Your "disaster food strategy"?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by ssww

....... I generally don't eat canned food for health reasons save sardines sometimes, so "rotaing" would force me to eat them every once in a while if there is no disaster (which is usually the case).

I recommend that you keep what you do eat... unless you only eat McBurger or take out pizza, neither of which store very well. Although you can keep some frozen pizza and frozen burger and buns on hand. That would keep you going for a few days in a pinch.

If you don't eat canned food, store something else. You must eat something. Store whatever it is that you do eat.

I don't eat much canned food, either, so all I have in cans is Costco albacore for tuna sandwiches, assorted types of canned beans for when I want to do a quick recipe instead of an all day crock pot, and canned pineapple because my family loves pineapple upside down cake. Oh yes, and canned tomato sauce so I can make spaghetti.

My frozen and dried foods are all marked with the purchase date. I buy oatmeal for granola, rice, oat bran for muffins in 25 pound bags, because my family eats those and will go through a 25 pound bag before it goes bad. If you don't eat oatmeal, OP, then don't buy and store oatmeal.

Just put in more of what you do eat and eat the oldest first so stuff doesn't get stale. It's really not complicated.

[jlawrence01]

My strategy was to move away from all the snow and ice ...

I have never seen any snow disaster where the roads were not sufficiently cleaned up in 3-4 days. I think that I could pretty easily make it without fresh food for a week or so.

[Ginge McFantaPants]

I'm glad I stocked up last weekend: all of the local stores are still out of milk and eggs. We've got another storm coming Sunday, too.

[Woof]

Originally Posted by ssww

The problem (for me) with stocking canned food and "rotating" before the expiration date is that I generally don't eat canned food for health reasons save sardines sometimes, so "rotaing" would force me to eat them every once in a while if there is no disaster (which is usually the case).

Well basically the only foods that store for a long time are canned or dried (such as grains, beans, and fruit), or the semi-perishable "root cellar" vegetables like potatoes, cabbages, carrots, winter squash etc.

Grains and beans are ok, but they require a lot of cooking fuel and sometimes lead to diabetes if eaten in large amounts. Ramen and Stove Top Stuffing don't need much cooking.

Canned foods are really good if chosen properly - they need little or no cooking and provide more flavor and variety than the other options. It's not going to harm you to live on them even for a year or more, and there are "healthy" versions of canned veggies and meals that have less sodium and fat, or no chemicals. There's some organic stuff.

Basically, the canned goods will last for decades, even if the flavor changes a bit after 10 years - that's harmless.

However most of the other stuff could be donated to food banks or soup kitchens, as long as they haven't been opened - most of it is cheap to replace if bought in bulk.

Stock up on multivitamin/mineral pills, because stored foods aren't likely to provide every necessary nutrient. You can get a year's supply of multi's from Walmart or Costco for less than $20.