How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [32]
One other important proviso involves digestion. A diet that is heavy in peanut butter or meat is likely to induce constipation, so, again, vary your diet.
Blue-Green-Algae Tablets
This is both a primary food and a vitamin/mineral supplement. It is one of the most compact forms of storage food for a short-term Bugout bag.
Sprouts
Lay in a supply of three pounds of sprouting seed per adult. Before you buy in quantity, try several varieties to see which you like.
Coffee
There is no perfect way to store coffee long-term and still maintain connoisseur’s taste quality, but for the purposes of average coffee drinkers, the vacuum-packed “bricks” of ground coffee beans store fairly well. Just be sure to protect them from vermin.
Special Considerations for Infants
Breast milk is best, and of course obviates the storage-life issues with formula. But if formula is used, it must be rotated like any other storage food. Transitional baby foods can be stored in moderate quantities, but my general advice is to buy a baby-food grinder and simply transition your infant to normal kitchen-table foods very gradually.
Special Considerations for Pets
Stock up on food for your pets, and rotate it religiously. Date-mark every can and bag. Bagged dog and cat food can be bucket-packed, just like human foods. (Use the same vermin-proof packing-methods available for bulk grains.) Keep in mind that the lower the fat content, the longer the shelf life for dry dog and cat food. Hence, low-oil kibble-type foods are best, but be sure to test a small quantity first to see if you can transition your pet’s diet. You can supplement with a bit of your canned butter or other stored fats and oils.
Additional Storage-Food Details
Hard Red Wheat Versus Soft White Wheat for Storage and Baking
I’m often asked the difference between varieties of wheat, particularly hard wheat and soft wheat. Soft white wheat has a lower nutritive value (protein) than hard red winter wheat. Although they are both categorized as hard grains, the hard wheat varieties store better than the soft wheats (thirty or more years versus fifteen to twenty years for soft white wheat). For both of these reasons, hard red winter wheat is better for home food-storage programs. The following is a quote from the excellent wheat article at the Walton Feed Web site:
The hard wheats generally contain smaller kernels and are harder than soft wheat kernels. They contain high protein and gluten levels primarily designed for making bread flours. Depending on variety and growing conditions, hard wheats can have vastly different protein levels. For bread making, your wheat should have a minimum of 12 percent protein. The hard varieties of wheat can have protein levels up to 15 or 16 percent. Generally speaking for bread making, the higher the protein content the better. Hard white wheat is a relative newcomer that tends to produce a lighter colored, more spongy loaf of bread and because of this, it is gaining quick popularity among home bread makers. However, we have talked with bread makers who prefer the hard red wheat for its more robust flavor and more traditional textured loaf of bread it makes.
Whole Grains Versus Milled Grains for Storage
Once they are ground, wheat, corn, and other grains begin to lose their nutritive value almost immediately, and their shelf life is shortened drastically. Once the outer kernel (bran) of a grain is penetrated and the inner germ is exposed, the inevitable degradation begins. Here are some rough storage-life figures to consider:
Whole corn: eight to twelve years. Cracked or ground corn: eighteen to thirty-six months
Whole wheat: thirty or more years. Flour: two to three years.
If you were to bake all of your own bread each day and religiously rotate your supplies