Discussion Board

FOOD STORAGE. "It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark."
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Dr. McDougall's March 2008 newsletter arriived in my email box today. His lead article contains a familiar subject to me, and something I and many of my extended family have tried to practice for about 35 years: Investment in short and long-term food storage.

In case there is further interest in "Food Storage" among any of the Board Members here, I'll share a little of my information, experience, sources, etc.

The newsletter is online today, HERE:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/mar/080300.htm

Lead Article: "Cutting Food Costs in These Times of Economic Downturn"
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http://www.providentliving.com PLEASE READ. THERE IS ALREADY A BEGINNING WHEAT SHORTAGE IN OUR COUNTRY. MANY RELATED LINKS TO CHECK OUT AT THIS SITE. (To me, many reasons 'cause the shortage, but I can wait to investigate and debate those AFTER I fill my larder! )
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PROVIDENT LIVING. ORG AND PROVIDENT LIVING . COM ARE NOT THE SAME WEBSITES.
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http://www.providentliving.org/ --Basic Intro/Home Page/ Links to explore (look for "Family Home Storage" link).

Including:
PURCHASE CASES OF WHEAT, WHITE RICE, BEANS, AND OATS prepared for long-term storage ONLINE.

SEE INFO. AT THIS WEBSITE ABOUT BRIGHAM YOUNG U. STUDIES ON LONG TERM (30 YEAR) STORAGE OF
Wheat 30+ yrs.
White rice 30+
Pinto beans 30
Apple slices 30
Macaroni 30
Rolled oats 30
Potato flakes 30
(WHITE RICE WILL STORE UP TO 30 YEARS. BROWN RICE STORES SAFELY FOR SHORTER TIME BECAUSE OF THE "live" WHEAT GERM, ETC.)
PROPERLY PREPARED, THESE FOODS CAN STORE, AND SUSTAIN LIFE, FOR UP TO 30 YEARS.

New Findings for Longer-Term Food Storage
New scientific studies find that longer-term food storage items properly stored remain nutritious and edible much longer than previously thought. LINKs for more information:
http://www.providentliving.org/channel/ ... -1,00.html

http://www.providentliving.org/content/ ... -1,00.html

http://www.providentliving.org/content/ ... -1,00.html
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http://providentliving.org/content/list ... -1,00.html HOW TO BEGIN: THREE MONTH SUPPLY (SHORT TERM, ROTATING STORAGE)

http://providentliving.org/content/list ... -1,00.html LONGER TERM YEAR'S SUPPLY

http://providentliving.org/content/list ... -1,00.html STORING WATER

--THERE ARE MANY LINKS AND PAGES TO EXPLORE AT THE WEBSITE--
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FOOD STORAGE CALCULATOR (link provided also in the newsletter):
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm
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These are some of the websites or companies with which I have had personal experience that seem trustworthY over time:

http://beprepared.com/Default.asp? I'VE BEEN IN THEIR STORE IN UTAH AND ORDERED FROM THEM OVER TIME. IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

http://www.samandy.com/ MY "FIRST" LONG-TERM FOOD STORAGE. THEY HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS CLOSE TO 50 YEARS. I WAS USING (AND MARKETING) SAMANDY DEHYDRATED FOODS OVER 30 YEARS AGO! WE, A FAMILY OF FIVE, LIVED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, AND EVEN IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND HAD OUR YEAR'S SUPPLY OF DEHYDRATED FRUITS AND VEGES, AND WHEAT, RICE, BEANS SHIPPED RIGHT ALONG WITH US. FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN ALABAMA, WE ADDITIONALLY KEPT AND USED FROM 50 GAL. METAL BARRELS OF WHEAT. IN THOSE DAYS I GROUND AND BAKED ALL OUR BREAD, SPROUTED THE WHEAT, GREW WHEAT GRASS, ETC. TODAY, I RARELY EAT BREAD ANYMORE AND FOCUS ON THE SPROUTS AND GREENS.

http://waltonfeed.com/ IN BUSINESS OVER 50 YEARS.

www.vitacost.com I purchase household items, food supplies, etc. here at reduced prices, compared to retail stores. I try to keep a mimimum three month supply of several "basics" on hand. I order here such items as Bragg Aminos, Dr. Bronner's Magic soap, Larabars, Heritage brand Products, Arrowhead Mills organic yellow cornmeal, various essential oils, herb teas, personal care items...

My daughter and I try to combine our orders to vitacost to diminish the $4.95 shipping cost (for any size order).
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SOME ADDITIONAL SITES TO EXPLORE (I have not had personal experience with most of these):
http://waltonfeed.com/grain/faqs/vig2e.html
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AND DON'T FORGET TO STORE SEEDS FOR GROWING FOOD IN GARDENS OR POTS, AND FOR SPROUTING. NUTRIENT DENSE "SPROUTS" ARE ONE OF THE HANDIEST, LEAST EXPENSIVE, MOST NUTRTIOUS "STORAGE FOOD" ITEMS TO PREPARE. SO EASY TO GROW FRESH FOOD FROM SEEDS RIGHT IN ONE'S OWN HOME. --NEED WATER. Walton Feed above, is a good source for seeds to sprout.
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I apologize in advance that this post is not especially well organized, and there may be some repetition of links, AND I have no further time to work on the details or proofread at this time, and I really want to get this posted, and I have to leave right NOW , but there is plenty here to read and ponder if one is motivated to investigate further because of Dr. McDougall's newsletter today.

