Building a great reference library is an important part of preparedness. I’m always on the look out for great resources to add to my collection. Recently, Debbie Kent contacted me and asked me to review her new book, Store This, Not That! I greatly admire Debbie’s work and her dedicated efforts to help others prepare.
Her book did not disappoint me. True to her nature the book is packed with practical advice for building and using a realistic family food store. Case in point: she discusses seven rules for buying food storage buckets or bundles which I really appreciate. These are those buckets that advertise a 30-45 day supply of emergency food. I’ll summarize them here:
Rule No. 1 – Serving sizes are not created equal. Meal servings sizes range from 1/4 cup to 3 cups depending on the product.
Rule No. 2 – One serving does not equal a meal. A real meal is comprised of several servings from a variety of food groups. Don’t be deceived.
Rule No. 3 – Quality of food ingredients. Read the labels to ensure the food is high quality and not a creation of chemicals and preservatives.
Rule No 4 – Variety of food. Look for packages with a variety of food options.
Rule No. 5 – Storage life. Be careful of claims that state”store up to 25 years.” Freeze-dried 25 years, dehydrated 8-10 years but mixes only 1-2 years. Know what you are buying.
Rule No 6 – Total Calories. This is my biggest pet peeve. Make sure that the calories per day are a minimum of 2,000. Do the math. You will be surprised how many food storage plans only provide 350-500 calories per day.
Rule No. 7 – Packing and Preserving. Make sure that the food is packaged for longer term storage.
It is important to understand that I’m not saying that these buckets aren’t a good option. You just need to understand what you are really getting so that you can prepare appropriately. Don’t count on the food staying good in the bucket for 25 years if some of the meals expire in a couple of years.
Debbie’s book does a great job of reviewing important details like that. What is the difference in powdered milk? Which variety is best to store? How about pet food? I love the full color lay-out of the book. The recipes look irresistible.
Know anyone that needs a little help figuring out how to build or use food storage? Store This, Not That! makes it easy to understand what to do and how to do it. No more excuses.
