I really hate that word: Prepper. It denotes some crazed conspiracy theorist who believes the end of the world is imminent.
Lots and lots of canning jars
In the past two years, many of us have experienced extended power outages from storms. The future may mean more outages or even a disruption of what we take for granted every day: regular food deliveries to our grocery stores. I have heard that most stores have a 3-day supply of food. I will tell you that it is actually an 8-hour supply because as soon as word of a storm hits the news, the shelves are emptied. And after power is restored, here in Connecticut it took at least two-three weeks for delivery schedules to become normal again which means that a lot of food items were not available for weeks after power was restored to our area. This is a wake-up call to all of us.
I have had a lot of people ask me what they should purchase. I tell them to store food and buy a generator and gas cans. But what food should we store? For my family, since we have decided that the mainstream food supply is full of GMOs and toxins, we can’t just buy a bunch of store-brand peanut butter. In a stressful situation, such as an extended power outage, the body’s immune system will already be stressed. Wholesome, healthy food will be a huge priority. This will not be the time to skimp on quality and buy a bunch of junk.
I have decided to start a series of posts on this topic.
Here are directions for creating Soup in a Jar. Substitute organic ingredients and you have a full meal that merely requires adding water and cooking in a pot (and you are going to be sure to have a gas burner or camp stove for emergencies, though you could cook this over an open fire in a cast iron Dutch oven).
Homemade Gifts Series: Soup in a Jar
Here is a wonderful book filled with recipes for Meal in a Jar kits:
Some basic supplies you will need to make Meals in a Jar:
- Quart-sized canning jars and lids
- Canning funnel — you really want this
- Oxygen absorbers
- Optional: FoodSaver with can vacuum attachment
- Cool, dry space to store filled jars
If you have a dehydrator I recommend buying organic celery, onions, carrots, and other veggies and start dehydrating. Stock up on organic beans, pasta, and other ingredients, preferably when they are on sale. Choose a weekend when you will put your jarred meals together.
The final component will be to have safe access to drinking water. Either store bottled water or invest in a water filtration system (like Berkey or similar quality).
It is always a good idea to have emergency supplies in stock. None of us knows when some unforeseen event could cause a power outage and/or delays in food deliveries.
I have addressed this general set-up in a series on my other blog (I will move them eventually):
Surviving Extended Power Outages Part 3 contains the list of supplies that I keep on hand.
