If you are emergency prepping keep these 22 food staples in your prepper pantry. They don’t expire and will last you a very long time. Emergency prepping ensures that you’ll have what you and your family needs in a time of crisis.
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EMERGENCY PREPPING 101
Prepare your home for unforeseen emergencies. Whether it be a hurricane, fire season, flood, food shortages or economic unrest prepare keep items on hand so that your family can survive without relying on the Government to come to your aid. Government assistance may be too far away or you could be unreachable.
Prepare what your family BEFORE an emergency happens, not after it has already occurred. When the worst happens you won’t have access to the same resources as you would before something bad happens.
Water and Shelter
When you are just getting started with emergency prepping, store enough water and plan to create WARM shelter. You must have enough water to drink and also to use for toilets/showering, cleaning and cooking purposes. I’ve created a list of items from Amazon that would be great things to add to your emergency preps: find it here https://www.amazon.com/shop/yumyum_foodtruck/list/3LSN1IXV2B4CW?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfyumyum_foodtruck_T367Z0Z2HJ7J98S8TFKW
I was shocked at how much water you need to reconstitute freeze dried food. Ben and I went to the desert to stay in an off grid bus. We cooked some of our emergency freeze dried food, we noticed how much more water we needed to prepare our food. It took so much more water to cook the Augason Farms soup than I thought it would!
So be sure that you’ve stockpiled an adequate amount of water to actually cook, clean and do everything you’ll need to do! See this post with a full review of the Augason Farms Creamy Potato Soup and more photos from our off grid adventure.
Food Storage for Emergencies
If you’re just starting your emergency prepping journey focus on food storage for at least a few days. Once you prepare that, build up to a few weeks.
As you continue on your journey, start stockpiling more of the staples so that you can use them to cook food from scratch for your food in times of crisis. Read my article on creating a Family Emergency Plan to help you plan for your family.
Focus on the staples on this list, because they don’t expire. These food staples make emergency prepping easier because you will use them ALOT in everyday recipes, to as taste and variety into your cooking. Rotate them in your pantry and start saving money by cooking your food at home for less money.
Investing in a Freeze Dryer
Many of the products on this list can be bought freeze dried and in large quantities. To really increase your food storage and have additional options for healthy food for your family, I recommend investing in a Freeze Dryer.
Check out how this prepper suggests using a freeze dryer to save money on long term food storage
@semperparata Have you ever had freeze dried eggs? #freezedried #foodstorage #preperation #prepper #preppertok ♬ original sound – 💌
Ultimate List for Emergency Prepping
Honey
Use honey to sweeten your favorite dishes and also to create some healing drinks to help you recover from illnesses faster. Keep your honey in an airtight container and in a dark place. Sunlight shining directly onto your honey is not good for storing your honey long term.
Baking Soda
Baking soda loses potency once you open the container. Buy smaller containers and keep them unopen, then your baking soda won’t expire. Its good to stock up on this because it has so many purposes when it comes to cooking and cleaning.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is a staple in so many things that we take for granted. So many recipes use cornstarch and it is frequently found in gravies and other fried dishes. Keep this on hand as a thickener for your recipes.
Alcohol
When you start emergency prepping, stock up on Alcohol. You do not need to buy the most expensive brands for your stockpile either. Use it to barter with, clean, cook, and even for medicinal purposed. Keep plenty of this in a cool dry storage area.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is shelf stable and can be bought in very large tubs. Use this for cooking, beauty and moisturizing the skin.
Chicken or Beef Bouillon Cubes
These cubes are great for adding a lot of flavor to your food and soups. They contain salt and other flavors so use them when cooking from scratch. Throw a few in a large soup to feed a large amount of people. These are small and don’t take up much space so they are a great item to make sure you keep stocked in your pantry. You can find it in a large shelf stable container on Amazon.
Popcorn Cornels
Who doesn’t enjoy a nice tub of buttery popcorn? When you are in an emergency situation, keep some favorite items that will help you comfort your family. Popcorn is the perfect item. Since it lasts forever it is okay to add as much as you want to your pantry!
