# What Storage Food Gives You The Most Bang For The Buck?



## Redneck

I have a varied menu of food in long term storage & think I have a good
grasp on what to store, but curious what others think is the one best
food? I have my opinion & curious if it makes sense?

For me, my main store is hard wheat, mostly white but some red, in
superpails. I get mine online from Walmart & pay $32.84 and each
Emergency Essentials superpail contains 38 pounds of hard wheat packaged
with an oxygen absorber in a sealed metalized food grade bag that has
been placed inside a food grade plastic bucket with a gasket seal. If
you purchase over $50 worth of goods, the freight is free. That bucket
contains 58,500 calories so that works out to .56 per thousand calories,
which to me is just a great price for a food that can last almost
forever & is so nutrient rich.

IMO, there is no food more versatile than wheat, in that I can (and do)
eat it every day... 3 meals a day. Can you say that for any other
nutritious food? Store some powdered milk, some baking powder, maybe
some powdered eggs, and you can eat pancakes, biscuits, bread, pasta,
pizza, cookies, cake, etc. etc. You can sprout the grain first & bump
up the nutrition even more.

So what is your go to food? How does it compare in cost per thousand
calories & is it versatile? And to be clear, I don't suggest keeping
just one or two main foods, as I have very large stores of Spam, rice,
beans, pasta, freeze dried potatoes, powdered milk, etc. etc. So yes,
store all sorts of stuff but which food is number one for you? For
reference, I probably have as much wheat in storage as all other foods
combined and IMO, that sounds about right.


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## stowlin

Rice is my go to; a 50lb bag is very affordable. It was under $20 last I looked for 50lbs and its pretty easy to add anything to it including veggies. I look at a cup of rice and a 79 cent can of condensed soup as a complete meal for about a dollar.


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## SOCOM42

No real number one, but large stores of rice, whole corn, navy beans, great northern beans, semolina and some bread flour, GM All Trumps, about 300 pounds. 

In the meats, Spam, more Spam, corned beef, Vienna sausage, Dak hams, canned chicken.

There 6 cases of #10 cans of potato flakes.

Not a lot of potato's because we grow our own, and I can them during the winter..

As some nears the expiration date, it is fed to the dogs who love it, they go nuts when the cans are opened.


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## Redneck

I'm a firm believer is storing, and growing, what you eat. With all else equal, and not saying it is, but do you currently eat rice every day? Beans? Do you eat it every meal of every day? Initially I stored a larger percent of dried beans & rice, as I do love both. But the truth of the matter is, I sure would not want to eat that every single day. I just can't think of a more versatile food than wheat berries. I mean I could eat biscuits, toast or pancakes every morning. I could sure enjoy a pizza or pasta most every day with goodies from the garden. Dumplings in my soup sure are good & filling as is a nice sandwich. Survival would be so much more pleasant with cookies & cakes. All these & more from one single food store.


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## SOCOM42

******* said:


> I'm a firm believer is storing, and growing, what you eat. With all else equal, and not saying it is, but do you currently eat rice every day? Beans? Do you eat it every meal of every day? Initially I stored a larger percent of dried beans & rice, as I do love both. But the truth of the matter is, I sure would not want to eat that every single day. I just can't think of a more versatile food than wheat berries. I mean I could eat biscuits, toast or pancakes every morning. I could sure enjoy a pizza or pasta most every day with goodies from the garden. Dumplings in my soup sure are good & filling as is a nice sandwich. Survival would be so much more pleasant with cookies & cakes. All these & more from one single food store.


Yes, I eat rice about five or six days a week, I like it.

It is used as a filler most of the time, occasionally plain.

I store for the most part what I consume on a regular basis, with the exception of the spam,

that will be used to replace normal meat products mixed in meals, supplemented by game animals.

I did mention semolina, pasta is made from it, and there is about 700 pounds, with extrusion dies for spaghetti Penn and rotini.


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## bigwheel

We like to stay stocked up on Beanie Weenies. All food groups in there. One of natures most perfect foods coming in 2nd only to Mothers Milk maybe.


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## Targetshooter

We stock up on what we like to eat on a weekly bases , can meats , can veggies ,soups , rice , beans , water, flour , cooking oil , charcoal , fire wood for cooking and we freeze things to , I am just starting to do some canning .


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## Targetshooter

What you eat daily , stock up on that , " just rotate " your stock .


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## Redneck

bigwheel said:


> We like to stay stocked up on Beanie Weenies. All food groups in there. One of natures most perfect foods coming in 2nd only to Mothers Milk maybe.


Yes, but could you eat that every day for months? Of course if the other option is starvation, I'm sure you could, but as preppers, should we do more than just stock calories? 1000 lbs of beans & rice would keep one alive for a long time but who really wants to only eat beans & rice for months?

