WhatFinger


The survivor's pantry:

Riding out the Recession and whatever else is thrown your way



One of the arguments against stockpiling food. First off.... why bother? The supermarkets are always full, aren't they? Why spend the extra money? If you are reading CFP, you must have some sense that the world has changed--and not for the better.

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Even the Government is encouraging us to have "Three Days" supply until you can be "Relocated." Maybe I'd rather not sleep at a stadium and stand in line for a bowl of soup with my 20,000 new "best friends?" Another reason in one word? KATRINA? The US Government couldn't handle ONE large population center being hit by a hurricaine. Strange events like the weird, sudden collapse of the economy, and the real or conjured up "Swine Flu" have the possibility of causing people to lose their jobs & income. According to the Globe and Mail, in the UK, they are contemplating forcing people to self quarantine at home BY THE END OF AUGUST if they develop symptoms. It was just reported that one of the Harry Potter cast members has been diagnosed. From the BBC yesterday: "WHO Warns Swine Flu Unstoppable." Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School last week said that the H1N1 is a combination of the 1918 Spanish Flu & the 1977 Swine Flu. Gee how'd THAT happen? Full report to be in New England Journal of Medicine. If Israel and Iran have at it the price of oil will skyrocket. What do you think that will do to the price of everything else? Having only a week's worth of food at home is simply irresponsible at this point. The supermarkets turn over their stock every week. IF there is a disruption they'll be cleaned out. What if a disruption occurs? HHS and DHS could follow the UK model and order a quaranteen in the US and the Canadian Govt. could follow suit ? You are going to eat the food anyway. Why not buy it while it's more available and affordable.? THINK OF THIS AS "INSURANCE" AGAINST NEEDING THEIR "HELP." Their "HELP" has way too many strings attached. As my DI told me in Boot Camp: "SAM Don't GIVE you Nuthin', Boy!" Besides, if you lose your job, you'll have money for other essentials like the Mortgage payment.

THE PANTRY:

Should ideally be three sides of a rectangle so you can walk in, easily get items and keep an inventory. It should be well lit, and in a cool area if possible. Older things in the front, newer in the rear.

WHAT to STORE:

Store what you like to eat, but also store what has a long shelf life. The SAS Survival Guide says canned goods keep a minimun of TEN years, less so for acid items (Tomato Sauce). in 1972, I was eating C-RATIONS made in 1952. TWENTY years! Beans, Beef stew, Beef / Chicken Broth, canned fruits & vegetables, tuna, condiments like mayonaise, soups, yams, canned milk, Powered milk , LOTS of canned potatoes ( 100 Lbs. in large cans ) should all be on the list. Cake mixes, Pancake Mix, Instant Potatoes, and Cookie dough to freeze. LOTS of Pasta, Macaroni, and LARGE bags of Rice all have a long shelf life. Cereals like oatmeal. Place in large Tupperware containers to prevent predation from insects and rodents. Products like Hamburger Helper are "Force Multipiers."

FLOUR:

Buy lots of it ( 50 Lbs. ) along with plenty of Instant Dried Yeast. Learn to make bread. Buy a breadmaker if you are lazy or convinced you don't know how. What about freeze dried food like "Mountainhouse?' Fine. It is not cheap, but should be part of the supplies. It also doesn't have the shelf life. And don't forget my all time favorite: SPAM.

SHELF LIFE

The expiration dates are largely BS. Most things keep far longer than advertised. The manufacturers WANT you to throw out the expired stuff and buy more and also fear lawsuits. However: NEVER open a bulged can. Botulism is an awful toxin. Take care as to not rupture such a can. Put in a used coffee can and bury it.

FREEZING FOOD:

Deep sub-zero freezers can be found on Craigslist cheap. Buy TWO. Buy all types of meat on sale. A "Side of Beef" costs about $600.00. A Lot of money? Add up your food budget for a month. It's not like you will not use it I used a food processor last year and pureed up all the Zucchini & Tomatoes that I grew, and froze them in freezer bags. We're STILL eating them, in sauce, and in Zucchini bread.

DEHYDRATING:

Great idea for fruits, and the stuff keeps for a decade. Consider a "Shrink Wrap" machine also.

CANNING and JARRING:

Did this last year with a ratty old prickly bush out back which just happened to be full of Black Raspberries. Made ten jars of Jam.

WHERE DO I BUY ALL THIS?

Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, Aldi's all have the large quantities of food. Watch the Supermarket ads for "Buy One, get One Free." Watch for Sales. I bought coffee for $ 5. 99 for a 3 Lb can. I bought 20 Cans. When you go to the store just buy TWO of everything. Don't forget your domestic animals.

MEDICATIONS:

Get what Prescriptions you need filled now, and any over the counter things like cold medicines, aspirin, NSAIS, antiseptics and lots of bandages.

WATER:

Two gallons a day per person to wash & drink. Your water heater holds 40 Gallons of "Potable" drinking water. I went to a food processing plant and they gave me two food grade barrels. Cleaned them with NON SCENTED Clorox, then Baking Soda and water.

IF YOU HUNT:

Whitetail Deer are tasty & I have lots of recipes for Venison. 80 cents ( Yeah, the cost went up due to Obamanitis ) for a ..30.30 or 308 Cal. Cartridge and a few hours work and you have lots of good meat with no chemicals or drugs in it. I also rigged a system from my gutter and filled two, 55-gallon Blue drums in a heavy rain in ten minutes. That's 100 gallons of water to wash with and boil and filter to drink should it come to that. Buy TWO Pure Waterfilters. I also bought a new Blue food 55-gallon drum ( $ 69.00 ), put it in the basement, and filled it. This is just a start. Go to the numerous websites devoted to this in more detail. This is how our ancestors lived. We have all allowed ourselves to become made way too dependant. This is all part of taking your self reliance back. You will be amazed at how secure this makes you feel. You'll also bond as a family. A Blessing.


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George Potts Thompson -- Bio and Archives

Retired US Army, University Graduate, and Private Detective who does lots of undercover work ( I Did, Narcotics Investigations for Likes Bros. Shipping ) & wishes anonymity for Obvious reasons & therefore writes under a Pen Name.


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