It's Monday, again! Have a good one!
--Clary

I've been reading about, and inspired by, and have communicated from time to time with Donna and Kevin over several years now. When self-sufficiency and family preparedness and planning for a food supply, and simple living, and similar issues come up, I like to mention them, also. MANY pages of interesting reading here: “The real greatness is in the smallness”.--Rodin

http://earthstar.newlibertyvillage.com/

And, of course, there's always Path to Freedom. The amount of information there is staggering. Last year, they grew over 3 TONS of organic food on 1/10th of an acre in Pasadena.

oh my unbelievable. 1/10th of an acre?!?! I guess with planning and replanting it can be done.

I look forward to reading his column as we've been stocking up somewhat too. I think we are in for some hard times.

What an amazing story! Thanks, Chile, for the link.

Craig and Lisa are also friends of mine, in So. Alabama. An average couple, who decided to live closer to the land and to their hearts. Their path has taken them into new territory, and learning, and sharing.

Lisa is an RN, currently in private practice as a holistic nurse consultant with their Middle Earth Healing and Learning Center. She offers holistic counseling to clients referred by area physicians for education in choices and safety of alternative/complimentary therapies, among other things that keep her, and Craig, busy all the day through.

I emailed Lisa a copy of Dr. McDougall's current newsletter, and she was so pleased to read it, and wrote back telling me about their latest "Food Storage" efforts involving trying to find "a more local source of distribution" for wheat, and updating me about their installation of a Photovoltaic system for their Greenhouse Project, and on their HAPPILY overabundant lettuces and greens crops, which they are now sharing with neighbors.

We eat differently and have some different points-of-view about animals, permaculture, etc., but I learn from them about important-to-me things they do know and do. --rich blessings of shared experience and knowledge.

Enter their website: http://www.middleearthhealing.com/

Workshops, schedules and reports: http://middleearthhealing.com/workshops.html

Workshop Photos: http://middleearthhealing.com/workshopphotos.html

Clary, thanks so much for your post! You always have such wonderful insights, and your post has given me a kick in the pants. I, too, was once interested in long term food storage about 10-12 years ago. Back before Y2K my husband and I really stocked up. It's all still in the basement, but should still be fine since it's cool and dry down there. I don't even remember what we bought, so I'll need to evaluate that. I think we even bought a grain mill.

I do remember it being enough food for 2 people for at least a year. Of course, there's some milk and meat, which we were eating back then. It's probably time to buy more wheat, rice, and beans since that's what we eat now. Also, I'm definitely going to buy some seeds for growing vegetables.

I'm going to bookmark your favorite sites and go back and peruse them later. I need to find the best prices as money is tight right now. But, food is definitely not getting any cheaper, since the price of oil is driving up prices for everything now.

Thanks again, Clary.

Nettie

Here's an interesting idea for buying seeds. You can buy a group of varied seeds appropriate for either Northern or Southern regions of the US. The price per seed packet comes out to quite a bit less than buying individual packets. Properly stored in cool & dry conditions, most seeds will keep 4-10 years.

(On another note, these seeds are intended to last much longer! My only question is, "Who will open the vault if humanity is destroyed?" )

Thanks, Chile! The $80 package seems suited to us in our southern climate. I am hopeful that there are also planting instructions included.

Nettie

Nettie, each package of seeds will have basic information on it. If you are a complete gardening neophyte, you might want to do some research, especially for your area. There are also tons of gardening blogs. In fact, one of my favorites - Elements in Time - has a gardening challenge going on that started in January. If you scroll through her posts, you will find lots of information on seeds, seedlings, gardening. One caution, though, her site is photo-heavy and a little slow to load, so if you have dial-up, be sure to multi-task.

You are most welcome, Nettie.

We continue to research, plan and organize. One of my daughters and I are driving to an LDS "Family Home Storage Center" tomorrow in the Nashville area to pick up a variety of foods in 25# bags and already dry-canned products--black beans, pinto beans, white beans, Hard red wheat (shortage right now, and out-of-stock), old fashioned-oats, dry onions, potato flakes, etc. (My son-in-law is checking out the wt. limits on the van, and making sure the new shocks are in good shape! )

I think I remember Chile saying there is a similar center near where she lives.

We've had a pre-scheduled appt. for over a month to go up tomorrow to actually dry-pack bulk food into large #10 sized cans at the facility, but so many people are suddenly buying out supplies that an attendant at the center called Sat. to say they are out of cans!

We are going to bring the food back to my daughter's basement until May, when the next shipment of supplies arrive in Nashville, and then we will go back for cans, and bring the cans here and use a canning tool available here locally, setting up our own family-and-friends assembly line. Not as convenient, but at least a good part of our desired "long term" food supply will be in.

I called the same store in Huntsville AL this morning where I have ordered 25# bags of short grain and long grain organic brown rice for many years. A few years back it was about $10-$13 per bag. Over time, it has slowly gone up to about $20 per bag. The order coming in this Friday (from the same source) is coming in at $1.79 per pound, or ALMOST $45 PER BAG!!

My daughter sent me this link today. When you get to the assesment of your basement storage, this check list might be of assistance to evaluate some of your needs and what you have, etc. Note there is a "next" link at the bottom of the page:

http://standeyo.com/News_Files/LTAH_Food_Store6c.html

And this calculator:
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm

There is a lot of information out there, so much that it can overwhelm. So, as a family we just move slowly through the decisions and actions, after counseling with one another and sharing our "finds" and information.

Good luck with your plans.