Canned food

A goodly supply of canned foods (and water) can be stored under beds and in the bottom of a clothes closet.

I see many making the mistake of thinking that such stocking in the home is only useful if one is under armed attack when in fact, it is a good hedge against natural disaster such as storms and flooding which limit travel, as well as personal disasters such as loss of income due to temporary disability, illness or employer downsizing.

An amazing amount of easy to prepare food can be stored in a very small space. And weight is not a factor in storage. Buying canned goods by the case can be done gradually, say corn this week, peas the next, so that it has little impact on one's budget. Don't forget toilet paper, hygene products and a variety of spices.
 
I always have three to four cases of water in the garage. If you are in an area where water is a concern make sure everything you get is in water rather than oil or syrup because then you can drink it. If it isn't get everything in oil or syrup as these add extra nutrients. I keep a large bag filled with canned fruit, veggies, and meat along with peanut butter, oatmeal, and double sealed biscuit crackers. Rotate your stock every 6 to 8 months depending on the climate and where you store it. We often have floods and the Vegas valley is about 100 years overdue for a large earthquake so mine is more for those reasons than the zombies or gubmint.
 
Codger_64 said:
A goodly supply of canned foods (and water) can be stored under beds and in the bottom of a clothes closet.

I see many making the mistake of thinking that such stocking in the home is only useful if one is under armed attack when in fact, it is a good hedge against natural disaster such as storms and flooding which limit travel, as well as personal disasters such as loss of income due to temporary disability, illness or employer downsizing.

An amazing amount of easy to prepare food can be stored in a very small space. And weight is not a factor in storage. Buying canned goods by the case can be done gradually, say corn this week, peas the next, so that it has little impact on one's budget. Don't forget toilet paper, hygene products and a variety of spices.
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That is it for me in a nut shell. A snow storm here can have us in for a few days at a time. An ice storm is worse.
We store what we eat, and eat what we store.

We can our own jams and preserves. Grow some of our own food. And work to be more self sufficient all the time.


This meal can and has been be made from our pantry,



I don't even have to be inside to do it. If you don't have a Dutch Oven. I highly recommend one.
 
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We maintain a moderate supply of canned chicken, salmon, tuna & sardines and jars of honey & peanut butter. We also store some rice and some freeze dried fruits & veggies. The canned good are rotated by either including it in our meal planning or feeding it to our dogs. I make my own jerky and dried sausage and always have some of those on hand.

I keep some 5 gallon containers and a couple of cases of bottled water to have on hand and when it is time to rotate I water the garden with them.
 
Been enjoying hearing everyone's different perspectives on storage. One concern I've always had living where I do, is the antiquated Victorian row houses that pancake down to one level after a quake. Have supplies on hand anyways, but my best options were canned goods and water in pvc caches. Just as a contingency in the event I can't drive, ride a bike or walk out of the city.

Curious how many of you store extra food/water/medical supplies for your close neighbors?
 
My longest emergency was a week, ten days until return to "normal" where travel and shopping was possible. My neighbors never asked for help as most evacuated (Hurricanes Erin & Opal). I did have enough to see a second family through except for water.
 
I mentioned I keep a months supply of canned food.... that is probably 3 or 4 months worth of using normally. My "month's" supply assumes that I can not get to a store and that's all we have to eat. Longest I have ever gone where I was house bound due to an emergency situation was about 3 days and that was snow related.

The only thing that bothers me about canned food is SALT content. Generally the salt content is fairly high. I prefer frozen vegies myself, but my wife likes canned stuff.

I keep fairly large containers (5 gallon) empty for water storage. I normally keep a couple cases of bottled water in my garage. It gets used for work stuff
 
B34NS said:
Been enjoying hearing everyone's different perspectives on storage. One concern I've always had living where I do, is the antiquated Victorian row houses that pancake down to one level after a quake. Have supplies on hand anyways, but my best options were canned goods and water in pvc caches. Just as a contingency in the event I can't drive, ride a bike or walk out of the city.