Lentils
Lentils do expire but if you store them correctly they will last you a VERY long time. The reason why many people who are emergency prepping stock up on these is because they are a great fiber rich food that gives you a lot of key nutrients and protein. Use them in soups, stews, chilis, and as side dishes to add extra nutrition and “beef up” your meals. Try the Beluga Lentils- they come in a 25 pound emergency food storage bucket
Ghee
Ghee is a geat source of VITAMIN E! Vitamin E has amazing health benefits, everything from lowering your cancer risk to helping ease inflammation. Ghee is a clarified butter. Use it cooking and store it properly so it lasts. It’s a great item to keep in your pantry for cooking and making deserts. I recommend the Indian Milk & Honey brand, it comes in a large container and easily can be added to your Prepper Pantry
Instant Coffee
Regular beans coffee can have a shorter expiry date. Stockpile instant coffee and store it in airtight containers. Your instant coffee will last for a very long time. Coffee great to have in a time of emergency to help boost moral.
Dried Beans
These pair perfectly with rice and give you a complete protein when eaten together. You can use these in a ton of different recipes and cook so many different ways. I recommend Augason Farms Emergency Food Storage Dried Black Beans, Watch my full video here
Powdered Milk
Powdered milk is a must have when you are emergency prepping. It’s got so many different uses. Incorporate it into recipes you already cook. Add it to your soups to make them creamier or to milkshakes to thicken them. Keep it on hand for your coffee instead of using expensive creamers that have lots of bad ingredients in them!
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup will last a VERY long time as along as it is unopened. Once it is opened it can go bad, so buy it in smaller containers so that when it is time for an emergency your syrup won’t go bad quickly. Add it to nice warm drinks or to your breakfast and other dishes that you want to sweeten naturally.
Rice
This is an amazing versatile staple food. Cook it very quickly and easily. It is an easy to make carbohydrate to pair with most canned items you may have on hand. Add it to soups and even casseroles for an easy quick meal that is comforting and filling. I prefer to buy the Augason Farms Emergency Storage Rice to make it much easier to add it directly to my prepper pantry.
Salt
Most people underestimate the amount of salt that they need to have stockpiled. You go through a surprising amount of salt and need it to flavor your food, but more than that you’ll need it as a food preservative. I recommend storing pickling salt in your storage so that if you need to grow and then can food you will have plenty on hand.
Pure Vanilla Extract
This is amazing for flavoring sweet dishes. You can use this for milkshakes and ice-cream as well. It’s relatively easy to store and if you invest in quality vanilla extract you can use it for a very long time.
Soy Sauce
one of the best things you can add to your stockpile. Soy sauce adds an amazing flavor to stir fries, rice and fish dishes. If you want to fight food fatigue you need these extra flavors to create great tasting dishes to keep your families spirits up in the worst of times.
White Sugar
The most important aspect of storing sugar is to keep it away from moisture. I prefer to buy my sugar in large cans from the LDS storehouse. At the storehouse I know that no moisture will get into my sugar storage. It will be safe if an food shortage ever comes and I’m unable to purchase sugar at the grocery store.
Apple Cider Vinegar
When you’re emergency prepping, don’t forget items that have health benefits. Apple Cider Vinegar is known to help lower blood sugar. It has a load of other surprising health benefits. Use it in recipes and other drinks to help heal the body and add flavor to dressings and salads.
Spices
Keep spices on hand to give your food flavor. When you add enough spices, food tastes better so you can enjoy eating. Provide more variety and flavors to food to help keep your spirits up. Pleasure, comfort and happiness are critical in extremely stressful times.
Drink Mixes
When you are emergency prepping, buy Gatorade, Lemonade, teas and other healthy drink mixes. These sometimes provide a burst of energy from the sugar or electrolytes which can be very helpful in the hot summer months.
Wheat Berries
Even if you have to grind the wheat berries they are great to store for long term food storage. You can make all types of foods from scratch when you have the items on this list. Cooking from scratch helps your budget and offsets the burden of rising grocery inflation. You can invest in a Wheat Grinder and then you’ll be able to grind all the wheat you buy and make your own bread in case of a long term emergency situation.
Canned Foods
Canned foods don’t last forever. However, they are a great thing to add to your food storage. You can pair them with many of the foods on this list to create healthy and delicious meals for your family.
As you build a stockpile of food for your family, learn how much of each of these items you’ll be most likely to use. invest in some cook books. Learn how to cook your favorite foods over a fire and from scratch. Cooking is a skill that can last you a lifetime.
Don’t worry if you are new to prepping, read my article, “Prepping for Complete Beginners” to learn how easy it is to start preparing your family for any emergency.
