What easily obtainable items that you could purchase today would you be willing to stand in line for, exposing yourself to crowds, that would be first to go in the stores?
After spending 10 days with out power last month during our ice storm I can give you my opinion. (It's a weird deal driving around a city of over 100,000 where almost everything was without power)
#1 is water. Both for drinking & flushing toilets.
#2 try to find a way to get a month ahead or more on any life threating medications that you have to take. The one I take is not that serious so not a big deal for me.
#3 lots of canned & dehydrated foods. I've been storing food longterm on & off for 5 years now and I've learned to not go overboard on stuff like liquid oils, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc. as they just go bad way to fast. The fat oxidizes fairly quickly & stuff goes rancid on you & it's a waste of money. Stuff like White Flour, White Sugar, Pasta and canned goods last for a long time. We are still using up spaghetti that I put in a 5 gallon bucket 5 years ago & it tastes like it's new.
#4 Woodstove. It will definitely be possible to survive longterm eating cold food while sleeping in your Overalls inside a sleeping bag. However, it is going to get old really, really fast. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> I now have a woodstove that will provide heat & a cooking surface for us if we have to go longterm during the winter.
Variety is going to be nice if you can't run to the store for fresh bread, milk & eggs. My family eats a lot of cereal/milk, salads, sandwichs, etc. that require perishable items. It will require a major adjustment on our part when we go into lockdown mode.
Here is a recipe for a Flour Tortilla(wrap) that can easily be made over a BBQ grill, fireplace or woodstove. I've tested it & they are really good fresh, but not so great once they cool down & set overnight. So cook up what you can eat for that meal. All the ingredients are very cheap & store well longterm.
Flour Tortillas
Serving Size: 12
- 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 1 & 1/2 cups warm water (or more if needed)
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking powder. WIth a pastry blender, a fork or your hands, gradually work in the lard or shortening until it is all incorporated. Add enough warm water to make a soft but not sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes.
Divided the dough into 1/4 cup portions and form them into balls.
Roll each ball into a flat round about 6 inches in diameter & 1/8 inches thick.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Place the tortillas one at a time in the dry hot skillet; cook until brown on both sides. Remove from the skillet & keep warm in a clothe towel until ready to serve.
I ate them with warmed up canned stew & it was a great combo. I also experimented making wraps out of them & stuffing them with foraging items like lamb's quarter, chickweed, dandelions & wood sorrel.
Wood Sorrel leaves have a strong sour zing to them which is to much by itself, but added great flavor to the wraps mixed in with other stuff.
Chickweed is a wild edible that if very prolific here in SW Missouri & if it grows in your area I would highly recommend learning what it looks like. I don't like it raw near as much as when it's cooked.
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