Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Letter Re: Comments of Storing Coffee and Grinding Whole Wheat Flour

Jim: Buryl misses the point to storing coffee. Freeze dried blocks of ground coffee wrapped in aluminum foil pouches and vacuum packed is my preferred method, but I also store instant coffee crystals. I recommend not getting addicted to coffee. I can take it or leave it. But it is a wonderful trade/barter item. Especially after six months or a year or more have gone by after the SHTF and there is no coffee to be found anywhere, a stash of coffee will be good as gold with its purchasing power. Storing jerked meats and especially honey as barter items …


Letter Re: Comments of Storing Coffee and Grinding Whole Wheat Flour

Sir: I suggest kicking the coffee habit. Coffee offers very little actual nutritional value. It is mostly a comfort food. While that is important, consider the drawbacks: 1. Sleep pattern changes 2. Increased anxiety 3. Staining of the teeth 4. Effects on pregnancy and menopause 5. Cholesterol (French Press method can use trap cafestol and kahweol which may raise LDL levels that paper filters capture) Regular use may lead to “habituation”; that is, no net benefit from use but, rather, a negative effect if the drug is not taken. Too much caffeine can produce restlessness, nausea, headache, tense muscles, sleep …


Letter Re: Comments of Storing Coffee and Grinding Whole Wheat Flour

Mr. Rawles, In your new book [“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It“], which I ordered on “Book Bomb day” you mention that coffee is hard to store, and suggest using the vacuum-packed bricks. I have found that the key to stocking up on coffee for the long term is to buy green coffee beans that have not been roasted yet. They have the potential to keep for up to two years in just a burlap bag, or much longer if actually packed like you would wheat berries. Roasting can be an art in itself, …


Two Letters Re: Protein Powders as Emergency Survival Foods

Mr. Rawles- D. in Dubai has made an excellent point in regards to protein powders/meal replacement drinks. You are correct in that the ‘Ensure” and other medical-oriented drinks are a bit more balanced; however they tend to be lower in protein per ounce than the ‘sports’ type of drinks. That said, The bulk purchase of a powder that is palatable to you and your family is an excellent means to balance out your bulk food stores, such as pastas, rice, etc. There also tends to be excellent vitamin and mineral contents in their drinks as well. A caveat: go to …


Letter Re: Protein Powders as Emergency Survival Foods

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Mr. Rawles, I’ve been following your site for some time and thoroughly enjoy it. The information provided here is outstanding. I’m writing to make a suggestion for a short term and possibly long term survival food. A quick premise. I’ve been working out and lifting weights off and on for the last three to four years. I lifted weights when I was much younger and I needed to incorporate them to get back into shape. Now that I’m a little older and wiser I’ve been using the internet to find out more about fitness and physical development. I’m by no …


Letter Re: Survival Notes from the Dominican Republic

Jim, I’ve recently read several of your books and found them both interesting and educational. I would like to offer some personal insights based on my experiences from living in a small rural town one of the larger Caribbean islands. Most of my notes are cheap solutions used by people in developing nations all over the world. There may be better ways, but these work and cost next to nothing. Water: There is something especially disturbing about opening the faucet and hearing a sucking air sound. Not being able to shower, flush, or wash dishes is the worst. One or …


Letter Re: Portable, Minimal Prep. Emergency Foods

Sir, Here is a list of the food suggestions that we made for our kids families. This list only deals with the food and not any implements or utensils needed for preparation and consumption. We already supplied them with what was needed kit wise and it was up to them to provide the food of their choice. Trail Mix Jerky Dried Fruit – Raisins, Banana Chips, Etc Small Pop Top Canned Meats – Vienna Sausage, Deviled Ham or Tuna Small Jar Peanut Butter Crackers (large round ones can be stored in “Pringles” tube) Granola Bars Candy (but consider the melt …


Comments from Michael Z. Williamson Re: Storing Food in Commercial Storage Spaces?

