What would you store?

[meyekey]

So I just got all my bags, buckets and oxygen absorbers today and am getting ready to store a bunch of food.

This is my first time and so I don't have any previous stock

I have...
5 x 5 gal bags
10 x 1 gal bags
15 very small bags that hold 1 cup

I am just prepping for my wife and I and I am realizing that deciding what to store isn't as easy as I thought it might be.

So I'm wondering. If those were all the bags you had to do all your food prepping, what would you prep?

And I know beans are a pretty popular prep... but if we were to store what we eat... we wouldn't include them

would love to hear what other would do as Im sure it will help in our decisions.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Instant Potatoes, Rice, Macaroni Noodles, Oatmeal, Salt, Sugar, Spices in the small bags

On the beans, they store well and have some of what ya need so maybe you can start eating some now

[WiseOwl]

Spag Noodles and Black Beans. Eating Italian and Mexican in the PAW. Add sauce and squirrel

[Karen]

You can make the bags smaller if you need to. Just cut them to the size you want and seal the edges closed like you would when sealing the top closed. You can store all of the stuff Matt said, plus any dried beans that you like, wheat berries, pasta, powdered milk, any cereal grains that you like, spices, dehydrated refried beans, dehydrated fruits and veggies, Jello, powdered drink mixes, I know there's more, but that's all I can think of right now. Don't overlook prepared mixes like dried soups and cake mixes. And you can always store canned foods as well as freeze dried foods.
Freeze dried foods can last 20 years or so, but canned foods should be rotated to keep them fresh. You could write the date on each item that you store so you can easliy see what needs to be used first.

[1Admin]

And I know beans are a pretty popular prep... but if we were to store what we eat... we wouldn't include them

Here's an example of a good concept gone awry.

The Mormoms originally came with the "eat what you store" mantra because their members were putting back the "basic four", never bothering to learn to USE THEM and thinking "well we have a year supply so we are good to go."

It was NEVER originally meant to mean the adulterated idea that's out now that you should store "frozen pizzas and poptarts."

It was never so that people that ate atrociously would stock six months of beer, chitlins, spam, vienna snausages, those nasty looking red hotdogs, white bread and some of the other crap that barely passes as food.

Yet people try to store some of that garbage long term.

I'll never forget the gal on another forum that was "writing a book about surviving bird flu" (when that was a popular pipe dream a few years back) and how she advocated storing "frozen pizzas and poptarts." Yeah, your body is fighting off a major attack (flu) and instead of high octane, your putting rubbing alcohol in the gas tank, that's flipping smart... But you know what, she probably got a book out, seeing as how many ridiculous "preparedness" books are out there now by people that shouldn't be giving their dogs advice, let alone other people.

Time to experiment with foods, try new foods is NOW. Not 2 days into the PAW. Time to get your kids and maybe yourself eating better is NOW, not 3 days into the PAW.

Try lentils, they are not as big as black beans, pintos, etc. They cook quickly, require no soaking, have the highest protein of any bean and store very well. They do not suffer of the "got hard as a brick and impossible to cook after 10 years" syndrome most larger beans have.

[protus]

these are some items i have packed. As long as it's a dry good you can pack it, some last or pack easier than others.so YMMV.

Beans ( all kinds)
split peas
elbow noodles
dried milk,
coffee ( ground and whole bean)
salt
sugar
pepper
garlic granules
Cheyenne pepper
rice
wheat
backing soda
dry yeast
drink mixes ( tang,crystal light etc)
9mm ;)
flour( i dont but you can)
lentils
dehydrated foods ( you gotta watch your moisture content) i buy mine in #10 cans so i dont pack them in mylar.
Oats
grains- any kind here i packed a bunch of BOb's redmill junk a ways back since it was on sale barley, millet,flax,7 grain mixes, cracked and rolled oats
Grits
pop corn and dent corn

i self can fresh veggies,fruits,make my own salsa's and hot sauces.
I store normal can goods ( not alot) but some mostly canned meats, and tomatoe sauces.)
The rest is all #10's.

The 5 gallon bags i would store your bulk basics ( rice, beans,pasta,flour for example) and the smaller bags i would do spices, drink mixes, ration out meals fo grits,oats, etc

[qrprat77]

There you go with this cheyenne pepper thing!
What the heck is that?
I store antenna wire, but not in mylar. I just use a large mostly airtite container for that.

[610Alpha]

I am just prepping for my wife and I and I am realizing that deciding what to store isn't as easy as I thought it might be.

So I'm wondering. If those were all the bags you had to do all your food prepping, what would you prep?

And I know beans are a pretty popular prep... but if we were to store what we eat... we wouldn't include them

would love to hear what other would do as Im sure it will help in our decisions.

It doesn't mean squat what I would store because I am not the one that will be eating the food (kind of obvious when you think about it cause what I like you may not like). What do you like to eat? If what you like to eat doesn't store well for the long term then you should work on changing your diet like 1Admin said.

Look at it this way, you need protein, so look at what foods can give you these. Grains combined with legumes give you protein (they each have Amino Acids which are the building blocks of protein and combined they make a complete protein), so do a google search on grains and legumes and see if there is anything you like. If there isn't then storing your own bulk foods isn't your thing go drop a few thousand $$ on the Freeze Dried prepared meals from Mountain House or any of the other vendors and be done with it.

