One Stop Ready

When supermarkets began running short of goods early in 2020 owing to increasing fears over the effects of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, it brought into sharp focus the vulnerability of supply chains, even in some of the most developed countries in the world. Add to that increasing concerns over climate change and outbreaks of civil unrest throughout the western world in recent times, and the notion of having a reserve stock of food in your storage is no longer as outlandish an idea as it may have seemed just a few years ago.

If preparedness is important for your peace of mind, and you’re interested in beginning a food stockpile, this article aims to help you do that both efficiently and responsibly.

Of course, different people have different circumstances, and that goes for their food storage space too. Freezers are obviously a great storage option as they allow you to keep perishable foods such as fresh meat for far longer. However, not everyone has a huge amount of freezer space, so it is important to make optimal use of your other storage space.

Cool, dark pantry-like rooms are excellent places for storing non-perishable foods and certain fresh vegetables. Think cold rooms, basements or cupboards away from heaters.

In terms of the particular foods that can be kept in this kind of storage, you should focus on produce that, as well as being largely non-perishable, also provides a sufficient enough calorie intake to justify taking up the space. If that food can be prepared without using much energy or water, so much the better.

Tinned food is always a good option, because it can be stored for a long time without going off, Tinned vegetables and fruit, as well as soups, baked beans, fish and pasta (such as tinned spaghetti) are particularly good options. Meanwhile, tinned tomatoes are almost always an excellent choice as these can easily be added to many pasta dishes for added flavor and nutrition.

With fresh bread likely to become stale after a few days if it can’t be frozen, consider alternatives such as crackers or tortillas. Similarly consider swapping fresh milk for milk powder of long-life varieties. Almond, soy and oats milk are good, longer-life options too.

Dry pasta is a cheap and filling food, as well as quick and easy to prepare. So too is rice, so ensure you have a few bags of each. Meanwhile, consider acquiring a few jars of preserves such as jam, marmalade and honey, each of which have a long shelf life and can add flavor to otherwise bland snacks.

Even though you’re likely to be largely focusing on the essentials, preparedness doesn’t mean going without treats, so look into putting some chocolate, energy and protein bars, nuts and seeds into storage too, each of which have long shelf lives.

If you’re fortunate enough to be in a position to grow your own food, consider potatoes, which, as well as being a great source of carbohydrates, can stay good longer than a lot of other fresh vegetables when stored in cool, dark places. Similarly, vegetables such as carrots, onions and butternut squash can be kept for weeks or even months (in the case of the latter).

Of course, preparedness where it comes to food stockpiling should be undertaken responsibly. After all, and as was witnessed early in 2020, when lots of people go out at once and buy the same item, it tends to have a domino effect on others. In other words, panic buying sets in, and it’s this that can soon lead to supply chains coming under too much strain, leading to empty shelves. It is far better to pick up a few extra items each time you go food shopping than to try and complete the task all at once.

Food preparedness need not be a daunting prospect as long as you pace yourself. Nor need it be expensive. In fact, items such as tinned foods, dry pasta and rice are often among the cheapest food available, Meanwhile, provided you keep in mind the kind of storage you have at your disposal when picking up a few extra supplies, within a few weeks you should have enough of a stockpile to keep you going through the next major event – whatever that might entail.

What better way to get started on your journey for preparedness than to address the most basic human need. Clean water.  Humans need water and can’t live without it for very long (3-4 days). It is one of the first things that the government will try to bring in a disaster, but our mission is to get you ready to sustain yourself.  The CDC recommends that you store 1 gallon of water per person and to try to store a 2 week supply if possible.  For a family of 4, this is 56 gallons of water.  There are two primary situations that you will find yourself in.  At home needing an alternate source water, or on the move.  At home, this is primarily a function of storing your water in advance and being able to draw upon it when needed.  On the move, water is heavy and its difficult to transport and so filtration and treatment becomes a better option.

