Guest Post by Lucy Davies
Now I don’t want to sound rude but seeing as pasta & toilet paper were the go-to items of the vast majority of Brits to stock up on in order to survive a global health pandemic, someone needs to have a word…
So in light of the seemingly imminent food supply/ cost of living issues (one of the many, increasing & purely coincidental ‘unavoidable consequences’ of yet another ‘unavoidable global drama’), I’ve appointed myself.
The idea of an armageddon pantry is not to assume that the end is nye & to panic buy us all out of wheatgrass, dried pulses & mooncups; more of an invitation to just calmly acknowledge that we’re now very much in the middle of an almighty shitstorm that’s likely to get a bit bumpier before the dust settles, & to perhaps add a few considered items to our weekly shop in preparation for the possibility of temporary difficulties, that’s all.
I’m a firm believer that all will come good. I’d go as far as to say that I know all will come good. I’m forever banging on about the crumbling & rebuilding of our beloved & disgustingly corrupt systems, but for this one I’ll do my best to stay on topic & discuss long-life vegetables.
Many people I know, myself included, are thinking about empowering themselves with self-sufficiency, which tends to start with growing vegetables.
To some it comes naturally. They’re incredible grafters who find themselves allotments, get their hands dirty, quickly learn to grow their own food & turn up at your door in dungarees holding up muddy beetroots with rosy cheeks & enormous smiles.
I love these people & would love to be one, but I’m just not. I’m notoriously bad at growing & foraging. I once had an allotment for a year & grew 2 pumpkins. The next year I went for ‘crops in pots’ & produced 4 x 2-inch carrots & a small bunch of new potatoes.
This year I went for a bag of dried beans & pulses, & hear-in lies the inspiration for my armageddon survival pantry…
1. Sprouted vegetables.
Not a lot of people know this, but if you sprout dried beans & pulses for long enough, they become vegetables… I fell off my chair when I found out.
There are so many pros & barely any cons…They last for forever, so you can buy them by the kilo if you like, they require no soil, no land, no dependency on British weather, no slug repellants, no cat repellants, no encyclopedias of which seeds ‘get on’ with others & which can’t stand each other, & best of all they’re fully grown & ready to eat in one week flat.
What’s not to love?!
Well, the downside is that they all taste pretty similar & as pleasant as they are, you need some pretty strong accompanying flavours to drown them out. Remember though we’re talking armageddon survival here, not MasterChef.
Sprouted vegetables are the main event because vegetables ideally make up at least 50-80% of 2 meals a day. Sprouted ones are extra incredible too as they are raw & are packed full of vitamins, minerals & enzymes. If necessary (i.e. you’re not sick to death of them), the beans & pulses can obviously be used as themselves; just soak them for 8-12 hours before cooking.
They can then be whizzed up into an endless array of houmous type creations, depending on what else you have available. If you’re either desperate or highly conscientious, sprouted seeds can even be dehydrated & blitzed into a powder to encapsulate or sprinkle over everything else for added nutritional oomph. (Instructions for sprouting at the end.)
2. Sauerkraut and/or kimchi
They’re both packed full of gut-boosting good bacteria, but I would opt for kimchi for this particular armageddon as it’s so amazing for immunity, it’s incredibly delicious & lasts for months (see kimchi recipe on my recipes page).
3. Rice
This is here as a padder-outer, mainly because I’m a mother of 3 children who would rather starve than eat most vegetables. It’s cheap, lasts forever, everyone likes it, it goes with everything & you can even make milk with it. Pulses & grains (e.g. chickpeas & rice) can also be combined to make a complete protein – great for vegetarians & vegans.
4. Sun-dried tomatoes
Who the hell puts sun-dried tomatoes on an emergency food list?
Well I do & I’ll tell you why… they’re unbelievably versatile; just soak them in boiling water & you have a salad accompaniment, whizz them up & you have a ready-made stir-in sauce for just about anything, then add water & you have a make-shift stock for a whole load of other dishes to use like tinned chopped tomatoes.
5. Dried fruit
Another staple mainly to keep my children alive in a potential time of crisis, partly because it’s a nutritional food that is enjoyed by all, but also because it’s a great quick-fix for flailing blood sugar levels whilst dinner’s cooking, so helps to stop people killing each other. It can also be rehydrated & used for smoothies & puddings.
6. Oats
I’m not the biggest fan of grains. Why? Well, you know people tend to say ‘dont feed bread to birds because it fills them up & stops them eating things they really need like seeds & berries’? That.