The point of this thread is to see if others have given much consideration to the drudgery of primarily surviving off stores for an extended time... say if the crisis occurred in winter? When I first started prepping, I mostly had beans, rice & pasta, knowing rice & beans can provide almost complete nutrition without meat. But as I matured as a prepper, I started giving thought to actually living on my stores & realized a better plan would be to have more variety. I realized survival would be immeasurably better if my survival menu was closer to my daily one now. First thought was I needed meat and research led me to Spam, which I happen to love and which can basically be stored forever. Then I considered that I sure loved my wheat products daily but found out flour does not store well or long. I'd never even heard of wheat berries, but research led me to them. Now with the wheat, I can't go to Sam's Club & pick it up & store it myself like I do so many other foods, such as beans, rice, pasta, sugar, etc. It does require, at least for me, purchasing online but I have found purchasing the Emergency Essentials brand from Walmart is not too expensive, considering the food is 100% ready for storage & packaged as I do my own stores.

Variety is the spice of life so I just ask y'all to consider what you store. For me, nothing comes close to wheat berries in providing nutrition & variety.


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## Sonya

******* you forgot crepes. They make a good main course with a filling of creamed chicken, spinach, etc... Crepes seem thin and insignificant but they add a lot of bulk to the meal.

I mostly store rice and pasta. I have flour of course, and will be buying feed wheat today. That is primarily for the animals but if I get a ginder it could be used for bread especially with some glutin mixed in.

Wheat does take some skill to prepare, not just grinding it but making bread, pasta, etc.. which is why many probably don't stock it in huge quantities, and opt for something easier instead. If you didn't see the bread in a jar thread check it out, it is right up your alley.


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## Moonshinedave

While I'm surely not knocking wheat, but beans and rice are my go to's.


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## Redneck

Sonya said:


> ******* you forgot crepes. They make a good main course with a filling of creamed chicken, spinach, etc... Crepes seem thin and insignificant but they add a lot of bulk to the meal.


Heck, I left off all sorts of meals that can be made from flour. Didn't want to sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump listing all his shrimp dishes. 



Sonya said:


> I mostly store rice and pasta. I have flour of course, and will be buying feed wheat today. That is primarily for the animals but if I get a ginder it could be used for bread especially with some glutin mixed in.


As I used to but like I say, do you currently eat rice & pasta 3 meals a day, every day? If not, why choose to do it during a crisis? Flour is a great thing to store, as long as you rotate your stock. It is perfect for those prepping for a relatively short term event. However, if one is prepping for a SHTF event, that could last many months or years, then you need to move to foods that store longer... thus wheat berries that will be around long after I'm gone.



Sonya said:


> Wheat does take some skill to prepare, not just grinding it but making bread, pasta, etc.. which is why many probably don't stock it in huge quantities, and opt for something easier instead. If you didn't see the bread in a jar thread check it out, it is right up your alley.


Yes a bit of skill but so much of what we preppers do requires some level of skill. The very nature of wheat berries' ability to be stored for so long is why, IMO, it should be stored in huge quantities. Because it lasts so long, you don't have to rotate it constantly & can store more than you would eat in several years of normal use. In that case, it is like rice, beans & pasta. You can put vast amounts in long term storage & forget about it. But as I've said, wheat is just much more versatile than the others. I could easily eat product from it 3 meals a day every day.

I saw that thread & it didn't really interest me in that in my case, I see no need to store bread. I store the wheat berries & will simply grind & make the wheat product, including bread, as needed. During an extended crisis, one of my first tasks will be to build an earth oven, for baking my wheat products & other goods. Where I live, we have plenty of sand & clay in the soil, so making one should be no problem. I've never done one but have watched videos & have a book on building them.

In my case, living in Mississippi, once I transition to self sufficiency & live off the gardens, I would mainly shift to storing corn & grinding corn meal. We do grow some winter wheat down here but corn will be one of my staple crops. Historically, southerners ate more corn meal than wheat flour. With my Grainmaker grain mill, it can handle either product well.


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## Sonya

******* said:


> I saw that thread & it didn't really interest me in that in my case, I see no need to store bread. I store the wheat berries & will simply grind & make the wheat product, including bread, as needed. During an extended crisis, one of my first tasks will be to build an earth oven, for baking my wheat products & other goods. Where I live, we have plenty of sand & clay in the soil, so making one should be no problem. I've never done one but have watched videos & have a book on building them.


If you are eating bread with every meal then yeah, baking it every two or three days makes sense. But even then if you make cake or specialty dessert/breakfast breads you may not want to have to eat the whole thing in 2 days before it spoils. Better to have some now, then some next week when you are in the mood again. The jars don't store it long term, just for a few weeks.

I agree on the earthen or brick ovens, I have watched some videos on that and it is very neat. Plus their heat retention is great, being able to bake in them for several hours from one load of wood would be so useful.


