Emergency Food Storage

A Primer On Long Term Food Storage And Emergency Preparedness

Bryant Jones

Table of Contents

Introduction              1

Chapter 1 - Sensible Preparations vs. Paranoia              2

Chapter 2 - Advances in Science               4

Chapter 3 - Wisdom in Self-Preservation              6

Chapter 4 - Mental Health Benefits              7

Chapter 5 - Possible Disaster Causes              8

Chapter 6 - Food Sources              9

Chapter 7 - Weather Disaster Ripple Effects              10

Chapter 8 - Non-Weather Caused Disasters              12

Chapter 9 - Disasters Caused by Human Hands              13

Chapter 10 - Economic and Foreign-Based Disasters              15

Chapter 11 - Disasters and Community              18

Chapter 12 - Personal Responsibility              19

Section II: Seed Storage Considerations              20

Chapter 13 - History of Seed Storage in America              20

Chapter 14 - Types of Seeds for Storage              22

Chapter 15 - Seeds for Emergency Sprouts              24

Chapter 16 - Seeds for Traditional Crop Growth              25

Chapter 17 - Seed Particulars              26

Chapter 18 - Germination Rate              30

Section III: Important Food Storage Items for Bartering Purposes              32

Chapter 19 - Food Storage for Bartering              32

Chapter 20 - Luxuries for Morale and/or Bartering              33

Chapter 21 - Initial Storage Bartering Choices              34

Chapter 22 - Three Top Bartering Items              36

Chapter 23 - “Need-To-Know” Principle              40

Section IV: Nutritional Concerns              41

Chapter 24 - Optimal Nutrition Value              41

Chapter 25 - Space Designated Usage              43

Chapter 26 - Seed Storage Based on Nutrients Offered              44

Chapter 27 - Protein Requirements              45

Chapter 28 - Long-term vs. Short-term & Protein              46

Chapter 29 -Vitamin Deficiencies              47

Chapter 30 - Shelf Life Basics              48

Chapter 31 - Time Periods for Shelf Life              49

Chapter 32 - Labeling & Monitoring              51

Chapter 33 - Most Common Choices for Food Storage & Their Shelf Lives              52

Chapter 34 - Methods of Storage              55

Chapter 35 - Containers & Lids              56

Chapter 36 - Liners & Bags              57

Chapter 37 - Sealing Methods & Additives              58

Chapter 38 - Salvageable Food Storage              61

Conclusion              63

About the Author              64

INTRODUCTION

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Survival is important whether you are concerned about the state of the world or just someone with a family that wants to be prepared for “whatever”.

With the average citizen today never having dealt with any real hardship it is difficult for us to imagine our way of life being massively disrupted. But I can tell you…

As someone who has lived through the aftermath of two major hurricanes, two black out blizzards and other less than ideal living situations, modern society has severely under equipped us to survive, much less thrive in times of trouble.

Whether we face natural disasters, financial collapse or other emergencies you and your family can be safe, fed and healthy with just a little Practical Survivalist Training. Emergency Food Storage is the first place to start being prepared.

And by being prepared the very worst that can happen is you and your family will live closer to the land, have peace of mind, be less dependent on others and use less resources.

To Your Freedom,
Bryant

http://PracticalSurvivalist.com/

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Section I: Common Sense Reasoning

CHAPTER 1 - SENSIBLE PREPARATIONS VS. PARANOIA

When the topic of emergency food storage comes up in various conversations, it inevitably evokes a wide range of reactions on both ends of the spectrum. 

On one extreme, those who believe it is absolute foolishness and a waste of time will just roll their eyes exchanging amused glances with others deemed to be intellectually superior.

These groups of people, who hold the opinion that emergency food storage is rather ridiculous, usually keep a couple days worth of food in their homes and sometimes not even that, instead depending day-to-day on restaurants and shops nearby to supply their nutritional needs. 

The opposite extreme are those who believe the need for hidden bunkers and supplies will be within days or weeks and consider food storage and survival to be the only priority of life for both themselves as well as their children.  Every penny is spent on survival items and there are no other important areas of life to be enjoying with everything needing to focus on the disaster looming over their heads. 

Both extremes can make very good points and both can be obsessively wrong.

The challenge is to find a healthy balance between the two extremes with the ability to enjoy everything the present has to offer while at the same time realizing that life inevitably carries crises that are wise to prepare for with common sense.

CHAPTER 2 - ADVANCES IN SCIENCE

The possibility of disasters is nothing new to us in the here and now – every generation all the way back to the beginning of time had possible disasters to keep in mind and prepare for while in the midst of living life. 

We have the luxury of scientific and technological advances that allow us to know how to store food properly, what is essential to store, and the ability to use energy focusing on that because we are not having to hunt and gather our daily food supplies as the early civilization populations did. 

We also know ways to prepare food for storage that allows us to store large quantities with little risk of contamination or spoilage.  In general, early man could only keep food safely for a few days at most depending on environmental factors. 

But we are enjoying progress they made in finding food storage solutions down through time creating “shelf lives” of food that were longer and longer. 

Even the voyages to discover America were also experimenting with ways to transport food on board the ships just to ensure their own survival while traveling. 

Eventually, they also learned how to transport food for the early colonies to use for survival.  The colonists also found the Native American population had excellent knowledge to share concerning food storage. 

Learning the native ways for storing food through the winters and having the seeds necessary to grow crops at winter’s end was essentially emergency food storage and was what allowed the early colonies to survive the threat of starvation.

CHAPTER 3 - WISDOM IN SELF-PRESERVATION

Learning how to use the intelligence and God-given drive for life preservation has been vital since the beginning of time and is no less vital now. 

Our ways and options for food storage maybe different – and vastly improved – but the goal is the same.  All of us just want to survive which demands the avoidance of starvation through effective emergency food storage methods. 

Emergency food storage defined is exactly that…emergency…food…storage, or saving food you already have in ways that will preserve it when stored for a period of time in order to have sustenance during times of emergencies when regular food sources are no longer available.

