amount of food to store

[COvigilance]

I tried to do a search but it wouldn't work. So, does anyone have ideas on the amount of food, in pounds, that you should store for survival in a bugg in type of situation. what I am wondering is, I am about to order some of those 10 pound cans of Mountain house meals, and I am wondering how many I will need total. I am not really sure how long a pound of food would last me, or once you add water to cook these, how many meals you get out of a can? Any ideas or suggestions would be great.

[KevDen2005]

I tried to do a search but it wouldn't work. So, does anyone have ideas on the amount of food, in pounds, that you should store for survival in a bugg in type of situation. what I am wondering is, I am about to order some of those 10 pound cans of Mountain house meals, and I am wondering how many I will need total. I am not really sure how long a pound of food would last me, or once you add water to cook these, how many meals you get out of a can? Any ideas or suggestions would be great.


No expert here, in fact Jerry will probably end up having the best knowledge with this...

But you will probably need a lot, depending on how long you plan on bugging in. Think about how much food you normally eat and try to compare. Plus, you should order a few cans and make a test run seeing how long they last and how well they store, etc.

I keep some food like that for absolute emergency, but the best bet is probably overstocking regular types of foods that have long shelf lives and rotating them out as you buy more, using the oldest first. That food is cheaper and many canned foods have long shelf lives. Plus Jerry teaches a canning class that I would love to get to some day.

[Byte Stryke]

not as an answer but more to help you better ask your question.

How many are you feeding?
What are the ages of those you are feeding?
how long do you plan on being holed up before getting out?
Don't quote me but I believe I read somewhere for food it's 2#/Day per adult.
I'm sure someone will be along shortly to tell me how wrong and stupid I am.

[StagLefty]

How many are you feeding?
What are the ages of those you are feeding?
how long do you plan on being holed up before getting out?

Bytes right on with those questions. Also buy the food you and the family will eat-nothing worse than stocking up on on sale food that nobody likes. Go on the LDS web site and do some reading,they are huge on stocking food and know what they're talking about. Mountain House is an awfully expensive way to go for food stock. JMHO [Beer]

[jerrymrc]

Start here. http://www.co-ar15.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19906 Many use the LDS guides that are available online. It is not necessary to put it all into weight since Freeze dried (mountain house) is very light. and those are number 10 cans not 10lb cans. ;) 10 lbs of wet pack green beans = about 2 lbs of freeze dried or dehydrated.

You really cant put a number on how many pounds unless you are talking basics like wheat, sugar, salt etc. I store flour myself and rotate it. So now we play the math game. I store 5lb sacks of flour in mylar. 5lbs is about 18 cups and it takes 3 to make a loaf of bread. 3x6=18 so I get 6 loaves of bread per sack.

I keep at least a year in reserves and my basic thought is one loaf per week for the two of us. 6 loafs of bread, 52 weeks in a year means I need to store 9 (rounded up) sacks of flour at 5lbs each just for the bread.

This does not take into account doing anything else but make bread. I also need to make sure that I have enough yeast to go along with that.

If you have a family then unless you are a hard core Mormon your family will take a dim view of some of your preps. My daughter just flat refused to eat anything that came out of the pantry downstairs.

Mountain House is good but very expensive. I would suggest trying some and seeing what the family thinks of it (if you have one) also look at the weight of the contents. If there are 3lbs in a can and it says 10 servings I can almost guarantee that it may be more like 6. If you choose to go this route do keep a large stock of wet canned goods on hand as well.

I buy on sale and always look at the dates. Rotate your food. In the link above I talk about variety in your food preparations.

Just some thoughts. [Beer] I see I am slow today.

[Big Wall]

I agree with everything above. I think you want to think more about calories per day than about weight per day.

[Wulf202]

+1 to the above.

Another concern is your family size and #10 cans of food that can spoil. If you get a can and can't finish it without transferring/refrigeration buy smaller cans.

[Irving]

Also consider how many calories you'll need compared to now where you can just sit on the couch while the microwave cooks your food, or when everything is shut down and you're having to do everything manually and cook your food over an open flame. It might not be quite as many calories as if you were trying to live in the woods or something, but I still think it would be significantly more than your average daily caloric requirement today.

[ldmaster]

Take a look through their archives (they are all online) and you don't have to join. The LDS book has easy guidlines, and you can download it for free.

Variety and more variety are key. 5 gal buckets, gamma seals and mylar liners and you're good for years.

