have 20 and only 10x this list you just cut your survival to 6 months.

        3. So do agree. I like to help. But one friend ask if her daugther could see and take what she needed? I chanfed the subject. And felt offended. Its every person for them selfs. I take care of my self and my frie d who lives with me.

        4. I think it is important also to make sure food banks are full and operational.

      2. I can relate. I am a nursing home nurse, single & in my early 50’s. I have an elderly mom (with health problems) to think about plus 2 adult kids & their spouses. Plus my daughter has blessed me with 2 baby grandkids & she is “hatching” # 3 right now! I am very close to my siblings, nieces, & nephews also. I am NOT financially stable yet; I HAVE to work a 40 hour schedule every week (but I am thankful to be healthy & employed). But there is no way I could “run away/ bug out” from my family, home, & my job. I would/will just have to pray & ask God to help me.

        1. Melissa,
          Your faith in God is the strongest prep you can have. Many of us here will have to stay put when/if things go bad. By the grace of God, we will get by with what we have been able to put by.

        2. Melissa. I understand having to worry about your mother. I have 2 parents still alive at 90 and 87 years old. What my question is: why are you having to worry about you 2 ADULT children and their spouses? If they are adults then they need to get on board and start taking care of themselves. if they are not willing to do that then trust me they are not going to survive a true SHTF situation anyway and will just shorten the survival time for your mother and yourself. I may sound harsh but the bible says reap what you sow since you talked about praying

      3. When your city gets hit with a biological or nuclear attack you may not have a choice but to “bug out”

    2. If you feel you live in such an unsafe situation, move now. This a huge country and has lots of small towns. Small towns are more likely to team up. Move closer to family if you can.

    3. someone forgot water. you won’t die if you dont eat for 3 days but you certain won’t last without water. 1 gallon minimum per person per day. so it’s 365 gallon of water if you don’t rainwater harvest

  2. I store a years supply plus of these items as well as a lot of other foods mostly freeze dried. I generally use something from my stores everyday cooking meals. Most people would agree that beans and grains are pretty basic foods and are a challenge to use everyday and keep a family happy. One of the things I have found is something the NGO’s use to feed starving people in countries that are experiencing a famine. They call this CSB or WSB which stands for Corn Soy Blend or Wheat Soy Blend. But in fact any grain can be used not just wheat or corn and any legume can be used instead of soy.

    The recipe is:
    50% by volume ground wheat, corn, barley or any other grain.
    30% by volume ground beans, peas, soybeans, lentils or other legumes
    10% by volume vegetable oil of any kind
    10% by volume sugar, honey, molasses or other sweetener
    Salt to taste.

    Simply stir this mixture into twice as much (by volume) boiling water and cover it for 15 minutes or so to let it finish cooking (it will stick to the pot, unless you remove it from the fire, but try to keep it hot enough to finish cooking). This can be eaten as is or it can be made into bread, cornbread, biscuits, pancakes, etc. Other available stores can be added to it and with a multivitamin it would provide everything you need to survive. Prior to grinding the ingredients the component foods will store for decades but after grinding (but before mixing with water or oil) it’s storage period is shortened but I have tested it after a year with no change in taste or texture.

    I have fed this to my grandchildren as a hot breakfast cereal and they loved it. They love it cooked as pancakes to. It can be cooked at breakfast and eaten cold at noon. I won’t try to convince you it is “great” cold but it isn’t bad. The taste varies depending on which grain and which legume you use but most variations are pretty good and some are great. Try corn and pinto beans and cook it in the oven like cornbread. You can grind up a bag or two of this mix to use as a bugout or survival food and it goes a long way compared to the same weight of other food.

    1. I made a lot of beef jerky. I added small pieces of jerky to soups… yum! Tastes great.

    2. How are you grinding a grain and legume? Like rice and beans? Do you use a hand grinder?

      1. grammy,
        spices can go a long way to mix things up in dishes. i get mine on amazon in 6 lb containers and it’s a LOT cheaper pr pound than those small store bought bottles. 6 lbs of black pepper was 19 dollars six months ago. i think i paid 24 dollars for the last 6lb box of garlic. we always buy in bulk whenever possible.
        PS, if anyone ever goes to a Sam’s club they have the heavy duty aluminum foil in a 500ft x24″ rolls for 19.00. Food Service brand in the green and black box, we have many put back. DW calls it her once a year rolls. that’s a football field and more than a half for less than twenty bucks.
        you can cook a lot of stuff in just foil over a fire.

      2. Grammy,
        Ground rice flour added to wheat flour changes the texture, usually much lighter depending on quantity

  3. I know a few people that store food but don’t store oils or other fats. This is critical to have on hand. People who eat mostly prepackaged foods find there is enough fats in those items but once you start cooking from scratch you will need fats to add to your cooking.

    1. I don’t really buy the whole “low fat” thing anyway. USA has been on a low fat Kick for about 40 years and we’re bigger than ever. We are going to have to admit: We just eat too much.

      1. Satiation: feeling of being full and content… fat gives Satiation as well. Without fat you continue to eat. A bit extra fat helps on a low variety diet.

      2. And too damn lazy. Years ago, when people ate full-fat foods and all the other stuff that makes modern dieticians cringe, they led more physical lifestyles. Hell, I’m not even that old, but I don’t see nearly as many full playgrounds, kids on bikes, families out walking, etc., as I did when I was a kid.

    2. The only problem with oil/fat storage is shelf life. It MUST be rotated or donated to keep storage as fresh as possible. Oils that have oxidized (or turned “rancid”) are unhealthy. If some oils stored get too old, consider replacing them, the cost minimal compared to their value and importance.

