How Much Food???

[site59]

Question for the board, How long are you setting up for your food supplys to last.
Six month, Six weeks, 1year or forever???

my food plan has always felt right, at planning for one year for two people
Plan: 3 months cans food in the house and others items.
3 months worth of emergency rations" mre's/sea rations".
would mix the use of the above two items.

And a focus on reneuable foods. Seeds used as sprotes and also grow for the full vegie and a lot of wheat seeds for bread would be one way to do this. Assuming we have sun light.

[MiamiARFan]

Great question.

Each person preps to whatever level of SHTF that they expect. I'm working my way up to continously improve my stores for a long term strategy.

I started with 3 days of food and water per the .gov's recommendation. Experience taught me to prepare for longer term interruptions.

Currently, I have about 2 months of canned food and MRE's. I have recently been considering a more long term strategy employing MH #10 cans for extended provisioning.

Given that I am in an urban area, my agricultural options are rather limited by space constraints. I have begun stockpiling non-hybrid seeds as well. These will be used in my existing garden to supplement my stores and later, when I get sufficient bug out land to grow enough for long term sustainability. I can't get much hunting done in the burbs (except for some tree rats) so hunting isn't really an option here, but I plan on getting sufficient acerage in a rural setting which will hopefully allow me to supplement my stores with some animal husbandry and hunting wild game.

I have seen some pics on other sites of peoples preps that look like they would last for years. I don't currently have either the space or resources to do this, but it's always good to have goals.

I also have to prep for 7. 5 who live under my roof and 2 additional family members who do not prep that I will nonetheless take care of as well.

[chicom]

About a year give or take depending on the amount of nubile vixens I collect. That is not counting all the game I "plan" on taking. For that, I have acquired enogh hunting ammo to shoot big game once a week for the rest of my life, if they last.

I'm still not eating people. I'm not hip with soylent green.

[Warp]

Question for the board, How long are you setting up for your food supplys to last.
Six month, Six weeks, 1year or forever???

my food plan has always felt right, at planning for one year for two people
Plan: 3 months cans food in the house and others items.
3 months worth of emergency rations" mre's/sea rations".
would mix the use of the above two items.

And a focus on reneuable foods. Seeds used as sprotes and also grow for the full vegie and a lot of wheat seeds for bread would be one way to do this. Assuming we have sun light.

http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/PDF/PFSFAQ4-0.pdf

The easiest way to get a lot of food that stores easily and is inexpensive seems to be white rice and beans. I'll go with pinto beans, and a small/cheap grinder to have refried beans of sorts.

Sams Club has 50 pound bags of long grain white rice for $15. Each bag has 80,000 calories. Pinto beans are not much more expensive. Rice + beans = complete protein. They store for about two years in good conditions just the way they come. They store for many, many years if you get food grade buckets (often 5 gallons in size), mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. Put the bag in the bucket, rice/beans into the bag with oxy absorbers and seal.

MREs are nice because they last 6 years at 80*F, and even longer if kept cooler and are readily portable. Not only that, but the 'official' expiration date is based purely on taste...the majority of hte food will be perfectly safe and reasonably nutritions to eat for some time to follow. Figure a decade, EASY, if stored where it is climate controlled. Can pick up cases on ebay that are 1-2 years old for $50/each. They also require ZERO prep, not even the addition of water. You can even eat the entree warm/hot with nothing but water to activate the heater.

Mountain house only requires that water be added, but to get the best possible dining experience you want to add warm/hot water. Mountain House is expensive for the calorie content. The base should be white rice, beans, possibly wheat (little more involved), etc...and you add Mountain House to that in order to have something that actually tastes exciting and good. A lot of the #10 cans of Mountain House only have a little over 2,000 calories in the entire can. I have some coming as part of a warrifles group buy in the next month or so....to fight appetite fatigue.