Storage

Storing water can be as simple as storing cases of bottled water at home. Its important that you remember that water will store best when not exposed to freezing or high temperatures (>80). It should also not be stored directly on concrete as it can actually absorb smells and chemicals from the concrete !  Light is also your enemy, clear containers are generally not recommended.  As the quantities of water you want to store become larger, stacks of bottled water become inefficient and you need to consider larger tanks.  Storage containters such as such as 55 gallon drums are popular and should handle the family of 4 for 2 weeks.  Keep in mind that barrels need to be food grade and UV-resistant, and its preferable that other liquids have never been stored in them. We recommend getting new barrels made with either #1, #2, or #4 plastics that are BPA free . Drums do come in other sizes and depending on your situation and space available, smaller ones may make more sense.   Don’t forget you won’t be able to move a 55 gal drum filled with water as it will weigh over 450 lbs !  You will need to have a way to get the water out. Be sure to include pumps or siphons in your preparation. It is also necessary to treat the water for long term storage.  There are several methods that are satisfactory. I’ve listed those below.  

Filtration and Treatment

It is important to filter contaminants out of water if you are using an water from an unknown source or from natural outdoor bodies of water such as lakes or rivers. Moving water such as a spring is always better than stagnant water from a pond. Generally stagnant water should be filtered and boiled. A quality water filter should be a part of any preparedness kit and can help prevent illness or disease from contaminated water. Water can be contaminated by many sources including industrial discharge, lawn chemicals, animals, runoff, and even sewage. Most portable water filters are able to filter out most contaminants and bacteria, but perhaps not some viruses. A filter may be best used in conjunction with water treatments for best results. Some examples of treatments are

• Boiling water. This doesn’t remove chemical or fuel containation, but if you pre-filter the water and then boil for one minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes), then the water should be safe to drink.
• Treating with unscented chlorine bleach. Typical bleach concentrations of 5-6% sodium hypochlorite would call for 4 drops of bleach per quart of water or 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. If it still does not smell of bleach, discard it and find another source of water.
• Distillation. This isn’t so much a treatment but collecting the steam and letting it condense is another way to obtain clean water. If your source water is salt water, distillation will allow you to capture water free of salt and also can help with other toxins or chemicals that boiling or treating doesn’t remove.
• Ultraviolet Light (UV Light) can be used as a pathogen reduction method against some microorganisms. In most situations this technology isn’t available in the types of situation that requires treatment on the move or in areas without power, etc.

Don’t forget that once you have filtered or treated water to make it potable, you need to store it in a clean sanitary storage container. So be sure to include portable size water containers such as canteens, camelbacks, or even metal containers to store your water in.

You’ve found us !  The purpose of this site is to showcase in one place, all of the commonly used items that you will need to be READY !   Ready for what ?  Ready for anything such as   

Natural disasters that cause interruptions in food, communications, power, travel, etc.
Security situations that may make it dangerous to travel or leave your home.
Lack of available clean water due to contamination, spills, etc.
EMP events. Wide spread and long term power outages.
Weekend (or a month) in the woods. Practicing your own ‘survivor show’??

What ever the reason you feel the need to be prepared, our goal is to showcase some of the items you will need and provide options on where these can be purchased.

Most of these will be affiliate links. More importantly however is that regardless of what you purchase and from whom, we want to help you understand and think about the things you might need that you haven’t thought of. We want to help you be ready in case of … whatever.

Our posts will typically fall into one of several categories that you may need to address to be ready. Such as

• Power
• Food
• Water
• Security
• Communications
• Clothing
• Technology
• Community

Within each category we will try to lay out various situations and provide options for products to meet those needs.  So whether you are preparing for SHTF, Zombie Apocalypse, an industrial accident contaminating the water supply,  a two week getaway in the mountains,  stocking your hunting cabin that gets snowed in for weeks, or a Hurricane; you can come to One Stop Ready to get what you need.