What to stock up on?

[Stephen Mick]

It’s actually not a lot of food. I don’t have a big pantry, and my freezer isn’t that large. It’s about having the fewest ingredients that allow you to create the biggest range of things.


But yes, when I write it out in a list, I look like a prepper.

 

[Alex H.]

Stock up on Easter candy*.

Support your local mom-and-pops who had already purchased stock for the season. Besides, chocolate is theraputic.

And it goes great with Scotch. (That is, if you stocked up on a good single-malt...)

*Except for Peeps... ‘cause that s**t’s nasty.

 

[firehawk]

Barry, I have just seen from your sig you have done a UX180 & UX190 book.... I was looking for another camera to work along side my AC90's for cooperate work ( in about 4 months time give current conditions )
IT was suggested to me that the HC-X1 is an UX180 in a different body Is it? Can I save myself about $1K and get the HC-1X or is there a better option? I did start a thread here to ask the question http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?366880-Got-2-AC90-need-a-3rd-camera-what-to-get
(sorry for side tracking thread! Doo carry on... )

I responded to your post on the other thread. Hope that helps

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

Back to the original topic…

I look at stocking a pantry the way some people look at stocking their clothes closet. What I want is a small number of versatile things that can be mixed and matched to create a wide variety of dishes. And I want some basic staples that allow me to make things that other people have to go to the store to buy.

Here’s a sampling of what’s in my pantry…

- Canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.
- Chicken and beef stock. (And some chicken bone broth.)
- Multiple varieties of rice.
- A variety of shapes of pasta.
- Flours (all-purpose, whole wheat, bread and cake).
- Sugars (white, brown, powdered, molasses, honey and corn syrup).
- Yeast (active dry).
- Cereal and granola.
- Shelf-stable soy and oat milk.
- Tea and coffee.
- Chocolate and chocolate chips.
- Nuts (walnuts, pecans, and peanuts).
- Dried beans, split peas, and lentils.
- Herbs, spices, and dried chiles.

In my freezer (which isn’t that big, it’s one of those freezer-below-the-fridge ones), I have…

- Vacuum-sealed pork chops, chicken parts, ground beef patties, and tri-tip steak.
- Frozen mixed vegetables.
- Homemade soups (vacuum-sealed).
- Frozen fruits for smoothies.

With this stuff around, the wife and I have eaten every meal at home for the last week or more. Last night I made homemade Detroit-style pizza, and this morning we had egg sandwiches on homemade bread with bacon and cheddar. I’ve got a batch of split-pea soup in the fridge, and tonight we’re having chicken piccata over whole wheat pasta. And there’s one last slice of carrot cake in the fridge, which I’ll polish off tonight.

Baking homemade bread and making pizza dough couldn’t be easier, and knowing how to do these things means I don’t have to fight crowds at the store. (Or at least not as often.) And since most of the restaurants in Austin are closed (or have gone to take-out or delivery only), being able to cook at home is probably the best gift I can give my family.

If you can operate a camera, you can put a pot of soup together.

Excellent list.

So glad we got a chest freezer last year.
Wife also bought a generator last year.
We have a transfer switch on the house power so we can just throw that and bring up the circuits we need.
Filled up 9 gas cans last night and added fuel stabilizer.
90 days of freeze dried food.
80 gallons of water.
4 bags of charcoal for the kamado
2 months of dog/cat food
Med kits, both small cuts to large trauma
Friend of mine and I are splitting a half cow two weeks from now.
That'll fill up the rest of the freezer nicely.
If you have a freezer, the next thing you need is a vacuum sealer. It saves food and takes the air out so that it keeps longer.

 

[Run&Gun]

Stock up on Easter candy*.

Support your local mom-and-pops who had already purchased stock for the season. Besides, chocolate is theraputic.

And it goes great with Scotch. (That is, if you stocked up on a good single-malt...)

*Except for Peeps... ‘cause that s**t’s nasty.

I’ll take your peeps. Love ‘me. Almost as much as chocolate...

 

[DLD]

Not to claim an original train of thought here but the rainy day grocery list should be a mix of the refrigerated, frozen, freeze-dried and canned goods. In the old country, many used large pickle jars - typically 3 Liters - to store oatmeal, buckwheat and cream of wheat grain/powder, tea (there were no tea bags and coffee was rare) and self-made fruit preserves/jam/jelly.

Canned goods were very common anyway since they had a low spoilage rate - i.e., none - compared to fresh meats and fish. The canning factories were purchased or licensed from the US in the late 1930's and produced far superior items, including cold cuts, than is considered palatable in the US now.

 

[Paul F]

I just got back from grocery shopping. I've never seen the store so empty of people. The cashiers were standing around (usually only 1 or 2 stands open) I guess everyone did their stocking up earlier in the week. So much for my town being cool. The shelves were empty of paper goods and Clorox. About a dozen products are not being restocked based on what I've seen in the last 4 days. There's still product on the shelves, but not full to the edge of the shelf. Chicken is back in stock. All other stocking looks ok.

Kudos to the Lucky Supermarket who is giving their front-line employees retroactive bonus pay for working under these conditions. Yes, I shop at Lucky's (for those who knows what that is). It's the closest store. The worst produce in town, but good enough for the staples.

 

[Paul F]

... Canned goods were very common anyway since they had a low spoilage rate - i.e., none - compared to fresh meats and fish. .

In certain parts of the States canning was standard practice. People would put up dozens of jars of their summer garden produce. We used to have perhaps 100 jars of various things on the shelf in the basement by the Fall. I don't know how popular that is anymore. That and a big sack of rice and beans and you could go a long time without a concern.

 

[DLD]

Yes, back way then, my maternal grandparents had their dacha, that contained a (modern parlance) micro farm. We had potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, gooseberries, currants, cucumbers, apples and pears. We had one plum tree but the climate was a tad too chilly for it to produce much of quality. The last fruits were harvested in late September/October and had to last in some form - cellar, preserves - through early winter. By then, the Soviets would import citrus fruits from Algiers, Morocco, Tunis and Egypt (oranges and bananas were usually limited to 2 kg per person ... one was lucky to get them 2-3 times per winter).

But I never once had a cup of orange juice. Tomato, grape and apple juices were sold by a glass in the produce stores. Having Tang in reserve is probably a good idea.