Additional Food Storage Items To Consider

Remember To Spice It Up!

Bland food is never fun to eat and as the saying goes, a little spice goes a long way. Remember to include a good supply of a variety of the different spices you like to using when cooking.
These seasonings and spices or herbs enable you to do a lot of resourceful things using your whole grains and beans. Without them you might be significantly restricted on the type and variety of foods you can prepare.

Food Storage Cooking Ideas

Probably the greatest recommendation we can make is purchase a good food storage recipe book, then each week go through the cook book and fix a few of the recipes for your family to try out.
Trust us, a disaster isn't the time to be experimenting with new cooking ideas; you or your family will want to be familiar with the food as familarity produces comfort and security, especially with children who will be under stress.

As you cook using your food storage cook book, make note of the different ingredients and the purchase those which you like. This simple tip will help you more than anything else to know what items to store.

  We recommend "Cook with Food Storage Made Easy" by Debbie G. Harman.

Here's Amazon's description of this great book:

Once you start to accumulate your food storage, what do we do with? Food storage is not just for emergencies; it's meant to help us sustain life today. In this fun cookbook, Debbie Harman shows how you can cook delicious meals and tasty treats your family will love with the food supplies that have too often been put away only for a rain day.

You'll soon discover how to use storage items and other everyday ingredients to make tasty dishes a few times each week, which will keep your food storage in constant rotation-and save you money. So, should disaster strike, you'll have plenty of usable food on hand-and you'll be an expert on knowing what to do with it.

Hundreds of fast and delicious family-tested recipes.

Learn more about advanced food storage here...

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Join us on our Facebook Fan Page and LIKE the page and share in the preparedness discussion.

Follow us on Twitter and get regular updates about breaking emergency preparedness news and events, a essential preparedness insights and tips.

Follow our emergency preparedness blog and learn more about emergency preparedness, home food storage and critical insights from our survival and preparedness experts.

9 Life Saving Food Storage Tips Which May Save Your Life!

Basic storage is the critical foundation of any long term emergency and survival plan.

A effective food storage strategy includes carefully selecting and using life-sustaining food products that may be stored successfully for very long periods.

9 Food Storage Survival Tips

1. Survival Seeds - Every food storage plan should have a minimum of a 12 months supply of garden seeds for growing and maintaining just in case normal foodstuff products never go back to normal following a catastrophe.
2. Proper Seed Storage - Your emergency back garden seed products must be stored correctly in order that they continue to be viable and provide the necessary vitamin and mineral rich fruit and vegetables for a healthy diet plan.
3. Multi-Vitamins-Should your accessible gardening area is restricted, think about a 12 months supply of water-soluable  multiple vitamin and mineral pill for daily use by each individual for the duration of a an extended crisis or disaster situation.
4. Check The Dates - Remember that food, medication and vitamins deteriorate with time and should get replaced by the expiration date on the package.
5. Food Storage Containers -Many preparedness experts suggest using the #10 tin can which most preparedness companies use when they package their foods.
6. Mark It First - Use a permanent pen like a Sharpie to record the exact contents of each can on the lid just in case the paper label is damaged by water or accidentally removed.
7. Survival Storage - Always store your bulk food items in food storage containers. Never store your 1 year food storage items in either paper or plastic grocery bags where they may became extremely vulnerable to moisture content, insect damage, and rodent damage.
8. Check The Containers - If you are utilizing plastic buckets confirm they are lined with a food-grade plastic material lining which is available from businesses that carry product packaging supplies. Under no circumstances should you ever use plastic trash bags as most are coated with toxic pesticides which may leach into your food storage.
9. Don't Stack - Don't stack your food storage buckets or items too high as they may fall and break open during an earthquake.

Learn more about advanced food storage here...

Always Be Prepared! Join the preparedness movement and help spread the word!

Join us on our Facebook Fan Page and LIKE the page and share in the preparedness discussion.

Follow us on Twitter and get regular updates about breaking emergency preparedness news and events, a essential preparedness insights and tips.

Follow our emergency preparedness blog and learn more about emergency preparedness, home food storage and critical insights from our survival and preparedness experts.

Emergency Preparedness for Unique Need Individuals

Fully prepare everyone in your family or group. Remember, you can't plan the type of disaster you'll face. Further, rarely will you be alone in a disaster situation; typically you'll have at least one or more people with you.

Since most likely you'll not be alone, you need to consider emergency preparation concerns of those who may be with you who have unique needs such as infants, the elderly or, the disabled.

No one emergency plan will work for everyone in every situation; each family or situation will be unique. Therefore, as you either begin your emergency preparedness plans or, continue to refine them, a well-rounded 72 hour emergency survival kit for each person which you've custom tailored to their specific needs may be critical to everyone's survival and comfort.

Therefore, when making your emergency 72 hour supply kits and finalizing your family emergency plan there will be additional items you'll need to consider.

Infants and Toddlers

• Baby formula

• Baby diapers

• Baby wipes

• Diaper rash ointment

• Bottles and a way to sterilize them

• Powdered milk

• Medications-both prescription and Over The Counter (OTC)

• Gallon-sized ziplock baggies for disposing waste

Elderly Care

• Denture needs

• Contact lenses and supplies

• Extra eye glasses-bring 3 extra pair

• Medications-both prescription and Over The Counter (OTC)
  

• Adult diapers

• Adult wipes

• Diaper rash ointment

• Gallon-sized ziplock baggies for disposing waste

Prior to stocking up on medications, talk to your doctor about what you're planning on doing and seek their counsel. Specifically, talk to your doctor about which medications you will be to effectively store for extended periods and how their potency may be affected.