CHAPTER 4 - MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS

If for no other reason, finding a balance between extreme paranoia and over-the-top preparations in terms of emergency food storage is beneficial to your mental health if done with common sense. 

Even if you really don’t think anything is going to happen to cause you to use your emergency food storage, it helps to know that you are prepared just in case as it allows you to chalk that off your mental worry list or at least move it to the bottom of the priority list once you have made some reasonable preparations. 

The old adage “better safe than sorry” fits well here.  One would hope to never have need of emergency food storage of any kind because that would mean some part of life has been negatively affected in a big way, but life doesn’t tend to be without its challenges. 

However, emergency food storage can make some of those challenges easier to endure by meeting the most basic requirement of survival – food and water.

CHAPTER 5 - POSSIBLE DISASTER CAUSES

The biggest threats of disaster serious enough to merit preparing emergency food storage for “just in case” are weather-related disasters. 

While what kind of weather crisis may different depending on your location, the threat of some sort of “act of God” is always a possibility. 

Whether by hurricane, tornado, earthquake, tsunami, snowstorm, drought, flood, or any other weather-affected disaster, we all would be wise to prepare for both short as well as long-term disruptions of life caused by such crises. 

Some problems will be the same no matter what disaster you have potential for facing while other details will depend on what potential threat you are preparing for in your part of the country. 

We have had the dubious “privilege” of watching or experiencing some of the largest disasters in history during the last few years which have given us all insight as to how life-changing weather disasters can be.

CHAPTER 6 - FOOD SOURCES

Because food and water are the bare necessities required to sustain life, any disaster will affect food supplies and sources whether temporarily or long-term. 

The focus of this book is emergency food supplies, but in addition, weather crises can also carry the problems and/or needs of evacuations, communication/technology disruptions, Martial Law, self-protection, electricity interruption, and toxic exposure as well – all of which can affect local food supplies negatively as well. 

While we tend to think that the disaster affects only its immediate vicinity, in fact, some disasters have a ripple effect that can impact the food supplies across the country for days, weeks, months, or even years depending on what kind of crisis and where.

CHAPTER 7 - WEATHER DISASTER RIPPLE EFFECTS

Take the recent Texas droughts for example.  Because there was less grass for Texas chickens to feed on, the production of eggs decreased causing the price of eggs to increase. 

Higher costs of cattle feed and hay have caused an increase in the price of beef that can be felt across the country.  The cost of produce increased in the winter of 2011 because of the crops destroyed in Mexico and Florida through out-of-season freezes. 

Right now the price of peanut butter has risen sharply due to agricultural problems of drought and disease in the peanut fields along with grower’s choices to plant cotton instead as it was selling at record-high rates. 

Destruction from Hurricane Katrina affected food supplies outside of America because of the impact it had on the major port based in Gulfport, Mississippi which us used for Chiquita and Dole among others to export produce and other agricultural products across the ocean. 

No matter which disastrous weather incident occurs, the effects it can have on food supply both local and beyond are significant whether from the actual inability to get to food sources temporarily, or from certain food prices being increased or unable to be purchased at all. 

The advances in technology, etc. that have allowed the world to be so interconnected with each other also means the rippling effects of disasters on food supplies are just as interconnected and sometimes more so. 

Because there are so many ways our food sources can be compromised, it is vital that we prepare for the inevitable disruptions through adequate emergency food storage.

CHAPTER 8 - NON-WEATHER CAUSED DISASTERS

But life-changing disasters are not always from nature or an act of God.  Sometimes disasters are meted out through the violence and/or life mismanagement of human entities. 

In some ways it is easier to prepare for these human based disasters as there are almost always warning signs leading up to the actual disaster, and often there are steps that can be taken to prevent or lessen the impact of the crisis while also preparing for it. 

That is pure luxury compared to the lack of warning of some of the weather-related disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes, or the impossibility of being able to control the weather enough to prevent the disaster such as with hurricanes and floods.

CHAPTER 9 - DISASTERS CAUSED BY HUMAN HANDS

Man-made disasters that necessitate emergency food storage preparations can include acts of terrorism, economic collapse, nuclear meltdowns (intentional or not), World War III, satellite malfunctioning disabling communication systems, and problems with foreign oil supplies, just to name a few possible disaster sources. 

Some of these disasters carry consequences that are further reaching then others.  The September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York is the worst loss of life in one day on American soil that we have ever experienced as a nation. 

But even though Sept. 11 caused some major changes in the ways we travel or gather for various events, the immediate and most severe destruction was mainly against the actual targeted areas and the rest of the nation experienced little suffering in comparison. 

Generally, New Yorkers could find the supplies and groceries needed to sustain life not too far away after 9/11 and the rest of us were able to render aid to those who directly suffered from the terrorism attack because we had not experienced the life disruptions ourselves. 

In situations where we might all be suffering severe hardships nationwide  it will be a little harder to survive and overcome because everyone will be in the same desperate circumstances with very little “milk of human kindness” left to share with others.

CHAPTER 10 - ECONOMIC AND FOREIGN-BASED DISASTERS

Disasters ultimately caused by man that cripple our entire country with hardships are the ones we need to be responsible for ourselves and our families by preparing with emergency food storage. 

Nuclear attacks, economic collapse, World War III, etc. are some of the most destructive disasters we might experience at the hands of man in the current generation. 

These are the type of disasters that are the most important to prepare for as we will have no one to ask for much help outside of the local communities for days and weeks if not months and years.  What food storage that has been created will be what you and your family will live off of indefinitely until restructuring and rebuilding of the country can begin to emerge from the ruins. 

Take the collapse of the American dollar for example.  Considering just the ways that will impact food supplies and sources should be enough to encourage the start of emergency food storage if not already doing so. 

Stop and think for a moment…what would life be like if the currency of the United States of America was not even worth the paper it is printed on? 

If the dollar collapses, it won’t even be as valuable as a box of Kleenex because even Kleenex has a role to fill that it is well suited for. 

The only way paper money might be helpful once the dollar collapses is if you can use it to start a fire to cook with or warm yourself in front of. 

