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WHY FOOD FOOD STORAGE?
Why do you need to have FOOD STORAGE?
A disaster such as a flood, an earthquake, or a snowstorm could hit a
city or an entire region, cutting off roads and making it impossible
for FOOD and other items to be transported to the markets.
Political unrest or strikes by truckers, shippers, or rail workers
could interfere with the transport of FOODS. Other types of
disasters, such as famine resulting from drought, hurricanes, floods,
and even wars, have occurred in many countries and could occur again.
When such disasters affect the entire community, FOOD and other supplies often cannot be obtained, even if money is available. A family can also experience an emergency in the form of
illness or unemployment that results in a lack of income, making it
necessary to rely on home FOOD STORAGE.
Here are several great "Getting Started" suggestions:
 Start with the basics:
wheat or other grains, dry beans, salt, sugar or honey, shortening,
oil, and dry milk. We suggest Morning Moos because it tastes just like the milk you are now drinking, and it is very economical -- as low as $1.27 per gallon. It is also nutritious, space efficient, inexpensive, and stores extremely well.
- Learn to cook the items you store:
Be creative with your food storage items. For example, use a few
spoonfuls of powdered milk mixed into your spaghetti sauce. Since
Parmesan cheese cant be stored, this will add protein to your meal and
can be a substitute for the nutritional value that Parmesan cheese
would have added.
- Store foods properly: Quality
is best maintained by minimum exposure to light, heat, moisture and
air. Items stored in a basement will last longer than in your pantry or
garage. Do not store food items next to items that may impart an
odor such as: soaps, perfumed paper goods, fuel etc.
- Now its time to add items for variety and nutrition in meal preparation: When
choosing what you want to store, choose those items that your family
will eat. Find recipes that make your basic storage items taste
good. Store a variety of items for balanced nutrition and greater
flexibility in cooking such as pasta, flour, canned goods, dehydrated
or freeze dried foods, yeast, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
- Label your containers with the date you purchased it: Rotate
as many items as you can by using your food storage at least twice a
week. This will allow complete rotation of a years supply every
three years and will help your family become accustomed to the items
you have stored.
 - Be sure to store water (at least 14 gallons per person for a 2-week supply): Soda/juice
bottles will work for water storage or larger food grade plastic
containers may also be used. For larger quantities you can
purchase food grade water barrels in sizes of: 5, 15, 30, or 55
gallons. Water needs to be treated before storage. The
Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends 4 drops of bleach
per-quart of water. Also, your water supply should be replaced
yearly.
- Food storage is only part of Emergency Preparedness. Don't forget to
store non-food items such as medicines, toiletries,
soap, cleaning supplies, paper products, laundry detergent, and a
limited amount of clothes.
- Do not, thats right, do not go into debt for food storage: Set
up a plan and a budget to acquire your food storage. Buy in bulk,
as it is usually cheaper. Buy on sale! Stock it up!
- Grow a garden so you can have fresh produce: Do store and rotate seeds. If you dont have garden space, try growing vegetables in pots etc.
Here are some links for more FOOD STORAGE ideas:
 ARTICLES ON FOOD STORAGE
FOOD STORAGE AMOUNTS FOR HOME STORAGE
STARTING YOUR FOOD STORAGE
ROTATING YOUR FOOD STORAGE ITEMS
RECIPES
PROVIDENT LIVING a self-reliance link.
We wish you well in your
efforts to care for yourself and your family. Whoever thought
that the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared" would have such an impact on so
many of us. We encourage all of you, to take time out of your
busy lives, and seriously consider what would happen in the event of
personal financial tragedy, or the occurrence of a natural
disaster. We must "Be Prepared" for those events beyond our
control.
As promised we are posting Sadie's Jam Recipe can be found on our recipe web site: at www.BCGRecipes.com
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