Long-term Food Storage Guidelines

Hopefully you already have a 72-hour supply of emergency food you can grab and take with you at a moment's notice.  But it's also a wise idea to keep an ample supply of long-term food and water on hand for your family in case of extended emergencies.  First, you need to be aware of and follow several guidelines.  Don't get yourself in such a food-storing frenzy that you do it incorrectly and waste your efforts.  If stored improperly, food can quickly spoil or make you very sick.

• Store foods you like that you use often.  Being familiar with the foods you store will help you use them better and are more likely to be eaten by your family.  Plus if you use them regularly, they will be easy to rotate so your stored food won't spoil.  Label all foods with a purchase date so you can see how old they are in the future.  Place newer items behind older ones on home shelves and make it a habit of practicing the "first in = first out" rule so that you continually use older items first.  (As a personal note, my husband just recently built us some new storage shelves at a slight angle so that canned goods automatically roll into place.  New cans are placed at the back and cans for current use are taken from the front so the whole group continually rotates the older forward.  It is a simple yet incredibly handy adjustment you can make to some of your own storage shelves for easy rotation.)  Foods have the best taste and nutrition if you follow the "best if used by" date; however, food can still be useful and sustaining even after that.
• Foods recommended to be rotated every 6 months:
• Powdered Milk in boxes
• Potatoes
• Dried fruits (in metal containers)
• Dry crackers (in metal containers)
• Water from home storage containers
• Foods recommended to be rotated every year (though personally, I've eaten several of these things beyond a year and they were just fine):
• Peanut Butter
• Jams and Jellies
• Canned Fruits, Vegetables, and Juices
• Canned Condensed Soups
• Cereals or Instant Oatmeal
• Canned Nuts
• Candy
• Vitamin C
• Home-canned food
• Commercially Prepared Water
• Foods that last "indefinitely" with proper storage and good storage conditions:
• Salt
• Baking Powder
• Bouillon 
• Vegetable Oils
• Wheat
• White Rice
• Soybeans
• Dried Corn
• Dried Pasta
• Powdered Milk in nitrogen-packed cans
• Honey

• Many milled grains (flour, cereal, cornmeal, etc.) or foods high in natural oils (nuts, seeds, brown rice, etc.) deteriorate faster than other foods, though I have yet to find a source that says exactly how much.  If you choose to store them (like I have), make sure you rotate them often to make use of the full nutritional benefit.  Other foods that should be rotated frequently include canned foods with a high acid content

• Some emergency supply places offer great options for long shelf-life foods.  Many companies offer dehydrated or freeze dried foods that can last for up to 25 years.  Some offer quick and nutritious meals that only need water to be ready to eat (you'll want to store extra water in that case).  However, if you are unfamiliar with the food or unlikely to actually put it to use, look into other options.  Grocery stores that offer bulk foods is a great option.  When stored correctly, items like oats, pinto beans, and sugar can have a shelf-life over 30 years. 

• The best foods are ones that don't require refrigeration, cooking, or special preparation.  Look for nutrient-rich foods with high calories to keep your body systems energized.  Stay away from foods that are very salty (they'll make you thirsty), and look for foods high in water content.  And don't forget to store vitamins!

• Good containers for storing foods include foil laminate/mylar pouches made of polyethylene terephthalate (non-toxic, food-grade plastic that helps keep out oxygen and moisture), glass jars with tight, screw-on lids (of course cleaned and sterilized before using), or plastic food containers with the letters "PET" or "PETE" next to the recycle symbol at the bottom (made of the same plastic in laminate pouches).  All containers should be cleaned and sterilized and have an air-tight seal.  Avoid paper or foam lid seals and instead opt for plastic.  Foods in boxes or bags that can go stale can also be doubled wrapped and sealed tightly in plastic containers to keep them fresher longer.

• Keep foods in a cool (40-70 degrees), dark area away from pipes or appliances that create heat or moisture.  Moisture, oxygen, and heat will spoil foods quickly.  A storage room in your basement would be great, or under the stairs, in a closet, or even under your bed!  Be creative if you need to.

• Once you've got your 72-hour food supply ready, build up to a 3-week, then 3-month, then even longer supply for your family.  This could mean half of the day's typical calories per family member for rationing (though better would be to plan for the full day's normal calories, just so you are prepared), plus 1 gallon of water per person per day (more according to individual circumstances, and don't forget bleach for purifying).  If your means are limited, start by buying one or two extra items every time you shop, like an extra bag of beans or can of fruit.  For reference, the minimum recommended amounts of food for one adult for one year are:
• 300 lbs. grains (wheat, pasta, rice, oats, etc.)
• 74 lbs. dairy (powdered milk, evaporated milk, freeze-dried cheese, etc.)
• 60 lbs. legumes (beans, peas, lentils, etc.)
• 60 lbs. sugars (honey, brown sugar, white sugar, jam, drink mixes, etc.)
• 13 lbs. oils (vegetable oil, olive oil, coconut oil, peanut butter, etc.)
• Baking essentials (baking powder, baking soda, yeast, salt, vinegar, etc.)

• Oxygen absorbers can be purchased at many emergency supply stores.  When added to food storage, they will extend the shelf-life of your food by eliminating oxygen (a food spoiler) in the closed container.  Super handy to have.

