Faced with a pandemic, you will need at least 2 weeks of food on hand. Many people live paycheck to paycheck and the thought of buying two weeks of extra food seems impossible. However, it can be done. You may not eat like a king, but you will eat. Foods like beans, rice and noodles will provide nutrition, store easily and are inexpensive. Buying an extra few items every grocery trip can get you up to speed in a hurry with the basics, generally for US $5.00 or less. A pack of cigarettes costs more than this in most locations.
If your budget allows for more than beans and rice, consider the following list as a starting point for your food stockpile. Many of the items in this list are here because they have a relatively decent shelf life, some up to two years or more. Be sure to check the use by dates and buy those items with the furthest out date possible. Add these items to your regular food rotation, and just remember to restock items that you use and add them at the end of your rotation in your pantry. Keep in mind that some bloggers may place heavy emphasis on some items because of their nutritional value, such as canned sardines, if you and your family will not eat canned sardines, don’t buy them! Taste preferences are not going to change until every scrap of anything resembling something edible is long gone.
How much of any of these items you purchase depends upon the size of your family, what and how much you normally eat, and availability.
The Bug-Inner’s Food List for a Happy(?) Quarantine
1. CAN OPENER. Indeed, go buy another one as back up, preferably an Army P-38, which is virtually impossible to screw up. Buy two… they are dirt cheap.
2. White Rice. White rice, if stored correctly, lasts a long time. Not so brown rice, as the oils in it can cause it to go rancid in as few as 6 months.
3. Beans. Dried beans are cheap and filling. Beans come in quite a variety – pinto, kidney, black, Navy, etc., and they last a very long time (as in years) if stored properly.
4. Beans – Canned. For those who always forget to soak their dried beans until immediately before needing them. Canned beans come in a large variety as well, from those named above, to garbanzos/chickpeas, green, lima, butter, etc.
5. Lentils – Dried, canned, or in those handy microwavable pouches.
6. Peas – dried or canned. You may have noticed a pattern here – frozen foods, for the most part isn’t included in this list. Unless you have a backup generator, live on the tundra, or have an icehouse, your appliances are worthless if you lose electricity to your home. The food in your refrigerator and freezer must be dealt with in 3 days or less, and who wants to deal with that on top of being quarantined?
7. Pasta – while not necessarily as nutritious as many other foods, pasta for many is the ultimate comfort food. Loaded with carbs, a half bag of pasta added to a home cooked soup or used to fill out a casserole can make your stockpile last much longer (likewise for beans). Again, proper storage (jar with tight lid, vacuum sealed, or even just in a zipper bag) will help keep pasta for a long time.
8. Canned Fish – great source of protein and Omega 3’s, you want to stock canned fish in oil, although it seems to be less available nowadays than it was a few years ago for some reason. Tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, oysters, clams – whatever your family will eat. ONLY buy the stuff your family WILL NOT EAT in the event you might need food for bartering. Canned protein will be considered a prize for someone desperate.
9. Canned Meat – Canned meat is more than just SPAM (which is the acronym for “shoulder pork and ham”). Your lip may be curling, but until you have tried it fried up with eggs or for a sandwich, don’t knock it. Other canned meats to consider are chicken (you can even find a whole chicken in a can, which boggles the mind), beef chunks and slices, sandwich spreads (ham, chicken, beef), Vienna Sausages, and pig’s feet, among other ways. If it is meat, someone has probably canned it. Since refrigeration could potentially be a problem, buying canned meat and using it on occasion makes good sense. Cooking up ground meat and home canning it is also an option. I tried this as an experiment and was surprised at the superiority of texture and taste over freshly cooked ground meat. I used ground beef, but those with access to hunted foods can use venison, moose, bear, you name it.
10. Canned/Boxed Soup – soup that doesn’t need any additional water is great for situations where water is, or could be, in limited supply. Cream soups are ideal for casseroles, chowders for meatless Fridays, and tomato soup for comfort.
11. Stock – beef, chicken, seafood, vegetable, bone broth. If you make your own or buy it buy the can or box, having this on hand as an ingredient can bring some recipes to the next level (think mashed potatoes, rice). Someone who has been very sick will also appreciate a simple consommé for their upset stomach.
12. Probiotic Foods – pickles (cucumbers, beets, California veg, really any vegetable), sauerkraut, kombucha - these foods help keep the gut happy, and therefore, you. A great place to find foods like this is in the International Section of your grocery, or at Big Lots and Grocery Outlet. The latter two places carry delicious, off-brand or international foods at a lower price than the corner grocery.
