Food Storage

This information might be helpful to anyone trying to store food.  I used to teach food storage classes when I was a Bosch girl.  

1. Did you know that the church will ship food storage to your house.  I just ordered about $200 worth of beans, rice, oats, and wheat.  They dropped it off on my front porch.  You can also pick food storage up and the cannery centers.  

2.  The current recommendation from church leaders is to have 3 months supply of food/supplies in your house that you eat and rotate regularly, and to have 1 year supply of food that will keep you alive.  

3.  Along with beans, rice, and wheat it is also important to store fats in your one year supply.  Oils that are more highly processed have a longer shelf life (vegetable oil, corn oil, shortening).  I keep 3-5 month supply of canola and olive oil that I rotate, and a larger supply of highly processed oils.   In addition to the above mentioned I store sugar, honey, leavening agents (baking soda and powder, and yeast in the freezer), and some spices. 

4.  If you have a year supply of wheat stored, but no wheat grinder, you're not going to be able to use the wheat unless you like cracked wheat cereal (wheat can be cracked in a blender, or with a rock on the sidewalk).

5.  One year supply of grains for an adult is 300 lbs.

6.  The recommended water storage is 1 gal. per person per day for 2 weeks.

7.  Gamma seal lids are great for storing and rotating food storage.  They go on a 4.25 or 6 gal bucket and the lid screws on and off.  They come in different colors.  I have a bucket for my rice, flour, sugar, wheat, beans, and popcorn.  

8.  Try living on only the things you have in  your house for one month.  See how it goes.  It helps you see what you need.

9.  If it feels overwhelming to store all of this stuff, just start with one extra thing each time you go to the store.

10.  For more tips check out lds.org.