So for the past few months I have been working on putting together an emergency kit for my household, I wanted to ask everyone for ideas for foods that would be good.
Dried fruits/nuts?- how long do you think I could safely store these things?
Freeze dried fruits? these seem good.
Any comfort food that you think would keep well?
I'm storing everything in a dark plastic bin, not airtight.
Thanks!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2008 04:33AM by meganbubbs.

1] sprouting seeds and peas
2] drums of water

Ahhh...very good. I've been doing a lot of research on this myself (Note: I'll make a post on long-term seeds storage and preparedness in a bit). In the mean time:

For a raw food person, you are going to want to store dry beans, peas & seeds for sprouting. Purchased in bulk from someplace like:

[www.mainstreetseedandsupply.com]

....and then stored in sealed mylar bags or mason jars (test to make sure you've got a perfect seal by dipping underwater)....and then stored in the coolest, darkest area of your house.....these seeds should remain good for at least 3-5 years. This will give you a good base of nutrition AND the ability to grow your own vegetables and sprouts in emergencies.

-You CAN dehydrate your own foods for food preparedness. It's fun! Keep in mind, though, that at the temperatures and dry-ness level required for any long-term storage...the food will not be a 'raw food' or have any enzyme activity to speak of. Short term storage of stuff you dehydrated....in water-impermeable (glass) containers in your refrigerator should be fine for quite a while (I always ate the stuff before the month was out...so I can't verify length of time in storage! Ha! ha!).

-Also storing dry nuts and seeds in water-impermeable containers...in a cool area is a good insurance policy. Sunflower seeds and almonds are a good choice.

-If you are not all-raw, then this list opens up quite a bit. I have quite an extensive food storage (all vegan) stored in sealed mylar bags, mason jars, and pre-made cans (things like meat substitute, tomato powder, margarine powder, sugar, drink mixes, vitamins, dry mixes, bullion, etc.

-One of the best calls you can make is to rope a mormon friend to make an appointment to go to the nearest mormon food cannery. Note: YOU can walk into your nearest mormon church on Sunday morning......attend a meeting.....and then speak to some of the folks after the meeting.....or the bishop & let them know that you want to put together a basic food storage and make an appointment to go to the cannery. I'm sure they'll set you up. The mormon canneries are the best places to pick up huge sacks of wheat and beans for sprouting.......at minimal prices......or other essentials like sugar, flour, refried beans, spaghetti, etc., if you are not all-raw. The full list is here:

[providentliving.org]


-If arranging a trip to the cannery is not your style, then ordering a 'starter kit' online is a good idea (you don't need to be a member to do this). The location for this is here:

[www.ldscatalog.com]

-Picking up large sacks of wheat or other grain at your local feed store is also a good idea. Just remember that you'll want to store it in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long-term.

-And as noted above, extra water is a great idea. You can buy 6-gallon containers at Walmart. Keep large clear tarps & containers to catch rain water......or to surround tree branches to catch plant respiration in sunlight. Either method will provide you with enough water in emergencies to handle just about anything. Also, don't forget that your standard home water heater already has like 40 or 50 gallons of water in it. Remember that canal, lake, river, waste or puddle water can easily be strained (like through a sock) and boiled vigorously for at least 10 minutes to sterilize it before drinking. A simple black garbage bag solar shower can also be hung outside during an emergency. It's all good.

-If I can answer any questions regarding mylar bags, mason jars, seed-storage or food storage, just post or e-mail me at davidzanemason@hotmail.com. (lord knows I've done a ton of research into this....as it's a primary purpose of my retreat/farm).

-I hope my experiences are helpful.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

yikes! am i the only one who finds this post a little scary? wow.

Scary Coco? Don't be scared, be prepared! After you told me you had 2 babies unassited I thought to myself- "now that woman can handle anything!"

Stuff for sprouting, so obvious I guess I needed someone to point it out to me- Thanks David

I'm feeling much better already

Scary Coco? Don't be scared, be prepared! After you told me you had 2 babies unassited I thought to myself- "now that woman can handle anything!"

