I watched Glen Beck last night

**BENESSE** · 11-17-2010, 05:00 PM

People are saying stuff on both sides.
Unless you listen to both sides without prejudice,
you won't really know what people are saying.

**crashdive123** · 11-17-2010, 05:34 PM

I've had to remove a couple of posts. Please keep discussions about the message and leave the politics out of it. If you can't do that, then move on to another thread. Thanks.

**Alaskan Survivalist** · 11-17-2010, 08:34 PM

I find Glen Becks facts hard to dispute but his conclusions are debatable and I seldom agree with his solutions but last night was different. On this one point that we could each other through this I agree to the possibilty but will we? I prefer it to the "run and gun" philosophy of survival. I once heard an economist say that as long as we continue to work society would continue. Would you go to work just to keep society going with little or no benifit to yourself because you are needed? Will it be every man for himself or will we help each other?

**Rick** · 11-17-2010, 08:39 PM

That economist is correct but people don't work for good will. They will continue to work for the same reasons they work today. They have to. Either to produce food or to produce cash that will buy food along with the other necessities like clothing.

I would guess that if you were out on the trail tomorrow and you ran across someone that was in bad shape because they went out unprepared you'd do whatever you could to help them. You might cuss their stupidity under your breath or to their face but all the while you will be doing whatever you can to get help and assist the person.

Why would you be any different in bad times? You might be more cautious and you'd be wise to be but if they weren't a threat, mother and child let's say, wouldn't you help? I'm assuming here that helping them doesn't put you or your family at risk. That's a different scenario.

**Wise Old Owl** · 11-18-2010, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

Your aren't going to find any MRE's of any type that will last 20 years. In fact, the latest numbers show them lasting less time. 60 months if stored at 50°F (10°C). Could you still eat them after 20 years. Probably. The nutrition and coloration and maybe even the taste will have degraded but they should still be safe to eat. Having said that, I don't want to be the guinea pig that tries it.

As for the Pilot Bread I think it's a lot like Twinkies. Once made it can't be destroyed even by eating it.

I agree take a sharpie and mark the date when you bought it.

**crashdive123** · 11-19-2010, 12:12 AM

One of the things he talked about tonight was food storage - recommending starting out by building up a two week supply and then expanding it to a one year supply. He said that he believes that inflation will dramatically effect food prices, and that even if they didn't go up as high as he believed they would - having food stores on hand can help with your peace of mind.

Really no different than what most of us have been saying for quite some time. Here is a little bit from his site.

Be Prepared: An Introduction to Food Storage
November 18, 2010 - 15:46 ET

In the age of the 24 hour supermarket, food storage may seem like a crazy concept. But economic forces are converging in such a way that skyrocketing food prices no longer seem like a possibility, more and more they appear to be an impending certainty. While Glenn could be wrong about inflation, there’s no harm in being prepared. Don’t be the person holding up a sign looking for help, be the person with a life raft. Look at the information on food storage and decide what’s best for you and your family.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

- No refrigeration, plan for emergency assuming no electricity.

- Be nutritious, there may be some more physical activity required (ie. Blizzard requires more shoveling)

- Keep calorie count

FOOD

- Recommend you start with 2 week supply of food
- Good no-cook food items

- Energy bars / breakfast bars
- Almonds
- Peanut butter
- Tuna packages
- Canned pasta
- Dried fruit / canned fruit
- Dry milk
- Instant coffee
- V-8 juice

- Plan around the way you already eat.

- Build around 3 categories of food

- Grocery store goods: often inexpensive, and it’s all familiar stuff. (i.e. mac & cheese)
- Freeze dried foods: lightweight and don’t take up much room. more expensive up front, but priced out per serving, it’s budget friendly.
- Bulk dry food: rice, beans, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, cornmeal, wheat, dried milk, etc. It will be the backbone of your food storage and last up to 20-30 years.

- Don’t stock up on it unless you know you like it.

- Look at ingredients. You don’t want something high in sodium or preservatives

- Pay attention to shelf life. Take a look at package, can. Soup doesn’t need water and can store this for a few years. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes – 1 yr max

WATER

- Easiest way to store is by using cleaned out 2 liter soda bottles. You can easily clean out with hot water, drop of soap. Rinse thoroughly. That type of plastic is safe for storage.

- Recommend 2 liter soda bottle / per person / per day. For consumption and washing.

- If a situation where water is an issue, be sure to have stash of paper plates & freeze dried meals.

- If you can heat water, then at least you can enjoy a hot meal (i.e. mac & cheese, pasta, soup)

STORAGE

- 5 main enemies to storing food

- Temperature: ideal is 40 degrees - 72 degrees. For every 18 degrees above 72, food will lose its’ nutritional value by half
- Humidity: Store food off the floor and away from outside walls
- Pests: Keep food in air-tight containers clean up food particles on the shelves or floor
- Oxygen: Use oxygen absorbers, rotate food, vacuum packing food to reduce oxidation
- Light: Keep your pantry area dark. If food is in clear containers, keep them in labeled boxes with lids.

- Look for places where can you declutter (I have water bottles stored under my kids’ beds)

- You can store food in bin under a bed, clear out space in closet and designate a shelf.

- I recommend pieces of furniture that can double as storage. (i.e. Bench that opens up with a storage component – especially good for small homes)

- Store in a place that you won’t be dipping into constantly.

NON-FOOD ITEMS

- Items like toilet paper, can be bulky but it can be stored in garage, attic, shed, etc. moisture will affect it but temperature won’t.
- Non-food items, purposefully 1-2 weeks supply
- Go through entire day and jot down every non-item used. Soap, shampoo, contact solution, etc. buy extras of those.
- Keep easily organized in buckets (i.e. dental, laundry, etc.)
- Give serious consideration to how your family will cope when power is down. Communication, entertainment, What would we do to take care of pets? Keep things cool in the home, etc?

Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation

Storage information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/store.html

Canning information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html

Drying information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry.html