SaltSugar, Spice, and Everything Nice
One downside of many long-term storage foods is they’re somewhat bland. Rice and beans will get boring after a while. Sure, you can add some rehydrated ground beef to change it up a bit, but still, rather blah.
While you can buy things like MREs and other dehydrated or freeze-dried meals, they’re expensive. A case or two set aside for short-term emergencies is a great idea, but you’ll put quite a dent in your budget trying to stock up on enough to last a family of four or five for months on end.
I look at food storage as setting aside ingredients for meals, rather than meals themselves. Ingredients give you options. As any cook worth his or her salt will tell you, spices and herbs can make or break a meal.
Freshly caught fish is pretty good, but if you add salt, pepper, and maybe a bit of lemon pepper? Mmm, really good! Even better, use flour and some spices for a breading, then fry it up.
Spices are crucial to a long-term food storage plan. So are baking staples.
Here’s a short list of herbs and spices that I consider essential.
SPICES
Salt
Ground pepper (or peppercorns with a grinder)
Paprika
Garlic powder
Oregano
Basil
Cinnamon
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Bay leaves (not really a spice, but along the same lines)
Curry powder
Nutmeg
Crushed red pepper
Thyme
Rosemary
Nutmeg
BAKING ESSENTIALS
Flour
Sugar
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
Baking soda
Cream of tartar
Cocoa powder
Oil and shortening (watch the expiration dates on these)
Yeast
Naturally, the fresher the ingredients in a recipe, the better. But all the above will store reasonably well in cool, dark places. With access to those ingredients, coupled with basic food storage items like canned meats and dry pasta, anyone should be able to put together a pretty tasty meal . . . one that will beat the heck out of canned soup.
The more experience you have with scratch cooking, the better off you are. If you aren’t that adept around the kitchen, invest time and energy into improving your skills. Find a few of the gazillion recipe websites that look good and give them a shot. Even better, pick up your own copy of one or two basic cookbooks, like those by Betty Crocker. They’ll not only have all the recipes you need but are full of tips and information about the art of cooking.
Setting aside buckets of rice and beans is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. You need to learn how to use those and other ingredients. Sure, a plate of plain beans and rice will fill a belly and provide needed calories. But day after day of that will result in appetite fatigue.
Growing your own herbs for cooking is ideal. This is a wonderful idea for those plants that thrive in your area. But picking up small jars of dried herbs as a backup is also essential.
Don’t overlook condiments either. Hot sauce improves just about everything, doesn’t it? Other basics include ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce.
TASKS
1. If you don’t already possess at least rudimentary scratch cooking skills, begin working on that this week. Pick a few recipes to make and get cracking. Bonus points if the recipes use things you already have in your food storage.
2. Begin gathering spices and baking essentials. Watch the expiration dates on things like oil and shortening and make sure you use them up before they go bad.
SAVINGS
Add $20 to your Prepper Savings Account.
TOTAL PREPPER SAVINGS ACCOUNT: 
WATER STORAGE
One gallon (or two 2-liter bottles) per person or a case of bottled water for the household.
TOTAL WATER STORAGE:
GROCERY LIST
3 cans vegetables, your choice
2 cans fruit, your choice, but stick with those packed in water or juice, rather than syrup
1 can chili or stew, your choice
1 package or jar gravy mix, your choice
1 box tea bags (even if you don’t drink tea, this is an excellent barter item)
1 box granola bars, protein bars, or equivalent
1 lb pasta, your choice