-----------
Now to actually answer the question you asked:

Currently between white rice, MREs, Mountain House #10 cans (on order) and honey I have enough calories for the two of us for 90 days. Normal food out of the kitchen will add to that, but I don't keep track of how long that stuff will last (pasta, canned foods, etc). I am moving shortly and will add more white rice plus some pinto beans at that time...hopefully enough to hit 6 months.

The primary issue at that point becomes water and a way to cook the beans/rice in case there is no running water or electricity for an exended period of time.

It's tough being in an apartment.

I will have 5-6 weeks worth of wate and would have to collect/purify after that period of time.

[yugoshooter]

I read the Egyptians stored food in clay pots put a cloth over the food in the pot and then filled the rest with what is called Diatomaceous earth. Its the stuff they use in big pool filters to help take out the oils and stuff like that. Its earth from the bottom of the ocean and its allmost a real fine powder( Dont breath it. It will cut your lungs) They did it to keep bugs out. When I bug gets in it it cut them up because even though it is a powder it is very sharp and the bugs die. They found grains that were 2000 years old and you could still eat it :shock: :freedom: http://www.reference.com/search?q=Diatomaceous%20earth

[karlsgunbunker]

Ultimate goal is 1 year.
You may not agree with the Mormons but they are way ahead of the curve on preparedness.
Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) web sites have lots of info and recipies.

[Ciggy322]

Ultimate goal is 1 year.
You may not agree with the Mormons but they are way ahead of the curve on preparedness.
Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) web sites have lots of info and recipies.

"Gee the year's supply of wheat ran out, what now?"

If it's a "supply", it won't sustain you for long periods, and most importantly will NOT be MOBILE, so the thought has to be toward the means of sustainable supply, and resupply. That means fishing kits instead of fish. Water filtration units instead of water. Hunting weapons and tools instead of meat. Plant identification guides instead of canned vegetables. Your kit is light, you're mobile, and your basic needs can be met indefinitely, and you're more likely to survive.

[karlsgunbunker]

Ultimate goal is 1 year.
You may not agree with the Mormons but they are way ahead of the curve on preparedness.
Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) web sites have lots of info and recipies.

"Gee the year's supply of wheat ran out, what now?"

If it's a "supply", it won't sustain you for long periods, and most importantly will NOT be MOBILE, so the thought has to be toward the means of sustainable supply, and resupply. That means fishing kits instead of fish. Water filtration units instead of water. Hunting weapons and tools instead of meat. Plant identification guides instead of canned vegetables. Your kit is light, you're mobile, and your basic needs can be met indefinitely, and you're more likely to survive.

While you are fishing or hunting and gathering and probably starving.
The rest of us will be living on our storage and waiting for our gardens to produce.
Storage is not a total solution a years supply will see you through a winter and spring planting/harvest. You can always supliment with hunting/fishing. Gardening is a much more efficient way to feed people.

[Warp]

Ultimate goal is 1 year.
You may not agree with the Mormons but they are way ahead of the curve on preparedness.
Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) web sites have lots of info and recipies.

"Gee the year's supply of wheat ran out, what now?"

If it's a "supply", it won't sustain you for long periods, and most importantly will NOT be MOBILE, so the thought has to be toward the means of sustainable supply, and resupply. That means fishing kits instead of fish. Water filtration units instead of water. Hunting weapons and tools instead of meat. Plant identification guides instead of canned vegetables. Your kit is light, you're mobile, and your basic needs can be met indefinitely, and you're more likely to survive.

I don't see how a person with nothing but what s/he can carry on their back is going to survive longer than the person who stays put with all of their supplies...not to mention their shelter.

Do you really think you can live "indefinately" with nothing but what you can carry? VERY, VERY few people could even come close.

Unless you really live out in BFE don't count on hunting. Everybody and their brother that has a gun and any inclination at all will be out shooting anything and everything they see as potential food.

This isn't about having a mobile kit. Not many people actually want to go anywhere. Why leave your shelter and all of your 'stuff'? "Buggin In" is the number one plan for almost everybody. "Bugging Out" is usually a last ditch resort when nothing else will work. Yes, you should have a BOB (bug out bag) that you can carry on your back and have items that you can quickly put into a vehicle and take with you that way...but don't bug out unless you HAVE TO.

