In response to many requests, here are some thoughts and ideas on Basic Food Storage, some gleaned from a 'Mormon' book on this subject; the rest from many other sources and our own experience of 20+ years of Sv. research and application.  We, in this newsgroup, could use this as a humble beginning for a very useful FAQ & its Answer.  We are happy to respond to folks who are genuinely interested in self-reliance topics.  We can truly learn from each other. THOUGHTS & IDEAS FOR BASIC FOOD STORAGE,       by Doc & Bj....... This is some basic info on food storage, that seems like wisdom to us. WATER: Water needs to be your VERY FIRST consideration.  Consider things like non-electric water filtration, water purification, Clorox (not scented!), & remember, ...water collected with a 3' square of plastic with 3' of food grade plastic hose (as a straw), a plastic bowl, and a small rock placed over a hole dug into the ground about 2 1/2 feet deep will keep a person alive if necessary.   Also, store some drinking water.  Figure on 2 gal. per day for each person for drinking and washing.   There is usable water in your hot water tank, just flush & clean it out a couple times a year. FOOD: Work on stocking extras of your usual groceries for 1 week, then 2 weeks, then 1 month; with a smattering of 'basic staples' added as you can.  It is SOOOO important to include some of the routine 'survival' foods & recipes into our regular day-to-day meals.  Being prepared also means preparing ourselves and our FAMILIES to enjoy the foods that will be a part of 'harder times', while NOT FEELING 'DEPRIVED'  by not being able to get our 'normal' foods !  This will also help us cooks to learn HOW to fix the storage foods in ways that folks really like them. A separate, portable, three day supply (per person) of foods that need no cooking, such as tuna, peanut butter, jelly, pork & beans, plus 1/2 lb. of non-fat dry milk, graham crackers, dried fruit, canned fruit juice, etc., plus one gal. of water per person per day, is a must.  Don't forget to put a small stash of food & water in all of the vehicles, with the bug-bag that you already (?) have there. The Mormon book 'Essentials of Home Production & Storage' is one of the most useful books you can find, especially for $2.50.  See a Mormon friend or call The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in your area and ask them to get a copy for you. Their one year basic storage shows food for one year per person as... Grains (wheat, rice, corn, etc.)............300 # Non-fat dry milk (not instant).............. 75 # Sugar (or honey)...........................  60 # Salt........................................  5 # Oil..........................................20 # Dried legumes (peas & beans).................60 # plus garden seed (and sprouting alfalfa seed, too) (Also remember the first aid kit and over-the-counter & pre_script_ion meds, too.) BASIC STORAGE EXPANDED: There are wheat flakes, hard winter wheat berries, buckwheat, grits, cornmeal (or just corn and grind it yourself when the time comes to use it), white rice (brown rice will go rancid rather quickly), etc. are some of the more popular grains, but granola and 7 grain cereal is also great.  A vacuum sealer is a real boon, even for dried beans, etc.  There are several types, but the manual hand-pump-in-reverse type is great & inexpensive, too. We keep both instant and (mostly) non-instant non-fat dry milk in small, airtight batches. Honey can crystallize but is much better for you than sugar.  Just heat the honey container in some warm water and the crystals will liquefy again and be fine. Sea salt is great and it's also best kept in small, airtight containers, with rice, pasta, or the like to trap moisture. Virgin cold-pressed Olive Oil is our favorite multi-use oil, but some safflower oil, canola oil, etc. are also helpful, & tasty (and doesn't smoke-up the way olive oil does).  Learn to cook with very little oil, and discover the ease and healthly benefits of baking, broiling, etc.    DO ROTATE THE OILS AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN... rancid oil is NO FUN.  Actually, rotate EVERYTHING you store, some things more often that others. Split Peas & lentils are a good choice for legumes, since they cook the quickest, as well as the more popular pinto beans, navy beans, black-eyed peas, etc. which give a nice variety of tastes. Beans and rice together make a much better and more complete protein.  Soybeans can be hard to incorporate unless you are dedicated to this mindset, but it is a terrific protein.  Proteins help us to keep from feeling hungry, too. The only garden seed we keep are the 'open- pollinated' ones. Add a book on seed saving & organic gardening.  ROTATE ALL GARDEN SEED YEARLY ! Some seed have a shorter viability period than others, but it is too important a part of a good food storage plan to take ANY chances on.  These open-pollinated seed are available to most of us without paying big bucks to buy the #10 cans of them.  Let me know if you want more info on this.   It is one of our self-sufficiency passions.   Sprouting seed can really help to keep a body healthy and strong!  Alfalfa or clover are tasty and mild, but we enjoy the Zing that radish, mustard and turnip seed provide. PLEASE BE SURE THAT ALL SEED TO BE USED FOR SPROUTING DO NOT HAVE PESTICIDES ON THEM !  NEVER TRY TO SPROUT 'PINK' COVERED SEED! This is the very BASICS in food storage, but please don't forget your addictions... chocolate, coffee, seasonings, etc.  We all have these addictions, and many are food related.  They give us a sense of control and normalcy.  Include things for entertainment, art, music, and books for both fun & survival skills. Remember to take care of all storage things AS IF YOU won't be around to explain how to prepare/use them.  Mark everything clearly, include utensils like can openers, etc., recipes, and seasonings. If all this survival stuff kinda scares the family (spouse OR kids), remember to change your vocabulary & call it camping, be willing to go to a spot THEY want to camp at, when THEY want to go, and try to find others to go together with, so the FEAR is taken out of this.  I'll be glad to correspond about helping family members/spouses to become more cooperative & interested in all of this STUFF.   Let's move toward self-reliance without fearfulness, together. Hopefully, Prayerfully, Confidently.... Bj  ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )