Creating a Food Stockpile - Are You Prepared for the Storm of the Century?

Why should you prepare to survive the storm of the century? 

Because this is the one devastating situation we cannot predict but know possibility of it becoming a reality is always only one storm away.  It doesn't matter if it is snow and ice, or wind and rain.

The only difference would be the manner of storage.  If you are racing ahead of a flood or hurricane, canning jars will be difficult to pack quickly, and they are heavy and space consuming for transporting.  So it is wise to have in the stockpile light weight, and space saving ready to grab and run food stores such as dehydrated and freeze-dried foods stored in 5-gallon pails.

Those of us with gardens preserve the bounty by canning and freezing it, other also dehydrate.  The problem with freezing the food supply is that first, frozen food has a short shelf life, and second, what happens to all that food when the power goes out for days, or weeks?

This post is primarily for those folks who keep enough food on hand for the short term, such as until the next shopping trip to the market.

On of my biggest fears has always been that of not having enough food to feed my family, so I have always stockpiled it.  As a young mother with limited funds and living in apartments, I would stock up on canned foods whenever possible, buying as few as one or two extra cans or as many extra as I could manage, then storing my stash in the back of a deep closet.

Eventually we were able to buy a home where I could plant a garden, and I learned to "can" my own food.  What I couldn't grow I bought by the bushel from a local farmer, at a reduced price because I would buy so many bushels of everything from potatoes to winter squash, and bushels of cucumbers for pickling.  These I would store in my basement which made a perfect root cellar.

Presto 23 qt Pressure Canner

Everything was learned as needed, and without the help of the internet as this was back in the 70's when we had to do our research using books and magazines.  But I learned, and became more confident each season until I was finally brave enough to buy my first pressure canner.  I used this 23 quart Presto Pressure Canner for more than 30 years, until I finally invested in the All-American pressure canner last year.   

The Presto is very affordable and easy to use.  It uses a rubber gasket in the rim of the cover for a tight seal, and it will eventually need to be replaced.

That first time using a pressure canner was terrifying to say the least, but once it was over and it didn't explode, it was the start of a new world of experimentation and food preservation.  Now, at last, I could preserve vegetables and entire meals!  Incredible!

My stockpile would now grow until I had enough food to feed my family of five for a full year!  This ability to provide healthy food for my family no matter what happened allowed me the luxury of a feeling safe should an emergency occur.  

It's a wonderful feeling when a blizzard knocks out power for weeks, and the store shelves are emptied, to know that my family will continue to be fed as usual.

If only I had a cow for milk and butter, and a few chickens for eggs.  That would come in time.

Now, back to you and getting  your stockpile started.

It doesn't take much to get that stockpile started, in fact all it takes is buying one extra "something" the next time you go shopping.  It can be food, or other necessity... even buying a package containing more than one toothbrush is a start.

If you don't have a garden, try starting one.  It doesn't need to be elaborate and cover an acre of ground.  It can be as simple as a window box or even just a bag of potting mix.  

The garden at Henny Penny Farm started out with just a few bags of potting mix and some purchased transplants.  Plant a variety of vegetables or planting one or two vegetables in a few bags will provide enough for the table and to preserve.  It still amazes me how many green beans can be produced on just a few vines, keep in mind that vining varieties produce far more than the bush variety.

Getting started.  

Where and how are you going to store your stockpile and supplies?

If you have plenty of closet space, use a closet or just the shelf at the top.  An unused chest of drawers works well too, and can be kept anywhere in the house.  

I have a closet beneath a stairway which had lots of wasted space behind the closet rod, so I removed the rod and added narrow shelves along the walls on each side of the doorway, and at the far end of the closet.  The shelves are only as deep as a mason jar and have been fitted according to the height of the jars.

At the back of the closet, which is less than a yard high, I have one deep shelf which is deep enough to hold cases of jars, or #10 cans, and beneath the shelf there is enough height for storing 5-gallon pails or canners.

On the floor I have stacked a couple of plastic totes for storing vacuum sealed foods in mylar or plastic food-saver pouches.  On the floor below the lowest side shelves there is enough height to stack and store #10 cans two high, or large bags of baking soda, etc.

The shelves were made from scraps of plywood and 1x2's cut to fit and fastened to the wall to support the shelves, as well as vertically in front of the shelves to add more support.  If I could build these, anyone can.

On a larger scale, I have a small, odd room at the end of the center hallway, where we added shelves onto the wall using scrap lumber.  These shelves are as deep as a case of jars and each is high enough to store one or two cases high, depending whether 1/2 gallon, quart or pint jars.  