Food for one year might be more than anybody ever ends up needing. Not everybody is preparing for the end of the world. "SHTF" might only last a week, or two weeks, or even if drags out to six months or more in the vast majority of possible scenarios it won't drag on indefinately.

Now, if you want to truly be prepared for the end of the world then you will need renewable food...or a HELL of a lot in storage...but being fully prepared for TEOTWAWKI is a lofty goal few can achieve.

[chicom]

I think a combination of both is the best path. You should have a store of food to get you started and with which you can augment from hunting/fishing/snaring.

You need to have the skills necessary to procure game and gather wild edibles. Also to know how to read sign is paramount.

Now I live in BFE and game is not always seen. Some days you will not see anything and some days they are everywhere you look.My luck usually runs like if I don't have my rifle, everything with antlers pops out and sticks it's tounge out at me and when I do, crickets.

I also see ciggy's point which is don't be chained to your gear and don't let it be an anchor. I lived in the forest around Mt Rainer for two months and subsited on one pkg of poptarts a day and supplimented that on hares I either snared or shot. It was the middle of winter and all the game migrated to the lower elevations. I stayed up at the 6500-7000ft level. Now I did walk out of those woods a bit skinnier than I went in, but the body adjusts to caloric intake and it takes a long time to starve.

Just plan for all contigencies and aquire as many skills as you can and do not be rigid in those plans.

[Warp]

You need to have the skills necessary to procure game and gather wild edibles. Also to know how to read sign is paramount.

Living in BFE Idaho is a lot different than the majority of Americans when it comes to thigs like this.

The majority of US citizens cannot rely on game to provide much at all.

Good skills to have for sure, but for most people they won't do a whole lot of good.

[gwhunter]

The real question that has not been addressed here is not only how much food to put up but what kind?

Rice and beans are indeed good to have and last a good while, problem is that if you have to continually eat the same food over and over eventually your body will refuse to eat it, think I am kidding? well look it up, there is a name for this but it escapes me at the moment(its hell getting old).

I have a combination of MRE's, rice, beans, Mountain House foods (both in cans and packages), canned meats and cheese and butter (from the internet grocer, a great company by the way) and yeas the butter is canned and is delicious.

I also have a large supply of MRE crackers and wheat snak bread (purchased of e-bay) along with lots of MRE jelly and penut butter.

I suppliment that with several bottles of cooking oil (for caloric and fat intake) that I rotate yearly and a very large stock of water flavoring (tea, coffee, gatorade powder, cocoa, cider ets) because water can be nasty tasting when purified through a filter or by boiling depending on its source.

What I am trying to sy is that it is as important that you have a variety of foods as it is that you have a large supply of foods in your larder.

A little at a time, I stocked up by spending 30 dollars a month for a year and more when I could afford it. The price of one firearm can add a huge voulume and selection of food to your pantry.

Good luck, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

[happyhunter42]

Does anyone here store lintels and barley along with rice and beans and wheat flour? What about pastas. How much salt and pepper and sugar does everyone have. If your food doesn't taste right it won't be long before you don't want to eat it. I keep about 20 pounds of each of the food staples,along with canned fruits and veggies, and about 5 pounds of the seasonings in the house at all times. Ever thing is kept in 1 pound plastic containers that are labled with contents and date of packing. With my budget I can afford the packaged survival foods that are on the market.

[Centuryhouse]

I think currently I have enough food stored to last a few months, and water as well.

I've got about 100 lbs of rice, maybe 6 large boxes of canned goods, some bottled stuff - other than the rice everything can be ready to eat without water or heating.

I don't have any seeds, or any land on which to start a garden - nor any hunting land as we are in the outside suburbs on the fringes of a major city. I do have some fishing gear (VERY minimal) and plenty of guns/ammo for hunting - though in truth, fishing/hunting resources would be likely dried up by hordes of hungry refugees in the event of a major & long term disaster.

