Hi, everyone. Now that I"m getting the urge to stock up again, For y2k I bought spam and vienna sausage, and enough pinto beans to sink a ship. and I hate pinto beans, I fed most of it to the dogs and cats. I still have cans of beef stew, ugg!!I canned corn because I didn"t know if we would have elect. It went in the field for the rabbits, and my flour got bugs, and the corn meal. I have enough spagetti to last a life time, etc etc!!!!!!! to say the least I made a mess of the whole thing,and don"t want to repeat. And it sounds like we could have rolling black out this summer, not to good for frozen stuff. I saw in the store spam has put out a can turkey, has any one tried it? Is there any hope for me.God bless you all Irene

-- Irene Orsborn (tkorsborn@cs.com), June 03, 2001

Answers

First of all store only the things you will eat. There are a number of ways to determine what to stock up on.

I started by making up a week's worth of menus, then expanded that to a month. I bought everything I needed to make those recipes - now make sure that you don't have a lot of recipes that require perishable foods like sour cream, etc. Easy - you now have a month's worth of food that you will eat - just expand on it to the time frame you want to stock up for. Add to that staples like flour, sugar, salt, etc. Store those in plastic food grade buckets with sealing lids - preferably in mylar bags first with oxygen absorber packets.

Here is a url to a good site that is easy to understand http://millennium-ark.net/News_Files/Hollys.html

Good luck.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), June 03, 2001.

I got buckets from the bakery dept. of my local grocery store for a dollar. I used these to store dry goods-- unbleached flour, cornmeal, sugar, dry milk. I freeze them first, then put in bucket and add bay leaves and have had no problems. I am out of flour, but plan to restock as it goes on sale.

For storage, I only buy things we like but approach it a little differently because I assume we may not have perishables like fresh vegetables, cheese, etc.. for long in an extended emergency. I have an assortment of dried beans --especially pinto -- being in the SW, beans, cornbread and rice is a favorite. We also like pasta, so I store that -- along with tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, and canned vegetables and sometimes canned fruit. We would not necessarily eat as we normally do, but we would eat things we like, though it might be a bit monotonous.

I store some water --we are in the desert, no rain -- and basic cleaning and medical, paper plates, cups, etc.. My stock is low now on everything, but as I said in my post on this subject, I plan to restock. God Bless you in your efforts!

-- connie in nm (karrellewis@aol.com), June 03, 2001.

My Y2K consisted of cash, toilet paper, kitty litter, and dog food. Those were the things I couldn't stand to do without. Other than that I just made sure to have a months supply of canned food and water on hand, but I do that anyway. I hate to waste anything, but if the stuff you stored got eaten, it's not waste. Storing flour and grains is always a problem. Having enough on hand in any emergency is always a plus no matter what caused the problem. Good luck.

-- Linda Al-Sangar (alsangal@brentwood-tn.org), June 03, 2001.

Rabbits will not eat canned corn as a rule.

Some of the stuff I bought trying to stock up for Y2K and hoping that it would be a big fluff instead has now gone off to our local food pantry. They distribute it to people who have lost their jobs, old people who can't make ends meet, and families who have lost their homes in fires, etc. If you have stuff you don't want, give it to them and they will put it to good use.

Honeysuckle cans turkey meat...I bought some of it at Sam's Club for my stock pile, and it wasn't bad at all. I'm using it in salads, and it tastes kind of like crab meat salad! There are also cans of chicken breast and ham available, from Hormel. I don't eat chicken and not much ham, but the flavour is tolerable. Canning your own chicken would probably be much tastier, my grandmother canned them in big jars years ago in the fall for winter meat, but if you're not into that, buy one can (it is the size of a tuna can and usually sold in same section of grocery store) and try it.

Our WalMart also was selling small canned hams, about a pound, in their food section at a reasonable price last year. I bought some of those 'just in case', thinking that was a small enough size to use up among family members in a day without spoilage, Hormel brand again, plus some others I wasn't familiar with.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), June 03, 2001.

With the exception of the wheat berries, just about everything we stocked up on has been used. It doesn't go bad if it's stored correctly, so we have bean soup,chili or salad at least once a week. I had purchased cans (#10) of dried vegetables (peas, carrots, celery, potatoes), and they are terrific for a quick soup - they boil up in next to no time. When I make chili, I use 1/2 ground meat (venison, turkey, beef) and 1/2 beef or chicken flavored TVP. [TVP, fyi, is textured vegetable protein - not bad, actually] I make my own bread, and had stocked up on rolled 7-grain mix - makes an awesome multi-grain loaf!

