Here is another great article by NRP. Please read and if you haven’t already get a deep pantry started. Prices and shortages are already starting and it is just going to get worst time is running out. I had really hoped I would never have to say those words but that is where we are. So if for nothing else think about your family. If you have never had to wonder how you are going to feed them, I can assure you it is one of the worse feelings in the world. And don’t think it can’t happen to you because things can change in an instant and if you are not prepared it can be devastating. 

And  I also wanted to thank NRP for all the work and information he has been putting into these articles. He is doing them just to help get the word out and has been doing them on his time without any compensation so if you get a chance and feel these have been helpful you might give a thanks in the comments. 

Guest Article by NRP & Blue, May 10, 2021.

We have done a few background Articles on several Items necessary for a Successful Deep Pantry and I’m sure you’re saying Ok, Ok enough on the Yacking.

Ok, I get it, so let’s start taking a hard look at what ‘YOU’ may need in your Deep Pantry.
Now remember what the definition of a Deep Pantry is, and we’ll go from there.

Beans, Wheat, Rice, and other Grains:

Beans and Rice, well what did you expect me to say, Beans and Rice have been pounded into our brain since the beginning of Time itself.
Most Grains will store for a very long time and are rather nutritious without a doubt. The questions begin with, obviously, how much Grain I should store in my Deep Pantry.

Please keep in mind I’m speaking here as if TSHTF HARD and you’re living out of your Deep Pantry, Garden, and what you can Foliage, Hunt, Fish.

So let’s take a look at what is recommended by a few others, shall we?

The LDS group recommends as a very bare minimum for one year, per person:

Grains—400 pounds (181 kg); includes wheat, flour, rice, corn, oatmeal, and pasta
Legumes—60 pounds (27 kg); includes dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc.
Powdered Milk—16 pounds (7 kg)
Cooking Oil—10 quarts (9 l)
Sugar or Honey—60 pounds (27 kg)
Salt—8 pounds (3.6 kg)
Water (2 weeks*)—14 gallons (53 l)

Yep that’s it……
As they state in their information this is the bare minimum to keep you ‘alive’.

You might want to also check out their “Food Storage Calculator (do an internet search) it’s sometimes a good place to start, BUT, remember this is YOUR Deep Pantry, you need to store what YOU want/need, I seriously NOT going to go by someone else’s complete list of “You MUST Store this or Die” sort of thing.

Now I don’t know about you all, but I’m not thinking the list above is going to do it for me and Ole Blue.

The problem begins where do you start AFTER you decide to have that list above? And yessss, I would get that “List” of goodies in time.

This is where I want to begin, AFTER the basics are taken care of above (again, that list above is to keep you breathing, that’s about it), for I’m not going to argue with the LDS people, they have been doing this for a very VERY long time and I do not disagree with them at all.

Also as a note: there are hundreds of thousands of “You MUST store this and that or you’re going to die” list out there, personally, I ain’t doing that, you got the Net, find a “list” you like if you want to and go that way if you want someone else to tell you what to have in YOUR Deep Pantry, heck I could have done that 10 Articles ago, that’s NOT my intention here.

As a side note, I do agree with Connie here and what’s she is doing with the weekly/monthly challenge of what to gut/buy. Check out her articles at the Side Bar of her Site…. If I did not agree with what she is doing, I would not be putting the time into supporting her here.

What do you eat:

Now I don’t know what you eat, tis none of my business, but that Bowl of Beans and Rice there may look really good for the first few weeks of TSHTF and you’re hungry, but in a very short time you’re going to get very tired of that stuff for sure.

This is where the supplementary Foods in the (Deep Pantry) come into play.
What can I store that will make those 400 pounds of Grain (LDS List) actually taste good? What can I cook; remember the part on knowing how to cook that will keep you going and the Family happy?

Well, how about some of those things you have on that “List” your making??? You ARE working on that list, Right? I know, I know, I’m a pain in the azz for sure, but you will see very soon how important that list is going to be.

My list you ask: well it includes a LOT of different Spices, Condiments and add-on stuff that flavors up that Bowl of Oatmeal, A little Brown Sugar, a fist full of Walnuts, and maybe some Raisins????
Yeah, now that’s what we’re talking about, real food, NOT a bowl of Beans and Rice that tastes like paste, ask me how I know….

See that Bowl above: how about adding some Peppers, a few pieces of dried Green Vegies, a little Freeze Dried Meat, and some S&P? You just took that bowl of ‘goo’ and made it a meal that your family won’t hate you for.

So in this example (Beans & Rice Goo), what do I need to add to my Deep Pantry????
Dried Peppers
Dehydrated Vegetables
Freeze Dried Meat
And Salt & Pepper

Do you see where I’m going with this?????

Food List:

See that Photo above?
There is not a single item in that picture that cannot be stored in your Deep Pantry, and most you can store for an extremely longggggg time. Seriously I have some Freeze Dried Beef that will store for 25 years… Yeppers, it will outlive me that’s for darn sure, but guess what? It’s a darn good investment IMHO.

I keep pushing you to get a ‘List’ done; so how are you going to know what to store if you don’t have an idea of what you eat AND how to cook it?

How are you going to start? Just like you eat an Elephant; “One little bite at a time”.

Let’s say you have 50 things on your List, are you going to go out and buy all that at one time?
NOT if your Frugal and living on a Ranch (get the pun there? Hehehe)
Seriously, you need to break that list down into items that when you do hit the stores you can ONLY BUY ON SALE!!!!. Or at least know where to purchase “stuff” Wholesale or directly from a supplier.

Do NOT go into Debt doing this!!!!

