| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Bridge |
Posted - Apr 29 2008 : 10:23:30 AM
Do you have a stockpile of food or do you just purchase what you need as you need it?
I am somewhere in the middle, I don't stockpile for months or years. I just have a pantry with basics and I do occasionally buy a case each of canned veggies to keep on hand. I also always keep 3 Gal of Vinegar on hand, as we all know it is a farmgirls best friend!!
I tried once to do big stockpiling, however it seemed that much of the items expired before I used them and them it was just a waste of money and food.
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| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lilwing |
Posted - Jul 05 2008 : 10:38:54 PM
I try to keep basics like rice, beans, oatmeal, grits etc. on hand in as large of a quantity as I can handle because it's very cheap and it's a stable you can make alot with and it goes very far. It does help too!
http://www.myspace.com/brookealyson
(blog to come soon enough ..lol) |
| Shi-anne |
Posted - Jul 05 2008 : 9:42:58 PM
There is an online site that ask you a few questions, then calculates (sp?) how many months of storage you have on hand. I will try to find it. But it is a little lame, in that it asks if you have animals you are willing to eat - doesn't ask how many. They ask if you have a leather couch or coat - okay, hello! I don't and I wouldn't try eating it if I did. I'll stick with pb and crackers. Still it was kind of interesting to do in away.
Farmgirls don't have hot flashes ~ They have power surges! |
| Montrose Girl |
Posted - Jul 04 2008 : 07:12:20 AM
Shi-anne, that made me laugh thinking about you crawling under the house and the kids right behind you to find the jerky. hehe.
Best Growing |
| aimeeravae |
Posted - Jul 03 2008 : 08:22:57 AM
I stock pile on staples. I buy flour and sugar in 20lb bags. I have 5gal buckets in the pantry for things like that. I get chicken stock in Sioux Falls for just over a $1 less than the store in Madison. I don't like to shop here because the current owners of the local grocery bought out our second store. He then joined a franchise but the prices have only gone up. We have been price gouged for years.
Aimee
http://laplantewardklopf.blogspot.com/ Motto To Live By
"Life should NOT be a jouney to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!" |
| Shi-anne |
Posted - Jul 03 2008 : 06:57:12 AM
We try to keep enough on hand to feed our current household of six +, for at least 6 months. I know if it was an emergency, we would be feeding more than 6 though. I try to keep at least 25 lbs. each of flour, self-rising flour, and cornmeal. We usually have between 25 & 50 lbs of both rice and beans, lots of p&b, several jars of homemade jelly, the big freezer is full; about 1/3 of it is meat, one shelf is grain products, and the rest is garden stuff. When canned veggies are on sale, I buy several. The same with canned meats. Dh doesn't think I do enough storing, but we also have fresh milk and eggs on hand (and a few meat animals). We are on well water and we have a generator, with some stored fuel. I try to keep extra shampoo, dish soap and several bars of fels naptha on hand, along with bleach, vinegar, and baking soda. And I usually have 20 lbs or so of sugar. I don't buy up things like cake mixes, unless they are on a really good sale...I also usually have several quarts of honey. This month I bought some of the Mortons Sugar Cure to put up. We have three pigs and that way we could cure some of the meat.
I also make a lot of jerky - beef, vision, and bison - but if the dh or the kids find it, it is gone. Maybe if I stored it in an old coffee can, wrapped it in duck tape, and crawled under the house and secured it to the foundation, but they would probably find it there, too!
One important aspect of the stockpile - garden seeds! Don't forget your garden seeds.
I hate rotating, so that is a real minus. I have to make myself do so.
Farmgirls don't have hot flashes ~ They have power surges! |
| Brew Crew |
Posted - Jul 03 2008 : 06:34:09 AM
I have a stash....maybe enough for 3 or so months, if needed. Generally, I just buy one extra of everything on my list (so I know its food we eat/ like!) when I go shopping (aside from meats, which can get spendy!). For example, if my list has pasta and sauce listed, instead of 2-3 boxes of pasta I would just go ahead and grab 4. We almost never run out of staples that way.