      1. Felix,
        Valid point…
        Store those oils in the freezer.butter, olive oil, sunflower and grapeseed all store really well there.I date mine and rotate them by FIFO…
        Coconut oil has a shelf life of about 5 years stored in a cool dry place unopened..can be used with recipe modifications as butter… use Coconut oil- about 1/3 amount of butter called for in recipe.. use at least 1/2 of remaining amount in water for needed volume. So if recipe called for one cup of butter i would add 1/3 cup coconut oil and at least 1/3 cup of water…if needed for moisture could add up to 2/3 cup water… works for most recipes. can also blend 2 tbsp butter with 5 tbsp coconut oil for a spreadable butter… or sun butter with sunflower oil…I use a pint jar, 2 sticks real butter, 3 tbsp coconut oil, a little salt and about 6-8 oz sunflower oil. sit in a warm place til butter melts enough to blend.. blend well with wisk. can remain on counter for 2-3 weeks if it lasts that long…

      2. Even if oil (i.e. olive oil) goes rancid, you can use it as fuel for an oil lamp. Lots of how-to’s online to show how this is done. Do not throw anything away.

        1. Yes! I make primitive-style oil lamps from clay (which is then fired in kiln). No need to buy candles. Most any thick/multi-thread/twisted cotton twine will work for the flame.

  4. Two cents here…

    Honey and Salt. Store Honey by the Gallons and salt by the pounds. Last pretty much forever if stored correctly and go a very long way!

    1. How? We’ve been getting local honey but it crystallizes after 6 months or so.

      1. Alicia
        I’ve been a commercial bee keeper. You want that honey to crystallize, it’s raw honey. Store in quart jars. To bring it back to a liquid, heat a pan of ware that will just about cover the jar to 150 degrees, I use a candy thermometer. DO NOT heat over 160, that will kill all the good in raw honey.

        Crystallized honey will last for decades.

  5. With you on that Ken. I don’t store a lot of honey but store 150 lb of salt as it will be great for barter and can be used to coax the little animals for additional eating. Sugar, while not as healthy as honey, can also store for a very long time and would also be a great barter item so I store that also.

    1. Salt can be used to preserve vegetables and meat. Nitrates and nitrates also for the meat

  6. It is best to buy food that you are going to eat. I’ve seen too many food supplies get filled up with bugs. When my mother-in-law sold her house and moved to an apartment she divided her food supply among her three sons. I didn’t really look at it. I put it away and later discovered some of the food was 20 years old and full of bufa. I threw it away and for months had bugs crawling all over my cupboards even though I scrubbed several times. It would be terrible to lose your job and need to live off your food supply and you find it filled with bugs. Also you better be used to whole wheat. If something happens where you need to use it you don’t want to be running to the bathroom all the time (or running to the toilet you made) You need to USE these things and then replace then as you use them–using the oldest products first.

    1. So true. You have to be realistic in what you have in your storage. Wheat really is hard on your system and needs to be introduced slowly. Also, just because the “list” says so many lbs of red beans for instance, if you aren’t going to eat them, don’t spend the money on them. Better to put that money towards what you will eat. Your likes and dislikes aren’t going to change in an emergency. If you can’t gag it down it will do you no good to have it. Stock up on things you will eat. Canned goods, beef stew, canned tuna and canned chicken are big items on my list. As you say, it is VERY important to rotate. Just be smart in what you store to make sure that all nutritional needs are going to be met.

      1. A book worm :-) it’s best unless you have an allergy to START now eating your storage-survival foods. Under the stress of real troubles ™ starting new foods in your diet is a bad idea.

        Store what you eat, eat what you store. Rotate first in first out. Not magic. Adjust your taste buds day by day until you can learn to enjoy your stored foods.

        I fully agree with your comment here: Just be smart in what you store to make sure that all nutritional needs are going to be met.

        Scurvy is a horrid disease that is so easily prevented but most “Survival” foods I read their nutrition info on lack Vitamin C. Beri-Beri from lack of Vitamin B complexes and so on.

    2. If there is bugs then someone is not storing foods properly. You must store in airtight containers..glass jars , if need be tape around the lids, ECT . Also putting bay leaves around your food on shelves ECT keeps bugs away.

    1. BenG: You put the sugar or whole wheat flour in a plastic bag, take as much air as possible , then FREEZE it. The freezing will kill any bug in the flour, the lack of air will not allow them to survive. The lack of air will also help with the sugar. The sugar should be white and as compact as possible

      1. Ben
        You can store sugar anyway you want even in the original bag. The worst that can happen is it will turn hard and have to be broken up. I store 25lb bags with the oldest being about 8 years and its not hard yet but I live in a dry climate. As for whole wheat you are better off with wheat berries and a grinder. Once wheat is ground it starts to lose nutritional value quickly even if vacuum sealed and will only last maybe a year. Wheat berries vacuum sealed will last basically forever

    2. Its not called wheat grain. Wheat berries are the entire edible part of wheat kernels. Wheat berries are filled with fiber, protein and iron.

    3. I use dry ice to push out oxygen and screw down the gamma lid. No Mylar and never lost any wheat yet. Over 30 years of this lifestyle

      1. Dry ice is hard to get in some areas.it does work., if available.

  7. I think you have too much grain and not enough oil. You have 1700 calories a day of grain. That is a lot of bread and cereal. Probably more than you need if you look at total calories per day.

    As for oil, you have 2 tablespoons a day per person. I am not sure that is enough to make your daily bread. The american diet has more like 4 tablespoons a day. Salad dressings and frying would be out with that little oil. Oil is 100 calories a tablespoon so it is a great way to store lots of calories in a small space but it does not store well long term.

    1. Karen,

      Fat is indeed calorie dense and carries some trace nutrients and is needed in moderation by the body. I completely agree with you.

      However, let’s look at it like this, grains have more of a nutrient and fiber punch and will give satiety. When I baked bread, it requires 7 cups of grains to make enough bread for 5 people for day as a side meal… not their full amount of food for the day. 2 adults and 3 small children. It takes a smidgen over 3 cups of flour to make a pound. So, let’s round down to 2 lbs of flour for daily bread that is normally used as a side meal… 2 x 365 days is 730 lbs… and that is really for one meal a day. Bread doesn’t always need oil to be made. So this is where these minimums come into play. Now, if a family made pancakes for breakfast, had bread for dinner and ate stew for lunch, they would use more flour. I don’t use wheat barley or rye based anything… but even if I just used sorghum and cornmeal… I would need about 300-400 lbs per person..,, breads, pancakes, cereal for breakfast, pasta….

