Create An Emergency Pantry

There are pantries and there are pantries.

What makes an Emergency Pantry different? It's all in the name. 

Whatever your emergency, be it a natural disaster, prolonged power outage, or even another epic isolation fest, an emergency pantry is your go-to for immediate meals without too much fuss.

It's not fancy. In fact, you'll want to put extra effort into "comfort foods" where you can. 

Unlike a regular pantry where you might keep more labor/energy intensive food like pudding mixes, or the makings for pizza, an emergency pantry is comprised of goods you can eat without a great deal of preparation or fresh ingredients. 

I read a funny post on one of my homesteading groups. Someone asked what kind of things he should keep stocked up. One person answered: Turn off your power at the breaker box, then sit in your darkened house for a week. You'll figure out very quickly where your supplies are lacking.

I'm sure he was trying to be funny, but he was also right. After Hurricane Rita flattened a lot of east Texas in 2005, we had a real wake up call on how unprepared we were. I never expected to lose all my refrigerated/frozen food. And I didn't realize I might not have a way to cook what was left either.

Fortunately, we still had a generator and enough gas to power it for a few hours at night. But we had only bottled water and no means of cooking on a stove.

You simply don't realize all the little things you use every minute that will make your days much longer and harder without them.

Add to that, a natural disaster will keep you working from dawn to dusk. You're so tired of clearing debris that you have no strength left to cook anyway. It's canned goods or nuthin'. 

Greg had arrived first to assess the damage and I arrived two days later to bring in supplies. One thing I brought was a little grill. (Our old one was probably found in a crumpled heap in someone else's yard.)

I'm telling you this story because an emergency pantry is more than food. Make sure you have a way to prepare it without conventional means. And no matter how much water you have, it's probably not enough.

Here's a list of supplies I would keep in an Emergency Pantry:

• Water. Water for drinking and water for washing. If you're lucky enough to store water ahead of impending peril, buy a Water Bob, or rely on your bathtub for water.

• Portable Grill. Don't get fancy here. We love and regularly use, this small Hibachi style grill, by Lodge.

Think about your fuel before you buy your grill. Will you use wood from your property, charcoal briquettes, or propane in small bottles? Propane is portable, but once you're out, you're out. If you're really roughing it, you can also use your fireplace, but you'll have to build some sort of grate to hold cooking skillets over the fire.

• Rags, paper towels, and hand sanitizing wipes. You'll want something you can throw away if water is at a premium.

• Skillet and pot. Cast iron is best in case you need to put it directly over a fire. Everyone should own at least one cast iron skillet. They are nearly indestructible. Again, I recommend Lodge.

• Paper plates and disposable utensils. You can use regular dishware, but if water is precious, don't waste it on washing dishes.

• Lantern or other light source. I prefer battery powered lanterns.

• Hand crank emergency radio.   

• Batteries

Food

I'm careful with this list for a couple of reasons. In the first place, you're going to get tired of prepared foods fast. I mean really fast. Secondly, as much as I like cooking with ingredients as opposed to prepared foods, it's time consuming in dire situations where your energy is needed elsewhere. 

But, if the worst has happened and you're just sitting in a darkened house with nothing else to do, you can whip up some nice meals from base ingredients. 

Plan your emergency pantry with two aims in mind. One subset is food you can heat and eat. The other is food you can cook on a grill or open fire.

Ready to Eat Food

Canned ravioli or soup. This stuff is vile compared to homemade. Just keep a few tins.

Canned chili

Canned sardines, tuna, or salmon

Canned fruit

Candy

Ready made cookies 

Raisins

Granola

Nuts

Camping food. Some of these are not bad. Test a couple of brands before buying a lot of them. Most of the time all you need is boiling water to prepare. 

Aside from these base ingredients, make sure you also have salt, pepper or any other essential spices.

 

Ingredients for meals that requires prep

Dry pasta

Pasta sauce or tinned tomatoes if you have other spices available.

Rice

Dried beans

Canned corn 

Canned tomatoes (for ease, stock up on diced tomatoes, but any will do)

Canned beef, chicken and shredded pork. I found great prices at my local Costco for these. I use them now for quick meals. A little BBQ sauce over shredded pork and you can make sandwiches. With the chicken, I make chicken salad. With the beef, add canned potatoes and beef gravy and you have a reasonable beef stew.

Jelly/jam

Peanut butter

Bread (Bread is a one off on what you have available unless you have the ability to bake in your circumstances.)

Crackers

Dry milk

For really long term storage, you can buy large cans of dehydrated beef, chicken, cheese, and vegetables. Most of these foods will last up to 20 years.

Speaking of vegetables, what I missed most during our 3 weeks without power were fresh vegetables. I'm not fond of canned veggies but if that's all you have it's better than nothing.

The list above is strictly for emergencies where you have limited access to fuel, water, and light. If you're simply stuck in the house but still have power, you can use your regular pantry.

Please keep your food pantry stocked. I remember ice storms where I simply could not get out of my driveway. Always have enough food and ingredients to make it through temporary isolation. 

Have enough emergency pantry food for a week, but a month is better.

And lastly, rotate your food. I routinely check my food for expiration dates. When I clean out my pantry (usually 2-3 times a year), I make sure the oldest canned food is up in front so I use it first. Even now, if I pull out a can of corn, I do a little digging to make sure it's the oldest I have.

It takes a little more work, but I've lost enough food in my lifetime to expiration dates.

FYI: Most food is perfectly edible past the expiration date, so don't fret too much. But always throw out any cans that show signs of bulging at the top.

Finally, don't forget pet food and food for family with dietary restrictions.

Can you make it for a whole month without shopping for food?

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