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## Redneck

Sonya said:


> If you are eating bread with every meal then yeah, baking it every two or three days makes sense. But even then if you make cake or specialty dessert/breakfast breads you may not want to have to eat the whole thing in 2 days before it spoils. Better to have some now, then some next week when you are in the mood again. The jars don't store it long term, just for a few weeks.


My expectation would be during a severe crisis, I will have lots of folks to help feed. Besides my family members coming to the farm, my prepping method is to plan on feeding neighbors too. Having food spoil should not be a concern.


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## Maine-Marine

I have thought about this a little bit.

There is no perfect prepper food or one food that has the most bang for the buck... You need a balanced approached. Having said that you could pick the BEST OF;

Best Meat (Spam)
Best Grain (Hard Wheat)
Best Fruit (pineapple)
Best Veggie (Peas)
Best Filler (Rice)
Best Protein (Kidney Beans) 

now we can argue if the BEST is based on cost, taste, nutrition, personal preference, etc

But overall you need a variety of things in order to maintain health and sanity.

I could eat rice everyday but it would have to be cooked or seasoned differently 

same with pancakes, hamburger, chicken... there are a million little things to do to make them different


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## jim-henscheli

70 percent of my food preps are rice and beans. A few big bulk bags, but a lot of individually seasoned rice and/or bean packets.
Publix had a sale the other day on some brand of rice and pasta quicky meals, 10 for 10, I got 50. 
I also store Everglades seasoning and tobasco and bullion. Really any sort of quick, easy and low effort spice/flavoring, to ease the drudgery of rice and beans.
I store pasta alone, but I also store boxes and boxes of velveeta cheese. It's cheap crap, but it tastes good on basically all thing. Lol. 
Also I have single serve mayo and spam. Maybe it's trashy, but a mayo and spam bagel is super easy, and tastes pretty great. Even greater after an airplane shot...


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## Sonya

jim-henscheli said:


> *Also I have single serve mayo* and spam. Maybe it's trashy, but a mayo and spam bagel is super easy, and tastes pretty great. Even greater after an airplane shot...


By single serve do you mean the little foil packs like for ketchup? Where do you get them?

I have been thinking about how to store mayo,it is so useful for things like tuna/salmon/chicken salad or potato/macaroni salad etc...

My current focus is dehydrating a lot more vegetables. Better than canned as the vitamin C isn't lost. If I eat canned stuff for a couple of days in a row the craving for vegetables goes way up. Folks rarely talk about scurvy but in fact symptoms start in just 4 weeks if subsisting on canned goods with no vitamin C. Scurvy used to be a huge problem for the military, a large percentage of soldiers would die while wintering in forts and such if they didn't have a source of vitamin C available.


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## Redneck

jim-henscheli said:


> 70 percent of my food preps are rice and beans.


But is that remotely similar to your current diet? My point again is to get folks thinking along the lines of storing foods more in line with what they eat on a daily basis.


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## Redneck

Sonya said:


> I have been thinking about how to store mayo,it is so useful for things like tuna/salmon/chicken salad or potato/macaroni salad etc...


Might want to store the ingredients to make your own. Would help if you had your own chickens, like I have, but even then I store powdered eggs from Emergency Essentials. I also store another ingredient, vinegar, because I plan on making farm cheese with my powdered milk stores. For the short term we keep lots of oils in the house but for the long term I have oilseed pumpkin seed & oilseed sunflower seed. I do have a small oil press.

Wonder how many folks know you can make mayo from powdered eggs? How many know you can make cheese from powdered milk & a little vinegar?


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## Redneck

Maine-Marine said:


> I have thought about this a little bit.
> 
> There is no perfect prepper food or one food that has the most bang for the buck... You need a balanced approached. Having said that you could pick the BEST OF;
> 
> Best Meat (Spam)
> Best Grain (Hard Wheat)
> Best Fruit (pineapple)
> Best Veggie (Peas)
> Best Filler (Rice)
> Best Protein (Kidney Beans)
> 
> now we can argue if the BEST is based on cost, taste, nutrition, personal preference, etc
> 
> But overall you need a variety of things in order to maintain health and sanity.
> 
> I could eat rice everyday but it would have to be cooked or seasoned differently
> 
> same with pancakes, hamburger, chicken... there are a million little things to do to make them different


Great post. Maybe bang for the buck is the wrong terminology. But if I look at your great list, which one of those do I eat the most often on a daily basis? Which one could I easily eat today for all 3 of my meals? In my case, there is only one on your list & it is wheat & I'd bet that is true for most Americans today unless you have some issue with maybe gluten.

So yes, as I stated earlier I store lots of food stuff and want balance. I just think our survival diet should be as close as possible to our current daily diet. That is why I have much more wheat than any other foods you list.


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## sideKahr

My three biggies are rice, beans, and pasta, like a lot of folks. Add in some shorter term stuff like spam, peanut butter, oil, canned veggies and sauces, flour and sugar, and that's most of what I prep.