      Fat storage has a short shelf life, it will go rancid quickly. Therefore much harder to store for long periods of time.

  8. Hi! I’m in Japan and have been following this blog regularly!

    Obviously we have natural disaster issues like earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons here, and combined with the new issue of NK trying to blow us up (combined with having small houses with no basements) makes for difficult emergency preparation.

    Do you have any tips?

    1. Shino-chan
      Start with water storage, purchase the 1 gallon or liter for your area. You will need one gallon per day per person figure 3 days to start with. If that does not work for your home at least store the amount you can have on hand. Depending on your budget a life straw so you can drink water that one would not normally consume. The next step would be buying a commercial water system, referring to a Berkey. There is another system that removes hazardous waste but I do not recall the name. Hopefully someone who has researched it could advise you on the products name. Now you have your water covered would be food.
      The American diet is different than yours, here is what I would suggest any foods that are freeze dried, dried noodles, canned foods you will consume, but it must be food you will eat.
      Ken has other articles that may assist you, best of luck with your new endeavor. Welcome to the group.

    2. @ Shino…Konnichwia. As AC said, start with a few days of food and water, then build from there. Next I would suggest a few days of hygiene items (insert TP jokes here) and medical supplies including any prescription meds you/family needs. Good boots, gloves and dust masks are also early preps since how prone Japan is to sesmic and volcanic activity. Store some extra dried seaweed as it’s a good natural source of iodine to protect your thyroid from various radionuclides. Welcome aboard and sayonara.

    3. Welcome Shino-Chan,
      Just like the others said, there many good articles in the drop down menu at the top.
      Perhaps some other suggestions might be:
      bikes (and the attachment for young kids and/or supplies)
      Seychelle water bottle (and/or pitcher) with Extreme filter to filter out radiation among other particles, bacteria, viruses – sold on Amazon (wow it is $44 per bottle now, I bought ours last year for $28 per!) said there are only 2 left for now…
      dusk mask/face respirator – used to have one on amazon that also filtered out
      a good one is Cambridge mask Company military grade N99 for each person in your household
      sold on Amazon. Ken has an Amazon link here if you go through his site, he gets support.
      Also a good battery/solar radio may be good to get – keep in a small faraday bag to protect against EMP….

      Best to you Sino-Chan! :)

      1. BenG:
        In case of radioactivity you should have Potassium Iodate to saturate your thyroid. The Potassium Iodate also can be used for water disinfection. It does not kill Cryptosporidium that can be found is shallow water wells or swimming pools. You will always need further filtering. Britta works well. You do not nee to take the pitcher with you if you need to travel but only the top area of the pitched. The potassium Iodate can be found in the internet or under the name of Lugol. The masks N95 are expensive and a good alternative are the dental hygienist masks that are also in the range of N95. Any N95 mask can be disinfected using peroxide spray. In case of an emergency you can always cover your shoes, hands, etc. with plastic bags like the ones used in the supermarket

      1. Jean, Yep. Over the past few years it’s come up a number of times in a variety of articles. I think it was hermit us and NRP & Blue who carried that conversation most recently. See modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/long-term-storage-food/

        1. Anonymee,,
          Was reading your article on AT
          Interesting the LDS list only has 20# protein, i bet because of the availability of free roaming meat sources at the time, game was plentiful, the stored foods mostly reflected stuff that required a crop season and ability to grow it.

          😎🤙🏻

        2. Kulafarmer people often forget how much protein is in bread.

          Nutrition facts
          Durum wheat
          Amount Per
          1 cup (192 g)
          Calories651
          %Daily Value*
          Total Fat4.7 g 7%
          Saturated fat0.9 g 4%
          Polyunsaturated fat1.9 g
          Monounsaturated fat0.7 g
          Cholesterol0 mg 0%
          Sodium4 mg 0%
          Potassium828 mg 24%
          Total Carbohydrate137 g 46%
          Protein26.3 g 53%
          Vitamin A 0%
          Calcium 7%
          Vitamin D 0%
          Vitamin B-12 0%
          Vitamin C 0%
          Iron 38%
          Vitamin B-6 40%
          Magnesium 69%

          A adult male needs about 56 grams per day. A loaf of bread is around 4 cups SO half a loaf of bread is ALMOST a days protein needs.

      2. Jean,
        it can be a challenge, but a person has to be creative. it’s a struggle for me as well.
        good luck

      3. Jean how important is it for you to eat? I’ve found that replacing a queen sized box spring you can get most of a person/year under their bed.

        Priorities, Jean, Priorities. My house is cluttered but clean.

      4. Two 55 gallon drums can store enough food for 1 adult for one year. Or 22 five-gallon buckets. Or 440 quart jars. About what you can fit under your bed.

  9. A year’s supply is not doable with most families. Without solar power after the collapse it’ll all spoil anyway. I thought that I could at least buy me a couple of months worth and put up some home canned beans but just seven jar meals times 52 weeks is 364 jars. The imagination lacks reality. It’s going to be in the corn,wheat and beans or bean powder if the beans have hardened that will sustain life and without a piece of meat in them it’s going to be rough going. I grew up poor and I remember back when two families had to live together just to survive in the sixties. They ate squirrel, rabbit, possum, turtle, eel, doves and birds whatever you could catch or shoot. Many a meal on my grandparents table consisted of chicken feet because there was no money to buy meat and we’re talking about a total breakdown of society and collapse of our economic system. Get real people. It’s going to be hard. You can grow lots of potatoes and keep them under your house in a bed of pine straw not letting them touch one another. That’s what we did and they lasted from July til Dec or until it got really cold. Figure out how to keep meat long term like raising chickens or going back to raising hogs and salting down the meat. All this and more. Hyper-inflation will probably happen first. Some meats are already twenty-five dollars a pack in the grocery stores. The next economic bubble burst is going to be really bad for everyone. We all know it’s coming so prepare as best as you can and good luck.

