# A 6 step Food Storage Plan



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

http://www.provident-living-today.com/Bulk-Food-Storage.html

This has been on the internet for years, but I stumbled across it again today and thought it was worth sharing and discussing. They say it would cost $225 per adult. I doubt that it is still that low in cost. The author of this plan is a Mormon, and it appears that this plan is based off their plan from a few decades ago, with wheat, grains, and beans as the base. It also says that it is a daily ration. Could you eat that little a day? When she wrote this plan, she had a family of 12.



> Bulk Food Storage
> Build your Foundation
> On the Basics
> 
> ...


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## AmishHeart (Jun 10, 2016)

It's a good starter. I would get tired of it quickly, though, although oatmeal for breakfast is a good belly filler upper. There are mini cookbooks that I bought from Emergency Essentials called "Cooking with Wheat", "Cooking with Oats", and "Cooking with Powdered Milk". My mom used to make cornmeal fried mush for breakfast, and although it wasn't my favorite at all, it was made acceptable with a little sorghum syrup, or some made tomato gravy if you had a tomato.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

AmishHeart said:


> *It's a good starter. I would get tired of it quickly, though*, although oatmeal for breakfast is a good belly filler upper. There are mini cookbooks that I bought from Emergency Essentials called "Cooking with Wheat", "Cooking with Oats", and "Cooking with Powdered Milk". My mom used to make cornmeal fried mush for breakfast, and although it wasn't my favorite at all, it was made acceptable with a little sorghum syrup, or some made tomato gravy if you had a tomato.


Yes, I agree. It is a good starter. But it is a base. I have seen a few people that I really think have a whole bunch of rice and beans, that is it.

I first learned about food storage with step one. I think it was this very list, decades later, that moved me past that. And the wheat? I have a bunch. When did I last use it? Not this year. But I have a wheat grinder or two or three or four. And I have the ability to make bread and noodles and more.

My food storage is a little more flushed out than this whole plan, but I have worked to have this list, these levels as a basis. I think, for some, they really need this kind of list.

I think we have had people ask the question, "Food Storage? WHAT?"

I also think of the people who are freeze dried and Mountain House preppers. Not that there is anything wrong with that. That is better than nothing, but this is a good base.

I think of friends who really never have a pantry. Think of the people who open the refrigerator and they see mostly bare shelves, with a few condiments and maybe a beverage or two.

I also have thought many times, if I have basics, even in a serious SHTF, there may be things here and there that can add variety, through gardens, foraging, etc.


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

https://grandpappy.org/hfoodaff.htm

This will take you to a web page that lays out in detail a years supply of food for a decent price.
More importantly, it offers quite a bit of variety it terms of both taste and protein. Well worth the time to have a look - the fellow that wrote this up is a P.E. and really into detail.....


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

DKRinAK said:


> https://grandpappy.org/hfoodaff.htm
> 
> This will take you to a web page that lays out in detail a years supply of food for a decent price.
> More importantly, it offers quite a bit of variety it terms of both taste and protein. Well worth the time to have a look - the fellow that wrote this up is a P.E. and really into detail.....


I have visited his web site before. He has great information.

He has a good list, especially for people who buy all their preps at their local grocery store.

I have had a long time problem of getting bugs in certain foods. That is one of the reasons I like canned dry foods. Things that are on this list that I have had bug problems with include corn meal, instant potatoes (potato flakes), powdered milk and Quaker Oats. I repackage most of this kind of food into quart canning jars. That is why I prefer to store whole corn over corn meal.

Since beans are on his list, I want to talk about my recent observation. A one pound bag of beans is usually around $1.00. They can be more or less than $1. The LDS storehouse has 25 pound bags of beans for much less. 25 pound of black beans is $14.25 and white beans, $14.50. They have pinto beans in cans, but pintos are available in larger quantities at Costco and Sam's Club.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I went by the LDS Cannery a couple weeks ago. All the bags were gone. They had gotten rid of the canning line completely, thanks barry, and everything was available only in cans.

Costco has black and pinto beans in large bags but I don't know anywhere that keeps navy or great northern beans in bags now.

Sam's carries the Dak canned hams but it is a seasonal item and I don't know if they have come in yet this year. This makes a real nice way to add flavor and protein to a pot of those beans.

My preferred method to store dry foods is to put some in a mylar lined 5 gallon bucket, drop in a small amount of dry ice, top off with product, then seal mostly and finish the seal after the dry ice sublimates.

That's a nice list and a good place to start but a greater variety and more spices and condiments will go a long way in making eating more enjoyable.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Caribou said:


> *I went by the LDS Cannery a couple weeks ago. All the bags were gone. They had gotten rid of the canning line completely, thanks barry, and everything was available only in cans.*
> 
> Costco has black and pinto beans in large bags but I don't know anywhere that keeps navy or great northern beans in bags now.
> 
> ...


I haven't been to the LDS cannery in more than a year. I am out of room. I know that they have stopped the canning onsite. I had even checked out canners so that I could can things they did not carry. I wasn't allowed to bring things in to can.