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## Redneck

sideKahr said:


> My three biggies are rice, beans, and pasta, like a lot of folks. Add in some shorter term stuff like spam, peanut butter, oil, canned veggies and sauces, flour and sugar, and that's most of what I prep.


Actually Spam & sugar are not shorter term as both have an indefinite shelf life. Curious why you would not store wheat berries? Rather not purchase the grain mill? Don't think you could bake the different items from just flour?


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## sideKahr

******* said:


> Actually Spam & sugar are not shorter term as both have an indefinite shelf life. Curious why you would not store wheat berries? Rather not purchase the grain mill? Don't think you could bake the different items from just flour?


Oh, I can bake, but I'm concerned with the baking odors in my populated area. Wheat is great for later in the die-off, but it is not a Gray Man choice.


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## Redneck

sideKahr said:


> Oh, I can bake, but I'm concerned with the baking odors in my populated area. Wheat is great for later in the die-off, but it is not a Gray Man choice.


Keep in mind the versatility of wheat. You can boil the berries & add some powdered milk & maybe some spice like cinnamon and have a lovely porridge that is super nutritious. I'd rather eat that for breakfast than rice or beans.


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## azrancher

Sonya said:


> I have been thinking about how to store mayo,it is so useful for things like tuna/salmon/chicken salad or potato/macaroni salad etc...


I know Mayo has oil (could go rancid) and raw egg yolks (could go rancid)... but as a young high school student I worked at a couple of high class restaurants and they stored the mayo at room temperature. It comes from a restaurant supply company in a 5 gallon box with a plastic bag liner, it was stored under one of the prep tables and opened and used when needed, sometimes the top edges got a little crusty but you just scoop that off and use the fresh under it. I'm sure they lasted more than a year.

*Rancher*


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## azrancher

******* said:


> How many know you can make cheese from powdered milk & a little vinegar?


OK, do you have a recipe for this ******* cheese?

*Rancher*


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## sideKahr

******* said:


> Keep in mind the versatility of wheat...I'd rather eat that for breakfast than rice or beans.


I'll give it a second look, but in my house that's what oatmeal is for.


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## Redneck

sideKahr said:


> I'll give it a second look, but in my house that's what oatmeal is for.


Yes, same here and actually I have some pails of rolled oats in storage for SHTF breakfast. However, once I realized the versatility of wheat, I stopped getting the oats & just upped my wheat berry stores. So that one item, in long term storage, can handle my breakfast needs as well as the typical bread type uses. I want food stores that don't require the effort of rotation or the worry of going bad. All my stores will be good long after I'm gone.

Also, if you have the grain mill, which you really need if you are gonna store the wheat berries, another great breakfast meal is to grind the wheat first. Now you are talking cream of wheat... and I grew up eating that.

Starting to sound like Bubba.


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## Deebo

@******* I used to live in Helena Arkansas.
As for this thread, I have no wheat berries, hadn't heard of them before.
Right now, my pantry consists of three cases of MRE's, whatever is left from the twenty pound bag of rice, (probably 15 bags vacuum sealed), and the remainder of the 20 pounds of pinto beans(probably 15 also).
Along with the meat in the deep freezer, and the store baught canned goods. (getting low)
Moving a family of five into my little place, storage is an issue.


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## Redneck

Deebo said:


> @******* I used to live in Helena Arkansas.
> As for this thread, I have no wheat berries, hadn't heard of them before.
> Right now, my pantry consists of three cases of MRE's, whatever is left from the twenty pound bag of rice, (probably 15 bags vacuum sealed), and the remainder of the 20 pounds of pinto beans(probably 15 also).
> Along with the meat in the deep freezer, and the store baught canned goods. (getting low)
> Moving a family of five into my little place, storage is an issue.


Wheat berries are the cleaned part of the wheat plant ready to be ground into whole wheat flour. Once wheat is ground, it starts degrading immediately & has a shelf life of a year or two.

I started prepping with MREs but gave up on them once I realized they have such a short shelf life and are so expensive. I switched to storing the base food stores, such as wheat berries, rice, beans, pasta, etc.

So a little comparison between a stored food, such as wheat, as opposed to processed food... like a case of MRE.

From what I can see, a case of MRE has around 13,000 calories & costs a bit under $100. A bucket of hard wheat has 56.000 calories and costs $33 delivered and comes in pre-packaged for long term storage. That MRE has a 5 year shelf life. Stores like wheat, rice & beans, if packaged properly, have a shelf life of 20+ years.

IMO, if a prepper is looking for value & doesn't want to deal with food being rotated or going bad, you choose basic food ingredients over processed food, such as a MRE. For what you paid for your 3 cases of MRE, I could purchase 9 buckets of wheat. Yours would last 5 years... mine 20+. You would have around 39,000 calories... I would have around a half million calories. Most of this math would be similar for other stores, such as beans.