Dear Jim, Several years ago my wife and I were resident managers of a self-storage facility. Here are some useful facts: Check them out first with the Better Business Bureau. The company we worked for, sad to say, was and still is rated very poorly for failing to respond to customer complaints. They operated on a model of “Get every penny they have.” The rent was reasonable, and we were on site as “Security” with the usual corporate garbage that we never have anything resembling a weapon in the office or on duty. The problem came with late fees. As …


Letter Re: Preparedness for Families that Move Frequently

Mr. Rawles, Just finished reading your book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It. I finished it in one long sitting, and have plans to go over it again with highlighter and pen and paper to take more detailed notes. Great work! As a member of the Armed Forces, I face a difficult dilemma in that I understand and can clearly see the need to prepare/plan ahead, but my family and I feel hamstrung by our relatively transient lifestyle. I’ve been in the service for just over four years, and in that time I have …


Perspectives on Roughing It and Covert Car Camping, by Jolly

I was a Boy Scout, and later did a fair amount of camping when I toured the US by motorcycle in the late 1980s. My tents started floorless and without mosquito netting; progressed to canvas umbrella tent with both. Later still, I was able to go to ripstop nylon “pup” style tents. Advancing, finally, to modern shock-corded aluminum poles and nylon. After a long gap of 20+ years, my son is now a scout, and I’m on the “no-other-parent-can-go-and-we’ll-have-to-cancel-if-you-don’t-volunteer” rotation for his troop. I just completed my second camp-out, and have noticed a few things that both dismay and encourage …


Food Storage–A Necessary Preparation, by Melanie G.

An important resource to have in times of need is a good food storage.  When I have talked to others about having an emergency supply of food in place, I have received laughter and ridicule.  I even had a neighbor to tell me when he needed emergency food, he would just come to my place.  I jokingly informed him not to bother as I had a supply of ammunition as well.  Too many people have come to rely on the grocery store.  But the threat of a snow storm here in Kentucky clears out the milk and bread in record …


Letter Re: Where to Store Food When There is No Simple Answer

Mr. Editor: Like Margy, I also found myself building an ‘above ground cellar’ for temperature stable storage of food and other goods. Working with a detached three-car garage that had just a two-car door, I converted the extra ‘bay’ to a bonus room. With standard framing and insulation I noticed that that room remained noticeably more even in temperature throughout the day. I also have warm summers, 100F and occasionally more. Winters rarely drop below freezing for more than a day or two. I did some research once on passive temperature control and learned that water has a high specific …


Where to Store Food When There is No Simple Answer, by Margy

It’s been almost two years now since I became serious about preparing for TEOTWAWKI. In that time I’ve followed the instructions of the Lord upon the death of my husband to “shore up and seal up my house” but there was always one haunting question. That was, where would I have enough space to store adequate food for my family that I could control the temperature. Living in a mild climate in the heart of America, we have long hot summers that sometimes kiss the thermometer in excess of 105? making outdoor storage of any kind almost impossible. I’ve always …


Is Prepping an Insurmountable Task?–The Beginner’s Primer, by Gary T.

Once you realize the importance of being prepared for coming hard times, you may ask yourself, “How can I possibly prepare for any scenario?  This is an insurmountable undertaking.”  The more you ponder this, the more the reality of this seems to be confirmed.  Let not your heart be troubled.  As with almost any endeavor, the road to success begins with the first step and continues one step at a time.  Consistent, prioritized, careful preparation over a period of time, preparation built around what your personal situation (budget, job, family, medical needs, etc.) will allow, can get you in a …


Letter Re: Putting the Fats Back Into Non-Fat Powdered Milk

In regards to the letter on powdered milk, the method described in the web site works, but does not produce milk that tastes very good (depending on the oil used). Growing up all over the world we often were in places where tuberculosis (TB) was endemic in the cattle populations. As a result you could not drink milk but could drink/eat yogurt based products (the process of conversion to yogurt will kill off the TB). Of course to this day I always test positive for TB because I ate the yogurt — even though I don’t have it — as …