On the top shelf are stored the empties.  Below the bottom shelf I keep galvanized, steel barrels with lids for storing 50 pound bags of dry goods such as oatmeal, sugar, etc.  As well as 5-gallon pails into which I keep bulk flour which I separate into 5 pound bags.  Five pounds of flour or sugar fills the canister I keep in the kitchen.  

Since I bake my own breads, we go through an average of five pounds flour weekly.  My cost of a loaf of bread is in cents rather than the dollars we would pay for store bought bread.

 If you are buying mason jars and are going to can your food, save the box in which the jars came. When the jars are filled, return them to box and store it, they fit under the bed if short on space.  After the jars have been emptied, wash them and put them back in the box, open end down, for storing until they are needed again.

Storing your canning jars upside down helps to keep the inside clean and dust free.  And when storing your canning supplies, i.e. canner, funnels, jar lifter, etc, store the utensils inside the canner so you need to go looking for them the next time you use them.

What and how much will you store?

This depends entirely on what you usually use.  There is no need to stockpile food you never normally use.  Determine the foods your family likes and eats most often and start there.  

Groceries in boxes, such as cereal, have a short shelf life.  Focus first on those foods that have longer shelf life.  Canned goods, whether in tins or jars, will remain safe for months or even years provided they are stored properly.  Cool, dry, dark places are best for ensuring a long shelf life.

Dry goods, such as rice, grains, flour, sugar, beans, have the longest shelf life.  Archeologists  have discovered grains at ancient sites which were still viable after thousands of years, although I would recommend using your food during your life-time.  

The LDS has an excellent list of what and how much to store based on your individual needs.

Food Storage Calculator    Their pantry is also an excellent source for buying dried foods for long-term storage.   The calculator is preset for 52 weeks, but you can change that amount.

Will you can your own food?  Or dehydrate it?  Or buy it from the super-market?

For starting your new stockpile, begin with buying extra's of what you can afford.  Don't buy things you don't normally use just because you have a coupon.  It doesn't make sense to buy 5 jars of prunes because the price is great, if  you've never bought them before.

Do the math.  If you use flour, and who doesn't, figure out how much you use per week or month.

If  you are using 5 pounds average per week,  and are buying it in 10 pound bags, consider buying a 50 pound bag next time.  If a 10 pound bag of flour cost $11 and a 50 pound bag costs $40, how much will you save?   That $15 you just saved, without a coupon, can go into your emergency fund.

The most important thing to remember when building your stockpile is simply buy more of what you use and store that extra amount.

Also, don't forget the important non-food items such as water and toilet paper.  Believe it or not, many folks don't even consider these most important of the non-food supplies.  Yes, I consider water a non-food item because we cannot make or grow it ourselves.

Should you store your goods in the original packaging?

Once again, it depends.   It depends on what it is.  Obviously there is no need to repackage non-food items.  Some foods can be kept in their original packaging if they are stored properly, such a legumes and some grains.  Foods that insects might enjoy should be repackaged, preferably vacuum sealed in jars or special bags.  Plastic vacuum seal bags are nice and affordable, but plastic is porous and eventually air will get inside the bag.  Either use mason jars and vacuum seal or mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.

I also use plastic 5-gallon pails to hold brown paper bags of flour, a 20 gallon galvanized barrels with tight lids for storing 50 pound bags of oatmeal and sugar, and write on the lid what is inside with a permanent marker.

Other foods, such as rice, beans, even crackers benefit from being vacuum sealed inside large mason jars.  I also store the foods I dehydrate in vacuum sealed mason jars.

Warning: Stockpiling is addictive and it seems the more I store the more things I find to store.

These days I keep a variety of foods in a variety of ways for different amounts of shelf life.  

I have food fresh from the garden on a daily basis throughout the growing season and then there is food I pressure can for the year or longer, following that there is the food I dehydrate for the long term as well as #10 can of freeze dried foods with an indefinite shelf life (although they say 15-35 years).  

Just think, if you stockpile freeze-dried and dehydrated foods for the long term, you won't go hungry during your old age.

Resources:  Pressure canners and Water-bath canners, as well as dehydrators and everything else you need can be purchased on-line through Amazon.com.  (I do not receive any form of payment from Amazon or any of these resource sites for recommending the site or from your purchase)    These resources are where I shop and have been well satisfied with.

I buy long-term food and supplies from the LDS Food Storage On-line Store and from Honeyville 

also Bulkfoods

Moving in Six Weeks..... Ready or Not!