    1. I respect a lot of what you said, but didn’t fully understand why you think without solar power “it will all spoil anyway”.
      Certainly things like grains (especially wheat and white rice), will keep for many years without electricity. People kept these things for many years before electricity was ever used. So will honey, sugar, salt, spices, dry pasta, beans/legumes. Fat seems to be a problem, but not so much. I keep olive oil in a deep freezer while there is electricity. It will certainly last me a year if the electricity goes out that long. I also use peanut butter. I rotate all of this, and with a family of six, have well over a 6 month supply, and am aiming to have a 12 month supply.
      When I say I “rotate it”, pertaining to rice, that means I throw it out. It’s cheap, and I do like it, but on a full “American” diet, it isn’t healthy. However, when there’s near 0 food, it will be much appreciated, especially for my kids who just need the carbs, and don’t have slightly high blood sugar like I do. I’ll probably just stick to the whole-wheat.

      1. Matt, Consider, If you don’t cook it now. Will you be able to prepare it so they will eat it?
        I also have blood sugar issues. I found that I can use white rice by cutting serving size down to just a little more than half…ie… 1/4 cup cooked + one tablespoon… AND using rice as THE only carb… no bread, or potatoes, beans, carrots,beets.. Just 3oz. meat/ 3 oz.rice possibly tomatoes or greens/lettuce as a side…I use terraiki sauce… others might use hot sauce. My stomach is small, You would be able to add probably 2 oz of meat if available to give fullness without blood sugar issue. Just an idea. won’t know if it will help, til you do own investigation.

        1. It’s a good point, about preparing it so the kids will eat it. I’m starting a plan, that I will prepare beans, rice and wheat meals, and make them eat a tiny portion several times a week. I have plenty of salt, sugar, spices stored to add. I’m hoping that after several weeks or months, it will be tolerable to them, so if a transition period ever occurs, it won’t be so abrupt.

      2. Do not underestimate the humble rice. Together with beans they form a complete protein (means all the necessary aminoacids for your body. If you have beans you can sprout them and also plant them. Beware not to eat them raw for the bean peel may produce some sort of poison when ingested. If you live in a warm country plant Moringa. It contains all the aminoacids necessary for your body plus the carbohydrates and the seeds contain oil. I live in Florida and have two moringa trees. If you can plant avocados you have oil and protein. Do not throw the seed for it is a true source of aliments.

        1. Yes, I have heard that about rice and beans, so have plenty of them. Thanks for the advice on moringa and avocodo, but I live in Northern Ohio :( so, isn’t an option for me.

        2. Some bean species lack this or that amino acid. Always good to have variety of beans or anything else including peas and lentils.

      3. You can find a way because there is a way maker….

        I was a homeless cancer patient for 5 years. I beat the cancer. I work and live on a homestead. Since my job includes housing, I have low wages. My grocery budget was $10 a week for a long time.

        To get started, I bought cheap pasta in the Mexican section at Walmart for 38 cents a package. I bought 3 of the gallon plastic jars with lids at Dollar Tree. During the first month, I bought a few packages every week and dumped them by shape with shells in one and elbows in another and so on.

        The next month, I found low cost tomato paste and tomato sauce at the Menards Hardware Store. I spent a few dollars each week to build up my sauces for my storage. And Menard’s have me rebates which I used for free bacon for my freezer.

        The following month, I chose jars of Bouillon cubes. Each jar has 25 cubes. Since I am single, one bouillon cube with water and other ingredients makes a decent batch of soup. So 4 jars makes 100 batches of soup for me.

        The following month, I went with dehydrated vegetables. Minced onion is the easiest to find in the spice section. Sometimes the Dollar Tree has pouches of freeze dried carrots and other vegetables.

        Each month I concentrated on a different item for my food storage. Now, I am on flour. I bought mylar bags and oxygen absorbers during one month as my storage.

        I cook at least one meal from my storage every week.

        It can be done on a small budget.

    2. Your “base” foods is where the calories are, fruits , vegetables, fish and meat are extras. Oils, fats and seasonings is so it’s all more palatable. Powdered milk and condensed milk is extremely important if you have pre teen children. Find utility properties that you can grow well cropped fruit and nut trees for foraging, often you can lease these lands for just 1.00 per year because it is cheaper for the utilities than having to maintain them.

  10. You can can fats and oils, best is bacon grease (just save your bacon grease and when you get enough can it) and also can lard, process at 15 pounds for 90 min. and it will keep for years. It is just like canning meat, which has fats in it. At 10 years out my canned meat has been good as to taste and texture.
    With out fat in your diet you will not survive.

    1. Camper, lard does not have to be (processed)canned. it can be packed in sterilized jars,w/ sterilized lids, fresh, still very hot..to the rim of the lid,(leave as little airspace as possible.) wipe rim w/ hot water then w/vinegar. put sterilized lids on and invert. friend does all of hers , from her porkers,that way and has some that is 6 years old and still sealed and good./fresh.She is in zone 9a. so hot.

    2. They sell clarified butter in jars at the stores. It is called Ghee. So why can’t people process and store fats in Jars?

      1. The difference I see is the difference between “proven unsafe” and “not proven safe.” The USDA ran out of funding for testing in the 60’s, as I understand it. Just because the USDA hasn’t done the testing doesn’t mean the process is unsafe.

        Pure fat is shelf stable.

        It’s the same difference between “The government doesn’t say I can,” and “It’s illegal.”

      2. You can home-preserve fat/lard/oils at home and if you are lucky you will live. But if you get the tiniest bit of bacterial botulism toxin a pinhead of it is enough to kill a thousand people. So it is best to not take chances. The only thing that is safe is 15 psi canning pressure (less can work near sea level, but why risk it?) for a full canning cycle = bigger batch takes more time to fully heat. More work than room-temperature or stove-top heat processing, but best to be safe if you think your life and your kids’ lives are worth protecting. Like any form of insurance.

  11. My son has celiac disease so all grains are out. How does everyone plan ahead for those who can’t eat certain foods without literally becoming deathly ill?

    1. Sherry
      My grt nephew is/was in the same situation. They purchase other foods that can be ground up like wheat grains for a flour.