Back to a worthless dollar situation – with no way to pay for electricity, water, and gas needs or the companies themselves having no access to the oil supplies, etc. that are needed to create such necessities, you will be living in a residence with no lights, no refrigerator and freezer full of edible food supplies, no running water for hygiene needs or to water crops and plants of any kind, no air conditioning, no heat, etc. 

Your lightly supplied food pantry will be rapidly decimated by hungry mouths to feed just as every other household in your neighborhood, town, etc. 

You fast become parting of a growing population of starving people in search of food.  And what do have to pay for any small amount food you might be lucky enough to scrounge up only with the teeny-tiny problem of it belonging to someone else? 

Your money is worthless, your credit cards are worthless, and your bank accounts are worthless – every method of payment that you currently use to purchase food for yourself and your loved ones will no longer be available. 

If you have not prepared by creating emergency food storages (among other things), you will soon be desperate and starving along with everyone else who did not prepare, have no food left, and have no way to grow it. 

It can only go downhill from that point on unless you have had the foresight to prepare for the possibility of disaster and created the means which will allow you and your family to survive and live long enough to help rebuild the nation in whatever manner it takes.

CHAPTER 11 - DISASTERS AND COMMUNITY

Whether from the hand of man or an act of God, inevitably we will all experience some form of disaster or another that is survivable only if steps have been taken to prepare beforehand for such a scenario. 

The more people within a community that are prepared for a disaster with an appropriate emergency food storage system, the better a community will be able to band together sharing resources equally and thus the stronger the local community will be. 

Those who are prepared are better able to protect their families and community as needed until order is once again restored.  But in disaster scenarios, the first responsibility, and priority of every individual is their immediate family survival. 

Families can ill afford to work together in a community combining and sharing various needs with those who take more than they are prepared to give. 

It is better to survive alone or with whoever is also able to provide for themselves than to join with people unprepared to care for themselves much less having anything to offer in return for shared survival. 

CHAPTER 12 - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

While of course we need to “love our neighbors” as the Bible says, that does not mean sacrificing your first priorities of making sure you are doing everything possible in order for you and your family to survive before using those resources for others who refused to prepare for the possibility of a major disaster. 

The Bible does say “love thy neighbor” but the next phrase is most important in this situation for we are commanded to love our neighbors “as we love ourselves”. 

Loving ourselves must first include surviving or we therefore eliminate the possibility of loving our neighbors which requires life in order to do so.  Self-preservation is not selfish or a luxury in times of disaster if one wants to survive. 

The very core of survival depends on the basics of life – food and water.  No matter what disaster or dangers are being faced, they cannot be lived through unless those affected have food to eat and water to drink at the very least in order to have the life forces necessary to showcase the strength and power of the will to survive that we are each blessed with at birth.

SECTION II: SEED STORAGE CONSIDERATIONS

CHAPTER 13 - HISTORY OF SEED STORAGE IN AMERICA

When preparing for the possibility of needing to depend on your emergency food storage indefinitely for months or even years, seed storage should be one of the main priorities that can literally make the difference between life and death. 

The very survival of America can be attributed at least in some small part to seed storage.  Soon after the first colonists and pilgrims landed in the New World, Captain Myles Standish found and confiscated a stash of Indian corn seeds buried in the ground while on an exploring expedition inland from the coast. 

This might be the very first emergency food storage documented in American history and it definitely proves the value of storing seeds as these seeds were instrumental in successfully warding off complete starvation and annihilation of the first settlers. 

Although the threats causing the potential for starvation in today’s world might have changed, it is no less important to store seeds in preparation for disaster than it was way back then during the founding of our nation. 

But we have the added benefits of scientific research and experience down through the years that have given us the knowledge of even better ways and means of storing seeds in order to provide life-giving nutrition in situations where the typical sources of food are no longer available for whatever reason.

CHAPTER 14 - TYPES OF SEEDS FOR STORAGE

Seed storage for emergency food supplies generally falls under two categories: seeds to use for growing crops, and seeds to use for growing sprouts. 

Growing sprouts is important when a faster method of obtaining nutrition is needed without the lengthy growing season that regular crops require.  In fact, sprouts can be grown in as little as 48 hours needing only water to do so. 

You can grow sprouts without soil or light which makes them all the more beneficial in a survival situation.  The nutritional benefits of eating various types of sprouts are many. 

They are packed with protein and vitamins that may not be found from any other source during disasters.  Almost anyone can go 48 hours with no food without too much suffering or lasting effects – especially when the nutrition packed sprouts are ready to be eaten after 48 hours of fasting. 

Sprouts will not only help you maintain whatever muscle mass you already have, but they can also help you increase your muscle mass which is desperately needed for strength during disasters. 

While we can store many dried, dehydrated, or canned foods for emergency usage, nothing beats having a source for fresh and living nutrition that can be available for consumption within just a couple of days. 

Some sprouts are even know to help prevent cancer because they carry nutrients such as I3C which is proven and documented to be an excellent cancer fighting ingredient. 

Sprouts also contain chlorophyll which is a known blood-cleanser all the more necessary in survival situations.

CHAPTER 15 - SEEDS FOR EMERGENCY SPROUTS

The nutritional benefits found from consuming different varieties of sprouts make them sound like a modern-day, fountain-of-youth type of food source that would be wise to incorporate into your daily diet now and not just save them as a part of your emergency food storage supplies. 

But the ease with which sprouts can be grown as well as the fast growth rate that cause the tiny little seeds stored away for an emergency sprout production to literally be worth their weight in gold while in a survival situation or crisis is nearly impossible to grow, protect, and travel with the resulting vegetables grown in the traditional soil-based style when you are in life-or-death circumstances of survival. 

But carrying sprouting seeds along with you is quite easy in comparison and can be quickly grown for eating any time that you can stop and rest for a few days before continuing on to your destination.

CHAPTER 16 - SEEDS FOR TRADITIONAL CROP GROWTH

While sprouts are an excellent source of nutrition both in an emergency as well as within a regular daily diet, eventually you will need to stop traveling and/or look beyond the immediate present to consider planning a longer period of time in order to grow complete crops that produce in much greater amounts to feed larger groups of people for longer periods of time. 