[ShooterJM]

I keep at least a year in reserves and my basic thought is one loaf per week for the two of us. 6 loafs of bread, 52 weeks in a year means I need to store 9 (rounded up) sacks of flour at 5lbs each just for the bread.

This does not take into account doing anything else but make bread. I also need to make sure that I have enough yeast to go along with that.


I never really thought of it in that sense. Looks like I need more flour....

[COvigilance]

thanks for all the help guys, I assumed that the #10 can meant 10 lbs. wow was I wrong. I did the calorie calculations from the mountain house nutrition information, and there is about 2,000-2,500 calories per can. only a days worth of calories. I think I will get a few for long term storage. (there advertising says 30 year shelf life) and then go the other route you all suggested, it sems to be better cost wise. Thanks again.

[Ranger]

For me it's all on the planned bug out. I have "levels" of bug out. My level 1 is grab a bag and go, worst case scenario and I we each have 7 days of food (generally MRE's) in our pack. With rationing that could last a bit longer. My level 4 (total bug out or even bug in) is a years worth, where I move towards the bulk flour and grains and less about MRE's (but they are still part of it). I try to figure my different plans based on if I'm trying to actually get out of town or not because there is only so much you can carry in even a large SUV.

I'm generally planning on a large scale level 4 bug out and go as far as keeping some things buried in areas that I can get to easily if I cannot fit it in my car or if have to be on foot and cannot carry more than a very small supply of food with me. When you take into account the rest of what you need (like fire making, first aid, water purification, comfort, shelter, weapons and ammo) it can be quite a chore to get everything to the right ratio.

I've spent years putting together my plans and test them constantly. I often camp with my bug out gear so I can get a feel for what is not really needed or useful, what can serve a dual purpose and what I'm missing and then I scale that up for the other levels of bug out.

There are great ideas here like for how much flour is needed for so much bread. I take that concept and start at the top and say "we need X number of calories per day, put that into meals, break the meal into components, multiply by intended days" and so forth until I get the food requirements figured out. One I have that then I try to find ways of making that efficient and interesting (nobody wants to eat the same meal every day for a year but I would if I had to) and how I could fit that into my SUV.

It might just be me, but I've got some serious issues :).

[vim]

Are there decent local bulk-food sources? I use Walton Feed for Internet bulk purchases spread through my family -- dried potato flakes, 50-lb bags of oats, etc. -- but close would be convenient. Though I'd pay tax, I'd save on shipping.

[earplug]

Most canned and packaged foods last for several years.
Buy what you eat now and rotate your pantry.
Were finding canned meat can be challenging to buy and enjoy.
Various types of Spam, Canned Beef, chicken, Tuna, Salmon etc.
Were learning how to work them into our current diet.
If your buying dehydrated foods your spending more and when you need them you will be jumping off into the unknown in regards to taste and diet. Your also relying on clean water.

[ChunkyMonkey]

We have tried many many freeze dried, survival food. We are sticking with japanese ramen, 10yr life time bento box, sardine and dried fruit.

Like many have mentioned here, we also have 6-12 month supply of canned goods in the pantry that are being used, rotated. One thing we learnt, stock up on things you would eat today - so it can be part of your daily meal.

[Ranger]

One thing we learnt, stock up on things you would eat today - so it can be part of your daily meal.

Hard to do that with McDonalds burgers :).

[jerrymrc]

Are there decent local bulk-food sources? I use Walton Feed for Internet bulk purchases spread through my family -- dried potato flakes, 50-lb bags of oats, etc. -- but close would be convenient. Though I'd pay tax, I'd save on shipping.

Unfortunately I have not found one. I buy many items like dehydrated potatoes, gravies and many other things on my trips back to Oregon. They have a Winco foods and the closest one is in Utah. Take a look. http://www.zubon.org/log/293

If you like to pack your own it is a great place since there are many items you can buy in small amounts to try and play with.

[jerrymrc]

Hard to do that with McDonalds burgers :).


They could always be canned. ;)[LOL]

[StagLefty]

Hard to do that with McDonalds burgers :).

Freezer is full of 1/4 pounders vacuum sealed. They'll be worth a fortune when the SHTF. [ROFL1]

[jerrymrc]

Freezer is full of 1/4 pounders vacuum sealed. They'll be worth a fortune when the SHTF. [ROFL1]

Actually one could can the patties and use the army's never say die buns. I only have 4 packages of 6 buns left. Good for about 10 years or so. We opened one package on the 4 year mark and they were just fine.

