tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post800838638035249236..comments2024-03-28T23:57:50.103-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: Emergency preparations, Part 5: Planning your food reservesPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-47390943405822299672012-01-21T12:37:52.995-06:002012-01-21T12:37:52.995-06:00Also, stock up on commercial size coffee filters t...Also, stock up on commercial size coffee filters to filter solids from your water before sterilizing.STxRynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-79685011005867402942012-01-21T12:35:21.715-06:002012-01-21T12:35:21.715-06:00Don't stock up on Chlorox, it'll evaporate...Don't stock up on Chlorox, it'll evaporate thru the plastic bottle. Then you won't know it's efficacy to sterilize water. Better to use powdered pool shock treatment (granular calcium hypochlorite). It will treat thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of gallons of water when mixed up (1 heaping teaspoon to 2 gallons of water yields 5% chlorine solution). 8 to 10 drops/gallon, 2 drops/litre for clear water, mix very well, let stand 30 minutes. Cold or cloudy water? double the drops. Let stand longer or pour between 2 vessels if you object to the taste.<br /><br />Happy surviving! <br /><br />http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/emergencydisinfection.cfmStxRynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-79848775494712093972012-01-21T07:49:59.259-06:002012-01-21T07:49:59.259-06:00Flavor enhancers are important....But don't co...Flavor enhancers are important....But don't count on the tomatoes or other high acid foods lasting more than 3 years before the liner on the can gives up and the can rusts out. <br /><br />Better to choose dehydrated tomatoes or other items to change the flavor.B https://www.blogger.com/profile/10586046436233366155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-34047002491197771222012-01-20T23:18:38.145-06:002012-01-20T23:18:38.145-06:00A note about food storage - colder is better. Even...A note about food storage - colder is better. Even the mighty MRE will become inedible after a year of baking in a car trunk (at least it will in Arizona).<br />The best/by date of dry goods and such is with an assumed storage temperature of 70F. For every ten degree change, double (or halve) the maximum storage life. So, if white rice has a ten year storage life, in a 60F cellar it will be good for up to 20 years! Conversely, my rice is stored at 80F and I must use it within five years.tweellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164718561825615886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-2872452842038157812012-01-20T09:25:29.433-06:002012-01-20T09:25:29.433-06:00One way to ensure that you will have something to ...One way to ensure that you will have something to eat that you will like, and that your supply will be fresh, is to use your emergency food on a daily basis.<br /><br />My pantry is also my emergency food storage, and it is constantly rotated. Even though I have a couple of cases of MREs on hand, there will come a time when they are expired and need to be thrown away (unless I use them first). Keeping a well stocked and organized pantry, I am checking weekly to see if we need anything that needs to be re-stocked.Jerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10596065269535476259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-81940132377739127832012-01-20T08:33:55.939-06:002012-01-20T08:33:55.939-06:00In defense of MRE's- and I have eaten a lot of...In defense of MRE's- and I have eaten a lot of them....<br /> There is nothing better to toss in your car or backpack, along with a plastic liter of water. (do not fill it to the top so it will survive freezing) With no thinking you have a snack, coffee,a meal (sorta) toilet paper, matches, maybe drink mix and a candy bar. They last forever , have an extremely durable package, and are perfect for a toss and forget about it emergency ration. Add a mre heater to it as well and the "meal" can be warm.ravennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-16445003436215591912012-01-20T08:10:57.070-06:002012-01-20T08:10:57.070-06:00Building "reserve stocks" is actually pr...Building "reserve stocks" is actually pretty easy - just add a few extra of whatever you're regularly buying to the shopping cart. <br /><br />Some items - such as Peter's 3/4 lb cans of ground beef - may not be available where you routinely shop, but pretty much everything else you eat regularly will be. <br /><br />A tip: when putting things away in the pantry it's useful to date them with a permanent marker rather than depend on the cannery for an intelligible date code. For example, "51" on a can of beans tells me I purchased it in May of 2011, so I can use it before the can with "121" (December 2011). (I use a single year code because that covers a decade, and I plan on using it long before that; canned food has a "flavor" shelf life of approx. 2-2.5 years, and a "nutritional" shelf life of 3.5 - 5 years, assuming proper storage in cool temperatures). <br /><br />If you have a friend or relative in the restaurant biz, talk to them. They undoubtedly buy in case lots from the warehouse of a food wholesaler, which has better deals than the "consumer warehouses" (Costco, Sam's, BJ's, etc.). Be forewarned: you'll be buying in full case lots only, and they don't take returns, so be sure you really, really like corned beef hash because there are 48 cans of it in that case....<br /><br />Which is actually an opportunity for several families or groups to purchase quantities together and split them up. FYI, the wholesalers are volume driven, deal only with commercial organizations, and won't tolerate either you or Aunt Suzy discussing the various brands of pudding they might have to make a choice. Give them the order, they'll pull it and you can load it yourself (I suspect your Cousin Tony who runs a pizza joint won't want another 20 cases of whatever sitting in his kitchen for a week, but adding stuff to his regular order is one way of getting the case pricing).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-44896306148311537082012-01-20T03:58:59.605-06:002012-01-20T03:58:59.605-06:00Something that cannot be stressed enough... 'f...Something that cannot be stressed enough... 'flavor enhancers'.<br /><br />A can of Rotel tomatoes turns rice and beans into a feast. Hot sauce has a serious purpose when the food is bland. Spices, herbs, seeds for fresh herbs. These things can turn 'survival' into thriving.<br /><br />There is a reason the spice trade changed the world.Carteachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08468700184940877315noreply@blogger.com