The Top 5 Most Commonly Made Mistakes of Food Storage

Hi Everyone!

I am very pleased to share this guest post from Dirk Puckett of DailyBread.com. Thanks so much Dirk,  and congrats on your sponsorship of the Denver Self Reliance Expo!

Enjoy!

Willie

Top 5 Most Commonly Made Mistakes of Food Storage

                We all want to be prepared for a rainy day, but when we are preparing, how do we really know if we have what we’ll need? We’ve put together a list of the top 5 most commonly made mistakes people make when putting together a food storage to help you out with that question.

1.        Lack of Variety. Many people bulk up on canned food items and forget about water, wheat, and other staples of daily life. Remember that in order to survive, you are going to need every food group. This includes vitamins and minerals. Since the food your family will be eating won’t be fresh, it won’t be as nutrient-dense and you may need extra vitamins, especially if you have children.
2.        The Quick Fix. Most people forget that in a dire situation they may be injured and unable to function like they usually would. For circumstances like this, you will need a quick source of food that takes little to no prep work at all. Freeze-dried food or a packaged protein bar is a good example of this. If your legs are both broken, or you have 1 minute to grab something before you run out of a burning building, you won’t be able to eat much of anything else.
3.        1 Step at a Time. Do not make the mistake of buying a huge load of wheat this month, then a huge load of beans next month, and a huge load of something else the next. Buying in bulk one item at a time does not prepare you very well if the emergencies were to happen tomorrow, and all you have is 300 pounds of wheat. Start off with covering all the essentials, and then slowly build up to having bulk amounts, instead of the reverse.
4.        Buy it, Use it. Something that is important to remember is to cook from and regularly use your food storage. It must be constantly replenished it anyway, so you might as well not waste your money by simply throwing it away. It will also better prepare you for a dire situation because you will not only have the resources, but know what to do with them!
5.        Keep the Containers! It is incredibly important to keep everything you store in plastic or metal containers. If it is kept in paper or plastic bags, it can be exposed to moisture, bugs, or other things that can cause it to go bad. When you buy in bulk that is an awful-lot of money and food to be wasted just because you didn’t put it in a container.

Remember these simple tips and you are well on your way to becoming an expert on food storage! For more information on food storage and tips for how to improve yours, click the link.

Author Bio- Dirk Puckett is a food storage lover, who lives for helping others with emergency preparedness.