Pantries and Preparedness. The backup plan.

A little while ago I posted "Something is better than Nothing". It was about being practical. We might love our coffee pod machine and lattes but when the power is out SOME coffee is better than no coffee. And in a crisis it is no time to have a bad headache from not getting your coffee!
This is an example since I don't have a coffee machine but you get the idea!

This time we are looking at some substitutes that will help us get through a crisis. Our number one favourite thing might not be practical when the power is out or when supplies are short.

Anyone who has ever been camping or without something for a while will know how fantastic something can taste or feel when you have been doing without. Simple things turn out to be wonderful.
One of mine is billy tea. That is a cup of tea made over a fire. The water is heated in a tin bucket. Then a handful of tea leaves go in. Pretty basic. But it is so good! Out in the cold, around a fire, this sticks in my memory as so lovely. No tea bags, no kettle... who cares? It was better than any tea ever before! And when you are feeling like a cup of tea and this is produced well, it's the best thing ever!

Many of the things we think are necessary never even existed for our grand parents and they survived. And happily!

Other thoughts are that in a shortage or crisis some things just are not practical. Sarah commented last week that if the water was cut off having paper plates would mean you could conserve your water storage for drinking and washing yourself.  True. Washing dishes takes heaps of water. Back up disposables could be a real help and extend your water supplies greatly. If you only had a limited supply of water I think this would be wise. They are not something I normally use. But in those circumstances what a help they would be!
Thanks Sarah, that was a great comment.

Some of my useful stand bys are instant coffee or ground coffee that you can put in a plunger. That is good coffee and you just need to be able to boil water. (which we keep gas bottles and a BBQ to be able to do)

Velvet soap. This is a good old fashioned soap that can be used for just about anything! From washing hands, hair, bodies, clothes or dishes. Another is Sunlight soap. Some bars of this last a long time. They could replace a huge number of products we use now. Also small to store.

Bi carb soda. If you run out of toothpaste this cleans your teeth well. It also is handy as a finely abrasive cleaner. And it soothes an upset stomach.

Scented bars of soap. We have mostly got used to soap in pump packs, body wash, perfume and 101 products that didn't exist 50 years ago. Some pretty soap smells lovely and does all these things!

Talcum Powder. Makes you smell fresh, acts as a dry shampoo, freshens up sheets you can't wash. Acts as a dry cleaning agent.

Aside of having things that we can use as replacements there are things that would be useful just because they are quicker and easier. Things that are simple but good. When we normally wouldn't have baked beans for dinner a toasted sandwich in the jaffle maker and cooked in the fireplace would be a just fine meal when needed. Very welcome in fact! (this jaffle maker is cast iron with long handles. It goes onto the coals of a fire, it's the best!)

It was Vicky who got me thinking about these ideas. She wrote me this letter:

Having back up goods in our pantry can be just as important as an emergency fund itself. Times may arrive where we really do need foods that are "convenient".  And wouldn't our foremothers have loved to have a little of our conveniences! Foods come in many different forms and having a variety of them can help to ensure that our pantry can sustain us through many situations. Something is better than nothing! Why? Because a lot of the convenient foods can be stored for a long time, you can be creative with them and turn out a tasty meal even if they are not the foods you might prefer, most require very few if any ingredients other than hot water to make or can be eaten cold from the can if necessary. They can be affordable to buy while still adding to your everyday pantry. And during emergencies like power outages they can be the easiest foods to tend to. Job security? Is there such a thing anymore? Rising food costs, utilities and gas, hidden fees and extra charges, inflation or hyperinflation, crop losses or even global economics, are you 100% positive you will be able to always stock your pantry the way you normally do without having a back up plan? It is basically the same as doing your meal planning so if you have not considered having some of these packages in your pantry now is the time to do so. What if we could not get our regular pantry ingredients any more? And here are some examples:

First let's use coffee as an example:

Regular coffee -you need the pot, coffee filters, water and electricity

Instant coffee- you need hot water

If you could not get coffee wouldn't a cup of something be better than an empty cup?

Next example: Mashed potatoes- you have to peel, boil and mash, milk and butter

Instant potatoes- hot water

Will you be able to cook all from scratch meals if your living circumstances were to change drastically?

Next example: Pancakes- eggs, flour, oil, etc. what if you don't have all of the ingredients?

Instant pancake mix- requires water

Next: Stuffing- homemade you need dried bread, onions, celery, butter, spices, broth or stock and you have to bake it awhile

Instant stuffing- hot water and butter, but you can skip the butter or use powdered butter

Next: Milk- Requires refrigeration and or freezing if you stock up

Shelf stable- has a good shelf life and is ready to use, powdered only requires water or evaporated milk can replace regular milk in most things

Next: Soups-this one can be loosely based depending on ingredients, but still a great example!

Instant- These pouches of soup only require water.

And let's say it's a nasty storm or the power is out and it's cold and you want to make your neighbor's who have no one a hot meal these are tasty and quick!

Next: Fresh potatoes- don't last forever and need to be used before they rot

dehydrated potatoes- a long shelf life and has many uses. I included this one more as a stocking the pantry point. Convenience foods are everywhere and even though we may not do the bulk of our cooking with them they do have their place in the pantry, the same as beans and rice! These potatoes came from boxes of scalloped and au gratin potatoes. Alady that I was teaching to can was going to throw 15 boxes of them in the trash because her family didn't like them and they had expired. I asked if I could have them and brought them home and bagged them up! I have dehydrated potatoes and all of the work was done for me!

You can take any of the convenience foods and make them workable. For example maybe your not a Hamburger Helper eater, but instead of eating it that way (We'll use the lasagna one as an example) make lasagna soup add a can or two of tomatoes with the juice or take the instant potatoes and add some bacon bits and onion to add more flavor. Just remember something is better than nothing!!

XOXO

Vicky

 Thanks Vicky for getting me thinking on this. What are your own substitutes and back ups? Anyone who goes camping is good to ask about this. Also anyone who has lived without electricity or has been through times of doing without. There is nothing like experience as a teacher.
We need to have a back up plan for the way we cook, keep warm and wash.
We need a back up plan for items that we depend on and I try and include some comfort items as well as absolute must haves.

In recent years I have not been camping. When younger I did a lot of it though. I realize now that there are a lot of survival skills you learn through camping or living without electricity for a while. And we need to know them. Once people also learned survival skills through Girl Guides and Boy Scouts. I am sure many still do but I just don't see that so often now. I think there are probably plenty of people who have no way to cook if the power goes out. No idea how to cook on a fire etc. mmm maybe no idea how to light a fire!

I need a revision. There are so many things now that are brilliant and didn't exist before or I didn't know about them ... from solar chargers to sun ovens. Some of these things could be great back up plans.

There are probably some items we can simply store enough of to get us through. Others we need another plan, a replacement, a new way...
What are your "this will get me through" plans and replacements?

I hope between us we can come up with some ideas and end up better prepared. xxx