It's hard to believe and also a bit scary to do, but we have set a moving date and in six weeks we move our home to the new farm..... whether or not it's ready.

We know the house won't be ready to live in for some time, and we will be living in the motor-home until it is.  It's not bad, the motor-home is quite comfortable and has all the creature comforts.  The only thing we won't have are utilities.


Until we get our building permit we cannot finish the house, or get the electricity connected.  But we have been managing nicely without it.  Although it was always for just a week or two at a time, then we returned to our "town home".

In six weeks, when we return to the farm it will be for keeps and for the first time in my life, after having lived in so many places I have lost track, I find it a bit unnerving.  It will be the start of a completely new way of life for us in a strange, new place.  A new life for which I have been preparing for and dreaming of since childhood.  But, in truth, I had hoped that it would have happened while I was young, and certainly never imagined it would happen only after I retired.

As I mentioned earlier, I had been dreaming of, and preparing for this all my life.  In childhood I learned all about needlework arts which would dress my family and decorate my home.  I learned to cook and clean, and to garden and preserve as well as to prepare nutritious foods.  I learned how to stretch a dime to amazing lengths and to live well "without" as well as to make the most of what I had.  Now it is time to put all those skills to the test with this new life-style, in this new remote location and without public utilities.

It is a bit scary, but it is also exciting and we are so eager to put this current life behind us.  There won't be any long hot showers for a while, and I can forget about sleeping in our big, comfortable bed for a while too.  But, instead we will no longer fall asleep to the sound of revving engines, loud mufflers, squealing tires and blaring sirens at all hours of the day and night.

It also means building the farm from scratch.  There is no garden, but there are dozens of acres where we grow whatever, or at least some, of what we wish to grow.  There is a lovely big barn constructed of lumber made right there, from the hard wood trees that abound, a hundred years ago.  With a bit of work it will be good as new.

I've always had a fascination with old barns ever since my mother took us kids to visit a pair of her older cousins who lived on the farm they inherited from their parents decades before.  It was wonderful and I can still see the old, wood burning kitchen stove that their mother had used to heat the home and cook meals for her growing family more than a century ago.  Their barn, to a ten year
old, was massive and mysterious.  It seemed to have been full to bursting with much more than just hay.  There were bits of their family's past filling the loft and just about every nook and cranny.

I wish I could revisit that barn now, but like most of the farms in that area, they have long since been converted into residential developments with cookie cutter homes which have eradicated all evidence of the past.


Our "new" barn is empty of physical relics, but there is remains a since of its past and the people that built it and depended upon it to store their supplies.  Once we repair the siding, it will be good as new.  The interior lumber is in beautiful condition with no evidence of age or deterioration at.  Even its metal roof is in surprisingly good condition.  The barn is tucked in at the edge of the woods and near a small pond.  It has been sitting, waiting to be resurrected and will soon be made visible and useful again.

There is also a very run down, small barn for animals.  From the outside it appears the next strong wind may flatten it, but the inside reveals that there is still many years left for it provide shelter for future live-stock.

Yes, we are starting almost from scratch, but it is ours and will be developed following our dreams and our creativity.  When we sit on the porch in the evenings, watching the sunset and looking out at the empty acres, we talk and imagine how it will be sometime in the future, after the work is finished, and the farm is thriving.  The fear of making this move, and of starting over, seems to just fade and we are at peace.  We are more rested and relaxed than we could ever be in town, even after working hard all day building our dream homestead.

Preparing to Live Off Grid

Water

The first issue we face with being off grid  is our water source.  The farm has an old bored well with a pump that is a few years old.  We haven't yet tested the pump or the water, but that will be happening during the next trip.  

There is no way to know how old this bored well is, but the pump and tank are most likely around 2-3 years.

Well pump and tank

With an well that has been unused for a long time there are measures that must be taken to ensure the water is safe to drink. 

It's odd that the health department is very strict about the septic system, but absolutely could care less about the source and condition of the drinking water.

The plan is to begin by getting a close measurement of how much water is in the well and determine how much bleach to use to shock it.  Following that treatment, we then run the water through the system, i.e. pump and storage tank, and take a primary sample. 

We will be replacing the tank with new, larger one.  And once we know whether we can salvage the pump, we will proceed from that point.

Next, according the instructions from VA Tech and the state, the water must run through the system to for a while to flush the system and then we take another sample for testing.  Both samples are used for comparison.

States may have their own set of instructions for testing wells and you should research for your area. Usually the state university will have an agricultural extension which provides all the information you will need to help get settled on your off grid land.