      In my research on grains I found that there is only on grain that is still raised the old fashion way and has not been altered for more production. That is KAMUT, it comes from the time of the pharaohs out of Egypt. It almost went extinct but for a few grains found, grown as an experiment that grew into what is available into days market.

      On the net will be an article written for Mother Earth, it is on grains/grass of all varieties. I suggest you find that article to understand what he may be able to have. Then you can plan from there. Discuss this with his doctor. Best of luck to you.

      1. You’ve excluded “Wild rice”….which isn’t a rice at all, but is super high in nutrition, compact n storage, incredibly tasty, and can be grown anywhere there is a water body. I’m in Northern Ontario Canada and it grows/is harvested up here.

    2. All grains, or those that contain gluten? Most people are OK with oats and rice (barley and rye also have gluten, although at much lower levels). Grind your own so you know what’s in it, as some types of flour have fillers or other ingredients not listed on the label. Quinoa and corn should be OK as well.

      A full grain allergy is much more rare, and is not celiacs.

      Stock up on what he can eat, and learn to cook with those things.

    3. Are you sure about “all grains”? He should be fine with quinoa, buckwheat, corn, rice, lentils, etc. Quinoa is a complete protein and probably more versatile than rice for cooking.

    4. Lots of grains are gluten free eg rice, corn, quinoa, sorghum, millet, buckwheat.

      Wheat, rye, oats have gluten.

    5. You take the excess pounds from the item that cannot be eaten and add it to other columns.

      I cannot eat beans and legumes so I added it to other areas boosting meats, fruits, vegetables and grains. There are alternatives like pastas made from Cauliflower that you could stick as your vegetables in place of the grains.

  12. I hope everyone is using this to prepare for what’s ahead in the very near future. Stay safe everyone ❤

    1. John

      Don’t lose hope, there’s still time. You just have to be more careful while going about it. Avoid crowds at all costs and work at it bit by bit. None of us have as much as we would like to have.

      The meek shall inherit the earth.

    2. I am very happy to see this list. I’m just making my Food storage list to fill I the next 5 weeks. Ordered 200 masks. Plenty of sanitizer and health care and cleaning supplies.I have again added Sternos, Water pan set ups to heat foods and heaters that attach to propane tanks for heat just in case there isn’t electric. This is how we survived for 2 weeks a few years ago during a winter storm. I bought a crank solar radio and also everyone in a my home a regular watch. We also made sure to purchase plenty of pet supplies and medications.
      I will be checking back for additional great tips.
      May everyone stay safe and be well!

      1. this would be a good time to be in the toilet paper or sanitizer business. geezz, people are stupid !

    3. John
      The 2 best times to start doing the storage process are 10 years ago and today. Looks like you missed the first one this time. Start at the second time so a year from now when they are locking down the country again ( and they will ) you won’t be saying the same thing. Anything you store puts you just that much closer to your goal

  13. Dirt works!
    Make it work for you.
    Do home gardening.
    A window box can give some training, even in the frozen north, inside.
    Growing a flower can be a first step blessing.

  14. I have floor to ceiling shelves in a basement but only use a few for food. Twelve inches high, eighteen inches deep, and six feet wide shelves – use 3 and a half. Compact chest freezer kept full. Use Ken’s suggested method of frozen goods sorted into different colored bags to easily lift out and get to what you want. Seasonings and herbs – 3 kitchen drawers. Baking ingredients – flours, sugars, oils, nuts – 2 sets of double door kitchen cupboards. Plastic shoe box of heirloom seeds kept in back of refrigerator. I have a water filtration system and backup filters. So I don’t store a lot of water.

  15. The looters will be in uniform, the only place you can survive is where no one else wants to be or in a group of like minded people. Sailing and mountain climbing is fun. farmers make great friends. moringa makes a nice garden plant.

    1. Farmers are also skeptical of the motives of others,
      Just sayin is all

      1. Kulafamer…

        I got back from my son’s home on Maui, not too long ago. All the time I was there…I did not think about the world’s troubles, or even look at a computer screen.

        I felt at peace the entire time…

        I could not believe how tiny the airport was…and how everyone was on “Maui Time.”

        Now, I am back in my home…and cannot seem to escape the ever increasing apprehension.

        1. Ision,
          In any given day in my world you would never know there is anything gone awry in the rest of the world, the exception is seeing the occasional masked person.
          🙄

  16. Any subsistence farmer in the world should consider sweet potatoes. They are relatively easy to grow and produce even more calories per acre than Irish potatoes. So grow both and, of course, you can sprout your own to keep those calories coming in the future. <bb

    1. The sweet potatoes I had on the farm lasted 2 years in milk crates sitting by the back door. They got a bit starchy towards the end but still good. I have to say it was a perfect growing year and harvested on a perfect early fall day for curing in the sun. Great source of vitamins and fiber.

  17. So, “Morning Moos” is NOT milk? The ingredients say a ‘whey-based beverage?’ But does it really tase like milk? I’ve avoided this brand because it’s not real milk….but may try some now if it’s good.

    1. In my own personal opinion it tastes good compared to my opinion of other powdered milks. No powdered milks tastes as good as fresh milk. However your tastes may be different.

      1. I’m going to try some. My thanks! And I’m glad you reposted this article!

        1. Whatever powdered milk you mix up, suggest that you do so with lukewarm water and add a drop or two of vanilla, then put it in the frig till it is properly well cooled. This has definitely improved the taste of Nido and regular powdered milk for us.

    2. It is a bunch of chemicals including Polysorbate. So I would look for a better alternative that cost less. I have a even mix of Nido and dairy products from Hoosier Hill Farms like powdered sour cream and powdered cheese.

      1. To ‘Anonymous’, I appreciate your recent comments here. I do ask that you choose some sort of ‘alias’ name going forward. Thanks.

  18. the Church of LDS has been doing this for 150 yrs. anything that they say about food storage i would listen to, and listen closely, then double it. they have food storage down to a science.
    they have several websites. check them out, it’s some good info.

  19. tryingtoplan,
    honestly, it takes a whole spare bedroom for me, and it’s still not enough with the garden coming off now and all the canning going on. gotta keep it cool and dark to last.
    but do what you can. just one can of ravioli can make a difference.
    good luck! you have to start somewhere.