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## Tennessee

There is no question bang for the buck for me and most folks here is rice and beans. I can put away 50 lbs. of rice for less than $20. Your arguments about the versatility of wheat I can say the same for rice. 

Your question was bang for the buck but when folks answer you argue the need for a balance diet and the versatility of wheat. I think you need to rethink your question If you don’t like the answers.


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## Redneck

Tennessee said:


> There is no question bang for the buck for me and most folks here is rice and beans. I can put away 50 lbs. of rice for less than $20. Your arguments about the versatility of wheat I can say the same for rice.
> 
> Your question was bang for the buck but when folks answer you argue the need for a balance diet and the versatility of wheat. I think you need to rethink your question If you don't like the answers.


I like all the answers I have received and don't know why you think otherwise. I'm not arguing but discussing, as this is a discussion forum.

As I've said many times, I store lots of rice & beans & will continue to do so. I find I can purchase three 25lb bags of rice from Sam's Club & they fit perfectly in two of my superpails with sealed mylar bags on the inside. It costs me a bit more to put up my rice than what you state. Are you using food grade pails, lids with gaskets, mylar bags & oxygen absorbers?

So tell me, in your current daily life do you eat as much rice & beans as you do wheat product? If so, I think you are unusual because I personally know of no one, not on a special diet, that does. But if you do, then as I say, store what you eat. For you then, rice & beans should dominate your stores. For me, I eat much more wheat product, so wheat needs to be my primary store.

You state rice is as versatile as wheat. For me it is not but maybe for others, like you it is. Since we are discussing the merits of the different food stores, maybe you can list all the different dishes that can be made. Around here we just don't prepare our rice in so many different ways as to be enjoyed daily but I do enjoy rice pudding made from leftover rice.

My intent is to make people think of what they store. I think many do as I used to, store nutritious rice, beans & pasta because they are cheap & store so well. But I wonder if folks really consider would they really want to subsist on that diet for long term? I realized I wanted my stores to better reflect what I currently eat. The addition of wheat does that for me. Doesn't mean it does for all but I still think the average American eats much more wheat product per year than rice or beans. If I'm wrong, please let me know.


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## Deebo

well, like OP6, I will just take food from my victems.
Just kidding.
My MRE's were half priced, but you were right, about the full price quote.
Appreciate the info, and will look into it. 
I am setting up to vacuum seal another batch of beans and rice.
Do you have a link where you are buying these wheat berries already packed?
And whats a super bucket? 7 gallons?


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## Redneck

Deebo said:


> Do you have a link where you are buying these wheat berries already packed?
> And whats a super bucket? 7 gallons?


This is 6 gallons. I find I get Emergency Essentials stuff cheaper from Walmart online than from their own site. Also with Walmart, freight is free if you spend $50. I like Emergency Essentials better than Augason Farms, as Emergency Essentials seals the food in the mylar bag & Augason doesn't. The Walmart price can bounce around so if it goes up, wait a week & recheck.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Emergency-Essentials-SuperPail-Hard-White-Wheat-38-lbs/47443488#about


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## Tennessee

******* said:


> I like all the answers I have received and don't know why you think otherwise. I'm not arguing but discussing, as this is a discussion forum.
> 
> As I've said many times, I store lots of rice & beans & will continue to do so. I find I can purchase three 25lb bags of rice from Sam's Club & they fit perfectly in two of my superpails with sealed mylar bags on the inside. It costs me a bit more to put up my rice than what you state. Are you using food grade pails, lids with gaskets, mylar bags & oxygen absorbers?
> 
> So tell me, in your current daily life do you eat as much rice & beans as you do wheat product? If so, I think you are unusual because I personally know of no one, not on a special diet, that does. But if you do, then as I say, store what you eat. For you then, rice & beans should dominate your stores. For me, I eat much more wheat product, so wheat needs to be my primary store.
> 
> You state rice is as versatile as wheat. For me it is not but maybe for others, like you it is. Since we are discussing the merits of the different food stores, maybe you can list all the different dishes that can be made. Around here we just don't prepare our rice in so many different ways as to be enjoyed daily but I do enjoy rice pudding made from leftover rice.
> 
> My intent is to make people think of what they store. I think many do as I used to, store nutritious rice, beans & pasta because they are cheap & store so well. But I wonder if folks really consider would they really want to subsist on that diet for long term? I realized I wanted my stores to better reflect what I currently eat. The addition of wheat does that for me. Doesn't mean it does for all but I still think the average American eats much more wheat product per year than rice or beans. If I'm wrong, please let me know.


The dishes you say that you can make with wheat need other ingredients that you have to store. So I don't see your point. To make biscuits with water only I would not want to eat just like I wouldn't want to eat plan rice. But if given the choice it would be rice or beans over hardtack.

There is no food by itself that has the nutrition values needed to keep you alive long term without some health effects that I'm aware of..