Electric Power

At some time we will be getting connected to the power lines, but until that time we must produce our own electricity.   This $300,  gas powered generator produces 3300 watts of power and is sufficient to run the refrigerator, lights, microwave and even the flat iron.  It also runs the air conditioning, and supplements the motor-home's battery system.

Depending on the load, we must refill the 2.5 gallon tank at least twice a day.  We keep it running all the time for the refrigerator and to keep the battery system charged.  

The electric power in this area is very affordable so we will be connecting once we have our permit from the health department.  However, it never hurts to have an alternative to the grid, and we are researching solar and wind options.  For the well especially, if the grid goes down how will we get our water?  The bored well is shallow enough to drop a bucket, but a hand pump or wind mill would definitely be better.   

There are a myriad of web sites about alternatives, so investigate as many options as you can until you find what will work best for you and your situation.

At this time, for our current situation, the generator is our best option, although it is temporary.

No Septic System

That's right, no septic system.  Since we will be using water-less toilets we don't need a septic system.

This doesn't mean can just use any alternative however.  The health department must approve our method for disposing of "human waste" as well as how we will deal with the gray water created by showers, sinks and washing machines.  

Once again, each state has its own regulations regarding these systems so check with your state's Department of Health before doing anything.  

For us, at this time, the water-less toilet model we have selected has been approved by the VHD, but now we must meet with someone in the conservation department regarding the gray water.  Not all water filters are approved in all states.  But, after discussing the topic with the VHD agent we know that once the gray water has been filtered we can just let it flow on the grass, or trees, as long as it isn't used to water livestock or food gardens.  

Water-less toilets come in many types from a 5 gallon bucket fitted with a seat and using saw dust, to an electric design that incinerates the solid waste so it is burned into ashes.    Once again, do a web-search for water-less toilets and investigate until you find what will work best for you.

Once you have decided on the toilet, the next step is dealing with the gray water.  Gray water is water from showers, sinks, washing machines, etc. Daily household waste water is gray water.  Because this water may contain organic matter, such as can be found in water from the kitchen sink, it must be filtered before being released into the environment.  

Some states are have more stringent regulations than other states, so once again check with your states Health Department.

There are many of benefits to using this method of processing both black and gray water.  First and foremost is the money saved by not needing a costly septic system installed.  This system also benefits the land as neither system will contaminate the ground water or the soil.

We Found the End of the Rainbow

Yes, I know it's a silly saying, but in this case it is the literal truth.  This rainbow ended in our east pasture, near the tree line.  I wish the colors were stronger and easier to see, but in reality, it was so brightly lit that we could walk straight to the area where it came down.

Follow the curve of the rainbow to see where it met the ground between the treeline and the field shelter.

This rainbow appeared following a late afternoon "sun" shower.  You know the kind, when the sun is shining brightly and the sky is blue, then suddenly there is a downpour.  As kids it was the only time my mother would let us play outside while it was raining.

The following morning was foggy.  Very foggy.  The treeline was just a darker shade of gray, but it was amazing what became visible due to the fog:

These webs were everywhere attached to blades of grass in the more than 10 acre pasture. This is the same pasture as the rainbow photo and looking in the same area.  The grass is more than waist high.

This huge web appeared outside the bedroom window of our motor-home.  I looked through that window each morning upon awakening and never saw it until this foggy morning.  It became less and less visible as the sunlight grew and the fog faded.

I wondered out loud to Nick, "Does the rainbow ending here, in the middle of the farm, mean that this is our pot of gold?"

Nick didn't reply, but he did slightly tilt his head and give me one of those strange looks that is accompanied by a small grin and twinkle in his eye.  

On the Road Again.... Oh no I'm channeling Willie Nelson!

It seems like we are always on the road again, traveling back and forth the 600 miles to the farm in VA and back again to the little Henny Penny homestead in CT.  This time we stayed down on the farm for two weeks, leaving the Henny Penny in the capable hands of our grandson.  It's amazing how much the garden had grown in those two weeks.  Before we left I had doubts that we would get anything to harvest, but I was wrong and the plants have been producing.

But that is for another post, this post is about our recent trek down south.  We continue to be at a stand-still for our building permit.  Just one more hoop after another.  Now that the Virginia Health Dept has said okay for the use of waterless toilets, it had to issue a "letter of denial" for the septic system, and indeed, for the entire property.  Without even testing, we were told it fails because the existing system fails. Period.  Now, we have to get a conservation designer, I think that's the title, to approve a filter system for gray water, even though we haven't been able to find any regulations regarding residential gray water management.  Once he approves how we will deal with the gray water, he will send his report to VHD and hopefully we will finally be issued our building permit.... to restore the interior of the home.