We now have two small children (on is an infant) which has thrown a curve into my food & supply planning. I've just realized that all of this adult food doesn't do the youngest much good. Mommy can feed him breast milk for a while but...I need to do more planning for supplemental food as well as diapers & medicines for an infant.

[karlsgunbunker]

I think currently I have enough food stored to last a few months, and water as well.

I've got about 100 lbs of rice, maybe 6 large boxes of canned goods, some bottled stuff - other than the rice everything can be ready to eat without water or heating.

I don't have any seeds, or any land on which to start a garden - nor any hunting land as we are in the outside suburbs on the fringes of a major city. I do have some fishing gear (VERY minimal) and plenty of guns/ammo for hunting - though in truth, fishing/hunting resources would be likely dried up by hordes of hungry refugees in the event of a major & long term disaster.

We now have two small children (on is an infant) which has thrown a curve into my food & supply planning. I've just realized that all of this adult food doesn't do the youngest much good. Mommy can feed him breast milk for a while but...I need to do more planning for supplemental food as well as diapers & medicines for an infant.

Children do complicate things!!!!

My boys are 14 and 11 (twins) and getting very useful to have around now.
3 more preparedness nuts in the making.
" mommy why does daddy have 20 cases of the same ammo?
Cause he's running low on that caliber." lol

[slots]

Hi everyone

I've been lurking around a while and have enjoyed reading many of the posts - not too many Rambos and idiots around here - just level headed realists :)

Anyway, this post caught my attention and I thought it might be a good idea to ask a few questions and maybe give a few opinions.

I read a lot of comments like "I have 3 months supply of food" or possibly 6 or 12, either way they are very vague amounts.

What I mean is are these amounts based on breakfast lunch and dinner everyday after the SHTF? My first thought would be to ration what I have so a months worth of food would turn into 2 months. Yet I never hear anyone mention this or even how they come to thier figures.

On a historical note, I heard the average Cubans calorie intake dropped by 1000Kj after all the various embargos were imposed - probably to a healther level - and they have maintained that lower level without any help from the outside world. No political point here, just an observation on how a society can re-adjust after a major upheaval.

I base my figures, roughly 6 months worth of food, on one large meal and a smaller snack a day. I figure thats the best I can do for the space I have. The trouble is, I don't think there is anyway I could store more than a months worth of many foods - butter is an example, especially if I'm going to have to rely on reduced power consumption - say goodbye to Mr freezer and all the benefits it brings. It also rules out the breakfast I enjoy now. So I have had to limit myself to beans rice pasta and cans of meat, sprouting and Jerky. I haven't manged to finish an MRE yet without gagging..

I also live in an apartment in a smallish city and have been struggling with space issues. In order to suppliment my supplies I grow a lot of potted veggies indoors. It works well, and I figure will put off using the canned goods till I really need them through the winter season. (I even managed to grow around 3 months worth of chillies this year, and I'm well north of the equator:) Tomatoes I figure would be the most useful for stews etc.

Btw has anyone ever grown pinto beans? Is it hard?

There are a few good books on this, with advice on pot size and the variety of vegetable to use. I have linked one below which I would recommend - Kitchen Harvest by Susan Berry.

http://tinyurl.com/2a6q2j

Sorry if I have rambled on a bit, and prehaps a bit off topic as well, but it would be interesting to know how much folk think they are going to be eating and how they will eek out what they have.

[ak474u]

"What I mean is are these amounts based on breakfast lunch and dinner everyday after the SHTF? My first thought would be to ration what I have so a months worth of food would turn into 2 months. Yet I never hear anyone mention this or even how they come to thier figures."


Here's what I think...

