Starvin Larry

Salt

Sugar/unpasteurized-(raw)- honey

Spices/herbs/seasonings/condiments

Yeast

Baking Powder

Oil/Lard/”Crisco”

Soup bases

Multi vitamins – (self explanatory)

Why do you need to store these things?
Because…

1) After the first say 30 days or so- when it’s all about calorie intake,you have to start paying attention to nutrition.

2) Eating MRE’s, Mountain House,or other freeze dried “survival food” long term is really,really,really bad for you. Google the term MRE baby,and you’ll get why.

*Salt –

Your body needs salt,despite all the hysteria about how salt is bad for you – you need more salt when you’re more active,as you sweat more,salt also provides other trace minerals.

You need salt to make things like cornbread,bisquits,bread,cook meats,fish,poultry – plus it makes food taste better.

If food doesn’t taste good,you aren’t going to eat as much.

You’ll also need salt to cure meats,poultry and fish to store without refrigeration.

Which requires a lot of salt.

You need a lot more salt than you think you do.

Salt can be stored for years,as long as it’s kept dry.

Even if salt is exposed to moisture-it can be dried and used.

The salt you store needs to be iodized salt-it’s hard to get enough iodine from diet alone-(unless you live near an ocean,and have a steady diet of fresh seafoods-or like eating seaweed)-especially under a grid down/long term disaster situation.

Currently eggs and dairy products do contain Iodine,but that’s due to commercial cattle and chicken feed.

Your body needs iodine-especially for thyroid function.

Salt is also needed for medical uses-making saline solution,used with sugar for dehydration,etc.

*Sugar –

Many,if not most cures for meats/fish/poultry involve sugar.

Pretty much all baking requires sugar – be it bread,cornbread,or pies/cakes.

All ya’ll who like sweet tea-it takes a lot of sugar,you like sugar in your coffee?

That takes even more.

You will need to make alcohol too-whether for fuel or “medicinal purposes”

That takes still more sugar.

Want to make bbq sauce from the tomatoes you grow?

More sugar.

Want to make Kool-Aide type unsweetened powdered drink mixes?

More sugar.

*Honey

Honey can be substituted for sugar most cases -so get used to it.

Americans eat way too much sugar anyhow – but you still need it for a lot of foods-and to make alcohol.

*Spices/herbs/seasonings/condiments

I don’t mean fully stocked gourmet level spice rack here-I’m talking just the basic shit you need to cook food that tastes reasonably good.

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Basil

Black pepper

Oregano

red-(cayenne)- pepper

Thyme

Sage

Other than the black pepper,you can grow everything else and dehydrate it once you run out-so it ain’t like you need 55 gallon drums of this stuff.

That’s the basics-I would add a lot of chili powder as well,because it’s more economical,and more feasible to just buy it than to store the extra paprika,cumin,etc to make your own.

Mustard powder-

Makes more sense,and takes up far less room to store it than storing prepared mustard.

Mustard is used to make bbq sauce, among other things – I’ll get into that in later posts.

Vinegar-white and cider –

Marinades and making sauces, salad dressings,prepared mustard,and other cooking uses.

Soy sauce –

Gallon cans are not expensive,and it can be used in a lot of recipes -especially making soups.

Hot sauce –

No brainer, used in cooking as well.

That’s pretty much it for condiments,unless you just gotta have stuff like ketchup or A-1 sauce.

*Yeast and baking powder –

If you like corn bread and bisquits,you need baking powder- if you like bread,rolls,- or alcohol – you need yeast.

Dry yeast and baking powder both store well long term.

I would go heavy on the yeast – because fuel,beer,wine,’shine.

*Oil/lard/”Crisco”

You need fats to cook and bake -whether it’s from vegetable oils,animal fat-(lard)- or from fake lard-(“Crisco”)

Lard does not store well long term,vegetable oil store longer,”Crisco” type fake lard stores the longest.

There are oils made for foodservice that will store well long term,you can get these products at any restaurant supply.  Whirl and Prep are brand names of two of these type cooking oils.

*Soup bases –

Most grocery stores,and any restaurant supply carry beef,chicken and ham bases, that can be stored with no refrigeration. Look for one that does not list salt as the first ingredient if you can find one.

You ain’t gonna have a gourmet kitchen set up and be making fresh stock daily,so using soup bases to make soups and stews makes way more sense,at least until you run out – by which time,you’ll have your food supply and cooking fuel situations handled-or you’ll have starved to death or died of malnutrition or disease.

Soups and stews are quick and easy to make,feed a lot of people,and have high nutritional value.