The point of all this rambling is this: Buy what you can use on a daily basis. Then USE it! Get your body and your family's bodies adapted to it. If you don't eat a high fiber diet normally, and suddenly have a need for it, you'll be rather uncomfortable ...ahem, just trying to be discreet...

-- Judi (ddecaro@snet.net), June 03, 2001.

Living in So Cal we always have the threat of earthquakes looming over head, and now add blackouts too. Our stock up is a bit different living on a rather large ranch. We make sure our fuel tanks never get too low, the generators are always in working order, we have lots of fresh fruit (citrus) mostly year-round and the reservior filters are replaced regularly so we have clean drinking water.

As for food, like most others, keep what you like and will eat. No sense spending good money on stuff no one will eat. We usually have the basic dry goods, because most anything can be made out of them, plus canned goods, especially tuna. I have a wide variety of seasonings and spices on hand. And for treats my daughter likes pudding which is easy to make w/out electricity.

During the 1994 earthquake we were without power for 5 days and never skipped a beat. DH didn't much like cooking on the Weber in January, but we ate well. My daughter was in school and most other families were beside themselves because the resturants had lost power also, so no take-out. Learning to cook was not a concept.

-- jennifer (schwabauer@aol.com), June 03, 2001.

Hi Irene, what does canning corn because you may not have electricity mean? Do you eat Spam and Vienna Sausages in normal life? Now my sis's family loves Spam and I actually like a Vienna Sausage now and then but...how about Tuna instead? Sardines and other canned fish? You can can ;) any meat with the smallest amount of help, or buy the meat already canned. Spegetti noodles keep forever, are very simple to make also, then can sauce or buy it in cans or jars. Instead of the awful canned stew from the store, just can your meat in pints, and then mixed vegatables in quarts, put the two together and viole` stew. I also bought a case of seasoning mixes, things I use everyday like stew, chili, taco etc. Why buy canned beans you don't like? Buy pork and beans, or kidney beans, then add to your canned chunked meat and make chili. Top with cornbread, in the oven till the cornbread is made and you have a wonderful supper you don't have to fuss over. Country Beans, is truly the most wonderful cook book. You could make soup, stews, desserts, cassaroles, bread with pinto beans, and I would bet cooked correctly, especially their soups you would love them! Of all my Y2K purchases this book and my little hand washing machine have got to be up their as the most usefull. That and after buying plastic lids for my quart jars, finding out mayonaise lids fit!! :) For long term storage, 5 gallon buckets sealed are your best bets. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 03, 2001.

Pre Y2K when alot of us were concerned & stocking up just in case; the Pastor of my church approached me & asked if I would write something about being prepared for a crisis that he could include in our church bulletin for everyone to read. At the time I recommended a good daily routine that would be practiced everyday. I then addressed the necessities of life like heat, water, food, lighting, radio, ways of cooking food. I agree with the others that have already responded about only having foods that you regularily eat. For my husband & myself we decided on purchasing canned meats including fish, canned veggies & fruit, baked beans, soups etc. (we went with purchased stuff as we were unfamiliar with pressure canning & didn't want to endanger our lives). We also had sufficient baking supplies on hand but only stuff that we normally use. Lots of peanut butter, jam & jellies & cheese whiz. Also crackers & cookies. As I am on a gluten free diet I often make a very thin pancake that I use instead of bread & has the advantage of not needing an oven to cook it. Comfort food is very important, especially in stressful situations. Mine were pop (coke), marshmallows, chips, & gluten free pretzels. If you have children keep keep some kid type treats on hand such as gum & suckers etc. Keep in mind any special foods that you have to eat everyday for health reasons. Also remember foods for your pets. Hope this helps you. God bless you. p.s. if you need more specific info I will be glad to give it to you if I can.

-- Jan Sears (jcsears@magma.ca), June 03, 2001.

I agree with the post that suggested only storing what you eat. We stocked our larder with only food that we eat. Bought in bulk and vacuum sealed or canned. We put back vegtables, smoked hams, canned meats (even sausage) , canned and powdered milk and vacuum packed flour and cereals. A dehydrator and vacuum sealer are a must when stocking a larder.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), June 03, 2001.