For the elderly it may be life critical to store sufficient amounts of prescription medications such as heart and high blood pressure medications, insulin, syringes and other prescription drugs.

Planning For The Cold

Whether or not you live in a cold climate, every savvy preparation plan must consider warmth.

Power outages will happen...plan on not having heat. Extra warm clothing and bedding supplies bring additional comfort and security to both the young and elderly.

Each person needs to have at least one complete change of clothing and shoes as well as:

• Jacket with additional pockets for carrying survival items

• Fleece or layering
  

• Long pants-DO NOT use cotton as it holds water and conducts heat away from the body.

• Long sleeve shirt-Same as the pants; no cotton, wool or synthetics are most ideal.
  

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA: WHAT CAN I DO NOW?

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt has said “What happens before [a pandemic] is far more productive [than what happens after one starts] and individual preparations on a household basis are key. It’s not just state and local governments – every tribe, business and family needs to talk through a pandemic plan.”

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA: WHAT CAN I DO NOW?

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt has said “What happens before [a pandemic] is far more productive [than what happens after one starts] and individual preparations on a household basis are key. It’s not just state and local governments – every tribe, business and family needs to talk through a pandemic plan

We know a flu pandemic will eventually come and we have an idea what some of the problems will be. What can we learn from the pandemic of 1918-19 that can help us prepare?

Lessons from the 1918-1919 flu pandemic
• Plan and prepare ahead.
• Have food stored in your home.
• Have medical supplies in your home.
• Have savings.
• Have alternate fuel supplies.
• Have multiple communications methods.
• Prepare for self-medication.
o Know nursing skills
o Know strict hygiene methods
• Social distancing makes a difference. Cities that implemented social distancing had a much lower incidence of infection spread than cities that did not. This limited frequency of and closeness of contact between individuals in a public setting.
• Prepare to have religious services at home.
• Prepare to have children home from school.
• Volunteer your help; don’t be afraid to help. Terror was created in 1918 when officials and the press did not report the truth of what was happening. “The public could trust nothing and so they knew nothing…this terror prevented one woman from caring for her sister, prevented volunteers from bringing food to families too ill to feed themselves and who then starved to death, prevented trained nurses from responding to the most urgent calls for their services. The fear, not the disease, threatened to break the society apart.”¹
• Survivors who had the flu are immune. Survivors are invaluable volunteers in subsequent waves of the flu because they are immune.
• Lead out, if necessary. If you see a need, lead out.

What can I do NOW?
• Store 3 months of food for each person in your household. This should get you through two waves of flu.
• Store medications for pain, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and respiratory infections as well as medical supplies and learn how to use them.
• Keep extra prescription medications stored.
• Store at least 2 weeks (14 gallons) of water for each person in case water is disrupted.
• Store fuel for alternate cooking, heating and light sources in case utilities are disrupted.
• Have more than one way to communicate with others outside your household.
• Prepare to have children home from school for an extended period
• Prepare to work from home.
• Have some cash at home and savings in the bank in case you are unable to work.
• Have life insurance in case the worst happens.
• Find out if there is a pandemic plan for your community.
• Help your family, friends, and neighbors to get prepared.
• Get involved in community volunteer groups such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams)

Help limit the spread of influenza
• You can help limit the spread of influenza by practicing some self-protection methods. You should begin when the flu first strikes the United States because it can spread cross-country rapidly. Also practice these methods when going anywhere that infection can enter the country, such as international airports.
• Avoid shaking hands. Viruses can be unknowingly transferred from infected individuals or from surfaces they have previously touched.
• Wear a surgical mask/respirator. The flu virus is often transmitted through the air. A tight-fitting surgical mask that is resistance to fluids provides adequate protection. It should be worn at all times when you are in contact with individuals outside of your home. The masks can be hung to dry and reused unless they have been contaminated with body fluids or blood.
• Clean hands often. The flu virus can live up to two days on surfaces. You can spread the virus by touching those surfaces and then your mouth or eyes or other people before washing. Anti-bacterial soap or alcohol based hand cleaners are most effective.
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Infected droplets can be projected 1 yard in front of you and you are contagious 48 to 72 hours before symptoms appear.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth to lessen the chance of infecting yourself.
• Limit contact with those outside your home especially inside buildings. Consider everyone outside your own home as potentially infected. Distance yourselves from others by not going into public places such as school, church, cultural events, sporting events, social activities and possibly even work. It is recommended that you stay more than 3 feet away from anyone else when you are around others. You may even decide to reverse-quarantine or go into self-isolation by staying in your home and not going out at all when the flu is active in your community.

^{1The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest pandemic in History by John M. Barry, page 62.}
The above is graciously provided by & is copyright © 2004 - 2007 Cheryl Driggs
About Cheryl Driggs
Cheryl was raised in a military family and has lived around the world. Over 35 years have been spent living in Texas both before and after her marriage. Her university education is in Food Science and Nutrition from Brigham Young University. She has taught home storage and preparedness classes since 1977 and has had a regularly used personal home storage program since 1974. In addition to teaching, she has organized fairs, conferences, socials, and workshops that focus on home storage and preparedness.