One of the things I am always asked is “What should we stock up on and store for our longer term pantry?” The answer to that is simple: What you’ll eat.
DISCLAIMER – there are a few things I’ve found wrong with almost ALL food storage calculators:
- There is no itemized count for fruits or vegetables.
- There is little ‘play room’ for figuring if you tend to eat less wheat and more of another grain.
- Often canned foods do not include fruits and vegetables, but shortening and puddings.
So with that said, we have to do a good deal of tweaking to our own long term food calculations. Don’t feel that you have to stick to a food storage calculator to be safe. Use it as a guide and make one that suits your family.
Take what you know you would eat and multiply by the number of people and the number of weeks you intend to have on hand as storage. As you use it, replace it.
Donna Miller is an author, teacher and entrepreneur. Her favorite roles are that of wife and mother to three home-school graduates. The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more
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