  20. OMG! I live in a 620 square foot high-rise apartment in Honolulu. Where would I put all that food and still have a place to walk, sit, or sleep? In my closet, under my bed, and behind my sofa are already overflowing with hurricane survival supplies. No matter, thanks Ken for all the good information. I surely hope those who have the extra space do stock up.

    1. You wouldnt, you would just go to the shelter with the other 1.5 million people living on Oahu,,,,
      🤪

      1. Kula, in response to shoebox, “find a way.” Bed on posts, under bed storage. Five gal buckets behind the couch, ete.

    2. Dale,
      they will only know if you spill the beans, so to speak. hide your stuff and tell no-one.

    3. Dale, I doubt this was a real thing I’ve never heard of it and I’ve lived in Hawaii on and off for more fifty years. As an additional side note
      a lot of LDS out here, entire communities of such, and we all know how much the “put in.”

  21. I often wonder about the idea of storing some protein powdered drinks that the weight lifters and body builders use. The local Menards store had some chocolate flavored protein powdered mixes for sale with a long shelf life (+5years). I like to imagine that they taste as good as my childhood memory of Ovaltine. I recently re-tried the astronaut tested TANG drink, and it did NOT live up to my childhood, space enthusiast taste expectations.

    1. I agree with the flavor of Tang but then it still doesn’t taste bad if you use more than recommended like AC says. Then again I store it for the vitamin C content and a change of pace from plain water not something to drink everyday

  22. not so sure
    Tang formula is not the same, sorry to say. It takes more power to make it taste like it did when we were kids.

  23. Thank you for this article, and all the comments!
    Just revisited my list for the umpteenth time… feels like a variation on a Christmas song:
    (s)he’s checking (her) list,
    checking it twice
    to see who’s nutritious or nice,
    Better not cry, better not pout
    Better not shout, Ken ‘n all’s tellin’ me why,
    Tough times are coming to us.

    might not be in the right order, but hey, kinda works for me… : )
    Have to laugh about my obsession with my list(s)… but I’m getting there.

    Prep on, folks. & pray well.

    1. p.s. In case this might help someone: I kinda got overwhelmed by the sheer volume of everything, so I divided it into 4 month sections…
      4 mo = 16 weeks = 112 days
      so pasta once a week is 1/2 pkg noodles + some sauce + veg (spag, tom sauce, “parm” cheese & 1/3ish can of green beans, for example)….. (per person)
      so that means min 8 pkg pasta per person for 4 months…. etc…
      and to extend/conserve water, can cook the pasta in the veg liquid or canned broth…
      trying to come at it from several angles.
      Hope this inspires anyone who’s starting out to just get going.

      1. If we get hit by an asteroid like the dinosaurs we may have to face a “nuclear winter” that could go on for 5-20 years. Top physicists can only guess. A total nuclear war could do something similar. So, we can never be paranoid enough. This includes food requirements, clothing, and everybody’s frost zone going down to freeze pipes an extra 2-3 feet deeper. This possibility includes freezing temperatures all the way to the equator. Skies could stay too dusty for photosynthesis for a few years. After the Chicxulub asteroid 66 million years ago, there were years in the sediment layers of no pollen due to no flowering plants, and only fungus spores because of nothing growing but mold and mildew.

    2. Watermelongirl,
      The list will change, the urgency will change, the whole situation can change, personally and collectively. Just look at the COVID thing, for us that was a gee im glad we have supplies moment, and proved the utility of being prepared. Any preparedness is better than no preparedness. Whatever it takes eh,,,

      1. oh, so I’ve noticed!!! :: sigh ::
        and so glad I had lots of TP at home last year….not even close to NRP’s league, but more than enough for one butt!! : )

        And indeed, any preparedness is better than none…
        (the nice thing about 4 months, is I just have to get two more to have a full year’s worth)
        this might be my version of eating an elephant one bite at a time…

        off to check my shopping list for tomorrow.

        1. Watermelongirl,
          I like how you plan. I should do more planning. I seam to do hit and miss. Keep being an example for me/us and maybe I will learn to plan better. Thanks

        2. Try Portwipes. Compressed t.p. just add drop or two off water and they open to about a 12×12 square. A bit pricey but a box of 500 will fit in a night table drawer.

  24. I’m curious about how the recommended 20 pounds of meat translates into canned tuna. 54 of the 6 oz cans? I have both canned in water and in olive oil.

    1. I am not a tuna fan and really don’t like it in oil but it has a lot more calories that way. I look more to canned chicken, beef, spam, things like that for my personal use

      1. Poor man, I agree with several different types of meat rather than just one type. Even spam has a purpose.

    2. I get the tuna in oil. Don’t drain it and shred some stale bread in it to soak up the oil. This almost doubles the amount I get from one can and taste just as good.

    3. Don’t look at 20lbs. How many meals should the 20lbs do and how many meals would you get from a can of tuna? I know that one can per person per meal for my family. Keep in mind you may not be able to store leftovers so plan on eating all of a can, but it may be counted as your 2 or three servings of whatever. Stay safe.

    4. All your eggs in any one basket is risky. For instance, any given bean species can be missing this or that amino acid, so it is safest to store several types of beans. If all your tuna has some heavy metal or fallout from Fukushima, all tuna all the time can ruin things for you. Safest is to get a variety of meats from a variety of sources. If you insist on all tuna, try different brands from different stores.

      Any food supply can be wiped out by building collapse, fire, flood, marauders, etc. etc. So again all the eggs should not be in one basket, and any food storage should be placed in different buildings or at least different parts of your house. Variety can be a life-saver in multiple ways.

  25. poorman,
    i’m not big on tuna either. i store canned salmon, lots of oil and tastes better, a lot better nutritionally. mix the salmon with crackers and onions to make it go farther and have have fish patties. old people here that grew up during the depression ( and there are only just a small handful left now ) would take any kind of fish and run it through a meat grinder and make fish cakes. minnows and everything.
    i’m not a big fan of spam, i buy the Dak hams. not as salty.
    also, look for canned anything without the pull top lids. things in the pull top lids won’t last as long on the shelf as sealed, get the “can opener” top lid’s.
    good luck !