Stuff for sprouting, so obvious I guess I needed someone to point it out to me- Thanks David

I'm feeling much better already

whoops I don't know what happened, didn't mean to post twice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2008 02:57AM by meganbubbs.

you must have Really meant it! ha ha.
having my babies wasn't scary to me at all though, just natural. all this doom and gloom need for large bags of wheat etc is freaking me out a little, i'm wondering why. what is it that i am getting prepared for? i mean, maybe we might lose power for a couple of days but even that is unusual.

Hey Coco! Just my latest project. I like to be in a position to be giving of knowledge, goods, etc. A bit about me: I was raised Mormon....plus I'm a bit of a pack rat....so I was raised to keep a year food storage (I did it...even when I ate crap food! Ha! ha! Man, I stockpiled Vienna Sausages like nobody's business! LOL).

-I now live in a rural location in Central Florida. Power outages and storms are normal at the best of times. In the event that there is an extended power outage, storms or gas shortage (which has happened in recent years) - I'm proud of the idea of being able to support myself and my peeps if needed with healthy food, water, etc. It's certainly not something YOU need to do if you don't want to! Ha! ha!

-My experience is that employment is certainly not guaranteed these days, nor are economic conditions always so rosy and secure - historically. As such, these days I spend a good deal of time studying practical outdoor skills, camping, gardening, medical skills, etc., so that I am not dependent on anyone. This may, indeed, not be one of your interests or requirements...and I support you 100% in whatever YOUR passions are. I'm upset, but not offended, if my experiences are not helpful or interesting to you...Heh..heh. I'm sure many of the wonderful folks on this board will be very helpful to you.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

don't be upset my friend, your posts are always interesting to me. just wondering here if i was missing something important that i might want to do but i don't think this is one. i have a kit for a few days in case of being snowed in or power outage but that's all i think i need. luckily there is a working fireplace here and lots of wood around (from the ash borer that has been downing trees here recently). that's ok for us i think.

davidzanemason Wrote:> -If you are not all-raw, then this list opens up
> quite a bit. I have quite an extensive food
> storage (all vegan) stored in sealed mylar bags,
> mason jars, and pre-made cans (things like meat
> substitute, tomato powder, margarine powder,
> sugar, drink mixes, vitamins, dry mixes, bullion,
> etc.

That's a cool idea, those things last forever, and are rather cheap (compared to putting up a year of raw) so you don't have to worry about rotating them or spoilage. Well if they do spoil just throw them away and get more. I mean if you really were in an end-of-the-world situation and had to eat them, then raw would be the last thing on your mind. Calories would be the first thing.

I'm thinking more for natural disasters. Eathquakes, floods fires, hurricanes etc.
I think growing up in California you are taught how it is important to be ready for earthquakes and I live in San Francisco so it would be stupid of me not to.
Growing up I lived in these mountians and once there was a really bad storm and the (dirt) roads washed out. We were stuck up on these hills for weeks with only air transport out. No Power etc.
My last vacation was cut short by a fire, started by lightning a few miles from where we were staying. It ended up burning 162,818 acres. So I think it is good to be prepared if there were anything to happen, you know?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/2008 05:16AM by meganbubbs.

I think the easiest and long lasting thing to keep is simply dates. In case of emergency, you don't need energy to get you out. And dates are perfect, and they keep well. I remember the story of a town in northern africa that was under siege for one month, and they sustained the siege only with water and dates, for one month. The opponents ended up leaving because they thought they had a special tunnel to get a regular food supply, whereas in fact they only had dates.
So for me, in case of emergency, keep a big box of dates in the house.
Where I live, we have 3 miles on a dirt road to get to the first paved road, and in winter it can rain non stop for several days. So we always keep dates in winter in case we can't get out for several days (because even when the rain stops, the dirt road is really muddy and sometimes you can't drive).

Raw Fruit Festival
[www.raw-fruit-festival.net]
Health, Fitness and Fasting Retreats in Spain
[www.fit-in-nature.net]

I haven't checked the links this site points to, but if they work it seems as if they could abe helpful: disaster preparedness

Another great source I have found for both information about and purchasing long term food storage is www.shelfreliance. I believe they are promoting a big sale right now on some of these items.