Here's some more thread drift regarding food, but hey, it's my thread so I figure I can drift away ;-)
There have been several threads regarding food storage and the space it occupies. I will offer one suggestion to store a lot of food in minimal space: Buy white rice and large containers of brown gravy mix. White rice doesn't take up much space considering the amount of food it represents. No, I'm - obviously - not suggesting that anyone only eats white rice, but will note that it goes well with a wide variety of other foods and will help to stretch your other food supplies. When combined with brown gravy (or other condiments) it can almost make a tasty meal by itself.
One of the most important aspects of food consumption is that the diner feels full after the meal. A skimpy, but otherwise healthy meal will leave the diner still feeling hungry and unsatisfied. In a survival situation this can lead to poor morale and possibly even people stealing food. Rice, corn meal (or grits), mashed potatoes, pasta and similar foods can provide the bulk that leaves people feeling full after eating. Similarly, dried beans - though taking up more room - are nutritious and provide bulk.
I'm originally from New Orleans and grew up on Creole and Cajun cooking. It spoiled me in that I always want tasty foods. To this end, (lots of) condiments, gravy mixes and spices are an essential part of our food preps. There have been documented cases of people starving because they didn't like the taste of food that was available. This is known as food fatigue and it's a real issue. I advise everyone to learn to cook tasty, simple meals and learn to use spices to good advantage.
Lastly, I rarely see preppers talk about storing a substantial supply of multivitamins with their food preps. If your diet is suddenly reduced to simpler foods, vitamins can be a very important part of your preps.
Best
Doc
I'd add dry beans to that (again, very nutrient dense and compact in storage), and several good books for your local area on wildcrafting... identifying edible plants. Most "weeds" are packed with vitamins and minerals.
As far as multivitamins... definitely store them, but realize they don't keep more than a couple years past their "use by" date. We dumped probably close to a hundred bucks worth of older vitamins... multis and vitamin B complex. They smelled awful, and had turned dark.
I suspect you could keep them in the freezer to extend their life... and *possibly* vacuum sealing or dumping them into glass jars and sealing with O2 absorbers.
While I absolutely agree many can't afford to buy 2 years of food all at once, most folks who are *truly* poor (not just cash strapped) are eligible for food stamps, and many areas of the country have food pantries and regular food give aways.
Again, I KNOW there are exceptions... medical conditions or whatever that mandate eating the best diet possible now.
But for anyone who truly believes hard times are coming... start now! Scope out restaurant supply stores... almost all will sell to the public. Buy 50# of beans, rice and oatmeal. Go to the dollar store and buy $12.50 worth of spices (they are all $1.25 stores around here now)
Research recipes on the internet... or cancel your home internet and go to the library! Or go to a secondhand bookstore and grab some depression era cookbooks!
My mom barely survived the Depression. She told of weeks when all they had to eat was 1 bowl of oatmeal (dry... no sugar or milk) for breakfast and 1 slice of (homemade... probably sourdough, and certainly no milk or eggs) bread spread with lard for lunch. In warmer weather, the kids would scavenge any wild fruit they could find... and even in the cities, back then, there were plenty of empty lots and lanes where brambles or wild apples grew.
When they visited cousins in the country, they thought they were rich! I saw that "farm" as a young teen... a simple, 4 room farmhouse with a laundry shed attached in the back... bare wood floors with spaces between the planks showing the dirt below; it must have been bitter cold in winter. The only insulation was layers of newspapers on the walls.
But in an open shed out back, they had chickens, a hog and a milk cow. And Mom would still recall the "wonderful" meals those "rich" cousins ate every day! She and my Dad made a very good life, but she never forgot where she came from, and never lost appreciation for having plenty.
If people would start today, and make the choice to "eat poor" (not "lard on sourdough bread" poor, but oatmeal instead of boxed cereal or Poptarts) I'll bet they could have 6 months of calories stored within 6 months.
For many, they could sell some unused "toys"... or even ones they enjoy occasionally! It all comes down to priorities.
2 years is the ideal... as a farmer, I've seen too many crop failures to be comfortable with less than that. But 1 year is better than 99% will have, and if you include seeds, it can get you through to a new harvest.
I know there are many who live in apartments and have valid reasons to not be able to change. Their most important prep is a relationship with the Lord... heck, that's the most important prep for all of us. Because given what is coming, many (regardless of preps) aren't going to survive.
It's called life! The basic rules of survival were temporarily suspended in the developed countries in the last century, but as Kipling observed, the Gods of the Copybook Headings won't be amused.
Summerthyme
