Although this would seem to be a simple topic, it is really quite complex due to all of the variables, preferences, finances, time availability, and goals that are involved in the decision of what foods to stock up on. Because each of these variables are different for everyone I can only speak to what I have researched and have decided is my best approach given my goals, finances, etc.
First let me bring up a point that relates to food stocking, but is not actually food stocking, and that is food security. Food is very expensive under normal circumstances and will in fact actually become ?money? (barter) during hardship circumstances. Not only is food expensive, the components used in the storage of food stuffs are also expensive.
Due to above listed variables, there is a topic in the prepping community concerning those people who are military trained yet unable to stock up on food stores due to a lack of money or time. Many of these people will come right out and admit that they are going to be forced to survive by taking food resources from those who have stocked them. These people are referred to as wolves.
These individuals are a concern to peppers, but let me point out that most unprepared people will become ?wolves? during a hardship where food is limited. And just like in the wild with real wolves, they will have varying degrees of skills in hunting for sources of food and food acquisition. It is inevitable that most wolves will form together into packs.
Don?t limit your thinking that these packs will consist of several, or 50, or 100 members who rove the countryside looking for substance. Many small communities that are full of skilled yet unprepared people will also be what in essence are large wolf packs. Opportunistically taking by force any supplies that people passing through their ?territory? may have with them. Coming across one of these small towns (I suspect that they would be everywhere) will carry the risk that while they may want your supplies, being full of hungry people already, they may not necessarily want you.
It should also be noted that becoming part of a community has many advantages. But will most like involve buying your way into the community by giving the supplies that you?ve stocked to a centralized community storage bank for distribution among the community. The amount of distribution to each individual to be decided by someone other than yourself.
In a perfect prepper world, large groups of preppers would band together into communities with each individual supplying their own food stores. When hardship times occur, each person or family would already be in place at their survival location with a sustainable food production program in place. Unfortunately, the world is not a perfect prepper world. So food storage forethought and a plan has to be developed by people on an individual basis recognizing their personal abilities, limitations, and the factors that influence those limitations.
My thoughts have been to prepare for a worst case scenario. This would provide the ability to survive less than worse case scenarios should they occur. There are many worst case scenarios such as, a nuclear exchange polluting the entire planet, an asteroid strike, volcanism erupting affecting the planet worldwide, etc. But to me the highest probability worst case scenario would be an EMP attack. The economy collapsing would be terrible, but I do not see that threat as a worst case scenario. So as mentioned earlier, if we can prepare for a worst case, that particular misfortune would also be survivable.
My optimum plan would be to relocate to our sparsely populated BOL. But I also recognize that timing is everything, and that may not be possible. And we may be trapped and forced to survive in a less than optimal location.
In planning what would be needed in food supplies I look at setting goals while keeping in mind the advantages and disadvantages of each type of food stock. These include nutrition, cost, amount of food required for what period of time, space required for storage, weight, transportability, and barter. My plan revolves around having enough food supplies on hand to last until a sustainable food producing program can be put into place.
My food supply goal categories are:
1) Short term transportable ? BOB, go bag, etc. ?
2) Bulk storage basic ? Beans, rice, flour, grains, etc.
3) Bulk storage additional ? Meats, jerkies, juices, canned fruits, etc.
4) Wild animal food acquisition ? 22 lr bullets(rabbits, squirrel, possum, armadillo), medium caliber bullets (deer, hog, dog), snares, fishing line, casting nets
5) Recognition of local edible plants ? For instance, in Florida, palm tree hearts are edible. They can be cut up and boiled like potatoes or ground into a flour or dough like paste.
6) Seeds for sustainable garden ? Recognizing that enough seeds for two or three growing seasons will be required. The first and second seasons will likely be a learning experience.
With my goals defined, the next step is to prioritize how to meet those goals taking into consideration:
a) Current events, how soon do I personally feel that I would need to have the food in place?
b) How much food do I need to have stored?
c) Will the food be stored in one location or in multiple locations as insurance against theft or confiscation?
d) How much money do I have available to spend on a food storage program? Can I do a large purchase or will I have to budget for it.
As mentioned earlier, a long term food storage program has costs. Depending on what your plan consists of that cost can be quite expensive. There are several options.
1) Purchase from one of several companies that sell long term storage food. These are available in single serving MRE?s and in buckets. This is the fastest and most expensive approach. It is also in most instances the most transportable
2) Buy can goods. Research suggests that other than acidic foods, the actual shelf life of canned items is from 20 to 30 years. However weight and transportability are considerations. One benefit seldom mentioned is the many canned goods (vegetables, fruits, tuna) are a source of what could best be described as ?flavored? water.
3) Package long term storage foods in bulk yourself. This is the most cost efficient approach but requires more effort and time. It also has costs of equipment in addition to the price of the food to be stored. These costs vary depending on the storage method selected. Dehydrators, vacuum sealers and supplies, canning supplies, and buckets with mylar bags which require nitrogen packs, moisture elimination packs and air elimination packs all add to the cost.
Due to cost, quantity, time availability, and quality factors my approach is for a balance between the different options in reaching food storage goals.
For a bug out or go bag designed around 3 to 7 days I chose MRE?s. I also have some food items in light weight foil bags and some smaller can good items in the bag. ( And yes, a can opener.)
I am a big fan of can goods for simplicity and cost regardless of the transportability issue. It is also easy to pick up a few cans on sale to add to my storage stockpile while doing weekly grocery shopping.
For beans, rice, flour and the like I buy bulk packages and use a vacuum sealer to break them down into smaller amounts. I also do this with cheap boxes of mac and cheese for barter.
Now I?m in the process of moving to the bucket storage method with mylar bags. I?ve purchased food grade buckets and lids(#2 on the bottom) from Lowes for $2 each. The plan is to buy grains from feed stores to fill the buckets. This will also require the purchase of a hand powered grain grinder.
For edible plants in my area I?ve purchased books and done some research on the internet. That has enabled me to recognize and take note of local food sources that I hadn?t considered in the past.
I?m pretty well set on ammunition and calibers for local game. Although, it seems that I?ll have to replace my snares. I have fishing and netting gear.
To produce a sustainable food source I stocked up on heirloom seeds and gardening equipment. Almost to the point of overkill, but I think that any additional seed left over will be great for barter.
As I said in the beginning, everyone?s food storage plan will be a little different due to personal factors. The important thing is to have a plan of action and to start somewhere as soon as possible.
I?ll end this with a survival tip. In a crises situation, the parts from derelict cars will serve many functions from producing electricity to providing wiring. The shell exterior of unusable cars with the windows intact can also be used as a food dehydrator during peak growing season in sunny locations. You may find that information handy at some point in the future.