Curious how many of you store extra food/water/medical supplies for your close neighbors?
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This is just the kit in my truck as far as food I always have a little extra. Also in case you didn't know if your water heater is well maintained it can provide clean water to drink as well in a complete snafu.
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The contents of the outer three pockets.
To the left is gloves and a CPR mask, to the right is non-stick gauze, aqua gel burn dressing, tape, and a combat bandage, on top is a SAMI splint, triangular bandage, compression roll, and heavier duty tape.
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The top pouch contains two PPE kits, bio bags, kill all anti bacterial wipes, two space blankets, a blood pressure cuff, a stethoscope, and a box containing peroxide, cold compress's, glow sticks, and lots of bulky sterile gauze.
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The interior tool pouch contains seat belt cutter, flashlight, surgical scissors, EMT shears, window punch, tongue depressors, cotton swabs, disposable shaving razors, hemostat clamps, and a suture kit.
20150714_123418_zpsjeegtfiy.jpg


Last but not least is the actual interior which contains two multi purpose trauma dressings, a gauze burn sheet, a fire resistant trauma blanket, and five color coded pouches. Blue is gauze and bandages, green is eye flush, eye pad and eye cone, yellow is band aids, wound cleaning and sterilization and small cuts/scrapes, red is severe trauma containing glucose, blood stopper, snake bite kit, amonia inhalants, a chest seal with petroleum gauze, and two more combat bandages, and electrolyte packets, orange is non prescription pain reliever, cold medicine, sting and bite swabs, and various other OTC medications.
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We have a few dozen cans of Hormel ham, chicken and turkey, tuna and chicken in both cans and foil packets, Dinty Moore beef stew, canned whole baby potatoes, canned hams . . . and of course SPAM. Several cases of bottled water, several gallon jugs of water, 3- and 5-gallon water storage containers, and a couple of different purification/filtration systems. Although I haven't been able to do this since getting new gutters and downspouts, I used to divert rainwater into plastic cat litter jugs for use in the garden.

Be careful about storing tomato-heavy canned goods, as the contents will be quite acidic. Fats will spoil, plastic containers will be compromised by freezing and thawing (eg. stored in a garage) and the more recent bottled water bottles are much thinner plastic than in the past.
 
Some great suggestions and knowledge , thanks guys :) I keep a medium sized first aid kit in my EDC pack , as I ride a mountain bike just about everywhere and want to be able to patch myself up for small injuries.
 
Codger_64 said:
A goodly supply of canned foods (and water) can be stored under beds and in the bottom of a clothes closet.

I see many making the mistake of thinking that such stocking in the home is only useful if one is under armed attack when in fact, it is a good hedge against natural disaster such as storms and flooding which limit travel, as well as personal disasters such as loss of income due to temporary disability, illness or employer downsizing.

An amazing amount of easy to prepare food can be stored in a very small space. And weight is not a factor in storage. Buying canned goods by the case can be done gradually, say corn this week, peas the next, so that it has little impact on one's budget. Don't forget toilet paper, hygene products and a variety of spices.
Click to expand...

If you have an organized food list, you can wait till your local supermarket has specials
You can save a lot of money
 
22-rimfire said:
I mentioned I keep a months supply of canned food.... that is probably 3 or 4 months worth of using normally. My "month's" supply assumes that I can not get to a store and that's all we have to eat. Longest I have ever gone where I was house bound due to an emergency situation was about 3 days and that was snow related.

The only thing that bothers me about canned food is SALT content. Generally the salt content is fairly high. I prefer frozen vegies myself, but my wife likes canned stuff.

I keep fairly large containers (5 gallon) empty for water storage. I normally keep a couple cases of bottled water in my garage. It gets used for work stuff
Click to expand...

The Home Front Command here recommends for all households at least three days supply of canned, closed food, and bottled water
All new housing since 92 has a bomb shelter as a room in the house
When I was in the Israeli Army SAR unit, we worked on an expectation of three days active without backup
 
Speaking of mountain bikes , the other day I saw a fellow rider sitting on the path , flat tire. Two other riders went past him and ignored him , I rode up to him and got a convo started. It turned out he had a spare tube , but his pump was not working. I hung around and let him use my pump , til his bike was going again. I'd like to think someone would do that for me if I needed it. He had French valves like me ( so a service station pump isn't gonna help ) , and where it was is an industrial area , a long walk from any housing.
 
