*August is Vegetable Month*
August in my storage plan is vegetable month. Vegetables are important for basic overall health, canned they're easy to store and relatively cheap, and I suspect that most survivalists have gardens that are coming in in August that provide vegetables that also need to be preserved. Prior month's suggestions are on my web page at http://www.alpharubicon.com/~stryder/survive.htm.
Your food storage plan, if you have been following, is 1/2 a year old now, and has about $300 invested. You're half way to a 1.5 man year balanced program. Keep going! If you don't have a food storage plan going by now, I can't even imagine why and I can't imagine what to tell you to get you started.
Buy what works for you! If you have any spare time this month - make sure all your stock is rotated and spend a few minutes making sure nothing needs to be rotated out. Also just run through your stores and see where you may have weak spots that you want to focus on for your family.
August is Vegetable month. The suggested goal in the literature that I've seen is 75 lbs. of vegetables per person/per year. Fifty dollars this month will buy about 135 lbs. of vegtables, enough for about 2 man-years. If you've been following things along when I've posted you should be seeing that roughly $50 will buy you about 7 months worth of food for one person for that category each month. Vegtables happens to one area where you get much more "bang for your buck." Stick with $50/per month for a year and you'll have a very solid 3 month ticket of food for two people.
One common #303 can of vegetables = about 1 lb. or about 2 cups
One #10 can of wet pack vegetables = 6 lbs. 13 oz. or about 13.5 cups
One #10 can of dried vegetables = 2.5 lbs. or 3.25 lbs. instant potatoes
Of course, "A Pint is a Pound the World Around" so a pint jar has about 1 lb. of vegetables and a quart = about 2lb.
Storage
Vegtables, Fresh beets, cabbage, carrots, potato, pumpkins, and squash stored in dry basement in ventilated boxes (mine are plastic storage tubs with wholes punched in them) packed in with straw, hay, and I've used shredded newspaper) about 7-8 months in my basement. Beets, cabbage, carrots, and onions like it the coldest - down to 32F but not below and potatoes, pumpkins and squash like it more like 55F. Onions and garlic especially like air so a hanging mesh bag is better than the tubs or boxes if possible.
Vegtables, Canned, in the original cans in a dry basement will store 30-36 months according to most literature. I've opened them older than that and they've been fine but the nutrients degrade and the colors and textures are off.
Vegtables, Dry, sealed with oxy absorbers 10-12 years or indefinitely in some literature but I don't have experience with anything over about 10 years old.
Vegetables, Fresh, Misc. Types refrigerated from the store or garden usually last about 2 weeks
Libby's- 1-888-884-7269 DelMonte- 1-800-543-3090 Pillsbury- 1-800-328-6787
Here's my list for August:
Canned sweet corn 20 cans $6.60
Canned peas 20 cans $6.60
Canned beets 20 cans $6.60
Canned green beans 20 cans $6.60
Fresh onions 10 lbs. $4.50 split 1/2 for winter storage - 1/2 deyhdrated and stored vacumn sealed for longer term
Fresh potatoes 25 lbs. $5.00 split 1/2 for winter storage - 1/2 dehydrated and stored vacumn sealed for longer term
Fresh winter squash (8) 20 lbs. $14.00 Acorn and Butternut 2.5 lb. average weight
You know the drill - If you're good to go already with one of those suggestions, move the money and buy extra of one of the others where you're a little weak.
And if you're completely good on vegetables then you might want to spend this month's $50 on making sure you're solid on some first aid supplies. $50 will go a long way in your local drug store toward putting together a good supply of supplies for your home, car or BOB.
Hope you're having a great summer and getting a lot of garden food stored in too!
www.alpharubicon.com
All materials at this site not otherwise credited are Copyright © 1996 - 2005 Trip Williams. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for personal use only. Use of any material contained herein is subject to stated terms or written permission.