These crops are also necessary to re-stock your sprouting seeds in order to continue the cycle of growing the best nutrition possible while living through a crisis and the unexpected life changes it can bring.  The options and choices for seed storage are many and it can be difficult to know where to start. 

The following section will give you the basic “what” and “why” for crop-growing seed storage that will take a little of the confusion out of the equation and give you a good idea of where to start in terms of storing seed for your family’s survival if needed for any upcoming crises.

CHAPTER 17 - SEED PARTICULARS

The most vital aspects of emergency seed storage are found in the description and explanation for the following terms: “non-hybrid”, “heirloom varieties”, “all-natural & GMO-free”, and “high-germination rate”. 

Once you clearly understand the meaning of those terms and why they are important, you will have a good idea what is best for your own personal storage system.

NON-HYBRID

The terms “hybrid” and “non-hybrid” mainly defines whether the seeds used to grow crops are good for only one season (hybrid), or can be used in a cycle of continual crop growing year after year.  When preparing for an emergency survival situation that has the potential of lasting for years, non-hybrid seeds are one of the most important things in your food storage system that will be a source of nutrition for your family indefinitely. 

When you grow crops using non-hybrid seeds, the seeds contained in the produce, etc. that is grown can be saved and reused the next growing season for the same crop production.  Non-hybrid seeds essentially create a “self-sustaining” garden in that you only need to have the initial set of seeds stored for the first crop production because after that, the seed vault can be replenished simply by saving the seeds from the foods you eat that are grown from non-hybrid seeds. 

It is commonly believed that all seeds should work that way, and indeed they should and would if they had not been genetically altered (by human hands for the most part). 

Hybrid seeds have been manipulated through crossbreeding usually in the attempt to produce a better version of whatever you are trying to grow.  For example, one type of tomato plant might tolerate drought better than others while another type of tomato may produce larger tomatoes. 

If you crossbreed the types, you will then be able to grow a tomato that has both characteristics – one that will grow larger tomatoes and be able to survive a drought at the same time.  While this sounds like a no-brainer of sorts, the problem is the tomato produced from this cross-pollination has seeds that are pretty much useless. 

These seeds will not grow the same produce so if you want more of it next year, you will have to buy the seeds all over again.  The survival implications of this are rather clear – you cannot grow crops to eat if you do not have somewhere to buy the seeds every year. 

Hybrid seeds force you to depend on someone or something else in order to grow crops that just might not be available in survival situations.  Remember the goal of food storage preparations is to give you the tools you need to feed yourself and your loved ones without requiring the cooperation of anyone else who may or may not be willing to help you in a crisis-oriented environment.

HEIRLOOM SEEDS

Heirloom seeds come from plants that have grown from the same seeds since the earlier days of mankind’s history. 

These seeds are always non-hybrid by default because they have not been altered to produce anything other than what they were originally designed to produce. 

Most non-hybrid seeds themselves are also heirloom so the terms are most often used interchangeably.  The classification of “heirloom” as it relates to seed production is one that is often debated as to what qualifies a seed to be an heirloom.  This is the same type of debate that occurs when classifying objects as “antiques”. 

What makes something old enough to be an antique?  Like many things in our lives, there is much gray area and little black and white to the interpretation of “heirloom” is highly subjective.  But when considering the need of storing seeds in case of a crisis, it doesn’t matter whether the seeds you store are called heirloom seeds or not as long as they are non-hybrid seeds and thus reproducible.

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED OR GMO

Genetically altered seeds (such as found with many hybrid seeds) are ones that have been changed unnaturally through scientific means.  These are the result of humanity “monkeying” with Mother Nature for various reasons. 

This genetic engineering is fraught with conflict between those believing the alteration is an “improvement” of the growing system God created and those who believe that genetic altering at best is unnecessary and at worse dangerous and destructive to both present day society as well as future generations of mankind. 

Regardless of which side of the discussion you believe, when considering seeds for emergency storage it is “better safe than sorry”.  The most logical choice is to store up non-altered seeds in case the genetically engineered ones are unsafe as some believe. 

That way, if you eventually discover those seeds truly are safe, you really haven’t lost anything because you are able to grow healthy crops from your non-altered seeds. 

But if you have chosen to store those GMO seeds and find out they are destructive and detrimental to survival, you are “up the creek without a paddle” so to speak and no longer have the means to produce healthy crops to feed yourself and your loved ones. 

The wisest choice for seed storage seems clear – at least until there are no doubts as to the safety and/or efficiency of genetically altered seeds.

CHAPTER 18 - GERMINATION RATE

One more detail to consider when deciding which seeds you are going to save in your emergency food storage system is the germination rate of the particular seeds you choose.  Germination rate refers to 2 characteristics of the seeds – how many of the seeds you plant are expected to germinate and start growing, and how long it takes the germination process to result in growth. 

When germination is referring to how many seeds will begin to grow it is usually expressed in terms of percentage.  For example, if the seeds you are considering have a germination rate of 90%, this means that 90 out of every 100 seeds you plant will live and begin to grow. 

If the germination rate is referring to the speed of growth, it will usually be described in terms of days – some seeds need only a couple of days to germinate before the seed opens and begins to grow while others can take many more days or even weeks before they begin to grow.

The importance of the role germination of seeds plays in survival situations was made clear in the section above on growing sprouts.  Sprouts only take a day or two at most to begin to grow so they provide food much sooner than growing traditional crops that take days and weeks to germinate before they begin to grow.  Of course the germination implications on the amounts of seeds that will survive and thrive is obvious and vital for efficiency in growing crops with the least amount of wasted effort spent  growing seeds that have little probability for success. 

Ideally, when you are choosing seeds to store for emergencies in the future, you want to choose one that have been proven to carry high germination rates both in terms of what percentage of seeds will culminate in producing plants as well as in reference of how long it will take before the seeds begin to grow.