[Ranger]

Actually one could can the patties and use the army's never say die buns. I only have 4 packages of 6 buns left. Good for about 10 years or so. We opened one package on the 4 year mark and they were just fine.

What the heck is that? I've never heard of it!

[jerrymrc]

What the heck is that? I've never heard of it!

Shelf stable bread was tested in 1990 and I was a guinea pig for natic. I think it came on line in 91 or so. The first bread was a small white loaf that could be cut in two to make a sandwich. Back then we had the ham slice so all you were looking for was the mayo. Sadly the ham slice left us in 2000.

Somewhere in the early 2000's they started making the round "burger buns" these along with the older style are part of the T-rat family and come packaged in singles and 6 packs. In the system they can be ordered separately or if you order certain T-rat items they are included. If your T-rat order includes a tray of BBQ pork 3 packages of 6 buns will go with it.

They have never been included in the MRE line. It is kinda hard to find in the surplus world but is not bad at all. All this useless information running around my brain. :) And officially they are good for 3 years @ 80 degrees. And as we all know drop the temp on MRE's and the life goes up.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Hard to do that with McDonalds burgers :).

McD is proven to last forever too...
http://bestofmotherearth.com/2008/09/24/1996-mcdonalds-hamburger.html



Actually one could can the patties and use the army's never say die buns. I only have 4 packages of 6 buns left. Good for about 10 years or so. We opened one package on the 4 year mark and they were just fine.

It has been commercialized...
http://www.sdnn.com/files/2010/07/CANDWICH-CANNED-SANDWICH.jpg

[jerrymrc]

McD is proven to last forever too...
http://bestofmotherearth.com/2008/09/24/1996-mcdonalds-hamburger.html




It has been commercialized...
http://www.sdnn.com/files/2010/07/CANDWICH-CANNED-SANDWICH.jpg

Never made it past the planning stage. There is a burger out there that was in production but last I heard it had been pulled. I think there are some videos of it.

Now there is kind of a burger in some of the first strike rations that has a kind of "cold pocket" in a few varieties. Never had one myself but may pick some up just for the hell of it.

[vim]

Unfortunately I have not found one. I buy many items like dehydrated potatoes, gravies and many other things on my trips back to Oregon. They have a Winco foods and the closest one is in Utah. Take a look. http://www.zubon.org/log/293

If you like to pack your own it is a great place since there are many items you can buy in small amounts to try and play with.

Thanks. I'll be driving out that way this summer and will look for a Winco to check out. When I'm in the SLC area, I always stop at Macey's; I do like that store.

[colocowboy01]

Are there decent local bulk-food sources? I use Walton Feed for Internet bulk purchases spread through my family -- dried potato flakes, 50-lb bags of oats, etc. -- but close would be convenient. Though I'd pay tax, I'd save on shipping.


Have you tried:

Farris Survival
3366 S. Broadway, Englewood CO 80113
1-303-781-0343 (local)

They are a local company that stocks bunk food.

[Ranger]

They are a local company that stocks bunk food.


Damn, that's too bad, I was hoping for a local source but if it's all bunk then no sense calling them up :).

[jerrymrc]

Have you tried:

Farris Survival
3366 S. Broadway, Englewood CO 80113
1-303-781-0343 (local)

They are a local company that stocks bunk food.



There site is here. http://www.fsurv.com/default.aspx I see no mention of bulk foods but that does not mean they do not have any.

[DSB OUTDOORS]

Have you tried:

Farris Survival
3366 S. Broadway, Englewood CO 80113
1-303-781-0343 (local)

They are a local company that stocks bunk food.

Thanks colocowboy! I'll check it out. I work close to there. [Beer]

[Mick-Boy]

I'd appreciate it if you'd post up your impressions after you give them a look.

[COvigilance]

Does anyone have experience with these?

http://www.thereadystore.com/food-storage/supply-size/valuebuckets

I have about three hundred dollars to spend on food, I have 2 cases of MRE's, about a weeks worth of Mountain House pouches, and my normal food in my pantry.

Should I be looking at Long term storage next? Any thoughts would help. What types of food would you buy first?

[jerrymrc]

Does anyone have experience with these?

http://www.thereadystore.com/food-storage/supply-size/valuebuckets

I have about three hundred dollars to spend on food, I have 2 cases of MRE's, about a weeks worth of Mountain House pouches, and my normal food in my pantry.

Should I be looking at Long term storage next? Any thoughts would help. What types of food would you buy first?

How many people? How much canned goods do you have and how much do you use them?

I try and get people to look at 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and then a year.

The biggest thing people forget when planning food storage is the little stuff. Spices, mixes, gravy's, and dairy items need to be looked at. Having a bunch of rice and beans is great but you have to have something to put on it. :)

[StagLefty]

How many people? How much canned goods do you have and how much do you use them?

I try and get people to look at 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and then a year.

The biggest thing people forget when planning food storage is the little stuff. Spices, mixes, gravy's, and dairy items need to be looked at. Having a bunch of rice and beans is great but you have to have something to put on it. :)
TP,meds,etc. Too many forget about other needs beside just food. [Beer]

[jerrymrc]

TP,meds,etc. Too many forget about other needs beside just food. [Beer]

Yes, but we were talking about FOOD. One thing at a time. :) He also needs a way to fix it as well.;)

[StagLefty]

Yes, but we were talking about FOOD. One thing at a time. :) He also needs a way to fix it as well.;)

I understand Jerry it was just a heads up about other "stuff". I see too many preppers forget about some of their daily needs besides food. Over and out [Beer]

[COvigilance]

How many people? How much canned goods do you have and how much do you use them?

I try and get people to look at 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and then a year.

The biggest thing people forget when planning food storage is the little stuff. Spices, mixes, gravy's, and dairy items need to be looked at. Having a bunch of rice and beans is great but you have to have something to put on it. :)


I have 4 weeks worth easily for myself. So am I looking at 6 months using buckets of rice, beans, salt, etc? Or do I concentrate on MRE's and MH still? Thanks for the help

[Wulf202]

Thanks. I'll be driving out that way this summer and will look for a Winco to check out. When I'm in the SLC area, I always stop at Macey's; I do like that store.

last time i went to SLC the walmarts had mountain house and red feather canned butter!

[ARgal]

Regarding Farris Survival, I visited their storefront last week as I needed some mylar bags and thought I might pick them up locally rather than waiting to get from online. The store is small and not really much stock on hand. Seemed very disorganized. They had a few of the blue plastic drums for water, etc in various sizes, some other plastic storage containers. I saw about 4 or so 25lb bags of wheat, rolled oats. The price on their 5 gal pail size mylar bags was $5 and I buy them online for $1.47. I expected to pay a little more, but thought that was excessive. Oh - and theirs were 3mil and the ones I buy online are 5mil.

Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed.

[jerrymrc]

Regarding Farris Survival, I visited their storefront last week as I needed some mylar bags and thought I might pick them up locally rather than waiting to get from online. The store is small and not really much stock on hand. Seemed very disorganized. They had a few of the blue plastic drums for water, etc in various sizes, some other plastic storage containers. I saw about 4 or so 25lb bags of wheat, rolled oats. The price on their 5 gal pail size mylar bags was $5 and I buy them online for $1.47. I expected to pay a little more, but thought that was excessive. Oh - and theirs were 3mil and the ones I buy online are 5mil.

Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed.

Thanks for the input. If ya need some of the smaller ones let me know I have around 100 of the #10 can size 5 mil.

I do need to start a thread on a Mylar party soon.

[jerrymrc]

I have 4 weeks worth easily for myself. So am I looking at 6 months using buckets of rice, beans, salt, etc? Or do I concentrate on MRE's and MH still? Thanks for the help

I used to store large buckets but went to smaller packaging for a few reasons. I now store most items in #10 bags. For smaller things like spices I can make 1/2 or 1/3 size bags out of the bigger ones.

I have a list on what I store and what is in the each box alond with the pack date. In my case I had a supply of boxes that were about 20"X15"X15" that work well and at best weigh 25-30lbs I always try to pack a few heavy items like rice and beans along with lighter stuff. This makes it easy for a number of reasons.

I would start with some simple items that you might like and use. Rice, beans, pasta, flour, sugar. Some powdered milk and other items.

Also take a look at the sticky links page. Add some freeze dried or dehydrated veggies and fruit along with some of the other items. Do not forget things like the tomato powder. Short term keep small cans of paste.

Whatever you think of getting or storing always think of how to prepare it and items that go along with it.