  26. speaking of can openers, i struggled for years with the cheap can openers for years from wally world, would only last 3-6 months.
    4 years ago i bought 3 EZ-DUZ-IT Deluxe Can Opener with Yellow Grips on amazon for 12 dollars a piece thinking that i may get a year out of each one.
    4 years later i’m still on my first one and no signs that it going to give up.
    made in the USA, 12 bucks and 4 years- i highly recommend them. it’s the best money i have spent in a long time.

  27. Ken, thanks for the re-post on the Article.
    A LOT of people should really be listening, Why?
    Remember a year ago? Enough Said.

    One question though….. “Is 600 rolls of TP really enough”?
    All that food has to come out sometime HAHAHAHA
    Ohhhh that was Bad NRP, Very Bad.
    Blue just don’t understand the TP thing at all, go figure.

  28. Thanks for the reminder article Ken. I do not have a full year of food on hand at present time though I do have several months worth of food on hand for people and several weeks worth for my pets. The limiting factor for me and most of us is storage. I’ve made mistakes in the past and I have outlined some of those mistakes here in the past: losing hundreds of dollars of freeze-dried food to rodent infestation/contamination decades before this site was started.
    The mormons are doing it right/have done it right for as long as they have been in Utah. They are a religious order that has faced hostile people and elements before and during their move from Illinois to Utah Territory. Ted Koppel documents this well in the last chapters of his book: Lights Out.
    While this can be a daunting subject for many new people to aspire to, It is a goal and it may take a while to achieve. Hopefully, one can have some fun along the way as well. Decades ago, when I got my start as a low level govt worker, my first paychecks were late coming from Denver, CO. I had a cupboard full of Ramen noodles and a good sized sack of rice. I also had a fishing pole, some lures and freshly spooled line. The firearm I had back then was a single shot rifle in 22 rimfire with several boxes of CCI Mini Mag hollow points. Wildlife started to disappear from my AO until my checks started rolling in.
    Once you live close to the edge of hunger, it motivates you to set some food and/or money aside. Now that we have gone through the pandemic, well, if that does not motivate you I do not know what it will take to motivate you to set aside for hard/lean times.

  29. Calirefugee,
    in my late teens, after my father died i lived of off Wonder Bread for two years. .50 cents for a loaf, i would mash it up into a hard ball and eat it, it would fill the belly up . most people have never truly been hungry before, but you will eat things that you don’t like when you are truly hungry, and be glad for it.
    i can’t stand eggplant, but i have eaten it and was glad for it.
    it made a good turd.

  30. Reply to nyscout: I was raised in an asian household on the left coast. We ate a lot of rice and by the time I left home, I was seriously food-fatigued with white rice. My parents liked what they liked and when I left home, I had to learn on my own about other ethnic foods and cooking/preparing wild game.
    In that area of California, the most common food was Mexican food. Eating at a school cafeteria, I also picked up a liking for pasta, pizza and Italian food in general. As time went on, my relatives married into the Vietnamese community adding condiments like fish sauce to an already crowded pantry. Learning to cook ethnic foods taught me how to use parts of the animal and cuts of meat that others will discard or throw away. Same can be said of fish in that folks from the South taught me how to fix a mess of fish that I have never cooked before. ( Some asians can be very selective about what they will eat referring to many fish as “trash fish”) Learning to cook new things is part of the fun of my journey towards preparedness for me.

  31. Am putting aside staple foods for more than one person for more than one year. Want to save on cost so can purchase more, and try to keep up with inflation, so buying the big bags. That’s like 50# sacks of flour, sugar, rice, beans, and 20# bags of popcorn, pasta, and etc. Being frugal and basically not wanting to work all that hard, have been considering the different ways to store bulk purchases. Agreed that bulk foods need to be frozen to kill insects and larvae, then warmed back up to dry away any ice crystals that formed during freezing. And that food needs to be stored with oxygen absorbers and without additional air infiltration. But the thought of food savering, or mylar bagging, or plastic bucketing all that food makes me just go Ugh! Too much work and expense. So going to experiment – let me know what you think. After freezing and thawing, will slightly slit bags, stuff in adequate amount of oxygen absorbers, press out or vacuum out extra air, and tape up the hole. I’ve purchased a couple rolls of blown pallet wrap – think giant roll of heavy duty plastic wrap. I plan to pallet-wrap the heck out of the big bags and then stack them in a vermin-free space.

    1. Anony Mee
      When there are shortages coming, which we all know and you are wanting thinking about taking short cuts because of the extra work. Sorry I must give that process a thumbs down approach.

      When you open up a package under these methods because it saved time by using a short cut. Only to discover the food inside is ruined, than that short cut was not such a time saver after all. Let alone the cost the food, and the possibility of not finding it’s replacement. jmo

    2. Dont experiment, just do what os proven to have results you can live by,

    3. AM
      Yes it is an effort to do all the right things to end up with the right results. I love pallet wrap for wrapping everything but food. There is always a chance of missing a spot and you are counting on the original bag to hold up when wrapped which I wouldn’t trust. I trust vacuum bags more than the original bags, especially if the original bag has been even partially opened. Busy vacuuming up food now taken from original paper packing. Hang in there😀

    4. Anony Mee, It will depend on how fast you rotate thru said foods and the permeability of the membrane. The first buckets of flour i did had double oxygen absorbers, and bucket was sealed with orig. lid and duct tape. I knew it was food insurance, for JIC… when there was a supply… I was learning. every one of them went rancid, if not when opened- were ruined within a month..Those are only good for animal food.. this gsm can last many years. do you want to depend on food that will be ruined when changes occur so drastic that it destroys ability to grow,,
      Take the time, get the mylar and oxygen absorbers.they will be good when you open them. It will be a supply that is secured.
      Another alternate……could use dry ice in a seal-able food grade barrel with open lid/bung. .and drop several pre-frozen, thawed,dry foods in the same barrel for a baking supply/ breakfast supply.. mar ends of bags stack same items vertical, so access to each product… when dry ice is installed , place in bottom, venting by leaving lid slightly askew, when barrel is filled with the fog of it….seal top of barrel Place thin bead of silicone around top to fully seal..as final install of lid is done,label insie and outside,,,barrel w/ contents even if in a code known only to you,. just thinking ,,,

      1. The Original Just Sayin’,
        i have used dry ice, and it works well. it doesn’t absorb oxygen but displaces it.
        just make sure to leave the tops just loose enough to let the gasses out before sealing them or they could blow up the bucket.

