Now I’d like to talk about something we’ve NEVER covered in this pages…
It’s the single-most important item in any crisis.
No, it’s not a gun.
And no, it’s not a bug out bag.
And nope, it’s not energy, either.
What is it? Let me show you…
What I’m talking about is food. If you don’t have food you won’t survive. Plain and simple.
And if you think that grocery stores will be up and running when a disaster strikes, think again.
The growers have to have fuel to run their equipment to farm the food.
The truckers have to have fuel to go and pick the food up and take it to the grocery store.
So what happens when this process stops?
No more food. No more food in the inner city. No more food at your local grocery store.
Now what are you going to do?
You need to start storing food. NOW!
It is never too early to start picking up a couple of extra supplies of food every time you go to the store. There are long term items that you can buy. As with the seeds, rotate the food out so that you never have anything that goes to waste.
So what should you start buying right now to store?
Some foods store better than others.
Rice, brown or white. If you buy rice, which is a great staple to have in your long-term food supply, you can seal it (need a mylar bag sealer) in mylar bags with a moisture pack (silica or silicone gel packs) and put it into large 5-gallon buckets (bought at your local home improvement store).
Flour, wheat or white; Oats, Cornmeal, Barley. Seal large bags of these items into mylar bags as well again using a 5-gallon bucket to seal the flour as well. It is double protection.
Beans. Buy as many beans as you can. If you belong to one of those warehouse supply stores, bulk items such as rice, flour, beans and various other food items can be purchased in larger quantities than at the grocery store. Beans supply protein.
Dry, Powdered Milk. Powdered milk will do in a pinch. It is not the same taste or consistency as regular milk but it will do if you are in survival mode.
Canned goods. Again, go to your warehouse store, or even if you don’t belong to one, stock up on as many canned goods as you possibly can. Don’t forget to buy a hand-cranked can opener so that when the electricity goes out you can still access the contents of the can. The right soup can give you everything you need.
Fruit. No, not real fruit but freeze-dried fruit that can be reconstituted by adding water.
Pasta and pasta type products are a great survival food to have on hand. Mac and cheese is quick and easy and even if you donít have fresh milk, or powdered milk for that matter, you can always make it with just water. I know, I know, it’s not the same but what is our goal here? Survival! Tell the kids to get over it!
Try to purchase and have on hand some oils: olive oil and lard.
Do you have a baby or two in your household? Make sure you have plenty of formula set aside. It also wouldn’t hurt to think about what else you are going to need for a baby when the lights go out. Cloth diapers, etc.
Pets. What are you going to feed your pets? Pets can actually just eat human food but if you are picky about your pets, start setting aside for Fido or Fluffy right now as well. You don’t want your pets to suffer needlessly.
Miscellaneous: canned or potted meat, honey, tea, coffee, dry creamer, peanut butter, nuts, seeds.
Now that you have started setting food aside, you have to be mindful of certain issues. Is the food getting oxygen, light, or moisture? Is it exposed to temperature changes? You want to store your food in a dry, cool area just like your seeds.
Another thing to consider is pests. That is why you should really seal any food such as rice, flour, etc. in mylar bags and then within a 5-gallon container. Keep a watchful eye out for mice, rats, ants or any other creatures that think your food is a smorgasbord for them.
Again, the best way to keep a fresh supply of food is to rotate your food out so that when you buy something new, after you start to have a nice supply, put the new in and grab one of the old and prepare it.
Whatever choices you make, the important thing is to do it. And do it now. Start preparing.
