All About Food Storage » 72 hour kits

Alison’s Pantry Food Show

Kim — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:57:34 +0000

I had the pleasure of attending the Alison’s Pantry Annual Food Show last weekend. I presented a food storage demonstration, and then enjoyed mulling around through the great vendors who came to share their wares (i.e., fabulous food samples). The products in the Alison’s Pantry catalog are all restaurant-quality foods, so everything was delicious. Here’s me before my demo (thanks to Danielle with dkforeverimages.com for the photo):

And, here’s a photo (from Kelly Walker at Mystery Sock Design) of some of the vendors.

If you’d like copies of the handouts from my food storage demonstration, you can download them here:

AP Products for Food Storage : Ideas for 72-hour kits, Three-Month Storage and Long-Term Storage

Recipes from Food Storage : Harvest Apple Bread, Whole Grain Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Turkey Noodle Soup Mix and more

Update Your 72 Hour Kits

Kim — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:47:14 +0000

Water storage and 72 hour kits should be treated or rotated once a year. It’s easy to forget to do this, so many families coordinate these chores with General Conference to make it easier to remember. I had to laugh when I read online about a woman who was advising others not to store pop-top fruit cups in 72 hour kits. The pop-top lids weren’t the problem. Her fruit cups had exploded when she checked her kits…3 years later. The canned items that we store in these kits aren’t meant to last long-term, so we have to update them in order to have edible food in an emergency. If you are updating your 72 hour kits, here is a sample menu for simple items to include:

DAY 1

Breakfast:

(1) Granola Bar

(1) Hot Chocolate packet

Lunch:

(1) Beef Jerky

(1) Apple Cider drink packet

Dinner:

(1) Beanee Weenee

(3) Crackers

Snack:

(6) Candies

(3) Sticks of Gum

DAY 2

Breakfast:

(1) Cereal Bar

(1) Hot Chocolate packet

Lunch:

Peanuts

Fruit Snack

Dinner:

(1) Cup of Soup

(3) Crackers

Snack:

(6) Candies

(3) Sticks of Gum

DAY 3

Breakfast:

(1) Box of Raisins

(1) Instant Oatmeal

(1) Hot Chocolate packet

Lunch:

(1) Cup of Soup

(1) Can of Juice

Dinner:

(1) Cup of Soup

(1) Fruit Roll-up

Snack:

(6) Candies

(3) Sticks of Gum

Add 2 liters of water to each kit. Include cups to use with drink packets. We have our kits in a large plastic storage container so that an adult can grab them all at once. Many families use backpacks to store their kits. Just find something portable and closed so that family members don’t pilfer pieces of the kits throughout the year. We tease our kids, telling them that if they eat their candy and gum we’re not sharing ours during the crisis.

72 Hour Kits

Kim — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:07:29 +0000

This information from www.ready.gov is helpful if you are putting together 72 hour kits:

When preparing for a possible emergency situation, it’s best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth.

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

· Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation

· Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

· Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

· Flashlight and extra batteries

· First aid kit

· Whistle to signal for help

· Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

· Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

· Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

· Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)

· Local maps

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:

· Prescription medications and glasses

· Infant formula and diapers

· Pet food and extra water for pet

· Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container

· Cash or traveler’s checks and change

· Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov

· Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.

· Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.

· Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.

· Fire Extinguisher

· Matches in a waterproof container

· Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items

· Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels

· Paper and pencil

· Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children