[protus]

There you go with this cheyenne pepper thing!
What the heck is that?
I store antenna wire, but not in mylar. I just use a large mostly airtite container for that.

spell check changes it to the wrong one i guess :P

[MJC]

Ya'll have pretty much covered the food bit, I would just like to add some comfort food like chocolate or hard candies, some things to make you feel a little more like a human. also unflavored "knox" geletin. It can substitute for eggs in alot of baking recipes. and don't forget assorted spices to help prevent food fatigue.
and then theres the non-foods
fly swatters, non-digital meat thermometer, vinegar (canning, cleaning, antiseptic),anti-fungal cream, mosquito netting, neutral fabric dye, neutral spray paint, coveralls (so you don't ruin all your clothes), saftey glasses, leather gloves, leather conditioner, laundry line, wash board, galvanized wash tub, sling shot and a bucket of rocks (why waste bullets in rats?), funnels (the bigger the better), sunglasses, vasaline/chapstick, twine for gardening, wd 40, hack saw with extra blades, candle wick, wicks and chimnies for oil lamps, mantles and plunger repair kit for coleman lanterns, metal baseball bat, just to name a few things.

[monkeybird]

1Admin is as usual, correct. I read on some of the forum what other people are storing and I shake my head in amazement. I have the finances and resources to store basic long lasting foods. While I'm not crazy about beans, I'll eat them, they're easy to store and last a very long time. Wheat, if properly stored last literally forever, rice is a ditto.

Given the amount of dollars available for preps, I choose to focus on the foods that are nutritious and will stave off hunger.

[kappydell]

Put back what is affordable, that you either eat now or have eaten but not very often, and then start hunting for recipes using those foods. I started many years ago and have a huuuuge collection of recipes for basic foods, and most of them get compliments when I make them.
Admin is right, you do need to store up healthy foods that get the nutrition into you. An emergency situation you need all the nutrition you can take in, expecially if rations are limited.
Dont eat beans? Are you sure? Do you eat soy at all? Its beans. Bacon bits are made from soy beans. Never, ever have chili or tex-mex food? You are missing something tasty. You did not say why you don't eat them. If it is gas, well, the body can adapt. Frankly, a good 'toot session' keeps the pipes clear for their primary function, IMO.

[tank]

I am of the attitude the basic 4,

Beans ( Food)

Bullets ( Ammunition)

Band aids ( First Aid)

Water ( one gal. per day per person) or a way of purifiing

You can never have too much.

Just start thing about and writing down the items you use everyday.

[JUSTIFIED]

Ya'll have pretty much covered the food bit, I would just like to add some comfort food like chocolate or hard candies, some things to make you feel a little more like a human. also unflavored "knox" geletin. It can substitute for eggs in alot of baking recipes. and don't forget assorted spices to help prevent food fatigue.
and then theres the non-foods
fly swatters, non-digital meat thermometer, vinegar (canning, cleaning, antiseptic),anti-fungal cream, mosquito netting, neutral fabric dye, neutral spray paint, coveralls (so you don't ruin all your clothes), saftey glasses, leather gloves, leather conditioner, laundry line, wash board, galvanized wash tub, sling shot and a bucket of rocks (why waste bullets in rats?), funnels (the bigger the better), sunglasses, vasaline/chapstick, twine for gardening, wd 40, hack saw with extra blades, candle wick, wicks and chimnies for oil lamps, mantles and plunger repair kit for coleman lanterns, metal baseball bat, just to name a few things.

MJC mentioned comfort foods. Definitely important to have some foods that remind you of better days past. The same can be said for other "comfort" items. Soaps, lotions, colognes/perfumes, something that is a luxury to you, etc...Pick up these kinds of items, one here, one there, as you prep...

[Matt In Oklahoma]

MJC mentioned comfort foods. Definitely important to have some foods that remind you of better days past. The same can be said for other "comfort" items. Soaps, lotions, colognes/perfumes, something that is a luxury to you, etc...Pick up these kinds of items, one here, one there, as you prep...

Hmm well lets discuss that abit and it's gonna sound harsh to some. You dont think there will be a bit of that readily availible after something bad happens? Seen a whole lotta "luxeries" left around when folks left in a hurry like across the pond during hostilities as have many generations of Soldiers on here have and here when wildfires n hurricanes were moving in etc. If it is PAW then that stuff will be around though you will still find yourself in the hunt for real things and forget that for a bit so you can improve your position.
Zombies (them that leach life from others) are like cockroaches and dont all seem to die when bad stuff happens and thats bout all they got when they land. Saw a little of that in some Katrina "victims" that were "relocated" here. Didnt have nothing but a suitcase full of luxeries like $200 name shoes n makeup bags, no food, no water, nothing useful, couldnt even support themselves on a few hour bus ride. Heck couldnt even toss'em a can of beans cause they didnt have an opener, knife nor the knowledge of how to open it on the concrete so they could eat. Wanted it cooked and then some complained bout the quality they did. Give'em a bottle of water and they throw the empty on the ground not thinking it's a resource in their disrespectful ways. In a day or 2 I'll get "luxeries" from them easy enough as they hunger or maybe just wait a bit more. Yep I'm that harsh but I'm also that real.
Be easy enough to trade a bowl of rice for some smell good or shiny stuff. After all isnt that the idea behind PMs and that jewelry some got stocked with high hopes in them extra pounds on their packs? Barter
I seen wayyyy too many shampoo stockin preppers that aint got enough water nor a plan for extended water to wash that hair much less clothes, water animals or even themselves for the same amount of time it takes for the 20+ bottles. Me i'm going on a hair cuttin spree, it's in the plans already. Hygiene, resource waste and extra weight/heat removal as well as taking away long distance ability of the enemy to tell men from women. They aint gonna need no color ribbons or shiny hair berets for a bit.
Nope I'll stay to stocking real stuff and fight hard to hang on to it.
I'll start another thread if needed so this aint hijacked, just lemme know or Mods just do it