I think it all depends on the kind of eating habits you currently have when it comes to how much to store. I for instance, forget to eat breakfast lots of days, I frequently end up getting interrupted by customers when trying to eat lunch and usually try to eat a good dinner when I get home at 8PM every night. So depending on what tasks I might have to complete in a day during a shtf situation I think I'd eat different. i.e. If I was out digging a ditch, or planting crops, I'd be hungry due to more energy exertion. If I sat in a tree stand or a blind all day waiting for a deer to walk by or on sentry duty, I might not be as hungry. I've stuck to canned, and dry high protein, high carb stuff up to now, I figure I can eat a can of pork and beans for dinner and call it a meal... but I would plan for AT LEAST 1 good meal a day, maybe granola or energy bar type stuff at breakfast maybe supplemented with homegrown fresh food like fruit so you can get up and out of camp, or out to do your daily chores. I'd try to get some protein/fat at lunch, maybe a canned meat? add instant soup? At dinner... I'd try to get full with a balanced meal.

I think I could conserve and make my few months food go a long way, barring illness/injury, inability to re-stock, or theft of supplies before I get home.



My food storage is lacking in the BO on foot dept. I've got enough crap in the pantry that I could load up for a few days, but when I was starting to prep I figured if I had a choice to carry ammo or food... I'd carry ammo. I always thought "If I have ammo I can GET food" but I changed my mind because in the small town I work in outside my big city home, there's not a grocery store in town, it's 9 miles away in a town of about 45,000 residents. In the time it takes to get there, wally world is gonna be picked over and I'm gonna end up eating cranberry sauce with pickle relish covered in boysenberry jam and I might have to FIGHT for that. My homegrown MRE's are in the works.

I am going to post a "how I did it" list when I get done.

[happach]

Oats
honey
red winter wheat 50# bags--health store can order for you.
Rice --instant version. doesn't need as much water and cooking time is almost nothing.
beans--all kinds
salt
sugar
pepper
garlic
chili powder
can goods
water
bleach
dehydrator--meat, fruit,vegies. put in freezer bags and store
But think of all the relatives in a 200 mile area of you and your so called friends. 75% of that list will try to come see you. check out the link "When The Hell Break"s. Gives out good info on what might happen.

Now I will get off the soap box. Have a great week end

[karlsgunbunker]

Slots,

Pintos are easy to grow just plant, weed, and pick. They make the best green beans you've ever eaten.
Pick them green every day and then stop picking and let the last of the season dry on the vine.
You have to snap and string them but it's well worth it.

Storage space is where you find it.
Cases of food make an excellent platform for your bed (ammo works well too) just pile up the cases and put the matress/boxsprings on top.

Canned food coffee tables and end tables work also, just put a piece of plywood on top and cover with cloth.
The hardest thing to store is water.

You are right this is a good level headed bunch (some of us are crazy but we hide it well).

Welcome to the boards.

[Christian for Israel]

actually, water barrels and plywood make a great bar or work bench. ask me how i know. :lol:

[yugoshooter]

(some of us are crazy but we hide it well).

Welcome to the boards.Crazy! Not me
:roll: OK maybe just a little. :P :lol:
Once a week I go without food for two to three days so my body is getting use to a drop of intake. I just drink more water and tea on those days.

[happach]

:scratch:

For the last six years I have tried to raise fish in my stock tank. But the old drought keeps drying up the fishing hole. Currently I have dozens of Bluegill Perch. Easy to grow and catch. I am needing a rain, may go dry again. If so . that will be the last time I try to have a fish program. I could use the water well to add water. But do not want to use my water for that. I am currently making plans for a few cows. Have 9 acres to to see if that will pan out. I have the tools to do my own processing. I had to fence my garden area due to the Deer population eating everything in site. Fruit tress do not last. Deer destroy them also. Every place you go will have problems to face. Urban has theirs I have mine in a rural area. But getting year round food supply is most important.

[Gunfixr]

Welcome to the forum, Slots, sounds like you're on track. When I figured it out, I was figuring on two meals a day, sometimes three. They would, however, be rather light meals. Storage is the hard part. We live in a house, but it's not a large one, and food stores are kind of stacked all over the place in the dining room, where we hardly ever dine.