The last time I was there, I saw the 25 pound bags of beans. I was surprised, because I thought you could only buy the canned or pouches of food now.

Canned Ham: I am with you. I would love to have a can ham for every pound of beans I have, but I don't, because I don't really know where I would put it. I made a pot of beans last week with a smoked pork shank. It was so good. My daughter's dog sure enjoyed one of the bones from it. I could eat a whole lot of beans in a SHTF situation if I could have some ham or smoked meat in it.

Spices and seasonings? Yes, the other food on the list is pretty bland, so some good seasoning would go a long way.


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## timmie (Jan 14, 2012)

when i first started doing this i already canned or froze as much of my food as possible. it was the way i was raised. when my first husband and i divorced i was left with 2 baby girls to feed and take care of with no help. i struggled to feed and take care of them. a lot of times i went hungry so they could eat and i swore if i ever got where i could we would never worry about food again. i had no choice but to buy an extra bag of beans or rice or something when i had the money. long story short we survived and my girls remember nothing except they were well fed and had a happy childhood. my point is to me that was where i started and still do it that way. i can afford to do like some of you guys and buy in bulk but i kinda like doing it this way because i have a whole lot of variety.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I use one pound of canned ham for every four or five pounds of beans, and some onions. Sambal Olek gives it a little zing. 

I just went to the Dollar General site and canned hams are on sale for two dollars with free shipping on a $40 order. I couldn't figure out how to place an order.


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

weedygarden said:


> I have visited his web site before. He has great information.
> 
> He has a good list, especially for people who buy all their preps at their local grocery store.
> 
> ...


We store red, white and black beans. Pinto beans are cheap, but a real PITA to cook with.

We store in one gallon mylar bags (with O2 scrubbers) then place the bags in a 5 gal bucket to protect.

Variety is more than the spice of life, it is needed to avoid food/menu fatigue.


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## ClemKadiddlehopper (Aug 15, 2014)

I am really lucky. I don't suffer from food fatigue.

I grew up with oatmeal for breakfast cooked in milk. (milk cow) drk. brown sugar was a bonus if times were good. We didn't bother taking a lunch to school. If we did it was a jam sandwich. Peanut butter didn't exist in our world.

Dinner was meat and potatoes with a side of a root veggie. Salt and pepper were the only spices in the house.

Special once a year treats were potato soup with a can or two of oysters or sour krout with weinies. We couldn't wait for the radishes and green onions from the garden. We dipped them in salt and ate them like chips and dip. (didn't know what that was at the time, either)

Desert if we had it, was bread with milk and a bit of sugar or canned tomatoes. Yes, you read that right. We thought a can of tomatoes was a special treat to be used for desert every few months or so; they were good to the last drop.

Not one of the five kids in our family thought were in any way deprived; there was no one to tell us different and we ate like pigs.

The full six step list is down right decadent if one has all that stuff in the cellar.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Caribou said:


> I went by the LDS Cannery a couple weeks ago. All the bags were gone. They had gotten rid of the canning line completely, thanks barry, and everything was available only in cans.
> 
> Costco has black and pinto beans in large bags but I don't know anywhere that keeps navy or great northern beans in bags now.
> 
> ...


 Walmart has large bags of pintos, limas and black eyed peas. Of course the largest is the pintos. We canned a few dozen of these 3 beans and peas this month. I just opened a jar for supper. Plus a jar of collards we canned last week.

I keep plannign to buy oxigen absorbers but hasn't happend yet.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Thans Weedy for more good info. :wave:


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

DKRinAK said:


> We store red, white and black beans. Pinto beans are cheap, but a real PITA to cook with.


I am not sure why they are a PITA to cook with. I do know they take a while to cook. I haven't cooked any from scratch for a long time. I often buy them canned, but I do have a bunch of dried ones in my preps.

I do find that black beans and lentils take much less time to cook.

Red beans need to be soaked and rinsed a lot because of a toxin in their seed coat.

White beans do not seem to take as long as I remembered when I cooked a pot of them recently.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

weedygarden said:


> I am not sure why they are a PITA to cook with. I do know they take a while to cook. I haven't cooked any from scratch for a long time. I often buy them canned, but I do have a bunch of dried ones in my preps.
> 
> I do find that black beans and lentils take much less time to cook.
> 
> ...


The toxin is a problem with raw or under cooked beans. It is destroyed by proper cooking. I can our beans for use with just a quick rinse and going over for bad beans. We eat a lot of beans around here so that is one thing I've looked into.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

anybody tried thermos cooking.. I like it myself especially dried beans I don't can beans I do the mylar bag 6 gallon pail O2 absorber thing

https://theboatgalley.com/dried-beans-in-a-thermos/

http://www.thermoscooking.com/

Saves time saves energy especially with beans .. as in start tomorrows dinner right after dinner tonight .. nope not no more 6hours 8 tops .. big in the summer time no hot stove going all day


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