SECTION III: IMPORTANT FOOD STORAGE ITEMS FOR BARTERING PURPOSES

CHAPTER 19 - FOOD STORAGE FOR BARTERING

Some of the best food items to store are ones that you are not planning on consuming yourself but items that are in high demand as luxuries in crisis. 

History has shown that when living situations are almost unbearable whether through hardships, starvation, fear of the known and unknown future as well, wartime, etc. food items that are highly enjoyable for adding to the quality of life become even more valuable. 

People will often value food items considered “luxuries” to be worth more than actual money so in turn these items become currency for bartering, trade, and purchasing power. 

As such, though it sounds funny, luxury food items can be more dangerous than other survival foods because quantities are usually limited and ruthless people with no morals desire them just as much as normal, “safe” people and will be happy to take them off your hands through force or thievery. 

So take as much care in safeguarding the luxury items as you will for other high value food storage choices.

CHAPTER 20 - LUXURIES FOR MORALE AND/OR BARTERING

On a side note concerning these types of food for storage, not only will these items be in high demand and valuable for bartering, but they can be priceless for morale during times when emotions are raw or hopeless because of the suffering and loss being experienced in the crisis situations. 

The Great Depression era taught us the value of simple treats that used to be common in everyday life and what an emotional boost they can provide showing up “unexpectedly” to enjoy when least expected. 

Even small pieces of candy can revive the spirit of a loved one with a sweet tooth who hasn’t eaten a piece of candy since the crisis started. 

Whichever items your family values for enjoyment that are small enough to hide away in your food storage unknown can help turn desperate situations that have become overwhelming to turn around with renewed strength and emotional fortitude ready to continue the fight for survival.

CHAPTER 21 - INITIAL STORAGE BARTERING CHOICES

When considering what luxuries to store for bartering purposes, you should first determine which items would be in the greatest demand in your community, what kind of shelf life they carry, and the versatile uses of the items. 

It would be wise to choose some luxuries to barter with that you (or your family) would not personally desire in order to avoid some of the emotional conflict that might come into play if you need to barter with items that you or someone in your immediate family would struggle with the necessity of trading instead of keep for personal use. 

That being said, it is also wise to stock a few luxuries that would be a treat in your family or easy to barter with – whichever was needed at the time.  That is part of the versatility needed when choosing bartering food supplies.  Another aspect of versatility would be storing food staples that are considered unnecessary for survival but could be used in different ways to make survival more pleasant. 

Ideally, when you are in the beginning stages of getting your emergency food storage system and supplies established, your choices in luxury storage should fit 3 criteria – long shelf life, commonly desirable for most people groups, and versatility in usage. 

Once your storage is well rounded and adequate, you can then turn your attention to more specific bartering choices and consider which people you are most likely to have occasion to barter with and what would be the most valuable to them.

CHAPTER 22 - THREE TOP BARTERING ITEMS

Three basic items considered “luxuries” should always have a place in your emergency food storage if possible and would be important for personal use as well as highly valued in bartering situations.  These are sugar, honey, and alcohol.  These items have an excellent shelf life and can be stored safely for at least 10 years.  If you store them carefully enough, their shelf lives could be just about indefinite which makes them a great choice for bartering storage.

SUGAR

When considering the storage of sugar (white, brown, and confectioners), you may be thinking it would be better to store luxury items that contain these ingredients that are already made into candies, etc. 

The bottom-line response is no, it would not be better to store candy, etc. instead of the sugars used to make it.  Of course candy and ready made sweets that are able to be easily stored are good to have in your storage for bartering, but first you need to make sure you have a good supply of just the plain sugars as those would be more valuable to others who want to make their own personal sweet favorites using the sugar. 

In other words, plain sugar will appeal to a broader bartering base whereas candy would be valuable to few types of people.  If you barter a cup of sugar, that sugar could be divided something like this: those who have a sweet-tooth always raging could enjoy savoring a spoon or two of the sugar, those missing having something sweet in their hot coffees or teas could use their portion in that manner, someone else might prefer enjoying their portion of brown sugar sprinkled on a sweet potato, etc. 

If you bartered the same basic amount of sugar made into candy, then the other ways to enjoy it would not be possible at the same time.  We have probably all heard stories of sugar shortages in the old days when it was an unusual luxury to spend money on a cup of sugar at the local grocery store. 

Even the Little House on the Prairie books mention getting plain sugar for Christmas presents and the joy it brought as such.  Since mankind does not need sugar to survive, this is one of those ingredients that is not vital for survival but is an excellent bartering item. 

In that manner, sugar just might prove to be valuable to survival in terms of placating or working with others who are not necessarily concerned with your rights or survival either one.

HONEY

Honey is a great item for stockpiling if you have the room to do so.  It isn’t something that lends itself to easy transport so might not be one of the better choices if you think you will be moving around a lot. 

But it has a great shelf life if stored properly.  It will eventually crystallize in whatever container it is stored in but quickly regains it liquid-like properties once it is heated. 

Honey is a good choice because it also useful for its medicinal properties.  It can be used as a great salve and infection fighter when applied to open wounds or burns, it can help be soothing to a sore throat when added to tea or in a hot citrus juice drink, and it can make the taste of some food items that are ingested for various health maladies to be better tolerated. 

Honey is also considered to be a natural antibiotic which will make it a priceless treasure if needed for that aspect.  At the same time, it can also be used in most of the same ways sugar can be but as already mentioned, it is harder to carry and messier to pass around in bartering agreements in small amounts where sugar is easy to trade back and forth.

ALCOHOL

Alcohol is a luxury item with many uses and is valuable to diverse people groups because it is so versatile. 

Those who tend to lean on alcohol consumption to get through hard times are usually willing to pay just about anything in order to get it.  It can also double for a painkiller or sedative when medical situations call for such. 

Have you ever seen an old western movie where the tough cowboy needs to have a tooth pulled or a bullet dug out and takes some good swigs of whiskey right beforehand?  That isn’t just for comfort although of course there is that aspect. 

Especially when needing to operate on something internally or pull a tooth, alcohol will not only numb the area when it is applied directly (like holding some in the mouth in the area of the bad tooth before it is extracted), it also has medicinal benefits for the stomach, etc. and can be used to deal with nausea and such. 

