5 Questions to ask yourself - Food supply

[Administrator]

5 Questions to Ask Yourself – 3 Month Supply of Food


When it comes to getting a 3 month food storage together, we have found that a lot of people get so much anxiety over the whole thing that they don’t do it at all. Ask yourself these questions, and as you do so you’ll see a plan start to form .


1. WHY AM I BUILDING A 3 MONTH SUPPLY OF FOOD?
 
Are you storing a 3 month supply of food for a potential job loss? For a potential natural disaster? For meal planning purposes? Whatever it is that you are doing this for will influence how you go about planning, so first – decide – Why Am I Doing This?


2. WHAT KINDS OF FOODS DO I WANT TO INCLUDE?

Are you the type that thinks your 3 month plan can only have shelf stable items? Do you think fridge and freezer foods count in your 3 month plan? Do you want to make a plan based on the assumption that you can still buy produce to fill in holes in your recipes? Once you have decided which types of foods you want in your 3 month plan, you’ll be able to filter your recipes to fit that criteria. While it’s always good to have some shelf stable recipes, planning strictly shelf stable meals is a hard place to start for people that are just starting to do this.


3. HOW WILL I PLAN WHAT TO BUY FOR MY SUPPLY?

    • Some people find that buying foods they use often in bulk fit their goals for a 3 month plan.
    • Some people like to plan their meals on our printable pdf forms with good old fashioned pens and pencils.


4. HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I AFFORD TO BUDGET?

While the end goal is to use foods daily from your pantry, and replace them with your regular grocery shopping, to get your supply kick started you may need to budget a certain amount of money to get your supply going. Figure out what you can spare until you have a supply built up and think of it as an investment.


5. HOW WILL I SHOP FOR MY 3 MONTH SUPPLY?

When you have determined WHAT you need to buy, develop a plan to purchase. You may decide buying one extra item each time works for you, or you might get into and sale shopping and buy things only when on sale. Whatever fits your style, having a game plan in place will help.
Good luck, and remember there aren’t RIGHT answers to these questions. EVERYONE has a different style, and you need to figure out what works for you!

[Peter]

water
we can only last 3 days without it.
store a few cases of bottled water (better in glass, demijohn), don’t store in sunlight
check your guttering, collect rain, buy butt (good butts (food grade barrels) with lids, and tap near bottom but not at bottom)
can also collect water with tarp with hole in middle
water testing kit if you have a spring/well – filter and disinfect
filter, sand and charcoal: turn 2 litre bottle upside down, cut off base, put coffee filter in neck, then 2 inches activated charcoal (from pet shop), then 2 inches fine sand, then layer of pea gravel. Should come out clear (try with food colouring)
disinfect: boil few mins
if flat, pour between cups to aerate OR add ascorbic acid (teaspoon) and bicarb (quarter teaspoon)
can also use the sun’s UV, lie on black surface in sun for 1 day (2 if cloudy) BUT…..
or bleach: (once opened only lasts 6 months, long term look at calcium hypochlorite) Quarter teaspoon per gallon.
Or 4 drops colloidal silver per gallon (how to make colloidal silver)
or buy water purification tabs
Salt water: condensing, boil, catch steam and funnel to container (plastic sheet, condensed water runs down folds)
OR use a water distiller (clean with citric acid or vinegar) Can work on electric or HOW to make a DIY water distiller
birch sap, half inch drill, tube in spring time just before leaves come out
Consumption? Individual, not nec. 2 litres, maybe just one. Dehydration symptoms?

food  -
key is to diversify: store, grow & forage
how to sprout beans, each time you shop, bean sprouter and micro greens
(note: long term, freeze dried food will damage your digestion, plus v. high in sodium leading to high blood pressure)
store: aim for 3 months
cans (meat, veg and fruits: check sell by dates, discard bulging, rusted or sharp dented. Keep cool and dry), dry grains (white rice – brown doesn’t keep), legumes (mung, alfalfa, clover are good – rinse, soak overnight, drain but keep moist by rinsing 2 or 3 times a day, can use in c. 4 days) and pasta
boullion for flavour (also dehydrated soups)
baking stuff, yeast, flour
cooking oil
herbs and spices – practice cooking now
air dried fruit, veg and meat
grow: start practicing now, even container gardening.
heirloom seeds, tools,
what grows best in your area? What do you like? How much do you need?
Root cellar (bury metal trash can on higher ground, leave couple inches above ground, put in veg but not apples, bit of straw, put on lid and cover with tarp, weighed down. Check for rotting regularly.
Home canning?
Chickens, rabbits, tilapia in barrels? Source feed.
Bees
forage: start hiking and learning, buy books about local area. Plants look different at different times of year.
Try using small amounts added to diet to see which ones you ‘like’
hunting:
catapult
traps – needs practice (but might be illegal). What game is there? What does it eat? Where are they? check once a day. How to skin a squirrel or rabbit. How to preserve (dehydration (slice quarter inch fat free strips, add salt and spices and place on clean net screen with one on top to keep bugs off and put in back window of car in sun), smoking (cold smoking preserves best: hardwood fire in pit 150 degree F , lots of smoke and hang inch thick meat, surround in tarp, done when shrivelled, dark and brittle, c. one day, 2 days better as will keep a month), freezing,
buy rods, hooks and sinkers to suit local fish now and practise
shrimp baskets with carrion, know tide times
knives
whetstone