Developing a food supply plan is a crucial aspect of prepping which involves storing food and devising a method for restocking it gradually.
There are different ways for preppers to create their food supply. They may opt to acquire a sizable amount of food in one go or gradually build up their stockpile. Nevertheless, even if they have stored a year’s worth of food (or more), they should prepare to grow, harvest, or obtain more food sources.
In this article, you will learn about creating a prepper food storage and supply strategy. The article will guide you through the process of building a well-organized food storage, suggest what items to include, and provide tips to regularly refresh your food reserve.
How to Build Prepper Food Storage
Create a thorough food storage and supply plan as a prepper that can endure any type of emergency, regardless of its duration. If you haven’t started building your food storage, commence by utilizing the amount you can afford.
Building your food stockpile through a large 1-year supply deal is a good idea if you have the financial means, but not feasible for most of us. In case you are working with a budget, it is best to begin small and gradually increase your supply. Consistent small achievements help in achieving long-term goals. Based on my experience, the best approach is to develop your food storage gradually.
How to Build Your Prepper Food Storage In Stages
Stage 1: 3-Day Food Supply
To begin building your food storage, the initial action required is to assemble a 3-day food reserve, which is the quantity suggested by federal authorities for emergency situations.
While it may not be sufficient to cover most circumstances, it makes for a decent initial step. When you’re running low on funds, buying tinned soups and veggies can be a cost-effective approach to begin. Opting for dried beans and rice is also a wise decision.
Ensure that whatever you store can be easily prepared (even without electricity) and has a shelf life of at least a few years, while also incorporating foods that meet the dietary requirements and preferences of all members of your family.
Dealing with emergencies can be challenging, especially if you have a hungry spouse or teenager to worry about. It’s crucial to consider the needs of young children, such as ensuring you have powdered formula for infants readily available.
If you are a parent of a young child, refer to my article, Prepping with a Baby. It provides guidance on storing food for your baby and other critical considerations to keep in mind.
If you haven’t stocked up on emergency food, buy a 3-day supply now. It’s not ideal, but it’s a start towards readiness.
Stage 2: 1-Week Food Supply
After you have built a 3-day food supply for you and your family, take another small step and increase your storage to 1 week’s worth of food. Instead of just buying duplicates of what you have already stored, add new foods to give variety. Eating too much of the same thing is bad for morale and can even cause illnesses.
If you encounter minor weather events like brief freezes, having a food supply that can last up to a week can be useful. It would be wise to begin incorporating freeze-dried food into your prepper storage, in case you have not done so yet. Several of these goods can endure for up to three decades, making it more manageable to accumulate provisions gradually.
Stage 3: 2-Week Food Supply
To ensure a diverse food supply for two weeks, incorporate fresh types of food and increase the quantity of already stocked items. Accumulate a range of freeze-dried meals, canned products, and staple foods such as rice, sugar, and grains. It is essential to be knowledgeable about the proper preparation methods for all stored provisions.
Stage 4: 1-Month Food Supply
Keep adding freeze-dried foods, canned goods, and essential items to your food stockpile. It’s important to try any unfamiliar items, such as freeze-dried foods, to ensure they are palatable. Additionally, familiarize yourself with cooking techniques for the staples in your supply and regularly rotate your canned goods.
When you have stored enough food for a month, begin incorporating sustainable food sources like a garden. If planting season is not ideal, buy heirloom seeds and necessary materials in advance.
When hunting or fishing, it is important to gather the necessary supplies, such as ammunition or lures, to ensure that you are properly equipped to catch game animals or fish.
Stage 5: 3-12+ Month Food Supply
Keep expanding your food reserves and building your capacity to cultivate or harvest food. Consider storing some of it at a bug-out site or another location that is secure but independent of your residence. In case of any damage to your house, this precaution will prevent the loss of all your preparations.
When you have accumulated a considerable amount of stored food, it will be crucial to prioritize operational security. It is advisable to consistently implement effective Opsec measures, as possessing such a considerable quantity of food will make you vulnerable to being targeted in the event of an extended emergency.
Having a conspicuous food supply like this could put you in a precarious position. What begins as light-hearted conversations about the nervous neighbor with ample provisions could escalate into a group raid during a crisis.
Best Grocery Store Long-Term Food Storage
- Rice – White, Wild, Jasmine, and Basmati Rice all have an infinite shelf life. (Brown rice can only be stored for 12 months) Rice is one of the cheapest foods on this list too. While rice isn’t exactly nutrient-rich, it is a good source of calories and carbohydrates. Rice is also advantageous because it takes much less preparation than other ingredients on this list.
- Soft grains – such as Flour, Rye, and oats can last for years at a time. Keep in mind that most flour and oats can be stored in the freezer for longer shelf life. Even grains such as noodles have a shelf life of one year or more.
