How to Create a Food Stockpile for Emergencies
You can never anticipate when an emergency will strike, but you can plan for it. In addition to having an escape plan in place, contact information at the ready, and important documents easy to grab, you will want to create a food stockpile to see you through if you find yourself without power or running water. Here are some tips to stockpile food for an emergency.
Canned Goods
It’s always a good idea to have canned goods on hand. Although you should definitely have some store-bought options at the ready, home-canned goods are the perfect way to save money, lengthen access to fresh ingredients, and DIY your emergency stockpile. Studies recommend using home canned goods within the first year. If they were properly sealed during the canning process, the food can last longer. You may just see a decline in the quality of the food. If you find yourself in an emergency situation and have home-canned meats or produce on hand, just make sure that you hear the seal release when you open it, If it does, it’s likely that the contents are still safe for consumption, even if it has been a few years. Be sure to stockpile a variety of fruits and vegetables to help maintain a balanced diet and ensure good nutrition.
Dehydrated Foods
Dehydrating is a great way to stockpile a variety of foods and is something you can easily do yourself. Check out recipes for fruit leather, dehydrated fruits, and jerky as beginner options that will add interest and flavor to your emergency food options. You can also pick up pre-packaged dehydrated meals, which have a shelf life of up to 30 years.
Fermented Foods
Fermenting foods is easy and can provide a lot of flavorful options for what could otherwise be a very bland stockpile. Select a combination of vegetables and spices to create your own recipes. You can offer variety by slicing, chopping, shredding, or leaving the foods whole when you ferment them. Fermented vegetables should last up to one year. Fruits should be used within a few weeks. You can freeze your fermented foods too.
Water
Storing water is a basic survival activity that many people overlook. In fact, it should be the very first thing on your list. There are several things you should keep in mind when storing water.
Although water does not expire, the container that you store it in will begin to break down, leaking chemicals into your once safe water. When using plastic jugs, use only those labeled for use with food and water. These are identified with the plastic codes 1, 2, 4, or 7 on the bottom of the container. Do not use containers that previously held other foods or liquids, such as milk containers.
If you use metal containers, make sure they are stainless steel. All other metals will break down over time and contaminate your water. Ensure your water container has a tight-sealing lid. Never store water in an open container.
Glass containers are safe, but you should protect them by wrapping them in fabric or newspaper. Store your water (and food) in a cool, dark place. Sunlight causes foods, drinks, and containers to break down quicker.
To decide how much water to store, you should plan for one gallon per person per day. Replace the water in your containers at least once each year, preferably every six months. The hot summer months are a great time to do this so that your stored water can be used for the flowers or lawn.
Take the time now to stockpile foods and you will have one less concern in the case of an emergency.
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![Dawn Hammon]()
Dawn Hammon has thrived in freelance writing and editor roles for nearly a decade. She has lived, worked, and attended school in Oregon for many years. Dawn currently spends her days convincing her children she is still smarter than them while creating new experiences with her husband of 24 years.  Her multiple interests have led her to frequently undergo home improvement projects. She enjoys sharing the hard-earned knowledge that comes with it with the audience of DoItYourself.com. Dawn and her sister make up a power-tool loving duo that teaches classes to local women with the goal of empowering them to tackle their fears and become comfortable with power tools. Tapping into her enthusiasm for saving money and devotion to sustainable practices, Dawn has recently launched a passion project aimed at connecting eco-friendly products and socially-responsible companies with consumers interested in making conscientious purchases, better informing themselves about products on the market, and taking a stand in favor of helping to save the planet. When she is not providing stellar online content for local, national, and international businesses or trolling the internet for organic cotton clothing, you might find her backpacking nearby hills and valleys, traveling to remote parts of the globe, or expanding her vocabulary in a competitive game of Scrabble. Dawn holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, which these days she mostly uses to provide therapy for her kids and spouse. Most recently, I worked for a small local professional organizing and estate sale company for four years where I learned a ton about organizing and/or disposing of just about anything. She was raised in a tool-oriented, hands-on, DIY family. Her dad worked in the floor covering business and owned local floor covering businesses, so of course selling floor covering was one of her first jobs. Her brother was a contractor for about 30 years and site supervisor for Habitat for Humanity. I worked with him often, building decks, painting houses, framing in buildings, etc. With her sister, she holds power tool classes to empower women who are scared or have never used them. Not quite homesteaders, she did grow up with a farm, tractors, motorcycles, expansive gardens, hay fields, barns, and lots of repairs to do. Plus she and her family preserved foods, raised cattle and pigs, chopped and hauled firewood, and performed regular maintenance on two households, outbuildings, fencing, etc. As an adult, she has owned two houses. The first one she personally ripped out a galley kitchen and opened it up to the living area, plus updated every door, floor covering, and piece of trim in the place. In her current home, she's tackled everything from installing real hardwood flooring to revamping the landscape.![H.R. Helm]()
H.R. Helm is an accomplished DIY craftsman. He has been DIY since childhood and is now a septuagenarian. He is experienced in wood and metal construction, having designed and built several houses and metal buildings. He built every permanent building on his current homestead and did all the plumbing and electrical work. He has several years experience as a professional cabinet builder, and he is an accomplished auto repairman, having operated an auto repair business for many years. He currently has a home shop where he sharpens and rebuilds saws, repairs lawn mowers, mobility scooters, hydraulic jacks, and anything else that comes along. He also builds custom tools for metal working. Invention prototypes are another of his many accomplishments. He owned and operated a manufacturing business building Compact Utility Vehicles for homeowner use. H.R. enjoys making jams and jellies during fruit season along with cooking meals. He is committed to outdoor cooking in a Bar-B-Q pit he welded together several years ago. He maintains fruit and nut trees along with helping his wife with a vegetable garden. He farmed commercial garden produce for several years. It helps to have over 50 years of farming and ranching experience. Employment/Education Highlights ASE Certified Master Auto Technician Certified Welder Cross country truck driver -- over dimensional freight Design Engineer/Project Manager for injection molded plastic company Bus Driver/Substitute Teacher Inventor with two patents (weight training – anti-rollback for manual wheelchair) BS in Industrial Technology
