I am so glad to see so many people interrested in food storage. I have been trying for years to get people to listen with no luck. You never know when you will need it! I am a good one for planting what ever you can around the house. A couple of popcorn plants in the front of the house with tomatoes around then and a few bush beans in the front is a real attention getter. You can add storage by putting things under the bed or using the boxes to set beside the bed and cover with a to the floor table cloth and then put a lamp on it. You can do that in any room of the house, limited only by you imagination. I keep pasta in a small garbage can in the closet. To find out how much of something to store just figure how many times a week you use it and then multiply by 52 weeks in a year. I have honed and rehoned my storage over the years. I have it down now to what we use the most and not what I think I would like to have on hand that I later have to throw out. Store powdered milk for long term and canned milk only for short term and then be sure to turn them upside down every so often. Canned milk does not store as long and be sure that you keep you stored food where it is cool not in the attic or the garage or you will be having to throw it out just at the time you need it. Always keep it as cool as possible and if storing flour freeze it first for a week and then store it. Be sure to place it in a plastic bag first so it doesn’t get damp in the freezer. I do a lot of my own canning and have for years. I do not ever quit canning. When the garden is done there is always chili to make and can or a sale on chicken to take advantage of and can. I save the freezer for things that don’t can well. I have canned everything you can think of. I love it. Even now that I am in a mobility chair I still find ways to keep canning. I invoke the aid of hubby and kids and grandchildren. All of us benefit from it. The key to a good food storage is to rotate, rotate, rotate. Store what you eat and eat what you store. Also don’t forget ladies to include those feminin products too. and TP. I have resorted to the use of the old fashioned hankerchife instead of tissues mainly because tissues take up too much room to store and I would rather save the space for something I think I need more ! Handkerchiefs are washable . I also use cloth napkins for the same reason and they are cheeper. I have collected old dish towels from yard sales and second hand stoes to use in the place of paper towels they too are washable. I save money there that I can spend on something else. just thought I would add my 2cents ! stay with this project because you may well need it in the very neer future ! It is good to share ideas.
Judy

I’ve been cooking with food storage for 13 years. A friend and I have started a blog about food storage. Check us out at http://mormonfoodstorage.blogspot.com.

I need toddler-size wool socks, though. I may have to learn sock knitting this winter for real