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#31: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: Elvis, Location: south island New Zealand

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:41 pm
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Pumpkin I just asked SWMBO and we spend that amount in $NZ on our family of 4 now. if the stuff is truely eatable it LOOKS to be not a bad short term thing. maybe its a bit like Crock Dundee says though???
"tastes like shite!! but you can live on it"

#32: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: gelandangan, Location: Sydney Australia

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:09 am
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Maybe its good to contact some bushwalking groups as well.
They need high energy food that are lightweight and not bulky, yet tasty enough to not feeling deprived.

In BushraftOz we have a few meets.. guess what almost everyone (not me) bring flour and other stuff and baked BREAD !!!

Me, I am an instant noodle guy like Elvis Smile

Anyhow I definitely recommend you to see LDS church website and see what they say..
Their RELIGION demand each to store enough food to last at least 2 years or something..
so they are definitely qualified to give good advice IMO.

Oh and Pumps, would you like to go to SurvivalHQ.net to ask my mates there about your need.
Its a small site but they are growing and have great knowledge to share.

#33: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: Vince, Location: Brisbane AUSTRALIA

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:03 am
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All good valid points from each and every one of you.

However, the one thing that hasn't been mentioned is human nature. When that nasty brown stuff does hit the twirling whirlygig gizmo even nice people can turn nasty, and the unpleasant ones turn downright evil, mean, wicked and nasty. When people are hungry, or even think that someone else has something they don't, or that they want, they will do anything to get it from you...including kill. Look what happens in riots...every type of store is smashed open and people grab anything they can and run.

When the SHTF you had better have a good, practiced, contingency plan because you will need it, and you better be prepared to take whatever action is needed to protect yourself and your family. Govt handouts will only last so long, then people will do whatever they can to survive, and if that means kicking your door in and taking everything your have, they will try.

Suz makes very good points about living off the land...but only those who know how will be able to survive that way. You will get wandering bands of thugs roaming the countryside for a while, but only as long as it takes for them to starve, unless they can find where the smart ones stored their cache of food etc.

#34: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: Suzanne, Location: Eugene, Oregon

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:22 am
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Sweet Pumpkin if you notice what the ingredients of most of those meals are, you could make up those products yourself. Powdered sauces and dried beans, pasta of various types, rice and powdered potatoes, dried veggies. Powdered drinks can be wonderful too, I get pretty sick of plain water. If you have those things you can home can or vacuume pack them into individual portions for 2 or whatever. My Mom used to do that years ago. Just experiment with some cooking recipes and see what works. That's going to save a ton of money in the long run. My family was into sailing at one time and we wanted to pack up the whole family and cruise. My brother got a ham radio license, my Dad and I took navigation classes and he actually taught navigation after a while. Mom couldn't take one weekend on the boat though and we ended up with dry feet but it was fun while it lasted. Anyway she was really into figuring out what we could stash away for food for a weekend in hot ole Arizona weather.

Dad built an ice chest out of plywood and rigid foam that could keep a block of ice for almost a week. Pretty handy too because that meant we could have milk and eggs and stuff like that even in 100 degree weather. A cold drink and no shade is a blessing. Dad made up chocolate milk instant drinks from powdered milk, Nestle's instant and sugar.

There's lots of stuff you can do really, just think of it as camping or backpacking, but you have the added luxury of no weight restrictions because you don't have to carry this stuff, just use jars and canned stuff, get something to cook on, store up some water or anything you might think would be hard to get otherwise. (toilet freeking paper) Food is not as essential as water unless your working and I know from experience that (for me) I can't eat rich "energy bars" or things meant for high energy. I have to eat normal food stuff or it goes right through me and then I'm really hungry.

Try some experiments cooking and I bet you can come up with some really great inexpensive stuff. That package for $400+ can be had for lots less than that if you put your mind to it. Convenient to buy it already made but you don't know how it tastes, you're unfamiliar with cooking it, don't know how much water you need on hand just to cook it and in the end you're just as unprepared as you thought you were prepared for disaster.

#35: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: PaulS, Location: South-Eastern Washington - the State

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:25 am
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When there is no government aid anymore, the power is down (electrical) you don't have the availability of fuel (it is pumped electrically) so you won't have delivery of goods to the stores. It's all ok. Like Suz said, your backyard is the store. Bushy asked what will you do when your neighbors come banging on your door and that is a great question. Are you willing to feed or shoot people you know who didn't think far enough ahead to be prepared if their way of life changed dramatically overnight?
You need to have a cohesive group of people who are prepared to make it through the kaos that human nature creates when they are suddenly put into a position where money has no value. You need to have others to help because none of us is capable of keeping guard 24/7/365. There will be gangs who will roam the area trying to survive even if it means taking it from others. The bigger the city, the larger the gangs and the number of those gangs will be. I moved to a small community that is primarily supported by agriculture and there is water all around us. The people actually talk to their neighbors and everyone asks if they can help when you are working on projects. I am still in the process of getting to know my neighbors and forming those alliances that will be of mutual benifit should anything bad happen. I keep a good supply of food on hand but that won't get me through a two year period of no infrastructure. My family and friends along with our skills will get us through. I am prepared to protect myself and my family and friends who are ready to survive any situation that comes our way. I am in no shape to go hunting but I can put together a fish trap and small game traps as well as raise chickens or other small animals. The shop and garage that I am building are strong enough to be a refuge in "hard times" and my neighbors have already commented that if there is a storm or earthquake they will be there. They have contacts that will be important in that kind of situations and it is mutually benificial to keep folks like that close. I have met one neighbor that I will watch very closely - he tends to be a bit "over the top" and I am unsure of what he will do in an emergency situation. He is well armed and keeps a good stock of the necessities but he is a bit paranoid and I wonder what kind of individual he will become in "hard times". I like him and we talk but I just don't know what his personality will do in an emergency.

