Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
from preparedness/survival suppliers (see
appendix 2
), or package your own foods. If you have
more time than money, packaging your own supplies will be far less expensive than the pre-
packaged types and gives you the best chance for ensuring that your stored food is of the qual-
ity and variety that you will want to eat.
You will probably want to store a significant variety of foods preserved by a variety of
methods. Traditional high-heat canning processes destroy a significant portion of the food's nu-
tritive value, but low-heat dehydration results in a loss of only about 10 percent. Many canned
foods do have the advantage of providing syrups or juices, which can be a significant source of
water if you are experiencing scarcity. If you have access to a source of water, however, it
makes better sense to use dehydrated foods. A pound of dry grains or beans will contain many
times the calories of a typical pound of canned foods. Each pound of dehydrated fruits or ve-
getables is equivalent to 10 to 12 pounds of fresh, canned, or frozen produce, and a pound of
dry meat is equal to about 3 to 4 pounds of fresh meat.
Stored whole grains may be sprouted to give you the nutritive value of fresh “live” food.
Most whole grains and beans can be sprouted. The sprouting process converts proteins in the
seeds into different essential amino acids and dramatically increases their vitamin content. For
example, sprouted soybeans have 700 percent more vitamin C than the dry beans, though they
have a lower caloric content. Vitamin C is a natural detoxifier, destroying damaging toxins in
the body. It is essential for helping the body maintain an effective immune system and for pre-
venting deficiency conditions, such as scurvy. However, minerals, protein, and caloric content
are not improved by sprouting.
The downside to whole grains is that unless they are kept cool, they contain oils that can go
rancid, thereby ruining them for consumption. A useful fact to remember is that most foods re-
tain useful nutritive value long after they have lost their aesthetic appeal. However, foods that
smell rotten, rancid, or moldy should be thrown out. Mold may be cut off the outside of cheese,
apples, and meats, but moldy grain, other fruits, fats, and vegetables should be thrown out.
Most molds give off aflatoxins, which are highly toxic poisons, so your living area and foods
should be kept as mold free as possible.
Whole grains last much longer than grains ground into flour, because finely ground
particles have far more surface area for oxidation (degradation). A grain mill, preferably hand-
cranked or combination hand-and-electric powered, is useful for turning your stored grain into
flour as it is required. Most long-term storage programs stress wheat storage, because properly
stored wheat has an indefinite shelf life. Some wheat discovered in the pyramids was found to