Example. You have some MRE's. Most of the entrees I can take and add some pasta or rice, a little water and extend it to two servings. Anything that is canned can be bulked up with the right and cheap items. I always try something different just to see what the outcome is and if we like it.

One must also practice with the food one stores. No good to have a bunch of one thing and find out later your not sure what to do with it.

Hope this gets you started.[Beer]

[COvigilance]

I used to store large buckets but went to smaller packaging for a few reasons. I now store most items in #10 bags. For smaller things like spices I can make 1/2 or 1/3 size bags out of the bigger ones.

I have a list on what I store and what is in the each box alond with the pack date. In my case I had a supply of boxes that were about 20"X15"X15" that work well and at best weigh 25-30lbs I always try to pack a few heavy items like rice and beans along with lighter stuff. This makes it easy for a number of reasons.

I would start with some simple items that you might like and use. Rice, beans, pasta, flour, sugar. Some powdered milk and other items.

Also take a look at the sticky links page. Add some freeze dried or dehydrated veggies and fruit along with some of the other items. Do not forget things like the tomato powder. Short term keep small cans of paste.

Whatever you think of getting or storing always think of how to prepare it and items that go along with it.

Example. You have some MRE's. Most of the entrees I can take and add some pasta or rice, a little water and extend it to two servings. Anything that is canned can be bulked up with the right and cheap items. I always try something different just to see what the outcome is and if we like it.

One must also practice with the food one stores. No good to have a bunch of one thing and find out later your not sure what to do with it.

Hope this gets you started.[Beer]


Thanks for the help...I think I have a direction now.

[Mick-Boy]

Regarding Farris Survival, I visited their storefront last week as I needed some mylar bags and thought I might pick them up locally rather than waiting to get from online. The store is small and not really much stock on hand. Seemed very disorganized. They had a few of the blue plastic drums for water, etc in various sizes, some other plastic storage containers. I saw about 4 or so 25lb bags of wheat, rolled oats. The price on their 5 gal pail size mylar bags was $5 and I buy them online for $1.47. I expected to pay a little more, but thought that was excessive. Oh - and theirs were 3mil and the ones I buy online are 5mil.

Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed.

Thanks for the input. You saved me a drive.

[jerrymrc]

One other thing. I always look and buy on sale for my canned goods. This week King Soopers has cans of tuna on for 50 cents with no limit. Albertsons has it 2 for a $1 as well but a limit of 4. The last I bought a couple of weeks ago had a best use by feb of 2014.

Now I do not know about some but we can eat some tuna. My oldest is dated 06 of 2013 and I keep at least 40 cans on hand for that price.

And for the canners out there Rancho Liborio has boneless/skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.47 a pound. ;) They also have center cut loin chops for $1.77 per pound as well as Knorr chicken bouillon 1Kg (2.2lbs) for $4.99.

[gnihcraes]

scene from msnbc of japan...

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-Japan-Quake-tabbed/Day3_ss-110312-japanquake/ss-110312-japanquake-12.ss_full.jpg

[gnihcraes]

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-Japan-Quake-tabbed/Day3_ss-110312-japanquake/ss-110313-japanquake-05.grid-9x2.jpg

[jerrymrc]

Takes about 4 days of no supply to look like that here. That is without the disaster. All ya have to do is look at one of those news stories when the hurricanes are coming in Florida.[Coffee]

[solomon751]

Can you imagine trying to make a descent family meal out of a trip to 7-11 muchless a few months of meals? I think this Japan tragedy serves as an effective reminder of how relevant planning and preparation is.

[hollohas]

I also need to make sure that I have enough yeast to go along with that.



Lots of discussion about bread and very little mention of yeast. Sure the stuff lasts forever in the freezer but what if the freezer goes down?

How many have made their own sourdough starter? Many of you already make/produce what you need to survive (Grow fruits/veggies, can/pack/dehydrate, make bread/grind flour, reload ammo, produce power with solar/wind, hunt for meat, etc, etc.) so why not take it one step further and make your own yeast?

It's easy to do and takes nothing more than Flour, milk/water, sugar and time. You can just set it out and let it catch "wild" yeast or you can use a little of your active dry yeast to make a starter.

If you know how to make it, it is one less thing you have to worry about running out of.

I have a long way to go before I am fully prepared and become self sufficient but making my own sourdough starter was an easy step to take.

Check here for some info

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/tips/sourdough-primer.html

[jerrymrc]

Lots of discussion about bread and very little mention of yeast. Sure the stuff lasts forever in the freezer but what if the freezer goes down?