- Beans – beans are packed with valuable nutrients. Beans are a great source of fiber and protein. The best part about beans is that they have an incredible shelf life. Dried packaged beans have an indefinite shelf life. Canned beans are much easier to deal with in a prepping scenario (or any scenario), but they only last up to 2 years.
- Canned and dry meat – Believe it or not, canned meats last longer than their vegetable and fruit counterparts. Canned meats can last up to 5 years. Canned spam, canned chicken, and canned tuna are all solid options for storing valuable protein. These may not be your first meal choice, but in a disaster scenario, they will be helpful. Beef Jerky can also last for 2 years or more.
- Canned vegetables – either buying cans of vegetables or canning them yourself is an excellent way to store nutrients that will last a long time. Canned vegetables (and meats) are under a vacuum so they can be preserved much longer.
- Olive Oil or Coconut Oil – A good source of fat that will not go rancid for up to 2 years.
- Natural Honey – real honey lasts indefinitely. This can be a great way to get some sweetness in the meals you cook. Honey will crystalize over time, but it never actually goes bad.
Advantages To Buying True Survival Food
As indicated in the aforementioned list, procuring the appropriate food products is among the most efficient methods of creating your own survival food. Obtaining legitimate survival food from renowned providers like Mountain House or Thrive allows you to buy adequate food supplies that can be reserved for an extended period of time. As previously mentioned, well-preserved freeze-dried food can last up to 25 years. If you plan on buying at least one year’s worth of long-term food storage, it would be ideal to invest in a freeze-dryer.
Another alternative is to freeze-dry your own food.
Freeze Drying Your Own Food
The cost of acquiring a unit is the most significant obstacle to freeze-drying food at home.
It costs $1995 to buy the least expensive freeze-dryer.
Although freeze-dried food may seem expensive to buy, it would actually be more cost-effective to make it yourself in the long term. The harvest right freeze-dryer is recommended for optimal results, and our youtube channel has successfully tested it. Freeze-drying food yourself is a better option than other preservation methods such as dehydration, as it maintains the food’s nutritional content.
Even if you are not a prepper, freeze drying offers an excellent method of preserving crops you grow. A range of fruits such as strawberries and blueberries can serve as ideal snacks. Purchasing a freeze dryer is expensive but highly effective for long-term food preservation, with freeze-dried foods requiring no chemicals and no refrigeration for storage.
The Best Tasting Freeze-Dried Foods
- Fruit – Strawberries, blueberries, bananas all retain their structure and taste. You don’t have to add water to them to eat them again.
- Vegetables – You can turn spinach or kale into a nice green chip. You can also extend the shelf life of other vegetables like broccoli by freeze-drying them.
- Eggs – We have a video on freeze-drying eggs and you’ll be surprised by the results. The best way to handle freeze-dried eggs is to grind them up into a powder that you can add water to later and cook.
- Meat – One of the best items to freeze-dry. If you want to freeze-dry raw meat, you can later add water to it and cook it. If you freeze-dry meat that’s already cooked, you can simply add water to it afterward and eat it as it is.
- Ice cream – You can actually freeze dry ice cream. The problem with storing regular ice cream is that dairy has a short shelf life. When it’s freeze-dried, however, it can be stored for many years and eaten as a nice puffy desert.
Canning Your Own Food
Preserving your own food by canning is an excellent means of keeping vegetables and meats for several years. Moreover, canning is a more cost-effective alternative to freeze-drying food at home for home preservation. For those who intend to procure long-term food storage, canning is imperative.
Since long ago, canning has been practiced as a means of preserving surplus produce to prevent wastage. Similarly, you can also purchase food from your local store and preserve it in cans.
The Best Foods For Canning
- Jams and Jellies – They have lots of sugar, but they also have a low risk of botulism. It’s important to sterilize home equipment according to directions from the FDA. Never consume stored food whose seal has been broken (lid “pops” when pressed in middle).
- Pickles – You can literally pickle almost any vegetable and some fruits. The high acid content from the vinegar with the vacuum keeps the food preserved. There is a whole world of delicious flavors to discover.
- Probiotic/Fermented foods – This is different from the traditional vacuum wet pack. Fermenting cabbage (kimchi, sauerkraut) or milk (Yogurt, Kefir) adds a whole new dimension to nutrition and taste. Lacto-fermentation is still anaerobic but the high salt content and lactic acid development will not permit botulinum to grow. It is a well-documented method to better gut health.
Pressure Canning
In Conclusion
Acquiring long-term food storage is usually a simple task. However, there are instances when purchasing this type of food is not feasible, like in times of scarcity. Fortunately, creating your own survival food using grocery store items is effortless and enjoyable. Additionally, canning and freeze-drying your own food can be done all year round. Fishing is also a viable means of obtaining food.