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## Redneck

Tennessee said:


> The dishes you say that you can make with wheat need other ingredients that you have to store. So I don't see your point. To make biscuits with water only I would not want to eat just like I wouldn't want to eat plan rice. But if given the choice it would be rice or beans over hardtack.
> 
> There is no food by itself that has the nutrition values needed to keep you alive long term without some health effects that I'm aware of..


If you were to read my posts, nowhere do I state to only store one food. That would be stupid. I store all sorts of food but specifically store some Emergency Essentials ingredients to make my wheat most versatile. I store the powdered eggs, baking soda & baking powder that is put up in the long storage cans. I also store very large quantities of powdered milk... some to drink, some for baking and some for making cheese. I have hundreds of pounds of salt, for example.

You keep missing my point. I simply am saying that I suggest you store as closely as possible what you now eat. For most, IMO, wheat product is used more than rice, beans or pasta. If you eat more beans or rice than wheat based goods, then I agree you should store more of those ingredients. I am talking proportion of stored foods... not one in exclusion of all others.


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## jim-henscheli

Sonya: I get Heinz foil mayo packets from work. (Hotel security) but they are available at many take out places.
*******: yes beans and rice are major parts of my regular diet, because I don't eat meat usually. I'll eat fish(boat) and chicken then whatever. I won't starve. Lol


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## Slippy

I eat very little wheat products. I just feel better eating gluten free. 

Having said that we have plenty of wheat and wheat products put up plus rice, beans, proteins, veggies and fruits etc. IN addition to food products put up ourselves (canned, mylared, etc, etc) we have a number of containers of pre-packaged long term food products from Mountain House, Wise Food, Emergency Essentials, and Augason Farms. Each has some products that we like and each can be bought on "sale" or with some sort of special shipping based on where you buy it. 

Do we always get the best deal? Probably not. But we got 'em and I'd rather have them then brag about the best deal!

We even have seeds.


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## Sonya

Deebo said:


> well, like OP6, I will just take food from my victems.
> Just kidding.
> My MRE's were half priced, but you were right, about the full price quote.
> Appreciate the info, and will look into it.
> I am setting up to vacuum seal another batch of beans and rice.
> Do you have a link where you are buying these wheat berries already packed?
> And whats a super bucket? 7 gallons?


You can also buy wheat at a feed store, 50 lbs for $10-$12 bucks.

It won't be the high gluten content bread flour kind of wheat, but you can always buy packs of wheat gluten for better bread if need be.

I bought 100 lbs today thanks to *******'s awesome wheat promotion. Actually bought it because I just realized the chickens go crazy for it, and it could also be used to make flour in a pinch.


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## Tennessee

******* said:


> If you were to read my posts, nowhere do I state to only store one food. That would be stupid. I store all sorts of food but specifically store some Emergency Essentials ingredients to make my wheat most versatile. I store the powdered eggs, baking soda & baking powder that is put up in the long storage cans. I also store very large quantities of powdered milk... some to drink, some for baking and some for making cheese. I have hundreds of pounds of salt, for example.
> 
> You keep missing my point. I simply am saying that I suggest you store as closely as possible what you now eat. For most, IMO, wheat product is used more than rice, beans or pasta. If you eat more beans or rice than wheat based goods, then I agree you should store more of those ingredients. I am talking proportion of stored foods... not one in exclusion of all others.


I do understand what you are saying you ask one question but want to debate another but your question was "What Storage Food Gives You The Most Bang For The Buck". And I don't agree with you that wheat or foods that you eat daily are. I agree you need to supplement your food storage with other foods but rice and beans are hard to beat as a prepping foundation in food storage.

When someone that's just getting starting in prepping ask me what foods are good for long term storage the first two that come out of my mouth are rice and beans. Wheat is down on the list.

You ask me about a rice dish. Here is an example. In a survival situation if someone offered me either 4 oz. of wheat or 4 oz. of rice I would take the rice. Here's why; if you kill a small animal or catch a fish you can add the rice and make a stew and enjoy all the nutrients in the broth. Not much you can do with wheat that I can find as appealing without adding other ingredients.


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## Redneck

Tennessee said:


> I agree you need to supplement your food storage with other foods but rice and beans are hard to beat as a prepping foundation in food storage.
> 
> When someone that's just getting starting in prepping ask me what foods are good for long term storage the first two that come out of my mouth are rice and beans. Wheat is down on the list.


And I agree with you 100% for the simple reason those foods are easily available in bulk everywhere. I also agree because to really enjoy the wheat, you need a grain mill and that is not something I would recommend for a beginner. However, as one matures as a prepper & maybe heads toward self sufficiency by gardening, then a grain mill is necessary. I also believe as a prepper matures, they should start looking at broadening their menu to something more normal.



Tennessee said:


> You ask me about a rice dish. Here is an example. In a survival situation if someone offered me either 4 oz. of wheat or 4 oz. of rice I would take the rice. Here's why; if you kill a small animal or catch a fish you can add the rice and make a stew and enjoy all the nutrients in the broth. Not much you can do with wheat that I can find as appealing without adding other ingredients.