13. Tomato Sauce – canned, jarred, homemade, jazzed up into a marinara sauce, what is pasta without some of the red stuff? Pesto.
14. Canned Tomatoes – whole, diced, crushed, paste, however you prefer it, canned tomato products are the base of many recipes, from soups to sauces, casseroles to pizza.
15. Flour – whatever type you prefer, although having bread flour on hand should you run out of bread while being quarantined would be handy. Many will espouse organic, wheat bread, etc., and nutritionally those that do may be correct, but if you and your family are accustomed to white enriched flour, so be it. Whatever kind you get, store it in an airtight container, or bag it up with your food saver- device. If you don’t, you may discover it infested with little flying bits of protein in six months. Flour doesn’t last indefinitely, but if you rotate it through your normal stocks, you will be fine.
16. Winter Wheat Berries – for those who are thinking the pandemic will never end, or they just think very far in advance, wheat berries will keep indefinitely to my understanding. A wheat berry is the very center of the head of the wheat and has the most nutritional value. If you do choose to store this, store it like you would flour in an airtight (and bug free) container. Also, you will need a grinder for this, and if you are one of those far-thinkers, make it a hand cranked, old fashioned coffee grinder type, because you might not have electricity to run an electric food grinder.
17. Spelt, Rye Flour, Almond Flour, etc. – if someone in your household has problems with gluten, you probably use a wheat alternative. You would store this the same way as you would wheat, in a tightly sealed container.
18. Oatmeal – old fashioned for breakfast and cooking. Instant or packaged oatmeal if that is how you use it.
19. Corn Meal – make corn meal mush, corn bread, or use it when rolling out dough to keep it from sticking. Dried Corn lasts a long, long time, but keep in mind you will have to grind it down.
20. Corn Starch – a useful thickening agent for gravies.
21. Baking Soda, Baking Powder – unless you like really flat bread, you will need these.
22. Dry Yeast – Yeast’s shelf life isn’t very long, but you can extend it indefinitely (at least for bread, pancakes, etc.) by making a small crock of sourdough and feeding it weekly.
23. Dehydrated Milk – powdered milk is more for just drinking. Use it in cooking when you don’t have regular milk. Dehydrated, or powdered milk, is very shelf stable. Remove it from its cardboard packaging and store in an airtight container for best results.
24. Sweet Stuff – this is a laundry list in itself.
25. Salt – Salt has many uses: cooking, preserving, cleaning… It also comes in several varieties, depending upon what you are using it for. Table salt is the only salt that is iodized, which helps prevent goiters. Kosher salt is a larger grain, and many chefs prefer cooking with this. In our house, we use it for cooking, cleaning cast iron, and for prepping meat for the smoker. Pickling salt is used for canning and pickling certain foods. Generally, most households use only table salt most of the time. Just make certain you have enough to last you for a few weeks or more.
26. Seasonings and Herbs – if you happen to be low on your favorite herb or spice, be sure to stock up. Unopened, these items can last a long time, although they tend to lose some of their pungency or flavor after a year on the shelf. If you are concerned about running out of basil, thyme, or other herb, it’s fairly simple to grow your own in a small pot on the windowsill. A little seasoning can make an otherwise dull dish the center of attention.
27. Pure Vanilla Extract – even if you aren’t much of a baker, PURE vanilla extract is a handy deodorizer to have around. Just a tablespoon or so in a dish can clear stale or stinky air in a room. Vinegar can do the same thing as well.
28. Oils and Lard – How much you need depends upon how much you cook with oil or lard. You certainly do not have to rush out and purchase all the ones listed here. Just make sure that if you do use oil in your cooking, you have enough to carry you through the next 2 to 4 weeks. Depending upon the recipe, or your family custom, you might need lard, which is animal fat. Certainly not the best for you health-wise, but it has a good shelf life if handled properly. In a long term SHTF (s*** hits the fan) scenario, animal fat might be what you end up using the most. Our shelf at home holds:
29. Crackers – From soup crackers to snack crackers to Pilot Bread (aka, hardtack, or, “the bread that never dies – but will break your teeth”), crackers can last for months if properly stored in an airtight container. Pilot bread lasts indefinitely and is palatable with peanut butter. It is something that people living in very remote places tend to keep on hand due to its stability and ability to fill one up when they are REALLY hungry.
30. Tortillas – learn to make them fresh or lay in a stock from the store. Tortillas are for more than burritos! Anything you would put between two slices of bread can be wrapped in a tortilla. The carbohydrate count is about the same unless you purchase a low-carb variety, but tortillas take up far less space than a loaf of bread. For those with small pantries, this could make a difference.
