Food Security

Whoever feeds you, owns you.  I don't know who to attribute that quote to, but if you think about it, it's pretty accurate.

I want you to begin a food stockpile, so that in times like these you can gain some independence from our Just-In-Time food delivery systems.  Did you know that the average grocery store only has about three days worth of food in it?  Don't take it for granted that the shelves will always be well stocked.  

Fema recommends having a 3 day supply of food in case of an emergency.  That's a joke.  I recommend having a months worth of food stored, as a bare minimum.

A month's worth of shelf stable food can be tucked away under your bed, in a closet, in any nook and cranny you can find, so don't just say "I don't have room for anything like that."

Another issue people have with canned foods is the high sodium content.  These days there are many good, organic products on the market today with relatively low sodium.  They cost more, but you get what you pay for. 

Store what you eat is a great motto.  If you hate kidney beans, don't store them.  If you can eat pasta for a month no problem, then store nothing but.  (lol not really, but you get my point)
 
Start with the basics.  Canned goods remain viable long after there expiration dates.  Exhibit one.  Exhibit two.

Canned goods with a high acid content don't last as long because the acidity tends to eat through the can.  See this as an example:



It helps if you can keep all your stored foods as cool as possible.  Usually this means the basement.  Here is my pantry.  As you can see, in the winter the temperature stays around 50, which is great.  In the summer it gets to about 70, which is acceptable.  Also notice I write the expiration dates in big print on the cans and jars.  The way I'm doing it, I will begin to eat and rotate my stock once they hit their expiration dates.

 Dry goods are another important basic staple of your food stockpile, with rice and beans being a mainstay in any preppers stash.  As unappetizing as it would be to subsist entirely on rice and beans, you can do it, and it will keep you alive and relatively healthy.  Here is a great way to recycle and re-purpose your empty 2-liter bottles:

These containers make it easy to pour out a portion, and provide greater protection from pests and rodents than a plastic bag does.  I imagine just storing your rice and beans like this would keep them good for a few years.

There are lots of types of rice available - which one has the longest shelf life?

Good old cheap "Enriched White Rice."

Bouillon is also a great thing to have to add flavor.

So are things like gravy, and powdered flavorings and drink mixes: