a friend giving away her freezer… so im gonna say this one is done. 4 years ago

A year ago I had this goal and ignored it now rice has risen 70% in price … I better do this fast ! 4 years ago

I have created a new website because of all the questions I have gotten about building up a year supply. You can find it at http://6basics.com

Carmen 6 years ago

Buying a lot of food to set up a 1 year supply seems to be what many people consider the big challenge in this. Others seem to have troubles finding the right storage space.

For me, the challenge has been to change my habits so that I actually use what I store. The old adage, “Use it or lose it” is true for food storage too. If you don’t eat what you store, much of it will eventually spoil. 7 years ago

Since our family is on a tight budget it’s hard to set aside food storage, but with a little thought, I think we can start setting some aside month to month. If we just start, I’m sure it will eventually get done. Rather than just sitting here and waiting for it ti happen. 7 years ago

I did 365 Meals in a Jar, plus I have all the bread supplies for a year too. It is really, really worth it. Don’t give up, you can do it. Just start with small goals, but dream big, and one day you will find that all those small goals got you to where you wanted to be. 7 years ago

It’s also important to remember that home food production is another important part of food storage. Whether it’s the flower pot herb garden on your windowsill or the vegetable garden in the yard, the food you grow is as vital to your food storage as the canned goods and stored grains.

As you expand your home food production, you may want to learn more methods of food storage for your harvest. Freezing, drying, home canning, and making jerky or fruit leather are ways to extend the shelf life of your home-grown foods. 7 years ago

Having a fair amount of food set aside is generally a good idea. It’s easy to shop for the week, and that’s probably the best idea for things like fresh fruits and veggies and meat. Still, our supplies of more durable goods (pastas, canned goods, etc) ended up making life a lot easier during the last couple of years, which have been a serious financial challenge. It’s the whole feast-or-famine thing of working in IT, I guess. Unfortunately, our stock is quite low these days. I would like to put together a food plan and get the food inventory back up where it needs to be. 7 years ago

Food storage means that you don’t have to worry if you get sick and can’t get to the store, get laid off from work, have extra relatives come to visit unexpectedly, or have to rely on what’s in your pantry to survive in an emergency. Properly stored food and water supplies can be a great peace of mind to families today. And, whether you know it or not, you already have food storage. Any food set aside for later consumption is technically food storage. So, the butter in the fridge, the soup in the pantry, and cereal on the shelf are the beginnings of your family’s food storage. Now, you just need to develop a plan to set aside a diverse supply for your needs (emergency planning, next week, month’s supply, 3 month supply, year’s supply, or whatever fits your needs.) Then stick to your plan to acquire your storage items in a reasonable manner. Organize and label items for easy rotation (use and replace).

If you just have no idea where to start, begin with the basics. Add spices for taste and cooking necessities (oil, leavening agents, dehydrated milk or eggs, etc.). Don’t forget the water.

Check the shelflife of items stored and be sure that you can use them before they go bad. Examine alternative storage methods so that you get the best nutrition and taste from your stored items. Not all items will be stored in the same manner (canned, plastic bags, vacuum sealed, food storage buckets, mylar pouches, etc.) Be knowledgeable about your food storage methods.

Remember to use your items. If your flour is going to go bad in a month, and you have 5 times what you can use, use what you can, then donate it to charity, share with a friend, or just give it away rather than wait until you have to throw it out. Sometimes you can use items and store differently. For example, if you have extra freezer space, freeze the flour before it goes bad, or try home canning of appropriate prepared foods. Pickle the cucumbers that were abundant.

Setting aside a larger food storage supply does not have to be a burdensome task. Devise a weekly plan, and add a few extra itmes to your grocery list. Larger items can be the special purchases you plan for and set aside a small budget for. Most of us can buy a few extra cans of tuna, soup, or tomato sauce without feeling a pinch in our grocery budget. Planning ahead by purchasing a wheat grinder can allow us to get wheat in bulk at enormous savings, and we can have whole-wheat bread, cookies, and rolls all the time.

Plan you food storage area. If space is limited, you may have to creative by using bed raisers to allow storage under a bed or clearing half a closet for food storage items. The corner behind the couch, hall closet, or unused space under the stairs are all potential food storage areas. Remember to keep your storage at room temperature or below to preserve its quality.

My best advice is to set aside your food storage prayerfully, and use it in the same manner. The greatest lesson I have learned is that my food storage is not necessarily being stored for me. My food storage has been a marvellous blessing to me in many ways over the years, including being available when someone else was in need. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to practice prepareness and faith concurrently.

LDS Provident Living
Provident Living info from the LDS Church.
http://www.providentliving.org/

Food Storage FAQ
Prudent Food Storage: Questions and Answers.
http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/

Homeland Security:Food Storage In An Emergency
Emergency food storage information.
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/readyguide/foodstorage.htm

Homecanning.com
Online canning primer
http://www.homecanning.com/

The Prepared Family Newsletter
Monthly food storage and preparedness newsletter in PDF format.
http://www.ldspreparedness.com/id2.htm

Food Publications
Food and Nutrition Publications from Utah State University Extension
http://extension.usu.edu/

Safe Home Food Storage (PDF)
Booklet on home food storage.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/store/texas_storage.pdf

Food Storage in the Home (PDF)
Booklet that serves as a basis for a food storage program.
http://extension.usu.edu/files/foodpubs/fn502.pdf

Food Storage Cooking School (PDF)
Huge downloadable book on food storage with transparencies and handouts for presentations.
http://extension.usu.edu/publica/foodpubs/fn503.pdf

LDSFS (LDS Food Storage)
Discussion of food storage and preparedness.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LDSFS/ 7 years ago