31. Canned Salsa & Hot Sauces – sometimes a tortilla is just a tortilla. You can make tortillas into chips, and if you have tortilla chips, you must have salsa! Even if you don’t have tortillas or chips, salsa livens up many foods, as do the wide variety of hot sauces from around the world. Chili, chipotle, siracha, habanero, Tabasco, Crystal, salsa verde… these jars don’t take up much room, but they can make a boring food come to life.
32. Mayonnaise/Salad Dressing (Miracle Whip)
33. Mustard(s) – variety is the spice of life. At one time I had at least 15 different kinds in the refrigerator. If you like real hot Chinese mustard, you can buy the powder on Amazon in five-pound bags, and you just add water to however much you want to use at the time. Very economical.
34. Catsup/Ketchup – Tomato/Tomatoe. If you have children that won’t eat without it, make certain you have enough for the long haul.
35. Other Condiments / Sauces / Dressings – focus on those that your family uses regularly.
36. Soy Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce
37. Vinegar – White, Apple Cider, Rice, Wine, Balsamic – books have been written on how to use this cleaner / preservative / homeopathic remedy / food. If you have to choose one, choose apple cider vinegar, because while it is usually used with food, like white vinegar, it is an excellent cleaner, and not harmful to children and pets.
38. Dried Meat – Dry Salami, jerky, dried fish
39. Bouillon Cubes
40. Ramen Noodles
41. Eggs/Powdered Eggs – you know you don’t have to refrigerate eggs, right?
42. Root Vegetables – potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, carrots: these items hold up well if kept at 50F or so.
43. Fresh Apples, Pears – carefully stored, they will last for months on end.
44. Dried Fruits – loaded with sugar, dried fruits, particularly citrus, can help keep your immune system and gut in good shape. Don’t forget to include raisins!
45. Fresh Fruits – for the short term, these are healthy to have around, but eat them before they go bad. Bananas, oranges, grapefruit, and blueberries are loaded with vitamins and anti-oxidants.
46. Breakfast Cereal – the kids will love you for this. Makes a passable snack without milk, too.
47. Distilled Water – if you have a CPAP machine (and still have electricity), distilled water is what you should use in it.
48. Tea/Coffee/Cocoa
49. Non-Dairy Creamer
50. Gatorade and Pedialyte – both are good for restoring electrolytes, particularly when someone has been ill and/or dehydrated.
51. PET FOOD AND ANIMAL FEED! Bowser needs to eat, too!
52. Cheese – and lots of it. You can coat cheese in wax and keep it in a cool, dry place outside of a refrigerator, and it should last years. Cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss…
53. Pemmican – more likely for someone in need of a good load of energy and carbs. Pemmican is dried meat ground up, blueberries, and animal fat (lard). Hmmmm…yeah.
54. Akutak (Eskimo Ice Cream) – since pemmican is listed here, I would be remiss to leave off Eskimo ice cream, which can be made a variety of ways. Similar to pemmican, akutak is made up of fat/oil, berries or seeds, and in more recent times, sugar.
Food Storage
Food should be in sealed packages or preferably, resealed in food saver bags, and then placed in insect and varmint resistant containers. If the food is in bulk, break it down and seal it in a seal-a-meal. The five- gallon buckets and lids found at home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) work well for insect and varmint prevention. If you are planning on placing your food in direct contact with the plastic bucket, use only food grade containers. Restaurants and bakeries may occasionally have some they will sell. There are some recycling businesses that resell sanitized food grade plastic containers as well. If possible, food should be stored in a cool location such as a basement. Garage temperatures can be uneven, and many are not air conditioned, so avoid storing food items in the garage.
Cooking
If your power is on, you can cook as you normally do. However, if there is a power interruption, you need to find a way to cook food. Much of the food described above can be eaten without cooking, but dry beans, pasta, etc. must be cooked. All cooking with fire, charcoal, and propane must be done outdoors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Some methods to cook are:
Whatever method you choose, you need to make sure you have an adequate supply of fuel, such as:
Plan ahead and you and your family will not be hungry.
That’s A Lot to Digest!
Keep in mind that the list above undoubtedly contains items you would never use normally, so you won’t be buying them now. For the most part, items that require freezing or refrigeration are not on the list. The reason these items have been excluded is because during a pandemic, your home may lose electricity. How? There might not be enough healthy personnel to safely operate the electric grid for your area, as they are all down with COVID-19. Or a branch could fall on a line, and the linemen might all be sick. Likely? No, but it could occur. Better safe than sorry, better full than hungry.