I keep it in the vacuum sealed Mylar in the freezer. I would say that once you pull it out it would be good for 2 years at least. Just refrigerated I have had it last 3 years past the date. I keep a jar that I pull yeast from the freezer to use that year in the fridge. I also keep powdered butter and milk along with the other stuff. Once opened I reseal the bag when it goes back in the freezer. [Beer]In the 1lb bags it is cheap enough that everyone should have at least one in the freezer.

[sroz]

Good. Got an expert on this stuff. I found online that canned chili, Dinty Moore beef stew and Spam have an indefinite shelf life. I don't always believe what I read on the internet and you obviously have a lot of knowledge on this. Is this true? I dug up a can of Dinty Moore with a date of Feb 2014. Would it really still be good in say 2020? - Thanks!

[hollohas]

I keep it in the vacuum sealed Mylar in the freezer. I would say that once you pull it out it would be good for 2 years at least. Just refrigerated I have had it last 3 years past the date. I keep a jar that I pull yeast from the freezer to use that year in the fridge. I also keep powdered butter and milk along with the other stuff. Once opened I reseal the bag when it goes back in the freezer. [Beer]In the 1lb bags it is cheap enough that everyone should have at least one in the freezer.

I see you have enough yeast for years of baking! Thank you for all the knowledge you share here. [Beer]

As you said, active dry yeast pretty much lasts forever in the freezer or not. But my point was that I think it is important to know how to produce your own consumables whenever possible. After All, yeast is a consumable and you can run out, so why not know how to make your own? It's easy to do and fun. I would argue that real survival preparation requires knowledge of how to be as self sufficient as possible, not just stocking up.

Maybe my post was in the wrong place considering this is a food "storage" thread...

To be more on topic, you can make your own yeast starter, STORE it ;) and almost endlessly replenish it. And believe it or not yeast starters can survive out of the fridge too. For example...my in-laws live near the south site and were out of their house for months during the Hayman fire (and even before due to another fire before the Hayman...I forget the name). My father-in-law's 100 year old yeast starter that had been passed down over the years survived with no power for 2 months...without feeding. If it was fed and used regularly, it would survive forever with no refrigeration. That's how people made bread before active dry yeast and refrigeration...

[jerrymrc]

Good. Got an expert on this stuff. I found online that canned chili, Dinty Moore beef stew and Spam have an indefinite shelf life. I don't always believe what I read on the internet and you obviously have a lot of knowledge on this. Is this true? I dug up a can of Dinty Moore with a date of Feb 2014. Would it really still be good in say 2020? - Thanks!

I would say no. Just because there is no date on the can.... There are many items that will last a long time but storage conditions are key. I have used canned goods that were 2 years past the date. Some items are better than others at living a long life.

[jerrymrc]

I see you have enough yeast for years of baking! Thank you for all the knowledge you share here. [Beer]

As you said, active dry yeast pretty much lasts forever in the freezer or not. But my point was that I think it is important to know how to produce your own consumables whenever possible. After All, yeast is a consumable and you can run out, so why not know how to make your own? It's easy to do and fun. I would argue that real survival preparation requires knowledge of how to be as self sufficient as possible, not just stocking up.

Maybe my post was in the wrong place considering this is a food "storage" thread...

To be more on topic, you can make your own yeast starter, STORE it ;) and almost endlessly replenish it. And believe it or not yeast starters can survive out of the fridge too. For example...my in-laws live near the south site and were out of their house for months during the Hayman fire (and even before due to another fire before the Hayman...I forget the name). My father-in-law's 100 year old yeast starter that had been passed down over the years survived with no power for 2 months...without feeding. If it was fed and used regularly, it would survive forever with no refrigeration. That's how people made bread before active dry yeast and refrigeration...

I used to keep starter and do allot of baking when we had all the kids here. I have slowed down a little since it is just the two of us. As much as I like fresh bread I do keep a can of conditioner on hand. http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/doughconditionerCAN.aspx

It is not something I use when I make french bread or rolls but a little of this will make your bread last a long time. This conditioner is why the store bought stuff will last almost 2 weeks and normal home baked bread has mold in 3 days.

Now if one is the tree hugger anti everything aint gonna put no chemicals in my body kind of life form then this (or bathing) may not be for you but if there ever comes a day that the only bread is the stuff you are baking yourself then this might be handy to have. :)