#36: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: TRBLSHTR, Location: Lower 48's-left coast(near portlandia)

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:53 am
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Laughing

I'm pretty much set up and self sufficient,rural,streams with fish and crayfish, and woods nearby,neighbors are good people and have livestock,deer and elk also close by.Never eaten a "grey digger"but if I get hungry enough-maybe!
I grew up in a morman town-just never ran with that group.Maybe I'll have to look into a morman girl for a bride to help with the "provisioning"-she can bring her sisters too! Very Happy

The other things to consider is do you have trading stock?Lumber materials,metal materials,ability to weld,grind,blacksmith when no electricity or gas?Nails screws,bolts,wire for fence,or snares,or electrical use.Because of my location many of these things have value-and also the ability to make use of them.It might be useful for some peole to have some of those "how to"manuals from "home depot or lowes"!

#37: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: radar, Location: North Island New Zealand

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:00 pm
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Im intrigued by all the advice and ideas. I guess we're pretty lucky here in NZ, we're away from most of the strife in the world, we've got an excellent primary food based industry, meat dairy and veges, electricity is easily available in many forms, wind, water, sun and there's plenty of alternative transport systems available from animals to bikes, rail etc.

We're known for thinking on our feet and being ingenious, the "number 8 wire" philosophy.
Yep 90% of city dwellers wouldn't make it past the first year but we're resilient. I'd like to think that once the idiots had been erased we'd just get on with being a low tech society with enough to keep us happy but without any major issues.
Something Ive noticed missing is any talk on Health - medicine etc. Once its gone then what!

I think I'd rather be here than anywhere else in the world.
Our issue is every other buggar wanting what we've got.

#38: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: BigBlue, Location: Lehigh Township, Pennsylvania

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 10:26 am
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Bushmaster wrote:

What, BigBlue?? You can't build a fire? I hate cold beans or cold spam. How 'bout you?

How you going to protect yer stash? Those "city folk" like Pumpkinslinger will be poundin at your door wanting a free hand out... Very Happy

You go right ahead and build that fire. Sure you'll have warm beans and more company than you counted on. Guess who's comin' to dinner. You might as well ring the dinner bell for all those hungry city folk like Pumpkinslinger. Very Happy

#39: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: Bushmaster, Location: Ava, Missouri

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 12:29 pm
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I live in the middle of the Ozarks. Ya think those "city folk" really want to mess with a bunch of squirrel shooters?

#40: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: Elvis, Location: south island New Zealand

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 1:08 pm
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too true Radar we could just go bush with the fambams put up the tents and knock a sheep over every week and be just fine n dandy, all those black n whites wont be going round and round on their merry go rounds either so it would be hand milking or not at all. lots of lambs and calves to feed the Kiwis if no freezing works to ship them off shore. cobber up with the cockies and the she"ll be right mate would soon come back out in us. all the no hopers who want to sit on their butts can starve, those of us with brains AND brawn will get along just fine n dandy. as for others trying to take what we have???? well they can try....and be fed to the pigs and eels afterwards......

#41: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: gelandangan, Location: Sydney Australia

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 1:26 pm
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Hmm.. The pumpkin abuser is conspicuously missing..
Are you there pumps?

#42: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: Pumpkinslinger, Location: NC foothills

Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 2:11 pm
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Sorry, I was out trying to find the city. There's a couple thousand acres of woods across the road from me... Of course part of it has been logged out.

#43: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: BigBlue, Location: Lehigh Township, Pennsylvania

Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 5:59 am
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Pumpkinslinger wrote:

Sorry, I was out trying to find the city. There's a couple thousand acres of woods across the road from me... Of course part of it has been logged out.

You didn't happen to see Bushy squattin' in there with a pot of beans?

#44: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: Bushmaster, Location: Ava, Missouri

Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 7:00 am
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Nawww...I wouldn't be in his woods when I own my own woods. But I'll gladly squat over your pot of beans...

#45: Re: Food for long term storage? Author: TRBLSHTR, Location: Lower 48's-left coast(near portlandia)

Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 10:55 am
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Bushmaster wrote:

Nawww...I wouldn't be in his woods when I own my own woods. But I'll gladly squat over your pot of beans...

Sorry Bushy-I think you're a little late as obummer has been doing that to everybody lately-or was that our "mess kits"? Mad

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