Another Survival Challenge: Food
Food is what enables you to survive for the long term. You’ll need to store food in your home and emergency kit as you wait out the panicked mass of people, and you’ll also need food waiting for your arrival at your retreat site until you can start hunting or growing crops.
You’ll want to keep canned foods, dry mixes, dehydrated foods, and even MREs (meals, ready to eat) in each location. Long shelf life and easy prep work are key: choose foods that require no refrigeration and little or no cooking. For example, you should look for salt-free crackers, peanut butter, whole-grain cereal, and canned foods with lots of liquid in them. High-energy foods like protein/fruit bars, dried fruits, and nuts are great too.
What is MREs?
MREs are self-contained field rations developed by the American military to feed its troops. You can easily find them online through retailer and auction sites. MREs are great because they’re relatively lightweight, provide around 1,200 calories per ration, and can safely sit on the shelf for three years without going bad. An MRE contains non-freeze-dried food including an entree, side dish, dessert or snack, crackers or bread, a spread (cheese, peanut butter, or jelly), and a powdered drink mix. Plastic utensils, waterproof matches, gum, toilet paper, a moist towelette, and seasonings (like a mini Tabasco bottle) are included as well. A flameless ration heater also comes packaged with each MRE, allowing a user to heat up foods without needing to build a fire.
Be aware of special food needs
Remember food allergies, pet needs, and be sure to have infant formula on hand if you have a baby with you. Don’t eat spicy or salty foods, or anything else that will increase water consumption on your way to your retreat site.
If any of your food comes into contact with contaminated water, throw it out. If food smells strange or has an unusual texture, throw it out. If food comes out of a swollen, dented, or corroded can, throw it out — even if it looks safe to eat. When it comes to the things you put into your body, you should always err on the side of caution!
Heating your food
As for heating your food, consider using a beverage-can stove while on the move. You can find many easy-to-follow instructions for constructing this tiny, lightweight, and cheap homemade stove on the web. In its most basic form, a beverage-can stove is made from two aluminum soda-pop cans and burns denatured alcohol or ethanol. Surprisingly effective, these homemade stoves can be both lighter in weight and more effective than commercial alcohol-burning stoves, making it perfect if you need to fit your entire emergency kit into one backpack.
Learn how to care for and harvest your own crops and farm animals. Food stored at your retreat site will only last for a finite time. Understanding how to produce your own sustainable food will enable you to survive indefinitely and provide you with tradable resources.
Don’t forget to have emergency tools for this situation, this great tool can help you a lot.