Keep in mind wheat berries can be boiled in a broth just like rice, with no other ingredient. Actually prepared like that, the berries taste like brown rice. But don't get me wrong, I love my rice and have many a pail of it in storage, because as you say, it is very versatile... more so than beans that so many keep.


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## Redneck

Sonya said:


> You can also buy wheat at a feed store, 50 lbs for $10-$12 bucks.
> 
> It won't be the high gluten content bread flour kind of wheat, but you can always buy packs of wheat gluten for better bread if need be.
> 
> I bought 100 lbs today thanks to *******'s awesome wheat promotion. Actually bought it because I just realized the chickens go crazy for it, and it could also be used to make flour in a pinch.


Sonya, is such wheat cleaned? I would assume you would have to go thru some cleansing steps prior to using it yourself, but that is just an assumption.

Lots of folks don't realize you can sprout these wheat berries. When the wheat starts the process of sprouting, not only does the nutrition level go up but the bad stuff in it goes down & it becomes easier for some folks to digest. Interesting articles on the internet.


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## Sonya

******* said:


> Sonya, is such wheat cleaned? I would assume you would have to go thru some cleansing steps prior to using it yourself, but that is just an assumption.
> 
> Lots of folks don't realize you can sprout these wheat berries. When the wheat starts the process of sprouting, not only does the nutrition level go up but the bad stuff in it goes down & it becomes easier for some folks to digest. Interesting articles on the internet.


Haven't opened the bags yet. I bought the chickens a corn/wheat scratch mix and they only want the wheat, which is why I bought plain wheat. It looked fine to me, clean little wheat grains. I have heard lots of preppers store the feed wheat in buckets for emergencies. As stated it won't have the same high gluten content as bread flour, but it is still plenty nutritious.

And yes I do feed them a balanced feed as well, they also get game bird feed.


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## Redneck

Sonya said:


> And yes I do feed them a balanced feed as well, they also get game bird feed.


I can't hardly get mine to eat their layer feed but they will eat some scratch. I also give then oilseed sunflower seed which they eat well. My gals spend all day out in my orchard, which is about 1 1/2 acres with an 8' fence designed to keep the deer out. They eat some grass but mainly spend all day hunting bugs. Getting absolutely no eggs now as all are in a full molt.

Few days ago went down there to feed horses & lock the chickens in their run for the night. There was a big hawk sitting on an orchard fence post. When I went in the orchard, I couldn't see any of the gals & heard nothing from them. Found them all hunkered down under a big blueberry bush. They have good survival instincts.


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## Sonya

******* said:


> I can't hardly get mine to eat their layer feed but they will eat some scratch. I also give then oilseed sunflower seed which they eat well. My gals spend all day out in my orchard, which is about 1 1/2 acres with an 8' fence designed to keep the deer out. They eat some grass but mainly spend all day hunting bugs. Getting absolutely no eggs now as all are in a full molt.
> 
> Few days ago went down there to feed horses & lock the chickens in their run for the night. There was a big hawk sitting on an orchard fence post. When I went in the orchard, I couldn't see any of the gals & heard nothing from them. Found them all hunkered down under a big blueberry bush. They have good survival instincts.


Funny you talk about molting. I am noticing several going into a very noticeable hard molt. Don't think it is dietary or stress related so wonder why.

I have a mixed bunch of chickens gotten at various ages so I feed 13 (half are tiny bantams) and am lucky to get 2 or 3 eggs a day. Sometimes none. I love em all so it is okay.


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## Redneck

Sonya said:


> Funny you talk about molting. I am noticing several going into a very noticeable hard molt. Don't think it is dietary or stress related so wonder why.


It is natural for a healthy, adult bird to molt this time of year. My understanding is the reduced number of daylight hours sets it off. They molt to remove the old worn feathers & replace them with new, fluffy ones. They do it this time of year to be ready for the cold of winter. They don't want to be touched during this period & need more protein in their diet as the feather is made of mostly protein. Many animals do similar prior to winter. My dogs & horses put on their winter coats to stay warm & to piss me off in the spring, when it falls out.

Even once the molt is complete, you will see a very reduced egg production in the winter, because of the short days. You can jump start egg production by having a light turn on automatically in the coop in the am. Please don't have the light come on in the late afternoon & turn off abruptly at night. I don't need eggs so bad as to run a light because I figure the gals need a break anyway, plus I like to treat my animals the way God intended.


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## Sonya

******* said:


> You can jump start egg production by having a light turn on automatically in the coop in the am. Please don't have the light come on in the late afternoon & turn off abruptly at night. I don't need eggs so bad as to run a light because I figure the gals need a break anyway, plus I like to treat my animals the way God intended.


