Time to take a periodic inventory check of food preps...

[Nickelless]

I know when I started prepping a couple years ago, especially when it came to stocking up on food, I didn't at first look at the big picture--is hundreds of pounds of rice and beans all I need to survive food-wise? What am I missing or what would I really need or like to have that it's glaringly obvious is missing from what I have right now? I love garlic (currently have five quarts of garlic powder), but do I like cayenne pepper just as much (since I also have five quarts of it at the moment)? I've only got one quart of cumin, but I love Mexican food--how much more cumin should I get to keep me happy? Why do I have 14 times more spinach than tomatoes, even though I love tomatoes and have been meaning to buy a bulk case of tomato powder but for some reason just keep on buying spinach? When am I going to buy the bulk lots of oats and dehydrated bananas that for some reason keep getting pushed back until next payday? What am I really going to regret not buying if I don't do it while I still can?

I'm curious to know what gaps in your food preps or the amenities thereof you guys are trying to fill in or would like to have, since maybe it would help the rest of us see things that we're also missing or would like to have in our preps.

[5150female]

This may help you and/or others. It is a link to a Long Term Food Storage Calculator in Excel spreadsheet form. It allows you to determine # Adults, Children and # of months to plan for.
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/03/09/long-term-food-storage-calculator/

[Merlin]

Remembering to re-stock things I've used up is critical for me, as I eat what I store and store what I eat.

Last night all David wanted for dinner was a grilled cheese sandwich, which didn't appeal to me in any way, though I fixed it for him. So I opened a 5 oz can of chicken breast, cooked up some noodles, and made a gravy with a little butter, flour, chicken bouillon, and milk -- all for me and the dog. Looking in my pantry, I realized I'd been eating my canned chicken breast (it's great for quick meals) and not re-stocking. So today I bought another 10 cans at the dollar store.

Re-stocking is especially important for cooking oils, since they don't have really extended shelf lives to begin with. If you aim, for instance, to have a couple of gallons of oil on hand, keep an eye on it. You can deplete your reserve to the half-way point almost without noticing. Not good.

Nickelless, did you dehydrate and powder your own garlic, or did you buy it in bulk and repackage it for storage?

[Nickelless]

I bought garlic powder that was already dry. I'm not dehydrating anything that will leave an unwanted smell lingering for weeks. :p Plus, buying 10 lbs. of spices at a time at Sam's Club is the quickest way to go, IMO. I repackage my spices in mason jars:

http://www.survivalprep.net/images/labels_small.jpg

[CrufflerJJ]

I know when I started prepping a couple years ago, especially when it came to stocking up on food, I didn't at first look at the big picture--is hundreds of pounds of rice and beans all I need to survive food-wise? What am I missing or what would I really need or like to have that it's glaringly obvious is missing from what I have right now? I love garlic (currently have five quarts of garlic powder), but do I like cayenne pepper just as much (since I also have five quarts of it at the moment)? I've only got one quart of cumin, but I love Mexican food--how much more cumin should I get to keep me happy? Why do I have 14 times more spinach than tomatoes, even though I love tomatoes and have been meaning to buy a bulk case of tomato powder but for some reason just keep on buying spinach? When am I going to buy the bulk lots of oats and dehydrated bananas that for some reason keep getting pushed back until next payday? What am I really going to regret not buying if I don't do it while I still can?

I'm curious to know what gaps in your food preps or the amenities thereof you guys are trying to fill in or would like to have, since maybe it would help the rest of us see things that we're also missing or would like to have in our preps.

Some other goodies you might add:
- iodized salt
- whole black peppercorns
- whole cumin (longer shelf life than the ground stuff)
- whole stick cinnamon (as above)
- oregano
- bay leaves
- minced onion
- vanilla extract & whole beans (www.saffron.com is my favorite source)
- curry powder
- white & brown sugar
- honey
- molasses
- chipotle (whole & ground)
- paprika (regular & smoked)

A great source for bulk spices is Butcher & Packer, up in MI. See http://www.butcher-packer.com/ .

[goldie40]

I keep spread sheets on everything and when something is used, even if a couple pounds of wheat or corn is ground, it is written down.. I also transfer all spices to vaccum sealed mason jars, just have to be careful with fine powders like cinnamon, baking powder, they'll ruin the food savor if any powder gets in it.
http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv89/cornhusker09/003-12.jpg

[beercritic]

Herbco.com has good stuff at decent prices.

[CrufflerJJ]

I keep spread sheets on everything and when something is used, even if a couple pounds of wheat or corn is ground, it is written down.. I also transfer all spices to vaccum sealed mason jars, just have to be careful with fine powders like cinnamon, baking powder, they'll ruin the food savor if any powder gets in it.


What you can do to prevent powders from being sucked into your vacuum sealer is to place a section of paper towel on top of the powder being packaged. I've done this with flour in the past, and it seems to do the job.

[CrufflerJJ]

Herbco.com has good stuff at decent prices.

Looks like they offer a HUGE variety of spices at decent prices. THANKS!

[Fatboy]

Here's another spice broker:

http://www.atlanticspice.com/store/gourmet-spices-bulk,category.asp

+ - within cents of the other link listed for most products. Each has some porducts that the other doesn't have.

[livtocruz]

bc and Fb, thanks for the sites.