Food Preparation
Food preparation for disaster can be time consuming and expensive. However, if you do it over time it will seem less daunting.
The first step to disaster food preparation is planning for what you will want to have on hand if you have no electricity and/or limited or no fuel. If your family eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, you will want to can and/or dry a LOT of fruits and vegetables. If your family eats a lot of rice or pasta, you will want to have a lot of that on hand. There are many ways to store your foods for disaster, but the first step is planning.
Survival Foods That Have the Longest Shelf Life
1. Rice
Rice can last you more than 25 years if stored in ideal conditions. If I were you, I’d lay off brown rice. While popularly known as being more nutritious than the standard white rice, it has a high oil content comparatively. Simply put, it won’t last more than 12-18 months in the pantry. Defeats the purpose of survival food, doesn’t it?
2. Honey
I know, I know. The “best before” date on the bottles can confuse anyone. While honey may get grainy, hard, or change color post the best before date, the truth is that it won’t go bad. Honey doesn’t expire even if it’s been previously opened, provided it is stored in good conditions, away from the stove.
3. Potato Flakes
Potato Flakes have a shelf life that ranges from 25-30 years when stored in ideal conditions. If you’ve opened a can, best remember to use it within a year.
4. Dried Meat
Dried meat is not just a tasty snack you nibble on, it is a great survival food too. Meat is packed in proteins and is essential for building new cells and maintaining tissues. Dried meat can be stored for 25 years and more and can be a great addition to your survival food list.
5. Canned Beans
Canned Beans have a crazy good shelf-life and they go well with rice. Now that’s an unbeatable combo. Like rice, beans don’t cost an arm and a leg. They’re easy to store. What I mean to say is, they’re the survival superfood. You will find a great variety of beans that are high in calories and proteins, some also contain a fair share of vitamins and minerals.
Short-Term Disaster Survival Foods
1. Water
I know water isn’t technically food, but surviving without it is not possible. Your number one priority should be storing water, the distilled form of it. The first thing that cuts-off during emergencies like this is water so it’s necessary to store enough water to drink, cook and take care of your hygiene.
2. Canned Food
This can include a range of products, both veg, and non-veg. Some of these canned items also come ready to eat.
3. Powdered Milk
While powdered milk has a shelf life of 2 years, I know a lot of people who have used it for up to 5 years. But I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. Milk is a staple food. By just adding water to the powdered milk, you have a great dairy substitute.
4. Peanut Butter
It is a good source of concentrated energy. It does require refrigeration but that’s not a hard and fast rule. Peanut butter is also available in a powdered form that is known to last longer.
5. Energy Bars
Energy bars are usually created keeping nutritional value in mind. These can be an incredible substitute and since they don’t require any cooking, they work well for times when you don’t have electricity to back you up.
Long-Term Disaster Survival Foods
Food for the Soul – Those That Add Comfort and Flavor
We all have days when we could use our comfort food and these can be a huge plus especially in cases of long-term survival. These also include ingredients that enhance the taste of food. Thankfully they also have shelf lives of over 10 years and include:
1. Sugar
2. Salt
3. Raw Honey
4. Cooking Oil
5. Condiments & Spices (Preferably dry roasted)
6. Alcohol
7. Vinegar
8. Instant Coffee or Coffee Beans
9. Tea Leaves
Ingredients That Form the Base of Your Cooking
When you are looking at long-term survival, there will also be cooking involved. Therefore, your stockpile would also need to contain food categories that form the base of most meals. You’ll also need to factor in their shelf life as well.
Hard Grains
When it comes to hard grain most have long shelf lives and are known to last more than 10 years if stored well. These can also be stored in powdered form and come in handy when making bread.
1. White Rice
2. Red Wheat
3. White Wheat
4. Durum Wheat
5. Buckwheat
6. Dried Corn
7. Black or Pearl Millet
8. Sorghum
Soft Grains
Most soft grains are also known to have a shelf life of eight years if stored in airtight containers. They include:
1. Quinoa
2. Oats
3. Rye
4. Barley
Beans
Almost everyone loves beans in one form or the other and they form the staple ingredient in most meals. Not only do they have a shelf life of 8 – 10 years if stored in airtight containers but they are also well known for their high nutritional value.
1. Kidney Beans
2. Lima Beans
3. Pinto Beans
4. Mung Beans
5. Black-eyed Beans
6. Adzuki Beans
7. All Kinds of Lentils
Miscellaneous Foods Including Flours and Instant Foods
Most instant foods and flours may not be essential but are staples in most pantries. With the right storage, these products have a reasonably long shelf life of anywhere between 5 – 8 years.
1. All-Purpose Flour
2. Refined Wheat Flour
3. White Flour
4. Corn flour
5. Noodles & Pasta