Every one of us living in uncertain times knows the basic components of survival in emergency. The basics are food, water, clothing and shelter. It is necessary to have all these items at hand in case of natural disaster, terrorist attack or other unexpected situation. But to get you long term food storage ready can be a very difficult task. We often put some food products aside and it gives us some sense of security. But this feeling is false because when something unexpected comes up we realize that we are not even close to having all necessary food supplies in our storage to keep our family going for a long time. There are basic rules about long term food storage and if you follow them it will help you not to get confused or make mistakes.

The first rule is the variety. Try to keep different products in your food storage. Yes, there are some basics that are very important to have in your storage but don’t just store wheat, for example, or other basic food. Add some other items and you will be able to create some good recipes with your ingredients. You will have much more options to make your menu diverse and your family will enjoy it not only for survival reasons.

It also a good idea to purchase small amounts of various products instead of buying a lot of only one type of food. In case of emergency you will have a month’s supply of assorted foods, instead of being stuck with a year’s supply of one product. Many people have only basic products in their food storage, such as powdered milk, wheat, salt and honey. But it is not such a good perspective for anybody to try to survive on such a diet. Instead of storing loads of wheat, try to stock various types of grains and beans as well as a large amount of spices and food flavoring products like cheese, bouillon, onions, garlic. That will add taste to your food and make your menu more colorful. Also make sure you have all necessary ingredients for baking such as flour, baking soda, yeast, cooking oil. It would also be good to master some bread baking recipes.

Another important food to store is those that can be easy and quick to cook. Sometimes you won’t be able to cook and it is good to have some canned or freeze dried foods handy. Also stock some comfort food like chocolate, candy, cake mix, snacks, etc.

You will need to support your body with vitamins because you will be living on a limited diet. Add some multi-vitamins and vitamin C to your food storage plan to keep yourself healthy.

Storing food properly is also a very important issue. You have to keep it in proper food storage containers that will keep the food fresh and away from pests. And try not to forget about the food when you are done storing. Use it in your everyday cooking and then refill the supplies. This way it will stay fresh and you and your family will get used to eating the food storage products.

Have you heard that food storage can save you from lots of problems during different emergency situations. Find out more about food storage and food storage issues in particular.