Like Jenny, though, I sure need to find a good solution to water storage! Can't do much will all that dehydrated stuff without water!!
The Biz www.tvalahandmade.com
The Blog: http://blog.tvalahandmade.com/
The Bits www.happydalehobby.blogspot.com/
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| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Jul 02 2008 : 11:57:47 PM
living in alaska we realize how precarious the food supply is. when the economy goes to heck we will have food! we grow what we can and harvest off the land when possible. i do have a very large supply of things like flour, beans, and rice, hubby has a good stock of his favorite coffee too and is tryign to find a way to buy it in bean form for longer storgage lol. i dont drink coffe and am happy with wild teas so i dont have to worry too much about things like that. a few years back when there was a strike in the lower 48 of the barges we found out just how quickly the stores sold out of everything and had nothing to replace it! almost everything in the stores is shipped in. we have no manufacturing and not much farming here. my goal is to one day have a good supply of all the basics. we have begun doing this but have a ways to go. most items that have an expiration date, other than fresh foods, will not really go bad. they get stale and stale is better than none! spices will lose their potency so you just use more. i called one of the flour manufacturers and asked about flour "expiring" and her answer was that it gets to dry!! how much dryer can it get??? lol. what i wanted to know is how much nutrition is lost and she had no clue. we have friends who live in the bush that are eating foods they stored in the 70s and there isnt a thing wrong with it! you just have to store it right. little things like taking flour out of the bag it comes in and putting it in plastic drums is the key. most any canned goods are just fine unless the can is bulging or the seal is broken. we are trying out types of wheat and oats so that we can have fresh ground flour in the future. corn jsut doesnt grow here on a large scale. you have to start it in pots and transplant while hopign for the best! farming here is definately different! lol there have been corn and wheat found in the anazazi ruins that are viable! its just in the storage. i know that those of you in the more humid climates would have a much harder time storing foods for logn periods of time.
i notice that some of you grind your own flour and am wondering what type of grinders you use? i am looking at hand grinding as opposed to electric. there are so many and such a huge price difference that it is a very difficult decision. i would love some feedback!
peace connie in alaska |
| StitchinWitch |
Posted - Jul 02 2008 : 7:23:45 PM
I think we could last a couple of months with the food I have stockpiled. Beans, rice, pasta, canned goods, tp, and about 20 gallons of "emergency" water. I do try to rotate.
Happiness is Homemade |
| SusieQue |
Posted - Jul 02 2008 : 5:59:01 PM
We have a basement stockpile room. We have lots of can goods and rotate also. We keep lots handy. We go to Save A Lot about every 8 weeks (out of town) and restock what is necessary. Also keep all my canning foods there also. We purchased different tall shelve units at yard sales and use those. |
| Montrose Girl |
Posted - Jul 02 2008 : 5:48:03 PM
Having worked in LA after the two hurricanes I can understand being prepared. I can, still have green beans left from last year, but am trying to get so I put up what i need for the winter, one to save money, and two just in case. I work Emergency management and not enough people are prepared with just the basics, TP, water, tampons. For the flooding victims in the midwest it would not have helped but the communities next to those areas maybe hit with refuges as LA was after Katrina/Rita. The east coast has been hit with power outages more regularly over the past decade. No power, no cash registers, can't buy food. Batteries, flashlights, extra bag of cat food, cat liter. the one thing I would like is a solar oven.
My grandfather had military rations in their basement. they were old! when we lived with them in the 80s he'd go down there and eat on them. A different generation that was more prepared because of what they went through.
Best Growing |
| catscharm74 |
Posted - May 01 2008 : 11:38:09 AM
Hey Jessica, did you know you are only about 4 hours north of me?? Ok,,,not to get off subject...
