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Food Storage Guidelines   by Nikki Willhite Long Term Storage of Food For Emergencies This is the first rule of any food storage plan. Store what you eat.   What good is it to store 30 pounds of split peas if you hate them? You will never eat them , and they will eventually go to waste. You must have a good rotation system in order not to waste any food. Store what you eat,  eat it, and then buy more. Wheat Wheat is not a food product that you normally pick up in the store in a 10 pound bag. However, it is the key ingredient in all the breads, pastas, etc. that we eat. It may take a little effort, but you can find stores that sell it. You can buy it in sealed, airtight cans, or in big sacks. Wheat can be ground up into flour and made into bread; it can be boiled and eaten like rice, and it can be cracked and eaten like cereal. It is a the backbone of any long term storage plan for an extended emergency. You will need a way to grind the wheat. There are many different types of wheat grinders available. Some use stones, and have a manual way to grind the wheat if the power is out. Others use only electricity, but are very fast. Once you grind your wheat, you just put it in the refrigerator. Then, if you have a bread machine, it takes a total of 5 minutes to put together the ingredients for a loaf of bread. We use half white flour to make it lighter. Nothing could be more delicious and nutritious at the same time. Bread machines have really come down in price, and they are worth it. When you smell that loaf of wheat bread baking, with such little effort on your part, it is amazing. Cooking Oils During World War II, when food and supplies were scarce in many countries in Europe, one of the most prized food products was cooking oil. If you had just a little bit of oil, you could dig roots out of the ground and fry them- or if you were lucky --- the more traditional vegetables. Oil is easy to store and to use and rotate. Keep a good supply on hand.  Water What could be more necessary to life than water? Not only do you need to drink it, but you use it in cooking, washing, and  to flush the toilets. Some people consider the water in their water heaters, pools, or hot tubs as emergency storage. At one time I stored our water in big plastic containers. This was space effective, but too difficult to handle and move. Now I just empty my plastic milk containers and store water in them. If your water comes from a city, you probably will not need to do anything to it other than change it once a year. If you get your water from a well, you may need to add a little bleach to it, or have water purification tablets or other methods to purify it should you need to drink it. One thing to remember is that you store dehydrated foods, you need to store the water to rehydrate them. Keeping Your Food Fresh Be sure and store your food in as cool and dry a place as you can. When I lived in Arizona, heat was the big problem. Many people built special rooms in their garages and put in small air conditioners. Now that I am in the Pacific Northwest, the main concern is moisture. We have an extra closet on the north side of our house that we put shelves in. I've heard of people storing food in out buildings and it did not store well.  If your wheat is not properly stored, it will get weevil. The weevil comes from within the wheat itself. Medications During WWII my husband's grandfather died because he couldn't get his insulin. If for any reason our supplies couldn't be delivered to our area, certain people could be in a lot of trouble if they ran out of their medicine. It's not easy getting ahead in your medicine, but if you can, do it. Not everyone feels the need to store food and be prepared for emergency situations.  For those who do, storing food correctly saves money and brings peace of mind. For information on other emergency food and supplies to keep on hand, see Emergency Supplies. About the Author: Nikki Willhite, mother of 3 and an interior design graduate, has been writing and publishing articles on the topic of frugal living for over a decade. Visit her at www.frugalhappyfamilies.com - where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money!  Article first published at www.allthingsfrugal.com

 

 

 

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