Store It Foods

It wasn’t forecast, but we had a rather spectacular thunder and lightning show last night.  There wasn’t much rain, but there was lots of noise.  There was also a bit of a  power outage.  It didn’t last long, mere moments in fact, but it did last long enough to affect my computer.

Upon awakening this morning I found that it had been shut down.  Not having anticipated this storm, I had not taken the precaution of shutting down and unplugging. Mind you, with surge protectors, etc. you wouldn’t think that would be necessary.  Still, now it was off, and I worried a little when I had trouble turning it back on.  Fortunately, past experience in similar circumstances had revealed to me that my computer has a strange tendency of sometimes not paying attention to the on-off button on the front.  Instead, I have to go the power switch at the back, turn that off, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.  With a feeling of relief, I found that this had once again worked.

The problem was solved, but it served as a great reminder of the reason for which I had purchased a external hard drive.  What if I hadn’t been able to reactivate my machine?  What if the internal hard drive had somehow been corrupted?  What would I have done about all of those files and pictures in “My Documents”, “My Pictures” and “My Videos?”  There are some irrplaceable things there and I would hate to lose them.

That external hard drive, however, can be used for “backing up.”  Done frequently enough, I probably wouldn’t have lost much if the computer itself would have failed me.

So, do I advocate having some sort of an external storage device for your personal computer?  You bet I do.  I also advocate the following of advice provided by emergency preparedness experts, and having vital documents and files backed up onto a thumb drive or something similar that could be stored away from your home office.  In fact, it might be a good idea to have two or three copies made, with at least one being stored off site.

Yet, they too need to be kept current.  If time, circumstances and documents change, fresh copies need to be made.  We’re probably all aware of that, but doing it “when I get around to it,” or “when time permits” may not suffice when those emergencies strike — when you no longer can get around to it, or when time has run out.  Perhaps we need to make that time.  It could certainly translate into some peace of mind later on.

If you are planning on purchasing a grain mill so that you can grind your own wheat and other grains, you’ll soon find that there are lots of options.  One of the first choices that needs to be made is whether or not you want to go with a manual grinder or an electric powered model of some sort.

For some of us, though, both are needed.  This would certainly be the case if you wanted the speed and convenience of an electric mill, but needed the capability of continuing to produce your own flour even in the face of power outages.  That could be a part of your family’s emergency preparedness planning.

If that is the case, you would, of course, then want to limit your searches to machines that have both options — normally run using electricity, but with the option available of converting to hand operation.  Or would you?

Such machines certainly exist, but they tend to be rather costly.  Surprisingly enough, it is often more economical to buy two instead of one.  Select a good quality electric grain mill, and choose, as well, a manual grinder that would also meet your needs.  You might actually save money by doing so.  In any case, it is certainly worth investigating.

It has been mentioned in these pages that food storage means more than just the storage of food.  If you are thinking of long term needs, it is wise, of course, to have an ample supply of storage foods on hand.Other needs might include methods of preparing and cooking that food, water sources, and all sorts of other things that are necessary to cope during an emergency.   “Prepare” is an important part of the phrase “emergency preparedness.”  Planning ahead just might be crucial. 

And make sure you give some thought to that planning.  In other words, we need not only to have materials on hand, but we need also to be able use those materials.  When it comes to food, food storage should consist of foods that we will actually eat.  You may want to have a manually operated can opener available in the event of power outages, but if arthritic hands make the operation of a standard can opener difficult, a ratcheting can opener might be just a little easier to use and a better choice for that storage.  A propane barbecue could become a very important and useful appliance to have on hand when the electric range is non-functional, but a lack of porpane could end that usefulness.    Similarly, a flashlight or two or three or more should be available in every home — just in case.  Yet, if they batteries, and batteries are not to be had, what good are they?

Yes, a little planning  and a little thought should also be made a part of our emergency survival and food storage preparations.

The use of bottle water has become quite a controversial topic as of late.  Plastic water bottles are filling landfills as they are being discarded in their millions.  Can carcinogens leach from the plastic into the water they contain?  Debate rages over that as well.

And how good are they for long term water storage if you want to use them that way?  The rule of thumb is a maximum one year storage life.  Yet, one government agency has this to say, “Like many other food products, bottled water normally contains low numbers of harmless bacteria. However, if stored for prolonged periods at room temperatures, these bacteria can multiply rapidly. A 1988 Health Canada study of bottled water kept at room temperature for 30 days showed a substantial increase in the bacterial count.”

