Tuesday!

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your 3-month supply, and your longer-term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed! Once the 72-hour kit is complete (in just a few weeks!), we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!

This week for your 72-hour kits, get a camp stove. These can range in price, anywhere from just a few dollars all the way up to $60+. Look around for what you think you need. Also, consider what foods you stored in your 72-hour kits so you know what kinds of things you'll be cooking. Most likely you will just need something that will boil water. Of course, if you are an avid camper you will probably want something a bit nicer (or, you probably already have something!). If you want more information about camp stoves, check out this consumer website. It tells you everything you want to know about camp stoves, and even gives some reviews. Look for camp stoves at places like WalMart or Amazon.com.

For your 3-month supply, please please PLEASE don't forget to store water. Water is more important than food. You should store 2 weeks of water for each person in your home (I know, this isn't exactly for your 3-month supply, but you still need it so we're talking about it here). Last September we did a 4-week water series, which you can read here. Please don't forget this important step in food storage! Water containers can be a bit pricey if you buy them all at once. Start by buying just one or two, and fill them up, then buy another one when you can. Step by step!

Finally, we are still gathering wheat this month for our longer-term storage. Click here to check out our wheat recipes so far. Do you have any question about wheat? Email us, or leave a comment!

We have a great week ahead! Tomorrow Abs is going to teach us how to grow wheat grass. She started doing it several months ago, and has loved having fresh food to supplement her cooking, right from her windowsill! On Thursday we have another article about emergency prep - a kind of follow-up from Shauna's great post last week about the ice storm. And of course, Friday is another delicious food storage recipe. Stay tuned!

Inspirational Thought

"We encourage you wherever you may live in the world to prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. . . . If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts."
—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances, Feb. 2007, 1

Q & A #7

Every couple of weeks, we answer questions that people have emailed us. If you have questions, please contact us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com.



Would you happen to know of any good companies to buy freeze dried foods from? Most that I have seen only carry it in the #10 cans...and once it is opened it needs to be eaten within 2-3 weeks I think. Well if you want to feed your family a well rounded vegs and fruits you are not going to go through an entire #10 can of broccoli, for example, in 2-3 weeks. I'm looking for a place that carries food storage packaged in smaller containers, like pouches. Do you have a company you can recommend?


To be honest, neither Abs nor I have ever tried the freeze-dried food, but I've heard good things about it, and I think they are worth a try. They are especially nice for 72-hour kits or emergency cooking, like when you lose power, because all you have to do is add boiling water to many of the pre-made pouch meals.


Try Googling "freeze-dried pouch meals". When I did this, many websites came up that sell this type of thing. They can be pricey, but if you only get them for your 72-hour kits and for a week or 2 of emergencies, I think it would be worth it.


Do you have any suggestions or tips on how to start a food storage? I am overwhelmed with the task of it all. We have a few veggies and lots of "cream of ___" soups but I can't find enough ways to use them.


Great question! Starting your food storage can be the hardest part. First of all, read our article about How to Plan your 3-month supply. Once you have an actual meal plan for your food storage, it is so much easier to start stocking up because you know exactly what you need and you know exactly how you are going to use it.


If you are looking for recipes ideas, check out our food storage recipes page. All of our meals use only food storage, non-perishable foods so that nothing spoils if you lose power for a significant period of time.

Also, don't forget to stock up on longer-term items like wheat, beans, rice, oats, powdered milk, etc. On our blog, we focus on gathering one of these longer-term items each month, so you don't get overwhelmed with that either.


Good luck!

I have found some nice can sealers but cannot find a company to get the cans from. I was hoping you might know of a company where I could purchase them.

This store sells many different types of storage containers, from #10 cans to 55-gallon drums (perfect for water storage!). It looks like the cans might be temporarily out of stock, but keep checking back. You can also buy cans from the Bishop's Storehouse (see order form here). If you aren't a Latter-day Saint, contact the local LDS Church in your area and ask if it's possible for you to order some through them (a phone number will be listed in the phone book).


Do you know of any site that sells food grade buckets reasonably? I've looked all around and have yet to find any place that will sell "food grade" at a decent price.



Again, check out this store. I really don't know how those prices compare to the ones you've been seeing, but I hope they're decent!

My question is about storing food in freezers. This is mainly for my three month food supply, obviously. I was wondering: what kind of freezer do most people prefer, and why? Also, what is more economical? It makes sense to me that an upright would be easier because you are not digging for food and most are frost-free. With chest freezers, can you find them frost free? Is it a big deal if they aren’t frost free, and what are the pros and cons? I’m new at this and would love to hear the experts advice.

To be honest, neither Abs nor I have deep freezers, so we don't have much advice about them. In fact, we recommend that you don't rely on freezer food for food storage, because if you lose power for a significant period of time, all your food will be lost (unless, of course, you have a generator, but even then it's a little risky).

That being said, however, deep freezers are really great to have because they allow you to stock up more when certain foods go on sale, and we're all about taking advantage of sales! I think both types of freezers are fine-I've never really heard anything negative about either type. Personally, I like upright ones because they take up less space and, like you said, you don't have to go digging through it like you would a chest freezer.

What about our readers? Do you have deep freezers? If so, what kind?


Thanks for all your great questions. If you have asked us a question in the past, but it was never answered, please email us again and ask. We get lots of emails, so it's possible that it was lost (sorry!).

To read through our past Q&A posts, click on the "FAQ" tab at the top of our site.