But the value of alcohol isn’t just through consuming it for whatever reason; it is also an excellent antiseptic and disinfectant that can be poured on the body area to sanitize before surgery. 

It works well to disinfect other surfaces as well such as counter tops and surgical instruments can be disinfected by soaking in a solution high in alcohol content.

OTHER CHOICES

Those are just three of the best choices to storage for bartering use in a crisis, but there are many other food items that are valuable as well. 

Some that are lighter and easier to transport if necessary might be better choices depending on your individual circumstances and storage space. 

Coffee, teas (loose leaves or bagged), drink mixes such as kool-aid, and dried herbs and spices are all good bartering items to consider adding to your storage and these are light enough to make them easy to barter with in small amounts while keeping your larger stash secreted.

CHAPTER 23 - “NEED-TO-KNOW” PRINCIPLE

The term “need-to-know” is especially important in terms of storage food for bartering.  The few people that know you have these items stored, the less of a target you will be for thieves looking for such treasures while having no problems taking it in whatever manner it takes. 

But not only is it wise to limit knowledge for safety reasons, it is also wise to for emotional and family peace and harmony because you will not have to turn down those of your loved ones asking for treats if they are not aware that you have them. 

If children and adults alike in your “inner circle” of family and friends don’t know to ask, you will be able to avoid as least some of the conflicts and hard feelings that might occur if they know you have a stockpile of such luxurious items and are refusing to give them away when they are so desperately needed for bartering purposes.

SECTION IV: NUTRITIONAL CONCERNS

CHAPTER 24 - OPTIMAL NUTRITION VALUE

When storing food in preparation for any emergency or crisis that might happen in the near future, it is very important that you carefully consider the different nutritional concerns that may need to be addressed. 

You also need to choose foods on the principle of making every bite of food stored to have the most and/best nutritional components possible for both short-term needs in highly stressful situations, as well as for optimal health for survival for long-term situations that will eventually begin to be destructive to one’s health as different nutrients become less and less available. 

It is best to very mindfully think through every food item you want to be a part of your food storage and determine how much nutritional value will it hold for every day survival. 

Some food choices should be avoided not necessarily because they are harmful to your health, but avoided because there are other similar choices that will not only be harmless but also helpful. 

This is especially important when you need to consider the lack of storage space, finances to spend on storage foods, and unique health needs that might be present in your family. 

CHAPTER 25 - SPACE DESIGNATED USAGE

For example, say your space is limited and you have room for one more 5-gallon container full of your food choice and sealed.  Which would be more helpful, a bucket of popcorn kernels delicious and harmless to eat or a bucket of pinto beans that are not only tasty when cooked, but dense with nutrition at the same time? 

Perhaps you have space left for a flat of canned goods…is it better to choose canned corned beef hash or equal amounts of canned tuna?  In terms of nutrition, what protein offers more nutrients? 

Even choices for storing drinkable food items should be considered in this fashion as well.  Take coffee and tea.  Would it be better to store a container of coffee grounds, or an equally sized container of teas? 

If thinking in terms of caffeine consumption, you can find teas that have close to the same amount of caffeine, but you won’t find coffees that can offer some of the same health benefits that various teas can provide. 

Of course that won’t solve the need for coffee when you desire the flavor of coffee that teas cannot provide, but it does address the nutritional and health benefits of your choice when space and money are limited.

CHAPTER 26 - SEED STORAGE BASED ON NUTRIENTS OFFERED

The seeds you store for later use in growing crops also should be looked at from this perspective.  If you have choices in seed storage possibilities that can provide multiple layers of use, why not choose to store those seeds instead of some that have fewer uses? 

For example, barley is a great choice for seed storage that can address many different needs in survival situations.  It can be ground for flour and can be used in making beer. 

It also is a great food source for cattle that can forage through the farmland after harvest and consume whatever is left while also fertilizing the soil for the next growing season.  Broccoli seeds are also a good choice as broccoli provides both protein (good for those who might still be attempting to keep a vegetarian diet even in the middle of a survival time) and Vitamins A & K. 

Not only is it a good choice for the nutritional values, it is also one of the easiest vegetables to grow and can tolerate light frosts without dying.

CHAPTER 27 - PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS

Speaking of protein, another vital aspect to consider when making food storage preparations is the absolute necessity of having protein regularly consumed in ones diet in order to enjoy long-term survival with a decent state of health.  Again, have multiple sources able to provide is best in order to insure protein will be accessible in various emergencies. 

The obvious choices for protein are not hard to figure out whether protein from animals you hunt and/or raise, canned meats such as tuna or chicken, egg and chicken production, dairy sources, etc. 

But growing protein sources as crops is also important and some health conditions cause protein-rich crops to be easier to consume than animal sources of protein (and vice-versa). 

Broccoli has already been mentioned as a crop source for protein but other great options include growing various types of beans, corn, peanuts, and peas just to name a few.

CHAPTER 28 - LONG-TERM VS. SHORT-TERM & PROTEIN

While short-term survival may not necessarily require protein in the everyday diet, consuming protein will make survival easier and healthier and help give you the energy needed in survival situations.  In considering long-term survival, protein is needed in daily nutrition in order to be healthy and extend your life span. 

Those who do not consume enough protein from whatever sources available will begin to deteriorate health-wise and enjoy a shorter time on earth than those who give their bodies the protein fuel it needs for optimal survival.

CHAPTER 29 -VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES

Not only is protein a vital part of the nutritional needs of man, there are many vitamins and minerals needed in the diet in order to experience life with a body as healthy as possible.  When deficient in some of the nutrients found in natural food sources, the body’s immune system begins to break down causing it to become more vulnerable when exposed to communicable diseases.  Not only that, some deficiencies themselves will eventually cause disease sooner or later.  Our ancestors experienced that extensively while traveling by ship from the Old World to the New World when they did not have access to foods containing sufficient amounts of Vitamin C for several months while traveling across the ocean.  The sailors they encountered as well as the travelers themselves often suffered from scurvy which is a painful condition that causes teeth to fall out and many other gruesome health problems that could be avoided simply through consuming food sources that had good amounts of Vitamin C such as citrus fruits.  This is just one example of many problems that can be traced back to a vitamin or mineral deficiency so it is important to also factor in the levels of vitamins and other nutrients in your storage foods or seeds of choice.

