Three weeks. That’s how long a person can survive without food. Now, what if you can’t leave your home for that long? How are you going to eat? Yes, you can have food delivered but what if Thanos snapped all delivery guys away? Don’t wait for the Avengers to save your sorry arse. Build your prepper pantry now so you’ll always have food to eat when the going gets tough.
A prepper pantry should have enough food and other supplies to last for at least three months. Of course, the more you have the better. The kinds of food you stockpile are also important. They should be non-perishable and highly nutritious. Also, you want to stock up on food that you like. In case of a disaster, getting to eat your favorite food or anything that’s tasty should help uplift your spirits.
Benefits of A Prepper Pantry
There are plenty of reasons why you have to build a prepper pantry. Here are a few of them:
Survival
You want to survive when disaster strikes. Well, who doesn’t? One way to do so is to have plenty of food, water, and other supplies in your prepper pantry. Simply put, you have a better chance of survival if you have a pantry filled with everything you need to stay alive.
Food security
In the event of an economic collapse, prices of goods will likely shoot up. That means your spending power will be greatly affected and you’ll find it difficult to purchase even the most basic of needs. A financial meltdown also results in food shortages and panic buying. Companies will be forced to let go of people while some businesses will have to close down.
If you were laid off or had to shut down your business, you’ll definitely have a hard time putting food on the table. Building your prepper pantry now will ensure you have food and water during emergencies like this.
Convenience
You don’t have to wait for an emergency to get something from your prepper pantry. If you can’t go to the grocery store, get some supplies from your stockpile. Just remember to replace what you got the next time you go out on a grocery run.
Peace of mind
It’s hard to have peace of mind when you’re in a midst of a disaster or emergency. Still, knowing you have enough food to last until things get back to normal should take one thing off your mind. Plus, storing your favorite food, particularly snacks, should boost your spirit when you’re really down.
Preparing Your Pantry
To build a prepper pantry, you need to do more than just hoard supplies. There is a process that needs to be followed for your pantry to be problem-free.
Choosing the place
First, you need to have a place to build your prepper pantry. The best option is to build an underground bunker. Another is to invest in a property and house far from where your actual home. This will serve as your bug out location or emergency shelter. That’s where you go in case you have to evacuate your home.
If those two are not available, you can make do with what you have. Convert an extra room into your prepper pantry. If your home is too small, you may not have the luxury of devoting one room to your stockpile of supplies. The best you can do is to find spaces to hide your emergency supply.
Another thing, when choosing a place or room for your pantry, make sure it’s not prone to flooding. You can still use your basement as long as you make it flood-proof. The temperature inside shouldn’t be too hot as it will affect the quality of the food items. The temperature should be around 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a dehumidifier when the room gets too humid.
Building your storage area
The easiest way to build your storage area is to use steel shelves. All you have to do is to assemble them and arrange them inside the storage space. Take measurements first so you’ll know what and how many to purchase.
If you have the skills, you can build the pantry shelves yourself. You’ll need wood, tools, and some free time. Make sure your wood is properly treated to prevent termites. Those pesky critters will also be attracted to carton boxes so you should keep these food items in sealed containers.
Make sure your pantry is rodent-proof. For items in sacks or bags, you should place them inside sealed plastic containers like 5-gallon buckets. Use can dispensers for your canned goods. They’ll make it easier to store your supplies. You’ll also have easier access to the canned goods whenever you have to take some out. It’s also cool to watch the cans roll down when you get them.
Stockpiling the Right Emergency Food
If this is the first time building your emergency food supply, it’d be ideal to purchase at least three months’ worth of food and water. Now which kinds of food are we talking about, you ask? Read on you must, my young Padawan.
Water
Let’s start with water. Technically, water is not food. It is, however, more important than your favorite munchies. If you can die of starvation in three weeks, you won’t be so lucky without water. You can kiss your dreams away if you don’t drink water for three straight days.
Stockpile bottled water and emergency water pouches. Store clean drinking water in BPA-free containers, too. Purchase a waterBOB and rain barrels then fill them up with water before disaster comes. You’ll also need portable water filters and water purifying tablets in case you run out of drinking water.
Canned and jarred goods
Canned meat, vegetables, fruits, soup, and juice are easily the most popular emergency food around. They have long shelf lives and are easy to store. Plus, the process of canning retains most of the food’s nutritional value. You can eat them straight from the can though it’s better to heat the food first. Canned meat like chicken, pork, beef, and fish can be used as the main ingredient for dishes.
Ready-to-eat meals, freeze-dried foods
Ready-to-eat meals or MREs are perfect for prepper pantries and bug out bags. You can also bring them with you when camping, hiking, or doing other outdoor recreational activities. Freeze-dried foods last longer and retain their nutritional value and flavor even after so many years. You just have to add hot water and you can enjoy a tasty meal.
Dried foods
Beef jerky is a prime example of dried food that can be stored in your pantry. You just have to keep them in airtight containers so pests and moisture won’t get to them. Stock up on dried fish, fruits, and vegetables.
Whole grains, dry beans
Grains like rice, couscous, quinoa, and oats are popular survival foods since they last longer and are affordable. Plus, they really fill your belly. You can buy them in bulk and just store them in airtight containers inside your prepper pantry.
Pasta
Spaghetti noodles and other kinds of pasta usually have a long shelf life. That’s great if you love spaghetti and other pasta dishes.
Flour, powder mixes
Stock up on flour, baking powder, bread mixes, and pancake mixes. You can still bake bread, make pancakes, thicken gravy, and such during the apocalypse. It’d be nice to have pancakes for breakfast even after a disaster or major emergency, right?