A safer bet might be to consider the keeping of something like Aqua Literz, a sterilized product in a sterilized container that has actually been designed for such long term storage.  With a five year shelf life, and with the approval of such agencies as the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Red Cross, it can also provide you with peace of mind.

Shelter in Place is the practice of going or remaining indoors in the event of a sudden emergency.  This is done as opposed to evacuating the area, something that might be found necessary due to the release of an airborne hazardous material, or, in the case of schools and offices, when confronted with armed intruders.

In other words, evacuation is not always an option.  For that reason part of our emergency preparedness planning should also include the possible need to stay indoors, perhaps in a single room which could quickly be made ready to seal us away from deadly fumes or smoke — airborne pollutants that could quickly overcome anyone remaining outdoors and unprotected.

Have on hand duct tape and plastic sheeting that could be used to seal non-airtight windows.  Use that same tape to seal the cracks around doors.  Have water on hand, not only for drinking, but for soaking a large towel that could be used to block the airspace below those doors.

In case the danger persists for more than one or two hours, it would also benefit you to have a bit of food and drinking water readily available.  Emergency toilet faciltities might also be in order.  Prepare your own supplies, or see what is commercially available.  Shelter in Place kits do exist.

You should also research the subject.  Be aware of what dangers might exist in your particular community.  It may never happen, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Do you ever find yourself throwing away those little balls of cotton that occasionally come with pill or vitamin purchases?  Well, you’re not alone.  Most people do that.  After all, other than providing packing for pills and vitamins, what use are they?

Truth be told, though, they can be useful.  Insert them along with a few wooden matches into a waterproof container of some kind, and you have a compact fire starting kit for inclusion in your emergency survival kit.  The cotton makes great tinder.

Make sure, however, that those matches are not safety matches.  A regular match can be lit by striking against almost any rough surface.  A safety match cannot.

When planning your emergency preparedness survival kit, be sure to remember the need to preserve precious family photos and documents.  You may not be able to physically preserve them through packing bulky albums, folders, or storage boxes into the back pack containing your 72 hour kit, but a solution is at hand.

The popular flash drive can be used.  Fill it with scanned copies of your documents.  Digitize those photos if they are not already in a digital format, and using a simple “copy and paste” place them on your awaiting flash drive.

A flash drive is light and small and easily incorporated into that survival kit.

What’s the difference between saftey matches and strike anywhere matches?

A safety match requires the striker portion of its package to light — thus, the added safety in using this type of match.  The Strike Anywhere Match, can be lit using any rough surface, making them more dangerous when allowed into the hands of children, but also making them more versatile in emergency situations.

Should you, for instance, wish to place a few matches into a waterproof container for placement into your emergency survival kit, safety matches by themselves would NOT be a wise choice.

There are many reasons that you might want to establish some sort of a food storage program in your home.  One of the prime reasons behind long term food storage, of course, is to be prepared for an emergency.

Emergencies, however, are often accompanied by power failure.  Should that happen, and should that power failure be of long duration, the foods that you will likely want to use first would be those contained within the refrigerator or freezer. 

No Power = No Freezer = Food Spoilage

Unfortunately, no power can also equal no stove.  So what do you do then?  You probably do not want to eat those steaks raw.  Uncooked chicken is not likely to be too palatable, and is certainly not the safest way to consume it.

This is likely where you want to have access to a barbecue or table top grill of some kind.  If electrical elements will not work, then an alternate fuel source suddenly becomes a necessity, and an alternate fuel source is to be found in propane or charcoal fueled barbecues, or butane powered grills. 

Do take precautions.  In inclement weather, especially if you are experiencing the frigid temperatures of winter, it might be tempting to do that cooking indoors.  That, however, is not really a good idea.  Dangerous fumes can be generated that are quickly dissipated outside, but are likely to accumulate inside, especially in the modern air-tight home.

It may also be advisable to do a little experimenting with that camp stove or barbecue.  Before the need really arises, become familiar with the best flame levels, cooking times, and so on.  By doing so, when an emergency really does arise, you are prepared in that regard as well.

It’s all part of emergency preparedness.