  32. Anony Mee

    I,ve been storing food since 1978, after I got burn out nothing. I’ve tried every shortcut in the book, they all failed, 100%. It is not worth it, period. I wrote a speech in high school titled, “No Deposit No Return”. If you do not put the effort in up front, you are guarantied not to to see good results in the end.

    I bulk pack in 15in vacuum bags, rice, bean, heavier foods, 24lbs per bag. 2500cc O2 and 1000cc desiccant per bag. Then store in those black totes with yellow lids. They come in a lot of sizes, are strong, easy to stack and vermin proof and sunlight proof. Mylar has been a big bust for me, as the bags have holes in them. I’ve got just vacuum bags that are still perfect at 10yrs

    Your life IS going to depend on that food being eatable 5 or 6 yrs from now, Please do it right upfront, knowing it will be there when you need it.

  33. On food storage as many of you have tested different methods of putting up certain foods. So have I, and some of it turned out wonderful, while other tested methods failed.

    Rice-do not place directly into the zip lock bags then vacuum seal it gives it a funny smell. You can air the rice out over a few days and it does not effect the taste. It is the odd smell, after that I used wax paper and/or parchment paper folded into pockets to protect the measured rice. Why so much work when I could have dumped into a large bag. I liked pre-measured rice for convenience at that time.

    Chocolate without nuts can be stored in glass canning jars and vacuum sealed. Pasta, I use smaller zip lock Mylar bags for quality control, these bags have a pleated bottom fold out where it will hold the contents. Spaghetti, flat noodles do better if left in the original plastic and then vacuum sealed in the bags. You will have to do manual shut down on the sealing or end up with crushed pasta.
    Ground flour in 5mil Mylar with 02 absorbers opened after 2-4 years is fine. The flour was a higher quality-Bob’s Red Mill, I did not do a comparison to store bought bleached flour.

    1. remember that all of those stored dry beans can be planted as a source for sustainability.
      i don’t get my peas and beans from the co-op for the garden. i get mine from the grocery store for a fraction of the price and they grow well.
      1-3 years of food on hand is great, and i very much encourage it, but what are you going to do after that. think about it. i plan on living longer than that, and providing for my family as best i can.
      the key word is sustainability.
      i always think long term, like 20yrs from now. it’s a curse.

  34. Mrs U, Source for the 300 lb grain recommendation? What amounts of other foods are recommended? Just curious. Thanks. modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/long-term-storage-food/

  35. These are “basic” lists for one year survival, a baseline. One should never shoot for the baseline but store more because no one is going to watch their children and grandchildren starve.

  36. #1 I have a shelving unit in my kitchen.

    #2 I have another in the hallway between the laundry room and bathroom which is non food.

    #3 I have behind the door shoe organizers. One is my medical and behind my bedroom door. The other is my body wash/shampoo and other soap free samples and it is behind the laundry room door.

    #4 I have two storage carts under my bed with craft supplies to keep busy.

    #5 I have 16 cans of #10 dried survival foods in a hidden room. There is room for 32 cans. I buy them when they are under $20 each on Amazon. Pancake mix in the #10 can has been $7.32 recently.

    #6 I have several of the survival food buckets that I was given as gifts. In several hidden locations. I also made a my own bucket with nuts, jerky and dried fruit pouches.

    #7 I am emptying linen closet and I bought several bins to fill up on more grains this month and next. Towels and things are being moved to laundry room and bathroom because I need the space.

    #8 I have 2 dressers in my bedroom. I do not keep that many clothes. One dresser is filled with additional supplies. Top drawer is full of 12 packages of wet wipes. Second drawer is powdered milk. Third drawer is feminine care. Bottom drawer is hidden tech supplies.

    I live in a 4 room farmhouse from the 1900s. I have a Living room, Kitchen, Bedroom and back room. Backroom is subdivided into 3 smaller spaces that technically are smaller than the 7 foot by 7 foot size to be called a room. That is the laundry, bath and hall between the 2. House is less than 300 square feet of space. Standard apartments in most places are about 600 square feet.

  37. I am just learning to make Ghee, it is a process of boiling butter to remove water and solids, in the end you have a very clear beautiful butter that can be kept for years in a dark cool place, does not have to be refrigerated at all. It’s boil point is much longer than butter and is amazing. I have been watching a lady Rose Red Homestead, she teaches a great deal on preparing stabilising and storing food – if you are starting out like me I would suggest watching a few of her videos as she makes it really simple. It has taken the questions and fear out of starting.

  38. To me, the most important things to have are lifestraws for fresh water, wheat, rice, dried beans and your two hands. A good knowledge of how to plant a garden year round, an adequate stored seed supply, and a good knowledge of what edibles grow in your part of the country are invaluable. Unless you have acres of land upon which to store all you want to eat, we will need to rely on our ability to be self sufficient.

  39. Space for food for 1 adult for 1 year: 2 drums at 55 gallons apiece = 22 five gallon buckets = 440 quart jars that will fit under your bed.

  40. Just get an above ground, soft-sided, pool, for your emergency water storage. A fairly small pool will store over 3,700 gallons of potable water, and comes with a cover. Much better than a few 50 gallon rain barrels, eh? Never have to worry about getting water to flush your toilets again! Can’t swim in a rain barrel, eh? And, these pools cost about the same and can still be used to catch your house gutter discharge.

    Heck, by two or three…and use them to grow Tilapia.

  41. Ditto on the portable pool, have one in the box ready to set up if needed, also use those 275 gallon caged totes stored outside and filled they will freeze but are not effected by it. We have had sustained below freezing temps and over 5 years they still are holding water.

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