Plus they’re often high GI, causing blood sugar instability & are generally a lot more of a burden on the body than we’re led to believe. Much of this however is due to our over-zealous attachment to them; we just eat too many. I’m allowing them into my armageddon pantry though because of their versatility; they can obviously make porridge, flapjacks, biscuits etc, but also can be whizzed up into flour for pancakes & a million other things, as well as making delicious milk.
They’re also super cheap & last for ages.
7. Concentrated greens such as chlorella, spirulina or wheatgrass
These are amazing. The most alkalising foods on the planet (our bodies ideally are slightly alkaline for optimum health). Chlorella is my favourite as it doesn’t have a strong taste, so I can put it in my kids smoothies & get away with it, although it can be bought in capsules too. Bursting with vitamins & minerals, it’s also a good vegan source of omega 3.
8. Bee pollen
Due to its diverse & potent nutrient content, humans can survive on bee pollen alone…enough said.
9. Water filter
Technically not a pantry item but related & vitally important. I’d recommend something like the British Berkefeld, which is sizeable, stainless steel, the filters last for ages & it’s capable of filtering e.g. stream water if ever the need arose.
To be honest, most stream water is probably already favourable to the ‘clean & perfectly healthy’ stream of toxic chemicals coming through our taps at the moment.
10. Chocolate
I just gave this to my partner Graham to read. I hadn’t quite finished it, so I explained that obviously chocolate was going in at no.10. He’s known me for the best part of 20 years yet he still looked perplexed…
“What, like just as a nice thing? In an armageddon pantry? Really?”
No words.
BONUS: Sprouting instructions…
My favourites are chickpeas, mung beans, aduki beans, green/ brown lentils & fenugreek seeds. This combination sprout at a similar rate, so can be mixed together to sprout, or done separately.
You can also buy packets of already mixed ‘sprouting seeds’ if you don’t want to commit to several bags.
Sprouting trays do make things slightly easier, but are not necessary. All you need is a jar, approx 1 litre in size, & something to cover the top.
The sprouts will need rinsing, so you can cover the jar with muslin secured with elastic when standing, & empty the sprouts into a seive to rinse then put back in the jar, or you can use a jar with a screw-on metal lid & using a hammer & nail, bash some small drainage holes into it.
This is my preference as it works great & means you can recycle an old olive jar or something rather than buying a ‘special’ sprouting jar.
How much you sprout at a time is completely up to you, but remember they grow to approximately 10 times their original size.
Start by soaking them all day or all night, then rinse thoroughly & return to the jar. The idea is to have as little water in the jar as possible, to avoid mushyness or the sprouts sitting in stagnant water.
Repeat this process for approximately 3-4 days, until they have significant ‘tails’.
They’ll grow easily anywhere in the average house, but once they’re almost ready, put them on a window sill or somewhere light but not too hot, for the leaves to turn green & give you an extra punch of chlorophyll.
Rinse one last time & store in the fridge for up to a week.
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Flour, dried milk, honey and salt.
Passport To Survival – Four Foods And More To Use And Store, Esther Dickey.
https://ia800608.us.archive.org/28/items/PassportToSurvivalEstherDickey1969/Passport_to_survival_EstherDickey1969.pdf
I like to keep bullion cubes to use as a salt replacement and to add a little flavor to rice, grits, pasta, etc.
TN, me too. Bullion cubes store for years and can be used as broth base for foraged vegetable stew or soups/stews w/wild game. also enhance rice and pastas and add canned meat/fish/chicken. You can do a lot with bullion.
Olive Oil.
Vodka…(preferably Russian.)
Dry cat food.
The french have some great recipes for cat. Ask Alf.
You mean Wayne Schlegel — Michigan Life & Casualty?
KJ Choi wins The Masters, so he gets to choose the menu for The Champions’ Dinner.
KJ: I want French cuisine.
Fred Ridley: Really! What is your entree?
KJ: Poodle.
When speaking about Armageddon, people usually do not also mention whizzed up or store in the fridge.
Some great ideas here,would add,if you can raise chickens,once set up tis pretty easy to maintain and a good source of eggs or meat if you choose.I travel a lot for work and thus do not have the time to properly care for them,my neighbor does and why I give him bags of good feed when scrounging for bugs/eating leftovers ect. not enough,oh…..,and I have a source of great eggs.
For folks in tight spaces who still want to garden look into vertical hydroponics,on wheels can also bring inside to extend the growing season,a plethora of plans on net for this.
