when planning on long term food storage (one year) what are some staples that you use? Do you buy it all at once or is it a gradual process?

I'm a believer in "Store what you eat - Eat what you store", so I have very little of the "long term" dehydrated stuff that is prepared with a 20 to 30 year storage life.  Almost all my storage consists of extras of most of the stuff I normally get at the grocery store that I picked up over time.

Maybe I should say "used to" because I have been un/underemployed for a while and have eaten quite a dent into my storage closet.  But that's why I bought it up in the first place.

When you're first starting out, the temptation is to over-stock immediately, especially when you come across a sale or a close-out.  For example, Albertson's has a sale on canned vegetables @ 3/$1 this week.  It would be tempting to go buy as many as possible and fill up the back closet.  However, what happens in a year or two and you still have 100 cans of spinach and just a month before it "expires".  If you normally eat one can of spinach per month, get into the habit of buying two cans per month.  After one year, you will have accumulated and stored a whole year's worth.  After that point, when you see spinach in the sale circular for 3/$1, count up how many cans you have on hand, subtract that from the number you want to have on hand, and that's how many to buy.

So, figure out how long you wish to stock up for (6 mos, 1 year, whatever), then consider how much of what you are likely to use in that time period.  For the first while, just buy a few extra items each time you go to the market, especially when you find something on sale.  After that, keep track of what you have, and keep the newest stuff at the back of the shelf and push the older stuff to the front.  When you have enough on the shelf to last for as long as you wish to keep on hand, quit buying.  Just keep track of what you have, buy what you need to "top off" your storage when it's on sale, and keep the fresh stuff at the back of the shelf.

Times are scary right now, and folks are motivated to get a lot of supplies right now, but the best way to build up a stockpile is to do so a little at a time over the next few years.

I love the "Store what you eat-eat what you store"! It is true though because when times are tough and you have to utilize what you have stored, you don't want to it to be a huge shock or be left starved because you don't know what do with certain items that you've saved up. Also thanks for the testimony of gradual rather than getting things all at once because when I think of building up food storage I think "all or nothing" ... which usually comes to nothing haha The only thing that I have saved is a solid 72 hour kit, my next step is for a 6-12 month supply. Slow and steady.

slw-u@att.net wrote:

"Store what you eat - Eat what you store"

Ditto to the above quote! Some staples that I use (this may give you some ideas) are:

Wheat, canned beans, dried beans, canned veggies, Frozen veggies and beans as well in the outside deep freezer, brown rice, various spices (curry, paprika, chili, thyme, cinnamon etc) , almond milk (enter lactose intolerant), barley, toilet paper (its not food but ya kinda need it ;), vegetable broth, vegetable cubes (like the bouillon cubes but veggie), oats, cliff bars (LOVE), nuts, peanut butter, nutella (a girl needs her fix esp during rough times), dark chocolate, brown sugar, extra cash (I feel more secure with some extra cash, you never know), dried fruits.....this is just an example but ALL of these things I eat and utilize on a regular basis. While I use fresh veggies and dried beans instead of canned I know that I may not have access to fresh veggies so canned ones will due, I rotate regular basis so I know what to do with the canned and frozen veggies.

I think it would be cool to have a little garden because I prefer veggies in this order: fresh, frozen, canned. Its my goal to learn how to NOT kill plants so I can have some fresh foods.

clair123@live.com wrote:

... almond milk (enter lactose intolerant) ...

Do you know how well the various "shelf stable" milks store over long periods?  I rarely drink milk, but I store a little powdered milk (which has a shelf life of about 18 months, but must be kept away from anything with an odor ... it absorbs odors and get yucky).  I've seen irradiated pints of cow's milk plus the almond and soy milk in the store but have been too cheap to try them out.  

Great ideas about so many things I should "bulk up" the closet with.  Thanks!

Non dairy drinks ("milks") last for about a year. I look for the sales as the prices run for roughly $3 a pop and keep in mind that once you open the container its advised to drink it within a week-ish. Personally I only buy the 32 oz container because I know thats all I will drink in a weeks time so anything larger is really just a waste of money. You can also make your own almond milk...or any other "milk" for that matter if you have a good blender :)

Almond milk is SOO simple to make (I cannot stress this enough)

Ingredients: almonds (raw) , water , imagination

For every cup of almonds, you use 4 cups of water. Soak the almonds overnight (this is optional but it is what I've done in the past)

Then you mix the almonds and water in a blender and VOILA!

If you want to get the guts out for a smoother texture you can get an almond bag, some people use cheese cloth) and simply drain it and you are set!

The imagination part is if you want to add in some flavor flav' to the mix in which cases some ideas are vanilla, cocoa powder, agave nectar, dates, and pretty much anything that floats your boat. Some combination ideas can be found on this link http://www.choosingraw.com/raw-101-homemade-almond-milk/

I'm not sure how to safely store homemade almond milk for a long period of time but I'm just throwin' that option out there for ya. Sometimes the convenience of 'milk' already made outweighs the time it takes to make it. Either-way its nice to have more options.

I forgot to mention that while the 'milks' typically last for a year, do check the Best Buy date, as some may vary. There is the Sell buy date and the Best Buy date ... if you are putting in storage and not refrigerating then you want to go by the Best Buy date.

I had NO idea that almond milk was so easy to make! Very interesting. I would like to mention non-food items that are great for long term keeps.
-Copy of birth certificates or any important documents that you have.
- Extra cash
- batteries (get some extras of the types you use)
- walkie talkie
- battery charged radio (this way you can listen to weather/news updates if the power is out
- emergency flares
- personal comforting items. I think that this may be the most important item. You have got to have something that brings comfort under tough circumstances. I have a blank journal and some pens and a favorite book.
- spare car keys
- pictures of your current house/car/etc condition (this is in case of a natural disaster, for insurance reasons)


... these are only a few but I believe that non-food items are just as important to have handy. I wouldn't be stressed about getting all of these at once because it IS quite overwhelming. Take it in baby steps.

Do any of you store vitamins? If so, how long is the shelf life and how much do you buy?

All the essintails like extra cash, and birth certificates need to go in a water safe container. I have made steps to get these items together but I don't feel like a ziplock is good enough to keep them in (for one, it is see through). Where can I find a water proof container that isn't see through and is big enough to hold documents?