How to Stockpile a Year of Food

We all know that it's a good thing to have an emergency supply of food, water and other supplies. What we may not know is how to accomplish that goal. It isn't just about accumulating. You have to document, maintain, rotate, monitor. It sounds more complicated than it is. It doesn't take as much work or space as you might think, and the feeling of security it gives you is worth the effort.

Things You'll Need

• Secure, accessible storage space
• Shelves (optional, but nice)
• Labels
• Marker pens
• Critter-proof containers

Instructions

Build Your Base

1. Determine where your storage is going to be. The area should be protected from incursion by mice and insects, but remember that no place is perfect. You'll also have to rely on your containers. The storage area should be as temperature-stable and dry year-round as possible. Consider the type of emergencies you are likely to have. Keep your supplies in a cellar or basement in tornado country. Keep your stockpile in a separate, reinforced shed or garage in earthquake territory. An insulated part of your attached garage or your attic is perfect in areas that get snowed in regularly.

2. 

   Install shelves. You'll need varying heights, if possible. It is ideal to have them accessible from the back and the front, so you can easily rotate your stockpile. Common steel industrial shelving, found at most hardware stores, is inexpensive and effective.

3. Break the job down into smaller goals. You don't have to go out and buy a year's worth of canned spaghetti all at once. You also don't have to put up a year's worth of shelving at once. Build your stockpile up a bit at a time.

4. 

   Find plenty of small and large storage containers, from small plastic zip-top bags to large plastic totes. These don't have to be fancy; you can find sealable plastic totes at discount stores quite inexpensively.

5. Buy or assemble a preplanned week's worth of meals to start. Include obvious items such as prepackaged macaroni and cheese, and other regular pantry standbys. Use this as a template for building the rest of your stock. Looking at one week's worth of food makes it a lot easier to decide what you need for a month or a year.

6. Make lists of what you want to assemble. Make lists of how you want to arrange it. Make lists of everyone's favorite foods, so that your emergency rations don't feel like emergency rations. Brainstorm about all of this as a family.

Assemble the Supplies

1. 

   Buy a few extras while grocery shopping when possible. If you are buying a product that you can store indefinitely, buy two if you can. Add one to your kitchen pantry and the other to your stockpile. You will assemble your stockpile slowly but steadily.

2. Mark the purchase date on products before you put them away. Use a water-proof marker to write directly on the package, or use a label.

3. Add items to the back of the shelves, moving older items towards the front. This will help you keep your supplies as fresh as possible.

4. Use your stockpile as an ongoing storage. Cook from it when possible, then add to it. This will help to keep your supplies as fresh as possible.

5. Make an occasional trip to a warehouse store for large items such as gallon jars of things that will keep. This is a great way to acquire things such as pickles and other meal "trimmings." Trimmings can be anything from pickle relish to candy bars, crackers to canned frosting.

6. Consider using larger containers to hold a week's worth of meals. The sealed container will keep the food fresher and it's easier to keep track of one larger container than several smaller boxes. Use these large containers for long-term storage, and keep your shelved stockpile available for rotation. Mark the larger containers and replace their contents periodically, moving the food into the shelves for rotation.

7. 

   Store water. You should have at least a gallon per day per person. Use the same method of smaller and larger containers so that your water is kept fresh.

Tips & Warnings

• Make lists of what you want to assemble. Make lists of how you want to arrange it. Make lists of everyone's favorite foods, so that your emergency rations don't feel like emergency rations. Brainstorm about all of this as a family. Take advantage of sales and coupons to buy extra items when possible. This is a great way to build up your stockpile. Consider combining your pantry and your stockpile and just cooking from your stockpile. This will help you to rotate more frequently. Commercial freeze dried foods are handy, but there are a lot of practical foods on the regular shelves at your grocery store. Check your containers periodically to verify their condition. Remember to stockpile treat food, too. A bit of chocolate can go a long way to liven up a boring meal. Keep large containers of stable survival foods such as wheat, rice and beans. Kept properly, these will last indefinitely. There are companies that sell pre-assembled food supplies designed to last a week or a month. These can be expensive, but they are a good way to quickly build your stock. Just don't forget that you'll probably need some "trimmings" to go with those meals.

• No paper, plastic or foil is immune to invasion. whether by pests or environmental degradation. Keep as many things as possible in larger, sealed plastic or metal containers. Immediately discard any spoiled or invaded food, and check everything around it that might have been affected. Keep the kids out. Enough said. Don't forget toilet paper. What goes in must come out.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Food storage containers for emergency preparedness
• Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis
• Mountain House 72-Hour Emergency Meal Kit