You have a community garden do some work there,though,in challenging times will probably need to be guarded or abandoned.
Keep buying food for longer term storage along with tools/clothes ect. while the dollar still gets one goods.
Folks just starting a bit late to game,but,can still prep on supplies and skills till the clock runs out,plenty of info. on the net and folks here and other sites who will answer ?’s you may have.
So,get off your ass and prep/keep prepping!
Prepper Cat is with you!
MREs are already up thirty bucks a case. And there’s a waiting list.
We need moar chikkkinzz.
My top 10 – Rice, Wheat, Oats, Sugar, Powdered Eggs, Powdered Milk, Cream of Wheat, Black bean burger mix, Elbow macaroni, Dried potato slices. Some of that list I just put down as they came from memory. All of the above I have stored away and are part of my long term SHTF supply. I didn’t put vegetables down because I also have tens of thousands of heirloom seeds stored for growing them. Also no dried or canned meats because we plan to eat the abundance of game right out our back door.
You need fat and meat. That ‘game’ won’t last long. Your stored seeds are useless if you aren’t growing many of them now. And even if they have good germination rates, are good varieties, you have gardens ready to go… that still doesn’t do much because you have to wait on the veggies and have to save the best for future seeds.
.
A brief history…https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/ipd/canning/timeline-table
STILL using the same time/ pressure charts from 1917 last time i checked. Incredible given state of the art wireless transducers.
Finally got my hands on a Wisconsin Foundry® pressure cooker, Believe All-American™ is the authorized distributor. Metal To metal seal. Got the next to the biggest, #930. Never canned anything yet. Used a 2 burner propane cooker from TSC; Tractor Supply Company as a heat source, NOT recommended for glass cook tops anyhow. More btu’s the better for heating time. 2 stacks of quart jars instead of the typical single layer of 7. Time is time.
Did use it to blanch 2 feed sacks of sweet corn each year for the past 2 yrs quite successfully. About 15 min. to full boil from cold. Huge thermal mass of the aluminum? Water never quit boiling. 5 min. blanch, 5 min ‘shock’ in cooler full of ice water.
Notes somewhere of the time involved. Immaterial in the overall scheme of things. Being gadget afflicted, got one of those wood gizmos with the integral trough, can’t remember if the blade is curved or straight. Friendly competition with my better half, she prefers a knife. Once I broke down and READ THE DIRECTIONS, Learned to REMOVE the ‘Creamer’ aspect of the blade. much less liquid. We each had our ‘stations’ set up to our liking before Siri started the timer. One end of the gizmo clamped down with a squeeze clamp over a big plastic bowl…incredible production. I learned at a young age, It’s ALWAYS Lady’s first…discretion is the better part of valor.
We learned together that is best to partially freeze the product ASAP before vacuum packing, excess liquid a real issue. Very Rewarding. And tasty. 60 ears at a time 2weeks apart. Enough to give some away and make it to the next year. As long as the lights don’t go out, long term.
All the usual suspects books for canning, ample ‘real world’ access to long time canners, a REAL value. One little old lady at church, BEST green beans ever. She informed me of Bragg’s Aminos™. Imparts ‘Umami’ i think it’s called.
Also got a hard bound copy of Sandor Katz, “the Art of Fermentation” an updated version of his classic. actually used the recipes to ferment some peppers, including a clump of Carolina Reapers®, killer hot sauce. Mason® jars and air-locks from a local wine and beer making supply house.
Thinking of throwing some fermentations crocks on the wheel with built in water seal, if i can find the time to set up my kiln. Skutt®, listed for $2000 plus, obtained for the princely sum of $210 at a school auction. Looked brand new, never fired. Accompnaying manuals and documentation showed a single test fire to cone six, cones in the kiln when i unpacked it.
Haven’t touched clay since moving back from Richmond 10+ yrs. ago. Totally into it then. A year+ in to my training, classroom and private, i discovered HsinChuen Lin on Youtube.
I’ve rambled on too much already. After watching his extensive offering of videos, you will be able to throw quite well, in formal attire with very little supplemental water and NO Splatter Carnage. You may have to roll up your sleeves if you go beyond the cup/small bowl level.
My hat is off in appreciation and eternal gratitude to this Jew and this Chinese man.
Not just a jew, but a faggot jew with aids
Everyone makes their own life choices, Repercussions can be severe. Exhaustive research before i bought his book. The original was out of print, so i tracked him down, got his phone number, and actually spoke to him on the phone.