Ausseknifeknut said:
Speaking of mountain bikes , the other day I saw a fellow rider sitting on the path , flat tire. Two other riders went past him and ignored him , I rode up to him and got a convo started. It turned out he had a spare tube , but his pump was not working. I hung around and let him use my pump , til his bike was going again. I'd like to think someone would do that for me if I needed it. He had French valves like me ( so a service station pump isn't gonna help ) , and where it was is an industrial area , a long walk from any housing.
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ugh....save yourself some work and get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Kiss-Tire-Inflator/dp/B000IQEAMA

71D%2B-9xi%2BwS._SL1500_.jpg


Perhaps not that exact model but something similar
 
Yeah i've seen those before but i have thorn proof tyres and a hand pump that inflates from flat so i cant justify the cost of buying a different pump for the sake of it. I havent gotten a flat since i got the thorn proof tyres and tubes put on.
 
I to try to buy a few extra canned goods each month that go into storage, but keep in mind that it needs to be rotated every once in a while as shelf life is limited. I like to keep a variety of canned meats because in emergency situations the electric will probably be the first thing to go, so no refrigerator. Also every year I buy a few qt's of local homey (It keeps forever). Besides that, just purchase the things that you like to eat. As far as disaster is concerned, I like the freeze dried, dehydrated foods, as the shelf life will be a lot longer. I purchase mine from EmergencyEssentials.com as their canned products, if left unopened will last 20 years without losing their nutrition. (their claim, varies with temps). You speak of urban survival. That would be tough in a SHTF situation, as any civil unrest brings out the worst in people, and you would have to consider defense, for you and yours. If at all possible I would consider a place away from the cities for a Bug out location, where I could safely store supplies that would be safe for later needs. Emergencies differ, from earthquakes, floods, to civil unrest. Good luck with your plans, but be prepared.
 
leghog said:
Squirrel and rabbit

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Very neat and precise. I keep a goodly amount at home too, but your's certainly catches my eye. I have a lot of squirrels around my house as I feed the birds continuously year around. I want to just kill those bushy tail robbers, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking that maybe I might need to eat them. :D
 
I feel threads like this are so important. Not nesessarily because of a Zombie Acopolypse or other end of the world scenario.

More because things happen in everyday life to a lot of people. Train wrecks in Canada. Flash flooding in Texas. Droughts out west. And snow and ice in colder climates.

I have been heading in this direction for quite a while now. Not because I fear the end of the World. Instead because I like the independence that it brings. When the power goes off at our place. Not much changes.

We even carry enough stuff in the vehicles to weather a 3-4 day event. Up here and anywhere really, it just makes sense. I actually know folks who don't even own a flash light, let along extra batteries. They just assume some will come along and help them.

Another thing we store. I don't think I saw it mentioned, is coffee and tea. Also canned evaporated milk as was mentioned, and boxed powdered milk.

Like many folks, I entered into this mind set gradually. I think that is the way it should be approached. There is no sense in going out and dropping a boat load of money on stuff you may not even like the taste of. Yes, it's true, if you are hungry enough you will eat most anything. But why suffer unnecessarily.

Pasta, and red sauces store easy, and offer a lot of options. A can of chicken blended in with speghetti, and sauce makes a very tasty emergency meal, all from the pantry. Especially if you have the capability of adding in fresh baked rolls or biscuits.

Like most of the things in my life today. I look for items that have stood the test of time. Things that are versatile, by that I mean they can serve more than one purpose. And things that still work when the juice goes off.

Good examples are things like Oatmeal. Eat it normally, add it to meatloaf, or bake cookies with it.

Same for molasses, many uses. Baking cookies and cakes, sweetener for coffee, and other options.


I hope this thread keeps it's traction. This is, or could be, a very important topic worth discussing.
 
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