It is important to prepare for disasters and emergencies by keeping a large supply of survival foods in your home. One of the most common problems in the event of a natural disaster is the low supply of food. This can be because all the roads that lead to the shopping areas are blocked or the grocery stores are running low on supplies because of high demands. Whatever the reason is, it would be a great help if you were able to keep survival foods in your home that will last you and your family several months.
The best survival foods are not difficult to find. In fact, you probably have some of them in your pantry at home. However, if you need to buy more, you can just go to the nearest grocery store and purchase them in bulk. You can check out the list of some of the best survival foods available in your local supermarket.
- Rice. This may not be a part of your usual diet unlike Asians, but rice is one of the best survival foods that you should have in your home. You should buy one of those bags of rice that you can find in the supermarket. When stored properly, uncooked rice can last for up to 10 years. Make sure that you store it in an airtight container to prevent oxygen and moisture from entering. Rice is a great source of carbohydrates which give you energy, something you should definitely eat in times of crisis. Rice may have a bland taste but it can serve as a great canvas to all kinds of tasty dishes by just adding flavors and ingredients.
- Pasta. Just like rice, pasta is also a great source of carbohydrates. Pasta will last for up to 5 years when properly stored. It may require a larger storage container than rice because of the irregular shape. What you can do is to buy small pasta in more or less regular shapes to save on space.
- Salt. Salt is a must-have in any list of survival food items. Salt has been used by the ancient people to preserve their food. You can cure meat and flavor dishes to make them tastier. Salt is also easy to store because it comes in fine crystals. It may not have any significant nutritional value but it does a lot of wonderful things for food preservation and flavoring.
- Sugar. Like salt, sugar is also used to preserve food and to add flavor. Sugar can last up to ten years. You can also buy honey, which lasts forever. It would be nice to eat something sweet as if you are indulging yourself, especially in times of crisis.
- Cornmeal. It is better to store cornmeal than flour because of a number of reasons. One is that cornmeal has a higher carbohydrate content than flour. It also has a longer shelf life. If there is a power outage, you can still make good cornbread using a skillet or a solar oven. Bread made from flour require a better baking setup, which is difficult to have if there is no electricity.
- Beans. This list will not be complete without beans. Beans are an excellent source of protein. Store them in food grade containers with dried ice and your beans can last up to 10 years. Be sure to keep them in a dry and dark location that has a slightly lower temperature than room temperature. Be sure that you purchase dried beans such as lentils, pinto beans, black beans, and red beans, to list down a few. Buy a few pounds of beans every time you go to the grocery and start storing them for emergency use.
If you want to read more great KnifeUp articles, check out: the best survival machete, the top 3 tactical tomahawks, and pink pocket knives.