Yeah I don't use supplemental lights. But you are right if the light stays on in the evening and then suddenly goes out they can't find their way to the roost. And mine get game bird pellets instead of layer pellets, game bird has a lot of protein and is also safe for roosters, so their feathers should be fine.

I ran out of pellets and felt soooo guilty for 2 days, fed them scratch, and cooked eggs, and other stuff while thinking they were growing protein deficient by the minute. Bought pellets and ran to the coop to give them some and they were like "Pffftt....pellets? We thought you brought something good". The guilt trip was apparently unnecessary.


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## lauras2u

you might want to invest in some chinese cook books.....they make almost everything out of rice. White rice stores longer than whole wheat berries i believe....could be wrong. I love wheat and I have invested in grinders but store rice for longer times.


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## lauras2u

I could use a hand with this. I learned about 6 months ago, i am allergic to beans and cheese. Two things I used as staples for protein. I am light on proteins, particularly those which store longer times than jerky. Anyone have suggestions on replacements?


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## Sonya

lauras2u said:


> I could use a hand with this. I learned about 6 months ago, i am allergic to beans and cheese. Two things I used as staples for protein. I am light on proteins, particularly those which store longer times than jerky. Anyone have suggestions on replacements?


I don't really eat much in the way of beans, and don't like cheese.

I store canned meat (chili, chicken, ham, tuna, salmon, etc...). Also dehydrate chicken breast and lean beef and store in mylar which should last a few years. They sell freeze dried eggs in cans for those that don't have chickens, and of course freeze dried meat but it can be pricey.

I also bought a 50# bag of soybean meal at the feedstore for $20. Some say soy isn't healthy but it is nearly 50% protein and while I mainly bought it for the chickens it is perfectly edible.

From a survival perspective protein isn't as vital for adults as folks make it out to be. Sheesh during medeval times the peasant classes existed almost entirely on wheat, though grant it raising kids on a diet like that will likely lead to a low IQ.


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## Notold63

stowlin said:


> Rice is my go to; a 50lb bag is very affordable. It was under $20 last I looked for 50lbs and its pretty easy to add anything to it including veggies. I look at a cup of rice and a 79 cent can of condensed soup as a complete meal for about a dollar.


I would like to add that he shelf life for rice is just about indefinite.


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## Redneck

lauras2u said:


> I could use a hand with this. I learned about 6 months ago, i am allergic to beans and cheese. Two things I used as staples for protein. I am light on proteins, particularly those which store longer times than jerky. Anyone have suggestions on replacements?


Good old Spam will last longer than you. I also store lots of rolled oats. Just brought in 3 superpails today that I ordered from walmart.com.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Emergency-Essentials-SuperPail-Regular-Rolled-Oats-24-lbs/47443493


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## bigwheel

Beanie Weenies are very special. All the food groups in there ya know? As an old married guy have found I can live on those things for long expanses of time. Not sure of the shelf life. Never had any last long enough to find out.


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## Sonya

******* said:


> Sonya, is such wheat cleaned? I would assume you would have to go thru some cleansing steps prior to using it yourself, but that is just an assumption.


 @******* FYI I used up most of a 50 lb bag and it seems pretty clean to me. Here is a picture for you, I don't know what it is supposed to look like, there are a few small pieces of chaff.
This brand is called Faithway, and brands probably vary.


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## Targetshooter

Ok if to don't prep this , you don't know what you missing ,






,






, it can bring it to you to ,






. LMAO .


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## LunaticFringeInc

Okay I am gonna bite here on this one finally...

Rice! First off a gazillion Asians cant be too far wrong right? There is a near endless variety of meals that can be made or included with rice. Its cheap and easy to store lots of it. This allows me to focus on growing and producing a lot of other things and minimize the logistics and keeps me taken care of until I can become more sustainable at growing and producing my own food. Not sure how nutrious it is in ranking with other things or how many calories it generates. But when coupled with a little meat, a scrounged veggie or two it can make a pretty damned good meal to power the boiler room and keep me going. Fried Rice or Stir Fry can be whipped up with what ever you have on hand in one pan on short notice. Add a sun fish or two to it and boom, there you go. Adding some rice in a soup can bulk it up a bit and make it more filling. Onigiri is another option. Its the Asian equivelent of a sandwhich. A mold can be made from a 2x6. Fill it half way with cold sticky rice, add some meat of veggies to the center and then another layer of rice and wrap in paper, plastic or leaves and boom, there you go...a meal on the go!

So for me, Rice is my main go to to hold me over and buy me time to ramp up gardening and meat producing to where I can sustain myself better in the long term.


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## Ragnarök

Rice, Dehydrated potato flakes, beans, masa, flour, quinoa, oats, canned cheese, dehydrated meats, dried fruit, and whatever I can get canned. 

I wish there was a way to save avocado long term because that is one of my favorite foods. They are so high in fat that I don't think they can be preserved for an extended period. Broccoli would be nice to see still crisp like a crisp pickle.


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