Main survival foods for storing in case of food shortages

[Sirus]

Laziza packets of spice: http://www.kingofspice.com/laziza_spices.html
Red lentils
Tins of mackerel in sunflower oil

You can have so many delicious meals from spice mixes, plus the ingredients are nutritious and some have medicinal properties.

[Bubu]

Sugar, salt and spices makes anything taste better.

[Antagenet]

Posted by Antagenet (here)
1. Oatmeal
2. Dehydrated Tomato Powder
3. Dehydrated Potato flakes
4. Canned Sardines and Tuna
5. Ghee
6. Coconut oil
7. Salt, Tamari and Soy sauce
8. Honey, sugar and molasses
9. lentils for sprouting
10. Chia and flax seeds.
11. Apple Cider Vinegar
12. Powdered Milk
13. Spices and Herbs both culinary and medicinal
14. Pasta and Cous Cous.

OK after living off of many preps during Covid, Here is my NEW and UPDATED Storage prep list!
And the winners are..... drum roll.
1. Tamari (love it and cant see living without it)
2. Coconut Oil (so useful both inside and outside body. It also helped me get off of sugar and milk. I mix it in my coffee.)
3. Spices and Herbs, most importantly Curry Powder, and Paprika.
4. Chocolate (dark, for baking) I ran out and missed it so much.
5. Vitamins. Especially B and C.
6. Coffee
7. Baby Clam Sauce (much tastier than sardines or tuna)
8. Dehydrated Potato Powder. Easy on the stomach and versatile.
9. Ghee
10. Molasses, Honey, Maple syrup, Sugar and Marmalades.

I'd be interested in anyone's updated picks.

[Bill Ryan]

I think this may be the best thread to share this new video below. For sure, next year (2027) we're going to see food shortages even in developed countries (with some items maybe close to disappearing completely), combined with considerable price inflation. But many simple staples aren't too expensive at all right now, and if you can afford it it makes very good sense to stock up on all the basics that you can.

15 foods to stockpile that never expire

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3bvE-ke3B2I

However, the best thing may be to read the 1300 comments, which may be more interesting and valuable than the video!

The 15 'foods' are listed as:

• Honey
• White rice
• Salt
• White sugar
• Dried beans
• Pure vanilla extract
• Cornstarch
• Soy sauce
• Distilled white vinegar
• Instant coffee
• Hardtack
• Maple syrup
• Pemmican
• Bouillon cubes
• Dried pasta

(I store brown rice, brown sugar, many kinds of tins, ground coffee, tea, chia seeds, flax seeds, dates, raisins, dried yeast, dried soup, baking powder, black pepper, turmeric, flour, mayonnaise and ketchup, none of which — so far, after many years! — have ever gone bad.)

[Rizotto]

Thanks Bill, that's a good list. To be noted, fats are mostly absent from that list, other than pemmican, possibly.

I've never made or eaten pemmican, but recipes I've seen of traditional pemmican include animal fat (e.g. tallow), dried meat, saskatoon berries, all pounded into a paste, and dried. (Usually smoke-dried). It was claimed that this mix was tasty and nutritious, and kept well for months. (Not sure if it kept for years though...) I always assumed that the berries' acid kept the fat from going rancid. But that's just a guess.

That's the problem with storing fats, most go rancid rather quickly. Some last longer than others. Rancid fats not only taste bad, they're toxic.

How long can olive oil last, if kept in a dark cool place in sealed glass bottles? ('best before' dates indicate 2 years...)

Apparently there's such a thing as canned butter, but I've never seen this on grocery stores shelves.

It's worth looking into long-storage fats, as fats are one essential component of human nutrition.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Rizotto (here)
How long can olive oil last, if kept in a dark cool place in sealed glass bottles? ('best before' dates indicate 2 years...)

Yes, 2 years, I believe. But unrefined coconut oil can last up to 5 years.

[Tintin]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
I think this may be the best thread to share this new video below. For sure, next year (2027) we're going to see food shortages even in developed countries (with some items maybe close to disappearing completely), combined with considerable price inflation. But many simple staples aren't too expensive at all right now, and if you can afford it it makes very good sense to stock up on all the basics that you can.

15 foods to stockpile that never expire

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3bvE-ke3B2I

However, the best thing may be to read the 1300 comments, which may be more interesting and valuable than the video!

The 15 'foods' are listed as:

• Honey
• White rice
• Salt
• White sugar
• Dried beans
• Pure vanilla extract
• Cornstarch
• Soy sauce
• Distilled white vinegar
• Instant coffee
• Hardtack
• Maple syrup
• Pemmican
• Bouillon cubes
• Dried pasta

(I store brown rice, brown sugar, many kinds of tins, ground coffee, tea, chia seeds, flax seeds, dates, raisins, dried yeast, dried soup, baking powder, black pepper, turmeric, flour, mayonnaise and ketchup, none of which — so far, after many years! — have ever gone bad.)

That's a great list, and many of these appear in my (small) cupboards here at home

[grapevine]

Cookies Made From Plastic Bottles Could Ease Food Shortages, Feed NASA Crews In Space

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=N2uAplvumM8

Posting this here as a warning really because there was an article today in the Metro (free newspaper) and it's being reported quite extensively on social media. And while writing, some brands of Basmati Rice seem to be a bit 'iffy' lately too, but I'm just going by taste and texture.

[Rizotto]

Another thought: the need for essential vitamins, e.g. vitamin D and C, etc., which are mostly absent from foods listed above. There's always those vitamin supplements bought at the store, but how effective are these? How long do they keep?

So, it's a good idea to acquire books on local plants for healing and nutrition. For example, here in the northern winter, one can still get enough vitamin C from spruce needle tea to ward off scurvy. Wild sage to clean and disinfect wounds. Willow to reduce inflammation. Which plants are edible, which are poisonous. Etc.

Vitamin D from salmon, which used to be abundant here in the north. Not anymore...

[grapevine]

Years ago I read an article in the Reader's Digest by a US army colonel who said that vitamins were good for at least 10 years after the use by date and that they gradually lost effectiveness, ie didn't go bad.