Offered to autograph a copy, and send it out in the mail. Life intruded in a big way and had to put it on the back-burner for a few yrs. The latest iteration is much improved with added content. Tried to buy it at a local book store to no avail…plenty of witchcraft and black arts books in stock and on display.
Amazon® then. no compunction at the time, sometimes choices have to be made.
Same with learning to throw clay on the wheel. Started out at the school in Richmond where the mass shooting occurred, tenured ‘professor’. After weeks of ‘professional’ instruction, I finally managed to turn out a decent mug and a vase. Both stolen. The instructor was arrogant, conceited, and worthless. if not for a few of the ladies in the class, even those items would NOT have been possible.
In a fit of desperation, found a private studio that offered “instruction at all levels”, one of the main benefits being that if you paid for one 8 week class, you could at least ‘sit-in’ and observe any of them. 18 mos., long story. l
Became the studio ‘House Boy’. Basically lived there except when i went ‘Home’ to feed my sisters’ animals/ sleep. Pretty handy, too many details Too boring to recount.
One of the private studio’s opened up about the time i discovered Hsin Chuen Lin. Still sat in on all the classes when i wasn’t unloading trucks, cleaning up, and re-claiming scrap clay. Totally in to it. Most ‘Alive’ i had been in years. Silicosis a real concern from the dust. ALL the students wore smocks, aprons, jackets. Towels covered their laps and mine too. EVERY class looked as if someone had put an M-80 in a #25 block of clay, and what wasn’t on the students was flung on the walls, equipment, floors…even the ceiling. Watched endless hours of videos at night.
If you don’t learn to ‘spiral wedge’ and achieve the proper moisture content, it’s a struggle and a mess. Positive results were apparent immediately. To myself and my classmates. really could throw some impressively sized pieces with probably only 1/4-1/3 cup of water, could actually just wipe out my tray and my clothes and my studio were spotless.
Two of the ladies who first helped me ended up there as well. one’s husband was a lobbyist, the others’ some kinda diplomat type recently returned from Brazil as i recall. got to the point where quite a few of the ladies would show up on Sat/Sun seeking guidance. Had keys and run of the place. ‘Scheduling’ became problematic, so the only solution to prevent chaos?… whip out the ipad and watch a chines master, together. Mid 40’s at the time.
Did get to experience some of Richmonds best dinning, combined with frequent trips to a place i believe they referred to as ‘The Mosque’. Always impressive speakers/entertainers.
Like i said before, best 2 yr. vacation i ever had. VERY Fortunate. wasn’t unti the
31 day vacation vacation that i had at a a nice country place in Minnesotta immediately preceding my epic sojourn in Richmond that i realized that GOD had been watching out for me my entire life, in spite of myself.
In Jesus’ name i pray, Amen
Long Pork jerkey, with some fava beans and a nice chianti
Make sure its non-GMO….ask for those “vaccination” cards first!!
Pemmican
Spices/seasonings, you can go from edible to eatable with a dash.
Hi All,
Hate to burst any vegetarian bubbles, but I find this list terrible. Having studied this topic and brainstormed it with my Sea Gypsy Tribe mates for years now, I note that these foods are almost all CARBS. There is almost no protein and fat. Protein is our body’s building block source and fat is vital to many bodily functions. On the other hand there are ZERO essential carbs for the human diet.
Onboard at this moment I have enough food to sail out to sea for six months and live comfortably. For protein I have canned tuna, salmon, chicken, beef, turkey and sardines. I have lots of peanut butter, waxed cheeses, giant jugs of coconut oil, powdered milk and powdered eggs.
Yes, I do have mucho carbs for caloric bulk such as rice, pasta, quinoa and pancake mix. I do have big cans of alfalfa sprouts and have sprouted onboard for over 30 years. I also have big jugs of spirulina and protein powder because they are compact sources of this macronutrient.
So, I recommend that PROTEIN and FAT should not be overlooked in SHTF scenarios.
I hope this is helpful
Ray,
I agree…this is worth the time.
Thanks Mark. I saw that vid a while back. He is a doctor and very knowledgeable about this material.
I could spend LOTS of time arguing about how the FDA and USDA directives against protein and in favor of carbs have wrecked America physically, but just wanted to stay on issue with my comment. Since the Food Pyramid was foisted upon us, meat consumption has gone down 50% and we have become obscenely obese. Sugar (all carbs convert to sugar at varying speeds) and seed oils are the real enemies – NOT MEAT.