Here is a thought, let’s say you need 50 pounds of Sugar, are you seriously going to buy that from Safeway in 5-pound bags at probably around $5.oo a bag? OR are you going to hit Costco and get a 50-pound sack for $15-$20?

How about Canned Foods? Going to buy one’s and two’s at a buck or more each? OR are you going to hit Sam’s Club or the local Restaurant Supply for 1/2ish the cost? Sure you may need to buy in #10 cans or by the case, but guess what; this is the Deep Pantry we’re talking about, not the Kitchen. Let me tell you, If/When (and it’s looking more like “When”, watch the news) you’re going to extremely happy to have that #10 can of “stuff” when you need it. (Just wanted to add that if you get #10 you can recan into smaller jars.)

 

Let’s talk Canned Foods here for a bit shall we?:

If this was 100 years ago I would be telling you there was NO WAY to buy a good assortment of Canned Vegetables, Fruits, Soups, and XYZ. Now-a-days you can get just about anything you can imagine prepared and canned sitting right there on the Store Shelf. Right?

Ahhhhh let’s explore that statement for a second there Ole Blue.

Remember last year when I could not get your favorite Purina Canned Dog Food? Sam’s Club, Costco, Wally World and everyplace else was sold out, not only sold out; they did not have a single darn can of Wet Dog Food…… Was a very bad day was it not Blue???? Ohhhhh But wait, someone had some stashed in the Deep Pantry, do you remember?

So yes, you can get anything you want…… for now.
SO get out there and do a little, LITTLE purchasing at a time for the Deep Pantry. Stick to your list/budget and keep an Inventory.

Now before I hear a single word about “Hoarding” I’m NOT talking about going out and buying up every single can of Apple Sauce in the State, I’m suggesting you realize that when times are of plenty then you need to store a little up, aka Deep Pantry.

Ever watch the news when a Hurricane hits the South East? Have you noticed how many hundreds/thousands of people are storming the stores and literally fighting over what ‘MAY’ be left?
How many times have we heard of someone getting shot over gas in a mile-long line trying to “get out at the last minute”?
Do you even remember last year with the Virus Panic and what the stores looked like AND the lines just to get into the darn store?

Ok, back to the subject at hand.

Get your list done, figure out what “extras” can go with many different meals to ‘spice’ them up, make a Budget, Shop around for the best prices, and GET STARTED!!!

One last thing…. That Photo above, there is not a single thing in that picture you cannot grow and Can yourself. The Home Canned will be a LOT more nutritious and you actually know what’s in that can of Chili.
BTW, go visit a Cannery someday….. You’ll never eat a can of Hormel Chili Beans with Meat again. And yes, it takes time and commitment, is your Family worth the effort you’re going to put into this endeavor?

Be SMART on your purchasing, use your brain and figure out how to make your Deep Pantry what you need and literally can use to make it through troubled times.

Buying Food:

Ok OK, I had to toss this in there, this is NOT buying Food.
Yeah I like a good McDonalds Big Mac about once in 5 years and the French Fries are to die for, literally, how much-used grease can ya actually stuff into a French Fry? Plus ya got to get a Large Coke right…… That what, about $12-$14 bucks per person? Family of 4, well there went $50.oo for ONE MEAL and were talking McDonalds here for crying out loud HAHAHAHA
Ohhhh, BTW, yes I can store everything to make that Big-Mac in the deep pantry… but why?

Sorry, had to get that out of my system…. LOLOL

So where do we go from here?

I can’t make you do anything (not my intent); you-all may think I’m completely off my nut and should be committed. Ya may believe that having a Deep Pantry is the stupidest thing you have ever heard, after all the stores will ALWAYS be there. Snicker, Snicker, Laugh, Laugh

But that’s ok, I’ve never said I have all the answers to Making it through a “Second Great Depression” or whatever you may think is going to happen, Heck, you may be one of those that believe the Government is there to save us all in a catastrophe, I hope like heck you’re correct. And I/we/you never NEVER need to tap that Deep Pantry (except to rotate out foods). I pray there will never be another Power Outage like in TX last year, or another Katrina Hurricane.

Ohhhh BTW, how’s the Economy looking these days? Seeing any Inflation? Price of Gas going up every week (BTW, I just heard ‘they’ just shut down the Fuel pipelines back East, something about a Cyber Attack?) How’s that pricing on Food? Taxes Going Up, who do you think is going to pay the Piper when those increased cost hit the Stores? You don’t seriously think TPTB are going to absorb the increases in the cost of food do you? They WILL pass on that added cost to you!!!!

I do have a few more things to add about a Deep Pantry, will do one more Article for that, and you’ll just LOVE the topics in that upcoming one HAHAHAHA

Here is a Teaser:
A couple of things I would add to ANY Deep Pantry:
Feel Good Treats, like a few bags of Candy, Hard Candies store particular well, but even Chocolates and ‘OMG’ Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups can be stored in the freezer for decades.
BTW, I hear ya can store a Big-Mac just sitting on the counter for right around 15 years… snicker, snicker.
Do you Smoke or a Family member Smoke? How about Cigarettes? If/When TSHTF can you imagine trying to quit Smoking at that time? Most people can’t quit/stop during low stress times…. Enough Said.
How about Alcohol? It will be a heck of a Barter item, and it CAN be used for a lot more than getting drunk.
I mentioned First Aid before…. Do it.
How about the forbidden subject of Birth Control, Personal Security, Entertainment (books), there is a long list my friends.
AND for Gosh Sake “Toilet Paper” !!!!!!

Please do yourself and your family a favor, at least think about providing for them If/When. What If/When may be closer than you can imagine.

Blue needs a Bath; time to go…..