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
| Bfriday |
Posted - May 01 2008 : 11:31:19 AM
I aspire to be that simple! I tend to stock up and then I realize I have plenty and try to buy only what we really need next grocery day and use up the stock. During the summer I am better at making a meal plan and eating fresh from the garden. During the winter I stock up a bit more. |
| catscharm74 |
Posted - May 01 2008 : 11:15:42 AM
My Papa was the complete opposite. He only liked to keep what he actually used in the house (in reference to food). He only bought what he needed and hated to see anything wasted. He did save everything, from newspapers to the nails in wood from the dump, lumber etc, and he grew a large portion of their vegetables in the summer.I remember how simple my Nanna and Papa's home was. They didn't believe in excess packaging or having too much of any one thing- They had just enough clothes to get through the week, along with a "Sunday" outfit, used a clothesline, little decore but nicely painted and very clean. She would go shopping once a week, based on the what she was making, along with stopping at the local vegetable stand for things they didn't grow. They had a little side by side refrigerator and she did some canning. I found it interesting that Papa knew exactly how much to grow to have just enough for themselves and give some away to others. Their house was very simple but pretty and I aspire to be like them.
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
| grace gerber |
Posted - May 01 2008 : 10:41:09 AM
I might add that after seeing the Dr Phil show about the lady who had cookies that had been there for years and rotting food in frig's - that is a lady who has a mental illness. Rather I wished we would teach our next generation that good stewardship is not to be wastefull. If more folks would learn to cook and PLAN there would be less waste, lower food bills and less debt. We also would be much healther because we would select food that would serve us better rather giving in to lack of planning. When I had a studio apartment while working and putting myself thru college I still took one day a week to cook for the whole week and to put extra's in the freezer. My end tables where boxes of canned goods with a wonderful table cloth over them. No one ever knew but when we had the worst blizzard ever that year there I was snug in my little apartment with books, needlework and great food to eat by camp stove. I guess it is just a mind set.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
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| catscharm74 |
Posted - May 01 2008 : 05:16:45 AM
I do stock pile:
toilet paper
tampons (I can't use the diva cup- had surgery- long story..grrrr...!!)
Beans
Rice
Pasta
Flour (in the freezer)
Powdered milk
tomatoes
peas
corn
Yeast
Sugar
Tea
I refresh everything about every 2-3 months. This seems to be how long it takes me to use up things.
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
| nouveau_farmchick |
Posted - May 01 2008 : 04:50:47 AM
It's funny for me to consider our extra food supply as "stock piling", but I suppose that is what we are doing. I just think of it as part of country living. When we grow or raise enough for the current needs we preserve the remainder for winter. I also love the feeling of security that it allows us when something unexpected does occur.
Farmgirl
sisterhood #167 |
| kissmekate |
Posted - Apr 30 2008 : 9:01:00 PM
I am in the middle. I hate to throw out food and don't have a lot of space anyways.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
| chicken necker |
Posted - Apr 30 2008 : 7:48:43 PM
Stockpile here. Our grocery store are unreliable so whenever they have a sale on something we use quite a bit, I stock up. But I only stock up on things I know we are going to use in the next 3 months or so.
FarmGirl Sister #123
Crafty Bay FarmGirls Chapter
Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference. |
| marmieto12 |
Posted - Apr 30 2008 : 09:25:28 AM
I have a basement pantry that stores buckets of grains, home canned foods, MRE's, some fast boxed foods, condiments etc. I have mini bottles of water for drinking and a few 5 gal for other. We need 55 gal placed in the garage for animals..that's next!
We too have emergency lighting and supplies as such. I have those placed as soon as you walk in to the pantry. I have installed battery operated lights for the pantry and mechanical room.
I only buy what we will eat and rotate. I inventory and straighten the pantry a couple of times a year, so each month I only need to glance at my shelves to see what is needed.
I buy at case lot and bulk sales. Alee great idea on MJ food. I will look into some of those for my fast boxed foods and for camping. The MRE's came from when my husband worked in LA during the aftermath of Katrina. People were throwing away cases of unopened food. They are not too bad.
