PREP Now FOX NEWS is catchin on... "How to stockpile food"

How to stockpile food

Published March 26, 2012
FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/03/26/how-to-stockpile-food/

Whether it’s a hurricane or a broken leg, stockpiling food will ensure that you and your family are well prepared in case of emergency. Effective stockpiling requires preparation, prudence and forward thinking. Knowing which foods to buy and which to ignore will allow you to maximize your food supply during an emergency situation. It may seem like a drastic measure, but if you live in an area prone to heavy snow, floods or other natural disasters, stockpiling food is a responsible and important measure. Here are some tips to help ensure that you and your family well supplied for any situation.

Essential Foods

During an emergency, you may need to react quickly to a stressful situation or physically exert yourself more than usual, so nourishing your body with high-calorie foods may be essential. Peanut butter is the perfect stockpiling food as it is high in calories, fats and protein, has a long shelf life and doesn’t require refrigeration. A good stockpile will include plenty of food that involves little or no preparation, such as canned soups, chili, nuts, fruits and vegetables. It’s also crucial to keep a large supply of clean bottled water. In a stressful situation, people can often take comfort in some of their favorite foods, so choose the foods you and your family enjoy whenever possible.

Quantities

Depending on the situation, you may be forced to rely on your stockpile for days, weeks or even months, so it’s crucial to store enough food to tide your over. Try devising a set meal plan for one week and list the ingredients and quantities necessary. Then, multiply these quantities by four, for a month’s supply, or eight for a two-month stockpile. A disaster may strike while you have a visitor, so always be sure to keep extra supplies.

Of course, purchasing such large quantities of food can be expensive. That’s why it’s best to build your stockpile over time, purchase foods with a long shelf life, and always look out for sales.

Store Properly

Create a permanent storage space in a cool and dry part of the house. Basements are usually great areas to house a stockpile, though you may wish to choose the attic if your basement is prone to flooding. If you wish to store meats, use a freezer, but be aware that you may not have an electricity supply to run it when you need it most. Vacuum packing certain foods will increase their shelf life

Renew Stock When Necessary

Your stockpile will be useless if your food spoils and becomes inedible. That’s why it’s essential to renew your food stock regularly. Make a list of expiration dates for each item that you buy and renew your supply of food whenever it becomes necessary. If your food stocks are approaching their expiration date, simply rotate them into your normal supply of food and replace them with fresh supplies.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/03/26/how-to-stockpile-food/#ixzz1qLUanHmv

Wow! I thought stockpilers were terrorists and wackos! Times are a' changin'!

I have to say, I do like that cover on the Wheaties box in the picture of the article......

Fox News 'BigWig'..."Well, we didn't know it would be war...but you can't say you weren't warned to prep..."

Their 'As" are now covered...

Ever think about which two or three foods you'd miss the most that don't really have acceptable canned alternatives?

First one for me that I'd miss the most is Onions.
Why they do store I'm not sure I'd be able to do so.
Maybe a crawl space root cellar under house?

Double A... unless you're talking about using fresh onions for onion sandwiches, dried (not FREEZE dried, just plain dehydrated) onions are more than acceptable for almost any dish you use onions in...

They store for years, they're cheap enough to buy, and very simple to dry yourself.

OTOH, if you can grow a garden, there are varieties which store in the fresh state for months. Copra is THE best variety I've seen for long term storage... I store braids or bags of them in our cellarway (at the basement level, but on the kitchen side of the door to the basement, so it's slightly warmer and generally a little more humid than the basement proper) from harvest time in August until the following June. I'm not saying every single onion I store keeps that long, but we have fresh onions to use for at least 6 months. By then, chives and green onions are ready to use from the garden again...

What's a little startling for me in that article on Fox is the "you might need to provide food for MONTHS". Wow!! Given the "official" line seems to be "don't worry, be happy, and keep enough food on hand for three days. Then FEMA will come riding to the rescue", this is quite a departure from the norm.

Summerthyme

I agree that Copra onions are one of the best for storage.

However, I also get Multiplier onions, which are planted in the fall, and ready to harvest about July. They last longer than any other onions, I think.....a bit smaller, but still quite nice. Each Multiplier onion plant produces "bulb" type onions, several per plant. They're also nice, because you can save some to replant, the fall after they mature.

As far as I know, the only source for Multiplier Onion bulbs is Territorial Seed Co....a nursery in Oregon. A very reliable company. (They have two kinds,I like the kind that grow bulbs in the soil, not at the top of the plant.)

If Mulitplier onions are the same as Egyption walking onions, you can get them here..... www.Egyptianwalkingonion.com/home.htm

They aren't, exactly. What Michiana MaJo is talking about are also called "potato onions". They grow sort of like garlic... one onion bulb becomes 5-7 bulbs at ground level. They are a good alternative to planting onions every year, although they're rather small. Mine died out :-(

Summerthyme

To add to the thread drift:

I also lost my potato onions in the drought. I have ordered new ones from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Unfortunately they won't ship until late summer.

There are many different varieties of multiplier onions and shallots available in the Seed Savers big book for those who are members. All will help with the onion "problem"...one which I have also considered.

Yes, Copra is a great variety if you live in the northern part of the country.

Onionwise the country is divided into 3 parts which overlap somewhat. There are long day onions (the north), intermediate (the middle) and short day (the south). As with so many other things onion varieties are location specific.

LC

In the Territorial Seed catalog, I've seen them listed only as Multiplier onions. I've never seen the term "potato onions".

It's true they are somewhat smaller than regular onions, but with adequate water and fertilizer (I just use fish emulsion), they get to a pretty nice size.

Last summer, I didn't have as good a luck with them, as usual, but with such brutal heat and maybe? I didn't keep them watered enough, tho I tried, they didn't get as large as before. I planted a new supply, last fall. They're not cheap, tho!!!! But, if you can save enough to replant, you're ahead.This is how they're better than regular onions.

The onions that grow above the ground are known as " Egyptian walking onions." The catalog says they form small bulbs underground, as well as small bulbs the size of hazelnuts on the tip of the stalk.

I've never tried these, but my mom used to like them. I know that the Multiplier kind grows larger, and I prefer larger.

Both kind are shipped in the fall, when they are to be planted.

Whoa-the part about-you may need to have enough food for months caught my eye also....are they just jumping on the prepper craze band wagon? Or is there something else to this.

CapeCMom said:

Whoa-the part about-you may need to have enough food for months caught my eye also....are they just jumping on the prepper craze band wagon? Or is there something else to this.

Click to expand...

Exactly, that's a lot more than the three days that has been recommended in the past.

As I said eariler...CYA. They are 'covering theirs with this story.

As for onions...find a patch of wild onions and transplant a few. In a year, you'll have more than enough of them to cover whatever 'dish' you desire. I had only a couple of them in the ditch out front by the road last year. Now, this year, the ditch is full and they are starting to invade my yard. Just imagine the 'tearful' act of mowing the ditch...

I love my Egyptian Onions! Every Spring when I am cleaning out my flower beds I smile when I come across the onions-I can't see them at first-I SMELL them......YUM!