You have been so patient and supportive in our journey I thought I would give you a glimpse of the home interior.

This view is from the front door looking toward the back door.  The stairs lead to two bedrooms upstairs.  This front room has a fireplace, to the far left.  Straight ahead to the right is the bathroom and the large opening to the left leads to the kitchen which measures only 12'x12'.  The back door, which is open, leads to the "back porch" which is equal in area to the kitchen and bath areas.

 This is the view from the fireplace.  The front door is to the right.  The doorway beneath the stairway leads to another room.  For perspective, the living room is 14' wide and about 20' to the back wall at the stairway.  The ceiling height is 8'.   Nick is 6'4".

 This is the bathroom.  The laundry ares is currently set at that rear wall, and tub/shower enclosure is to the immediate right.  The vanity would be placed at the left.  Most of this is being changed.  Note the metal roof.

 Welcome to the kitchen.... all 12' x 12' of it.  This is going to take some creativity.

 Back to the living room, facing the front door from the bathroom doorway.  That bright area is the enclosed front porch, which I cannot wait to open up and restore it to a front porch proper.

 This is the room behind the stairway.  Two large windows and old cement block chimney will be changed. This room and the two rooms upstairs are all 14' x 14' and each has two large windows, each directly across from each other.  Perfect for ventilation during the warmer months.  There is always such a nice breeze blowing through the rooms.

 This is directly above the room behind the stairway; the downstairs room looks just like this.

Don't you love an old, narrow stairway?  Neither do we, although it is narrow, the steps are sturdy and easily managed.

So, now you have had your peek inside the old, abandoned house.  Once we get that permit we will be able to begin our improvements and make it a home again.

Now to share what we did during this last trip.  It didn't develop as planned because Nick ended up having to do "office time" for seven of the ten work days we were there.  But, we did get a few things accomplished.  Including yet another tour inside to develop our floor-plan.  You can never do too many of these, it is the best way to end up with a lay-out you will be able to enjoy and live with.

When we arrived, in the middle of the night our mailbox, post and all, were missing.  Not the best way to begin our stay.  But as it turned out, it wasn't the work of vandals, but of a motor vehicle crash which began at our mailbox and ended at the light pole.

Our gravel drive-way goes through about 100' heavily wooded area and opens to our homestead with the house straight ahead.  The grass which was neatly trimmed the last time we were there was now elbow height!  In the dead of night it was like driving through the jungle on the look-out for the wild, indigenous night life.  Happily, they were elsewhere that night.

For the best perspective this area behind the house had been all neatly mowed during our last trip. Since then it has grown to the height at right, which reaches my elbow.  Everyday during the two weeks there, I mowed that grass, each time cutting away at that tall stuff and revealing more "yard".

Someday there will be a beautiful garden here.  For now we begin by spreading a thick layer of clippings and wood chips delivered by the tree trimmers who were working around the power lines in our area.  Since this is "my" garden, Nick stepped in to lend a helping hand that lasted only as long as it took for this photo.  I spread the two big piles out to cover an area about 1000 square feet, and a bit more than a foot deep.  There is still about half the second pile remaining to be spread.

While I kept the grass cut and spread the wood chips, Nick was hard at work on building a shelter for the goats.  Their new home measures about 9' x 12' and is 8' high at the front, and 4' at the back.  The walls are constructed of wood pallets and 2"x4"s.  The roof is metal and he worked hardest with that. On that day the temperature was in high 90's F, and the humidity was just as high, add to the reflectivity of the metal roofing and he ended up with one heck of a sun burn.

We will work together to finish the exterior and interior walls during the next trip.  It will give us time to decide how we want the finished building to look.  Thus far the building has cost only the price of nails and the bolts for the metal roofing.  The 2"x4" came from the partitioned walls in the bathroom, and the metal roofing came from that big, metal shelter out in the big pasture.

I can't wait to see the goats react to their new home.  They will have four times the yard area, and they won't have to wait for us to let them out in the morning.  They will be able to leave their house and be in their yard, which already has forage waiting for them to enjoy.  For a change, they will also have access to acres of forage and plenty of space to run and play.

Nick also did a bit of electrical work in preparation for mounting the power panels.

Well, I think you have had a good dose of reading material for this post.  I'll have more to share in a few days.

Thanks for visiting, and for your continued support and encouragement with our biggest project.
~Kathleen