I do not buy extra/stockpile food out of fear but out of stewardship/prudent living. I have lived off of my food storage with 6 kids as a single mother while I was off work for 3 months. I fractured my leg and we used my work disability which was only 65% of one of my jobs. I purchased fresh foods (no garden then) and I was in the middle of escrow on a house. We did ok, so glad we had the extra food.
I have 10 kiddos in my house now, so gardening, canning, freezing, bulk buying on sale helps us tremendously!
Laura;Dreaming of big girl farm...
Farmgirl # 148
http://lilsfamilyfarm.blogspot.com
Chapter http://justsimplythegirls.blogspot.com |
| grace gerber |
Posted - Apr 30 2008 : 07:30:28 AM
I admit I am a child of a mother who lived in Germany during WWII and so growing up there was hand canned goods under every bed, in every closet and a huge freezer. Now I am the same - I have two frig's, a huge freezer and more then a well stocked pantry. However I have found it is a must here. Last year I could not leave the farm for over a month because of huge snow storms - then there is my birthing season which means I am watching 24/7, then there is the bottle kids who require bottles every three hours. What is great is I never worry that I will not have food. I also stock pile water for when we loss power I have animals who need to drink... I carry plenty of candles, oil lamps, canned propane, wool blankets and the list goes on - this is so no matter what happens I do not have to worry. Now that it is just me at the farm it also gives me the ability to carry on without worries. My sons also do not have to worry because Mom can weather just about anything. Thanks Mom for the great training. Over the years it has come in very usefull.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
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| Mumof3 |
Posted - Apr 30 2008 : 06:35:26 AM
I keep a rotating supply, like Jenny. We do have cases of wheat under the house, so we always have access to freshly ground flour. :) (yum) We have a two week supply of water for everyone, including the pets. I guess I need to get some for the chickens! The things I do stock up on are things like tp, paper towels, personal items, etc. If I find a deal, I will buy enough to last for a while.
My sister told me she and her husband were talking about me the other day and said if anything happens, they are coming to my house, because they know I will have enough to go around. I took that as a compliment. :)
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
Wherever you go, there you are.
www.madrekarin.blogspot.com
www.madrekarin.etsy.com |
| palmettogirl |
Posted - Apr 30 2008 : 05:46:39 AM
i remember those hurricane days! i stockpile a little, usually if i find something on sale that i know i use a lot, like coffee for example (every so often they'll put it on sale for 50%!) i'll also keep a few mixes like brownies around for unexpected guests, etc. also, canned peaches to make a quick peach cobbler!! oh, and choc chips when they go on sale around the holidays so i can make cookies spur of the moment. so i guess if there is ever a food shortage, you all know where to come for desserts!!! |
| ennoid |
Posted - Apr 29 2008 : 1:17:42 PM
I used to buy things like salad dressing and A-1 sauce *every* time it went on sale B1G1 Free. My pantry was stocked up for a while until I noticed I was throwing away expired, unopened bottles of stuff. I don't do that anymore, but I will buy pasta, rice and other things I know we eat weekly.
I also stockpile at the start of Hurricane season with bottled water, canned tuna, veggies, dog food, etc. |
| Alee |
Posted - Apr 29 2008 : 1:04:59 PM
I like to stockpile- maybe that is one of the reasons I like the bulk MaryJanesFarm foods. Did you know her stuff can keep for up to 2 years! How cool is that! And I can't ever imagine getting tired of her foods if you kept a good variety. I also like to stock up at Costco. However since we are living in an apartment right now we have limited mass storage opportunities. I am hoping to start a bigger stockpile once we get settled in Montana though!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Apr 29 2008 : 11:38:11 AM
I'm somewhere in the middle too, I think. I don't stockpile for years with dry goods or anything because automatically, I'm "tired" or "turned off" of whatever it is I have a ton of (rice, pasta, beans)...so, I just buy as a I go and if I don't use them up, then they're around when I feel like using them. I do however, buy canned tomatoes and chili beans everytime I go--you can never have enough canned tomato products (much to my husband's chagrin).
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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