amount of food to store

[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.

[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 .

[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/...gh-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. 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. 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.

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...