Another great way to build up an emergency food supply is to grow a garden!  Not only that, but it is a very satisfying skill to obtain.  By growing a home garden you can take advantage of the abundance of a fall harvest to boost your stores.  An old saying goes, "Eat what you can, and can what you can't!"  Canning is a great way to store food for a later use, or even just during the winter when harvests have passed.  Canning has many of its own guidelines, however, so make sure you talk with someone with experience or seek a dependable resource (many cities have them for free).

In general, humans can survive for quite a while on limited food rations.  Water...not so much.  Of course, children, the elderly, ill, or pregnant women have different nutritious needs that need to be considered.  The best advice is to reduce your activity as much as possible, try to maintain an even body temperature, and stay hydrated.

Emergency Food: Dandelions

The title of this post suggests that dandelions should only be consumed for emergencies, but actually they are eaten in many part of the world quite regularly as a delicious vegetable.  What is commonly hailed as merely a pesky weed in the United States is actually a bud of nutrition and health just sitting in your backyard.  Harvest it in emergencies and any other time as well.

Quick dandelion facts:

• Dandelions are extremely nutrient dense with plenty of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and antioxidants in all parts (leaves, roots, flower) 
• Dandelions have more iron than spinach, more vitamin A than carrots, and 1/2 c. of dandelion greens will give you more calcium than a glass of milk along with loads of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, thiamine, and riboflavin
• Medicinally they can be used to treat digestive disorders, eczema, arthritis, and are great for detoxing the blood, preventing or curing liver diseases and anemia, dissolving kidney stones, cleansing your skin, aiding weight loss, controlling diabetes, lowering cholesterol, regulating bowl functions, and for use as a gentle diuretic among other things
• Before flowering, young leaves are tender and tasty and can be washed and eaten like salad; more mature leaves have a strong, bitter taste that you can staunch by boiling (make sure to drink the water you used for boiling to aid your digestive track), or wait until after a fall frost for the bitterness to calm down
• Boiled greens can also be served with other greens, eaten hot with butter, salt, and lemon juice, and even served over pasta
• Flowers can be fried or served with yogurt
• Roots can be roasted and ground to make a nourishing drink
• The French make a "Cream of Dandelion Soup"
• You should never eat dandelions that have been sprayed with chemicals or pesticides

Finding Drinkable Water in an Emergency

Photo by thiagofest

One of the most critical needs in an emergency is a good water supply.  Your best bet is to purchase bottled water or prepare and store water beforehand in food-grade containers.  Cleaned and sterilized juice bottles work great too.  However, if you run out or your supply somehow becomes contaminated, look for these additional emergency water sources to sustain life:

Indoor Water Sources:

• Ice cubes from the freezer can be melted down to drinkable water.
• The water reserve in most hot water heaters holds 30-60 gallons of water that can be drained.  Make sure the electricity to the water heater is off first and that the drain is clean.  Open the drain at the bottom of the tank and turn on a hot water faucet at a higher level from the water heater to let air into the tank as water is running out.  Drain water into clean storage containers.
• Water pressure tanks are good though be careful if flooding has occurred and treat all equipment as being contaminated.  If the water is still under pressure in the take, it is probably clean.  Just clean the drain first. 
• Your toilet tank can be used for drinking.  It sounds gross, but inside the tank (not the bowl) the water should be pretty clean.  Water from the bowl could be cleaned and used as well, but only if you haven't used chemicals to clean it (so mine is out).
• If water to your home is turned off due to contamination, some water may be pulled from your house and shower pipes.  Turn on a faucet at the highest level of your home (an upper floor perhaps) to release a small amount of water and let air into the pipes.  Then turn on a faucet at the lowest level of your home (like a basement, or just your kitchen sink) and collect the water that comes out.
• Canned milk, bottled water, bottled juices, etc. are great.
• Distilled water is also good.
• Water from a water bed should be used only as a last resource since toxins or chemicals from the bed may have leached into the water.

Outdoor Water Sources:

• Swimming pool water is usually chlorinated and fairly clean if kept covered, but you should still boil or purify it before drinking.
• Rooftop water tanks are good.
• Private well water can be used for drinking, though be cautious if it has been flooded and treat it as contaminated.
• Fresh rainwater, dew, and water from condensation on cool surfaces can be collected.
• Water from streams, lakes, rivers, etc. can be collected to drink, but should be filtered first.  Be aware that using chlorine or iodine tablets will not get rid of certain microorganisms, such as Giardia.

Other Water Tips:

• If you hear of any contamination issue, shut off the main water valve to your home to keep the contamination from entering.
• Flood waters should always be considered contaminated.  If they touch any water you will drink or containers you will use to drink from, they need to be cleaned first.
• Boiling and purifying will NOT get rid of chemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals in the water, only bacteria.  If a water source has a funny odor or looks dark in color, don't drink it. 
• Sources go back and forth about drinking urine.  Some survival experts say yes, and some (including the U.S. Army) say no.  The idea to me seems ridiculous, but I suppose if you are desperate a whole new set of possibilities opens up.  The main basis for not drinking urine is that your urine is removing toxins, sodium, and other minerals from your body which will only make dehydration worse.