Emergencies tend to find many of us with our pants down from a preparedness perspective. My parents grew up on farms where it was common to have well-stocked root cellars or pantries full of home-canned foods. Just-in time shopping and delivery has discouraged having this kind of buffer for emergencies, sadly. The well-stocked pantry also facilitates bulk-purchasing of goods at good prices.
Goal: nutritious, calorie-dense foods, most of which can be stored for an extended period.
Canned Goods
- Water
- Meals in a can: Dinty Moore stew, chili, soups, broths
- Meats: Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, Chicken
- Veggies
- Salsa, tomato sauce, marinara (glass jars option free of plastic can liners)
- Fruits: pineapple, peaches
Dry Goods
- Nut butters (almond, cashew, sunflower seed, peanut)
- Nuts (pistachios, nuts in shells: almonds, peanuts)
- Bars (Made Good, Kind, Lara)
- Trail mixes (dried fruit, choc chips, seeds/nuts)
- Crackers (Breton, Dare, Grains first, look at labels for allergens)
- Rice
- Pasta
- Bread
- Beans, lentils
- Coffee, tea
- Dried fruits: raisins, cranberries, pineapple, apple, mango
- Chocolate bars, powder, chips
- Dry-cured salamis, jerky
- Salt, pepper, spices
- Cane sugar
- Flour
- Powdered milk
Refrigerated
- Eggs (fresh eggs w/ bloom don’t need refrigeration)
- Butter
- Milk
- Juices
- Cheese
- Hot dogs
- Ketchup, mustard, pickles
Frozen
- Meat, fish (prefer boneless)
- Veggies
- Fruits
- Juice concentrate
- Pizza (why not?)
Misc Foodstuffs
- Cooking oils (olive, coconut)
- Honey
- Herbs (grow some!)
Perishable
- Fruits: apples (honeycrisp), green & ripe bananas, oranges
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Avocado
Paper Goods, Cleaning
- Toilet paper
- Paper towels
- Facial tissue
- Hand soap
- Dish soap
- Clothes washer soap (powder/pods)
- Vinegar
- Bleach
- Rubbing alcohol
- Disposable gloves, yellow rubber cleaning gloves
- Garbage bags
Other
- First Aid supplies
- Medications
- Multivitamins
- LED Flashlights, lamps
- Batteries, disposable and rechargeable
- Propane grill or camp stove, spare propane
- Generator (a camping generator can run refrigerator, freezer, LED lights)