Section VI: Shelf Life Issues to Consider

CHAPTER 30 - SHELF LIFE BASICS

When deciding which foods you are going to store in case of an emergency shortage of food, the shelf life of your food choices if one of the most important details if not the most important.  The term “shelf life” refers to how long foods can be stored before they spoil or lose nutritional value. 

Unrefined food basics such as flour, rice, grains, beans, etc. can often remain viable indefinitely – especially if they are stored with the proper methods and kept in an area that is cool, dark, and as airtight as possible. 

Optimal temperature for food storage is 70 degrees or below, and the less humidity in the storage area the better.  It is suggested that food be stored with less than 10% moisture content in the air if possible.

CHAPTER 31 - TIME PERIODS FOR SHELF LIFE

There are two main types of food storage time periods you need to take into account, and both are important for successful and adequate food storage. 

The first trait in food storage needs to comply with long or indefinite shelf life foods.  These are the foods that you may not necessarily use in day-to-day life but are the easiest to store in case needed for long-term survival. 

The shelf life for these foods should be at least several years with as many food items as possible being able to last indefinitely. 

This always requires proper storage techniques be employed which we will discuss later, but you want a good supply of highly nutritious food sources that you can in essence “fix-and-forget” for the most part knowing you are at least somewhat prepared to provide food for your family regardless of what crisis the future may hold.

The other side of the food storage coin involves food items that carry shorter shelf lives and need to be regularly monitored and rotated. 

These foods will be those that are already a regular part of your family’s food intake but hold at least some amount of shelf life viability and can easily be rotated in your family’s regular diet.  This will ensure that at least some amount of your pantry and food storage system will always be at their freshest whenever disaster hits. 

If you have a portion of your food storage dedicated to the foods your family already eats or will learn to eat willingly, it will also cut down on some of the fear and chaos that will inevitably arise during a crisis situation by being able to serve you family food that is both familiar and comforting in the beginning stages of an emergency survival situation.

CHAPTER 32 - LABELING & MONITORING

No matter what food your store and how long you plan on storing it, you should always take care to label with the date and inventory everything that is a part of your food storage if it isn’t regularly and automatically consumed by normal daily nutritional habits. 

Not only is this important in order to simply keep track of your storage food, it also helps to rotate your pantry items making sure the oldest items are always consumed first which helps eliminate wasting food and thereby money. 

One of the easiest and most efficient ways to keep up with your food storage easily while making sure you have the appropriate amounts of food stored to care for all of your household in an emergency is by keeping a spread sheet of inventory that you check monthly or every other month at the same time you are inspecting the area where your food is stored in order to look for signs of rodent destruction or other details that might be ruin your food if not noticed in a timely fashion.

CHAPTER 33 - MOST COMMON CHOICES FOR FOOD STORAGE & THEIR SHELF LIVES

Some foods that work well for storing are beneficial for just about anyone who might encounter the need to survive a crisis that involves food shortages whether long-term or short-term.  At the very least, the following information will give you a place to start in determining what your own food storage should be and can be a guideline for doing so.  These lists are based mainly on shelf life and are a good way to break up the project of food storage into more manageable and less overwhelming tasks of planning. 

              Keep in mind that some of the stated shelf lives depend on the method of storage used such as canned, dried, dehydrated, in mylar pouches, etc.  While these lists are a great place to start, they are in no-way considered comprehensive and will depend on the temperature stored at along with other specific methods of storage unique to the item being stored in order to reach their full shelf life potential.  Most, if not all, food items can have a much longer shelf life when vacuumed packed and/or stored with oxygen absorption packets.

 6 Month or Less Shelf Life |  1-2 Years of Shelf Life |  3-10 Years or Indefinite
 Rice or Whole Wheat Flour |  Condensed Soup (canned) |  Canned Fruits & Vegetables
Crackers (in metal) |  Yeast |  Dried Beans
 Cereal (for cooking, i.e. oatmeal, Quinoa) |  Ready-To-Eat Cereals |  Dried Corn
Dried Fruit (in metal) |  Peanut Butter |  Salt
Powdered Milk (in box) |  Jelly |  Coffee
 Hard Cheeses (wrapped in wax and refrigerated) |  Baby Food (jar) |  White Sugar
 Chocolate syrup |  Cooking Oils |  Bouillon cubes & granules
Mustard |  Hard Candy |  Dehydrated Cheeses
Pickled Foods |  Chocolate |  Honey
Olives |  Vanilla Extract |  Cocoa Powder
 Some fresh fruits and veggies if in cool cellar |  Spaghetti Sauce |  Whole Grains
Brown Rice |  Solid Shortening |  White Rice
 Nuts (vacuum sealed) |  Hot Sauce, Salad Dressings, Salsa |  Canned Chili
Dried Potatoes |  Instant Rice |  Canned Tuna
 Pasta & Rice Mixes (Pre-packaged & sealed) |  Popcorn, whole kernels |  Biscuit & Bread Mixes
 Ground Spices |  Pasta |  Pudding Mixes (canned)
 Brown Sugar |  Condensed or Evaporated Milk |  Soybeans
 Bacon Bits (meat substitute) |  Vienna Sausage |  Powdered Shortening
 Dehydrated Vegetable Flakes |  Gelatin |  Granola
 Mayonnaise |  Grain, barley & buckwheat |  Vinegar

CHAPTER 34 - METHODS OF STORAGE

There are several ways to store food for long periods of time that are proven effective and can be slightly modified enough to fit just about any storage needs in terms of temperature, environment, food safety, cost, etc.  In order to choose what methods will work best for you, consider the following in order to make educated choices for your food storage system. 

You also might consider using several different methods of food storage just in case one method fails for any reason. 

That way all is not lost and you will still have the food you stored using different methods than the one that failed or was destroyed unexpectedly.

