In the case of a crisis, people look to their resources to ensure they’ll make it through. The fact that some Texas grocery stores allowed for runs on certain items when it wasn’t necessary can be debated after the fact. For the most part, consumers have been able to focus on simply ensuring their family will survive, and not that they’ll require enough of any one item to last them a lifetime. That being said, the concept of creating a survival pantry has become a popular topic.
Similar to the development of a survival garden, a survival pantry consists of food which is strategically chosen and effectively stored with the goal of being both available and edible in the case of an emergency. For a quick tutorial, lewrockwell.com provides details for the beginner, and a refresher for those who have long put this chore aside but remember their parents and grandparents doing so.
Photo: envato elements
First and foremost, planning for appropriate amounts of water in the instance where your pump breaks down, you have no hydro, or the local water system isn’t accessible, is of the utmost priority. In addition, within their listing of the immediate foods one might consider for emergency storage in a survival pantry, they include such things as:
- 100 pounds of dried and canned fruits and vegetables
- 50 pounds of dried milk
- 50 pounds of canned or dried meats
- 25 pounds of honey
- 5 pounds of salt
- 25 pounds of oils (coconut and olive)
- 2 pounds of baking powder
They also advise that mineral supplements and vitamins should be considered, including added vitamin C.
Photo: envato elements
An additional resource identifies to first take stock of what you have on hand, and how you will be able to cook it. In the instance of power outages, what resources do you have? It also suggests determining proper sources of heat in the instance of emergency outages, checking on tools and supplies, and perhaps visiting what first aid measures you already have within the home in order to better prepare.
Although it may seem like a stretch that something long-term could take place whereby we’ll all need to be ready for periods of no access to food through the supermarket, planning for some time at home with limited resources isn’t such a bad thing. Remember to take care of your own health and mental wellbeing in such times. However, also have sustenance on hand, via a survival pantry, and a means to provide it properly to your family would be an additional burden you won’t need to worry about with some basic pre-planning.