My best idea was to look for meat on sale and can it. I found chicken leg quarters for 30 cents a pound, and skinned it and stuck into jars, bones and all. Can at 15 lb pressure for an hour, and you have some gooood eating. Ground pork is wonderful canned, too. It makes really good, fast casseroles, besides being wonderful on sandwiches. I found that the local grocery has ground meats marked down on Wednesday mornings.

Hubby looked for stuff like mayo, ketchup, dish detergent, and motor oil, that we would use regularly, and watched for good sales. He bought them by the case.

Worst ideas? finding really good deals on things that we never ate, and stocking up on it just because it was cheap. I still have enough tuna for years.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), June 03, 2001.

Lots of great ideas,and I really thank you all. Judi, where did you buy your dried veg, in the #10 can? Julie, I didn"t know rabbits didn"t like corn, oh well something crawed out of the woods and ate, Vicki, In y2k they kept telling us we may not have elect. because the power plants were computor control, so I canned all my veg. and the corn turned brown, after 120 min, at 10 pd"s pressure, and it just looked horrible,so I threw it out, also thanks for the web site, I forgot your name, And yes I did can chicken, and we did eat all that. I never canned pork, can you do it in chunks? also I do have canned stuff left and really beginning to wonder what the shelf life is on canned stuff from the store. Your right I really do need to give it to someone, we are 50 miles from the big city, I need to call the salvation army. thanks everyone.Irene

-- Irene Orsborn (tkorsborn@cs.com), June 03, 2001.

I've heard from someone that had a sailboat and was going to travel with it for a few months that he had varnished eggs.He said that it was done by others who spend months traveling the oceans.He said they can last 2 to 3 months longer than they would normally without refigeration.He said you paint on the varnish with a paint brush.Dried fruits and nuts are a good food to store.Magnify glass is a good tool for starting a fire.

-- SM Steve (a12goat@cs.com), June 03, 2001.

Irene: Just one bit of info I got from the canned food alliance, a woman who responded to my question to them about the shelf life of commercially canned foods, said "they should last 100 years, unless they have a puncture, etc." That is no doubt an exaggeration, but I've had veggies etc. that have been 4 or 5 years old and they are just fine. Probably lose a little of the vitamin content, tho. Jan

-- Jan in Co (Janice12@aol.com), June 04, 2001.

One of the biggest mistake the Y2K crowd make was following someones "LIST" of what they needed. If you dont use it now why would you want to use it in troubled times. If your stocking up, why dont stock up with what you use every day. What do you noramlly buy? If you want to stock up just double buy your grocerys each week and you have what you want, like and use. You do have to work out the perishable items, Milke bread and eggs, but that a lot less to worry about.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), June 04, 2001.

If you store food in 5 gallon buckets, like we have many of, the best thing to buy is Gamma seals. I love my Gamma seals! Especially if you are going to be using and rotating your stock these are a real time and energy saver. You only need one for each type of food you have stored. Then when the bucket is empty it''s very easy to pour another bucket into the bucket with the Gamma seal.

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), June 04, 2001.

If you want to know *how* to put up storage foods so they'll keep there isn't any better source than A.T. Hagan's Food Storage FAQ which you can find for free at his site

http://wwww.providenceco-op.com

He doesn't talk much about *what* to store though he does cover that in his book, but his FAQ will tell you all about how to dry pack foods and a lot of the ins and outs of food storage in general.

Store what you eat and eat what you store.

Rotate, rotate, rotate.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), June 04, 2001.

Two of the best things I learned from Y2k were getting the large round buckets (I think they're 7 gal.) with sealed lids. I also got some buckets from a bakery but I have a hard time getting the lids off. The round ones cost more but I can open & close them without help. The other thing was powdered cheddar cheese. It has no dyes in it & the kids like what we call homemade-boxed macaroni & cheese.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), June 09, 2001.

yes, you can can pork chunks. My family loves it. Makes *wonderful* meaty gravy for mashed potatoes!

I have heared that smearing eggs completely all over with K-Y Jelly will make them keep twice as long. Of course, temperature of storage matters a lot.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), June 09, 2001.

I use large metal cans, the kind that once held popcorn or potato chips. What is a gamma seal anyway?

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), June 09, 2001.