CHAPTER 35 - CONTAINERS & LIDS

Any containers you use for storage of food items need to be those that are labeled as food-grade.  This eliminates many of the risk the foods within those containers being contaminated with toxins as the plastic degrades and releases chemicals for the food to absorb. 

One way to determine if your plastic containers are food grade is to look at the bottom of the container.  Most food grade containers will have “#2” or “HDPE” (which translates to high-density polyethylene) stamped on the bottom of the container. 

Make sure you wash with soap, rinse, and dry completely before placing food inside.  5-gallon capacity food grade containers are usually best when storing large amounts of food and also for storage of foods purchased in bulk. 

The lids for these containers are also very important as they need to seal tightly in order to be airtight, watertight, and spill-resistant – ideally, lids for these containers will have gaskets in order to get a tight seal.

CHAPTER 36 - LINERS & BAGS

If you want to store food in containers not considered to be food grade such as regular plastics, metal barrels, etc., use of a liner will help protect your food from undesirable elements. 

Mylar bags are most often used as liners and can also be used as stand-alone containers for food but require more careful protection from puncture then do plastic or metal containers. 

Some people use Mylar bag liners even with food-grade containers in order to provide multiple layers of protection for the foods within and also because there is debate and disagreement over whether any plastic, food grade or not, is safe from releasing toxins that the food then absorbs so Mylar liners help solve that confusion if desired. 

Mylar bags are thick and resistant to tearing and if cared for correctly in the right temperatures and away from rodent access, foods contained in Mylar can last 20 years and even longer sometimes.

CHAPTER 37 - SEALING METHODS & ADDITIVES

Nitrogen pack is considered to be the gold-star method of food storage allowing for the longest shelf lives, but it is a little more expensive, time consuming, and laborious process that many people would rather not use if not completely necessary. 

Instead, oxygen packets and/or desiccant packets can be almost as good as nitrogen sealing. 

Oxygen packets will absorb the oxygen in a container that significantly slows the growth of bacteria and mold within that requires oxygen for growth. 

These packets begin to work as soon as you remove them from their original packaging so it is wise to work quickly when sealing food containers in order to allow the oxygen packets to work as well as they are designed to. 

These are purchased in different sizes and are used in different-sized containers accordingly.  Rough rule of thumb is to use 2,000 cc’s of oxygen absorption packets for each 5-gallon container. 

While these packets are not edible, they are non-toxic and will not change the taste or smell of the food they are protecting.

Desiccant packets are used to regulate the moisture content of sealed containers, but they do not absorb the moisture completely. 

They are especially important for use when storing food in humid environments as those areas require additional sealing aspects for food safety that drier climates do not often need. 

While desiccant packets are inedible just as the oxygen absorption packets, unlike the oxygen ones, desiccant packages are extremely toxic and if they break and the materials within come in contact with any of the food in the container, the entire container of food should be thrown out as contaminated. 

Some items you store in bulk such as salt, flour, or sugar should not be stored with desiccant packets as they need more moisture in the container than is present if a desiccant is used. 

When you try to use the packets in those items and similar, they will turn into a hard brick that is virtually unsalvageable and unusable.

One of the ways scientific advancement has improved methods of food storage is with the discovery of the benefits of food-grade diatomaceous earth. 

It is composed of fossilized remnants of diatoms and looks similar to white flour.  It is organic and safe for human consumption and will prevent bug infestations when included in the food storage containers. 

It is suggested that 1 cup of diatomaceous earth be added for each 25 pounds of food for the best results.

CHAPTER 38 - SALVAGEABLE FOOD STORAGE

If you think some of your food is destroyed and needs to be thrown out as contaminated and not fit to eat, consider if there are any interventions you can apply that will salvage the food making it fit for consumption once again. 

The insects known as weevils have been of the worst food destroyers known that plagued many of our ancestors.  But science has discovered a way to salvage food thought to be inedible because of weevil invasion. 

All it takes is the availability and means for freezing the food containing weevils.  When the weevils are frozen and killed, they can then be sifted out of the food item easily returning the food status to edible. 

You might just want to keep this process under wraps if you have picky eaters in your group – in can disgust some of those with weaker stomachs who would then have a hard time eating the food after the weevils are removed if they know there were weevils there in the first place. 

Starving or not, some have more intense struggles for “mind over matter” than the average person does.

Another good piece of food salvage knowledge that many are already aware of is the fact that food containing unsafe levels of bacteria can eliminate the bacteria contamination through a boiling process. 

While it is a commonly know method of purifying water in order to make it safe enough to drink, the method can be used for other food items that are able to tolerate being boiled while still retaining their nutritional properties.

CONCLUSION

TO STORE OR NOT TO STORE – WHAT IS YOUR DECISION?

There is always more information to discover and consider in terms of the need for and accomplishment of food storage for survival use in crises involving food shortages and access.  The information contained in this article should serve as a traffic sign of sorts directing you into considering the factors of food storage that are important for you and your family personally in whatever climate and environment you live in.  There may be great debates and arguments about when or even if we will see the need for food storage to provide survival means in this generation, few can legitimately argue with the principle of “better safe than sorry” – especially when considering both our own fragile economy as well as the ever-increasing threats looming from foreign countries.  You can avoid survival extremist characteristics and labels by controlling your own panic, fear, and paranoia while using common sense to set your mind at ease that you are prepared for whatever crises the future may hold.  So grab a pen and a notebook, and use this report to create your own personally significant food storage system and begin to prepare today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bryant Jones born in rural east Texas is a father of four, avid outdoorsman and the founder and facilitator of http://PracticalSurvivalist.com where he dispenses practical prepper information and sound advice.  Please visit the website to get more information on food storage, survival kits and basic preparedness.

© 2012 Beachedfish Venture and Bryant Jones

All Rights Reserved.   No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Disclaimer and Terms of Use: The Author and Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this book, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, the Author and Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slights of specific persons, peoples, or organizations are unintentional. In practical advice books, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made.  This book is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.

First Printing, 2012

Printed in the United States of America

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