Powdered milk, powdered juice, coconut milk powder, egg powder
Unless you have egg-laying chickens at home, you likely won’t have the luxury of having eggs for breakfast. Since we’re talking breakfast, how about a glass of milk or juice? Make sure you still enjoy the little things even during chaotic times by stockpiling powdered versions of these foods.
Food bars
Food bars, energy bars, granola bars, and protein bars. They come in different names but the one thing common is that they provide a boost of energy when you eat them. They’re portable and high in nutrients, which is why preppers love stockpiling them in their pantry and bug out bags. They’re also the perfect snack or on-the-go meal for backpackers and other outdoor sports enthusiasts.
Condiments, cooking aids
Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, hot sauce, salsa, Worcestershire sauce, sriracha, barbecue sauce, salt, sugar, Apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, white vinegar, and soy sauce are just some of the condiments to stockpile for an emergency. You’ll need them to provide more flavor to your dishes.
Dried herbs and spices
Dried herbs and spices improve the taste of any dish. Some can be steeped in hot water to make a healthy tea. They have a long shelf life and are packed with nutrients.
Oils
You need oil to cook. Oil doesn’t last as long as you want so you should use and restock it regularly. In case the oil goes rancid, you can still use it as fuel.
Snacks
If you have children, it’s important to have snacks at home. It’s the same after a disaster or emergency. Kids and adults alike need healthy snacks to fight hunger pangs and provide energy in the middle of the day.
Include nuts, chocolates, crackers, and even candies in your emergency food supply. Nuts are some of the healthiest snacks around. They also last a long time. Store nuts and peanut butter in your prepper pantry so you can enjoy snacking on them during the apocalypse. Candies and other sweets get a bad rep but they’ll make nice treats when everything around you is chaotic.
Beverages
You need coffee to start your day and tea to calm your nerves. Drinking juice is a nice way to freshen up. And when things get really bad, you may want to take a swig of whiskey or wine. How about a bottle of your favorite beer? Store these beverages in your pantry so you got something to drink other than water.
Special Diet Food Items
If a member of your household requires a particular kind of food, include that in your emergency supply. Older adults and those with existing medical conditions may require certain foods. You should also take allergies into account.
Things may get a little trickier if you have a baby. It’s better for a nursing baby to have breastmilk and when they start eating solids, fresh fruits, and vegetables are still the best choices. However, it can be difficult for the mom to produce milk under stressful situations. You may also find it hard to buy fresh produce from grocery stores.
What you can do are store infant formula and dry milk. You can also make your own emergency baby food using rice, canned vegetables, powdered oats, whole wheat flour, and other ingredients you already have in your prepper pantry. Also, you can start a garden at home so you’ll have your own fruits and vegetables to make your own baby food.
How to Organize Your Survival Pantry
Being an adult is difficult enough. Having other people that depend on you can be catastrophic. When you’re a family man or woman, you need to seriously get your life organized and make sure you take care of your family.
Building a prepper pantry is just one of the ways to keep your loved ones safe and happy. Like life, you need to keep your pantry organized. If you don’t, you’ll have problems eventually.
Categorize and label
To start off, purchase enough supplies to last for three months at least. Group your purchases according to the category you choose. You can group the same kind of food together. For example, all your canned goods go together while all the condiments go into another pile.
You can further divide the piles into canned meat, canned vegetables, canned fruits, and canned soup. Some preppers arrange their supply alphabetically, by color, or by frequency of use. Put labels on the shelves so you can easily identify them. Labels also make it easier to add and arrange new stocks.
Use the FIFO method
First in, first out. That’s basically what you need to know when organizing your prepper pantry. Check the expiration or “best before” dates and arrange your stock according to which ones will expire soonest. Simply put, the food that will expire first stays in front of the pile while the ones with the longest shelf life go to the back.
Whenever you replenish your supply, place the new ones at the back of the pile. Just make sure they have a longer shelf life than what you already have sitting in your pantry. Also, keep track of the expiration dates. Consume your supply before they expire then restock them with new ones.
Preserve Your Own Food
There are other ways of building your emergency food supply aside from buying them. You can grow a survival garden with fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, and other crops. You can also raise animals like chickens and quails for meat, eggs, and other by-products. Then there’s hydroponics where you combine gardening and growing fish to help you attain self-sustainability.
Another method is food preservation is canning. Water-bath canning involves stuffing food inside a jar, filling it with water, submerging the jar in water, and then letting the pot water boil. This process kills micro-organisms and seals the jar lids tightly. Pressure canning uses the same concept but a pressure canner is used instead of boiling the jars in a huge pot.
Drying or dehydration is another food preservation method. The old method involves placing the food directly under the sun for days until it has completely dried up. You should learn how to dry fish and other kinds of meat since this will be a valuable skill if the electricity grid falls. You can also dry fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It’s simple but takes a lot of time. If you want to produce more dried food at a faster rate, use a dehydrator. This piece of equipment uses electricity to produce heat and dry the food inside. Dried foods generally last from 4 months to 1 year so you have to use and restock regularly.
Watch out for sales
Keep an eye out for bargains on food, water, and other supplies. Both traditional and online stores regularly slash the prices of their goods. They also give discounts when you buy in bulk.
Coupon buyers are getting a bad rep because of hoarders. There’s a fine line between the two. Preppers use coupons to prepare for emergencies. Hoarders, well, hoard using coupons mainly for the heck of it. Don’t be tempted to buy something just because it’s on sale. If you don’t really need it, move on to more important items.
Knowing how to build a prepper pantry is a good first step toward emergency preparedness. The fact that you have supplies stored safely in your home or emergency shelter should greatly increase your chances of surviving a disaster. Discover more prepping tips at Gentleman Pirate Club!
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