A GREAT resource for the latest intel on these topics in Dr. Anthony Chaffee. Well worth anyone’s time. He’s easy to find online. Drs Berry and Baker as well. Hope this helps.
BTW, my Tribe takes long-term planning seriously. After the stored foods run out, we will rely on our spear guns, fishing tackle and shoreline foraging skills for food. Of course a nice island with some wild boar would get the attention of our archers and loud weapon hunters.
Ray,
I like his site, have picked up lots of tips from him, and confirmation on many other preps already in place.
He has 8 kids! Yikes!
There is a chance, depending on how the coming implosion happens I could end up with multiple blood families on my farm/compound (two houses and a comfortable one room Amish built ‘Little House’). May have to add an RV or two that should be selling dirt cheap soon.
Lots of possibilities and unknown unknowns…I’m constantly prepping and expanding/working my gardening, orchard, arbors, fish pond, and animal food production.
I call it the ‘markamo’ need to get a coonskin cap like I had as a boy in the 50’s!
Hi Mark,
That all sounds great. Might I suggest a travel trailer rather than an RV. Since you won’t be moving the houses, no need to have the aluminum shelters moveable. Way cheaper and no drive train to maintain.
While you are working up your coonskin hats, get your clan to help design some molotov arrows for my tribe. 🙂
Most folks that I know, including manufacturers and sales outlets, refer to travel trailers as RVs. Just saying.
Ray,
Depending on the pace and intensity of the on-going ‘controlled demolition’ of the WORLD that eventually will come to a crescendo…I have three plans to date: A, B, C. I ‘may’ buy an RV for a reason…before a Traveler Trailer(s)…at the right time.
If I get that time?
Travel Trailers do have a less expensive compound solution, but I have a reason to go RV first.
If my farm/compound becomes untenable (trust me it is extremely defensible for a small well-armed tribe). I more than realize by ourselves we probably would last longer than the average couple, FAMILY/tribe is Plan A for long term survival.
I also have a two way plan B ‘next to Plan C…to drive to and live at 40 minutes away. Owned by a close friend and fellow serious Prepper couple.
Plan C is National Forest for us if forced into it…from his place.
If either one of us gets over-run or has to bug out for whatever reasons…and the other’s location is OK…we will combine…but I would want to show up to his place boarding the national forest in my own well stocked RV I can drive into their place.
I am not going to pretend I know exactly what is going to happen when: ‘I GET PUNCHED IN THE MOUTH’ or that I will react exactly according to my plan(s)…but having a bug out vehicle (RV) to get to Plan B from Plan A…and then maybe from there at some point hump it into Plan C (Remember, I’m an old Mud Marine Grunt I knows how to fight/live on the run) is why I will buy an RV when the time calls for it…before a Travel Trailer.
Duel service.
Sounds like a great plan, Mark. We have a van conversion motorhome. It is very small, but has capability of towing up to 7000 pounds. So, we are considering adding a light travel trailer to the stable. That way, we can load the van with supplies and still have a place to live. Would give us some versatility. Keep on keeping on.
Scanning through the list I had the same immediate reaction as you did. Not that the foods on that list are terrible … but it is so UNBALANCED.
But, I was too worked up with the Covid and Ukie shit to comment. Glad you did.
.
Also, your 2nd installment was another terrific read.
Thanks, Stuck. Part 3 is almost complete. The kids get to ask me questions in this one.
You might enjoy my reply to Mark above and especially the last paragraph about islands where the wild boars roam.
Sweetie bought an electric pressure cooker. 6 pints of collards, 5 of pickled celery, cabbage this week. Tomatoes and peppers soon.
As Charles Hugh Smith says, “Growing food is hard.” It took us 3+ years to succeed.
Just sent this to some family to hopefully motivate them to add past the food prep I have gifted them over the years.
Family advice:
One of the top Truth Tellers making witty, funny vids on the net.
The average Jelly Head American is 9 meals from starvation because he/she has been propagandized, brainwashed, and dumbed down to a point of being not much higher up on the food chain (every pun intended) then a herd of cattle.
This short vid is extremely worth the time.
If you don’t think food shortages, massive inflation of food costs, and international famine isn’t coming…you are wrong.
THEY ARE TELEGRAPHING IT.
Tequila
Bourbon
Yuppie scum survivalism.
I can’t believe bananas didn’t make the list.
Ghee.
You’re gonna need fats.