Emergency pantry items?

[peeplessinNC]

The weather in much of the USA has been pretty horrid lately and more of the same is in the forecast. Here in North Carolina today it is unseasonably warm the last few days, but we've had temps drop dramatically too. We are known for having ice storms in the winter - not large amounts of snow. But ice storms wreck havoc with the power lines and getting around on the streets. Then of course there is the hurricane season..... (sigh)

Today I bought some emergency foods just to have on hand for my own needs:
cans with pull tops of tuna, spaghetti-Os, ravioli, fruit
dried cranberries
individual juice boxes with vitamin C
peanut butter (I always have saltines)

I think I would have my gas stove and city water even if the power went out. I could light a burner with a match if I had to.

Other than some bottled water and dried cereal, what other emergency food items do you think I should consider for an *emergency pantry*? What do you keep in yours?

 

[cluckychick]

I keep cans of evaporated milk, beans, rice.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I keep a pretty extensive pantry

so not much help in the "emergency" dept. Hmm... make sure youve got batteries.

Do you have dried milk (for the cereal)? Or is the cereal the type that is good just eaten dry out of the box? Maybe some meat other than just tuna (if it is out for a few days) like devilled ham, or dried meats (can be re-hydrated and used in cooking). Maybe some soups and
dried boxed mixes - for like muffins or breads or bisquits. (ya might need some muffins, ya never know

I often find that when I am bored or without power for long periods of time, I NEED muffins).

oopsie - hit submit somehow....

make sure ya got some sweet stuff, is what I mean, even a few hershey bars stashed someplace, cause as sure as you'll be sitting there and not needing or wanting them for weeks, as soon as the power goes out, you'll have a craving so bad you'll be tempted to put on snowshoes to go get some chocolate.

meri

 

[SterlingAcres]

Not much to add to everyone else... I keep pasta and rice stocked all the time. I have canned everything. I can cook on my woodstove if it's hot enough, so anything in the pantry that's cookable works for me. I try to skip anything refrigerated, because when the power is out, you don't want to keep opening the thing.

Oh and granola bars and fruit & grain bars. Those are handy and my kids love them.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Dehydrated milk
Bottled water (in case you have a well and you lose electricity...)
Pasta, pasta sauce
Canned soups
Hot chocolate mix/coffee/tea (pick your poison)
Meat (chicken, beef) -- stored in freezer
Flour, etc. (baking supplies and mixes)
Butter and cheese (you can freeze any extras)
Canned veggies

I agree about the sweet stuff and snacks. Being snowed in is a perfect excuse to get creative in the kitchen! It will make an annoying time seem more like party time if you whip out a few trays of chocolate chip cookies or something.

 

[peeplessinNC]

I did see some granola bars today and gave them a second glance. Chocolate is always an emergency ration!

In my recent memory (such as it is) I remember 5 days in an ice storm w/o power and several days w/o power from Hurricane Floyd. If I get snowed in and still have power I can bake and sew 'til my heart's content. But if the power is off, then it is read and hand stitch as long as the light/lantern lasts. So I am trying to think of somewhat nutritious foods to snack on until the bad weather lets up and the power is back on.

During the one long ice storm, my boys and I stayed with neighbors who had gas fireplaces that kept their house pretty warm. We heated snow and ice in a pot on the stove for water to flush the toilets, played games, shared food, and generally had a fun time. Another single mom and her two boys joined us, so there were 4 adults and 6 boys all the same age. Then another friend and her daughter got bored and came over too. It was like one big slumber party! We've never forgotten it.

During an ice storm, so many people were w/o electricity that my company let some families camp out at the office - where we always have heat, light, and water.

 

[OPIE]

Well I always keep emergency stuff around. .
1. We store theose cup-o-soups like Ramen soups but already in a cup. They store forever and you just add warm wter and are pretty good.
2. I have oil lamps and lamp oil around.
3. Beans and Rice in a wter tight container to avoid contamination.
4. Canned meats.
5. canned foods. Keep an eye on the expiration dates and rotate them to make sure you dont have anything going bad.
6. If you dont have a well and a generator, bottled water. But buy the heave big bottles. They arent biodegradable as bad as the 1 gallons and wont become brittle. (I know from experience! Not a pretty sight in the pantry on ther top shelf when they break! Put them on the bottom also.)
7. Medical supplies also. (also any feminine needs as well.) When things are bad its the wrong time to remember "oops" I forgot those!!!
8. PLENTY OF MATCHES!!! In a water tight container. (coffee cans work GREAT for storing stuff!) especialy the new plastic ones.
9. Anyhting else you can think of.

Well thats what we do. We dont have hurricanes here, but we do have ice storms tornadoes and such. And here in the country, we dont get power back very quickly. We have survivrd for a week and a half during the winter, we were fine, but there was alot who werent. There own fault.
Good luck

 

[dacjohns]

Come on over to Sufficient Self, a sister site of BYC. There is lots of information over there and there is a link at the bottom of this page.

 

[BeckyLa]

I agree with everybody, especially on the canned foods. And remember a good hand can opener.

Also, if there is no electricity and no generator, there will be no oven for baking even with a gas stove. They have a safety valve that does not work without electric. Found that out. Amazing how many things I learned from Hurricane Ivan... You can light the top with a match, but not the oven. Also, have on had one or more hand crank lanterns and radio flashlights. They don't take batteries, just crank them up and they work. And an "old fashioned" telephone that is not chordless. I don't know how it would be with ice but the hurricane took out all the cell towers in the area and the old push-button phone is the only one that worked.

Also, if there is a storm on the way, please be sure that all prescriptions are filled so no one runs out of something they desperately need. If you are low but not out you can talk to your pharmacist and get emergency refills.

 

[ChickenToes]

Flour, eggs, powdered milk, rice, dried beans, lentils, pasta, sugar, salt, different fats and oils, a jug of water always sitting somewhere, and canned items like tomatoes and jams.