What To Stock Up On.....

Thinking about the ever-growing Corona Virus news, even though we are pretty well stocked up here, I am wondering what a 'short list' of items to add before the herds feel the need to clear out all the stores ....... suggestions?

 

The first thing you need is more. All of your consumables like food and TP. Today there are thousands of freezer containers, sitting on the docks in China, full of meat, because of a shortage of truck drivers. The truck drivers are either sick, dead, or quarantined. You can't stock up on lettuce but canned and dried foods are easy and paying for next years food at today's prices pays better interest than the bank.

You can fill your freezer(s) but remember that if the power plant people can't show up for work you will need a supply of jars, lids, and a means to run your pressure canner.

Store what you eat, eat what you store.

 

So.......to give you any suggestions......it would be helpful if you could but a number on this. WHY........because many people say they are pretty well stacked up.....but their idea of stocked up is often.....not really that. So are you talking two weeks, or two months or two years or two decades......???

 

Simple Foods that don't require a lot to cook and that you can use as a base with whatever you can find to add to the pot later. Our Freezers are full. Our pantry is full and we have several ways to cook even if the power were to go off. I'm thinking about buying a cord of wood for just in case and fill up my propane tanks. We pretty much stay ready. Honestly, the Coronavirus doesn't bother me much. I think that the threat is massivly over stated.

 

The virus isn't yet a threat on N. America, as you say. It is a potential and as such it is a good time to run a drill. I run drills on my stores every time I get an opportunity, like Y2K, end of the Mayan Calendar, and now. One of these time it will be real so drilling prepares me and leaves my preps better than before.

 

Some items that are currently in shortage within my locality due to COVID-19

• Low Acid Multivitamin
• N-95 respirator
• Hand Sanitizer
• Rubber gloves
• All agricultural products originating from PRC (import block against selects goods currently in effect)
• Electronics components originating from PRC
• Anyone whose originating from PRC or has been to PRC during this epidemic (travel block currently in effect)

Next in the list is any member of PRC diplomatic corps

 

Good afternoon BSHJ,

Focused to a big grocery store,...

Don't neglect the non-foods, eg:

various size plastic bags; in warm areas in warm months, even opening a can of sardines or kippers really requires a small plastic bag even prior to throwing into a large leaf size bag. Bugs and larger uninvited guests must be kept to a minimum.

anti-bacteria dish washing soap.

anti-bacteria hand washing soap. Both these soaps were still in plentiful supply here.

depending on your specific plans / circumstances, perhaps some Styrofoam / paper plates, cups (I am loaded with these from motels), eating stuff. (Plastic is known to the state of California to (except hand out syringes) ...

If appropriately priced, a couple of extra alcohol bottles, related.

I'm using the business concept known by it's abbreviation "MBWA" - Management By Wandering Around. Walk the isles for sales of all types of stuff you use - and packaged for emergency operations.

Personally, as per my medical diet and like 'em, I have buchu plastic containers of tree nuts. Ultra healthy; excellent for prostrate maintenance.. Also personally, an extra gear-driven can opener. The P-38 for a 20 year old: super. Otherwise, don't get caught up like me and I had to fetch a slip joint pliers to open a plastic bottle of water. (Place with scissors used for food stuff)

 

Got enough rice and beans? Spam?

 

I have a lot of canned spam and those little canned hams. Add that to a pot of rice and beans and it really boosts it. I also raise a lot of peppers. There was a reason that Columbus was willing to take a chance of sailing off the edge of the world in hopes of finding a shortcut to the spices from the Far East. When you have a limited selection of foodstuffs the ability to hide the taste of partially spoiled food and to make bland foods have more taste made spices worth their weight in gold.

In most places, the food of the poor of that nation will often be extremely spicy. With all that said, you need a lot of spices. I used to buy black pepper in one-gallon commercial cans. My family used to buy crab boil spics in powder form in 5-gallon buckets. ( When I lived on the coast we bought shrimp 50 pounds at a time right off the shrimp boats and ate them as a staple meat, boiled, fried, gumbo, creole, bisk shrimp salad etc.

You can not have too much salt and pepper. I also consider Louisiana Hot Sause a staple and have gallons of it around the house and have raised chili peppers and tobacco pepper and made my own a few times. Garlic, onions. peppers, coriander, oregano, mints and all sorts of other spice type plants should be in your garden. I also stock a huge seed supply of things that I don't normally grow for a possible time when I will need more variety.

 

What ?! Texas Pete brand replaced by Louisiana Hot Sauce ?!

Blasphemy !

Good afternoon TexDanm,

I'm on the lookout for a cook willing to get a place to shelter if he/she/it can prepare freshly grated horse radish. I have a hunch will be relying, at best, on red hot pepper sprinkles usually used for pizza and course ground pepper.

About 20 years prior to the 3 ship fleet of 1492, Columbus was cartographer on an exploration voyage of a Danish-Portuguese vessel. They discovered what we now know as Baffin Island, Canada. They did the "island-hopping" route so they were "relatively" safe. This was confirmed by Thor H --- the Kon Tiki oceanographer. When Columbus left Palos, Spain in 1492, ~ 95 % thought the earth was flat with ~ 5% knowing it was round.

The famous "Spice Islands" believe the Mulaccas (spelling) is in Indonesia, our Varuna's area of operations.

 

Actually Louisianna Hot Sauce is made out of special hand-picked Tobasco peppers. It is good but I prefer hot suace made out of red cayenne peppers. Cayenne peppers have more bite. Garlic, horseradish, peppers will allow you to make the bland things into culinary treats. Grits as they are, have almost no real taste but add some salt and fresh grated garlic to it and it is a different thing. I plan of growing a lot of corn, beans, peas and squashes. With the spices and meat from whatever I can kill will cover me as far as food. The great thing about the corn peas and beans is that if you dry them they last almost forever stored. Part of my always have supplies are 50 pound bags of corn. I can eat it. I can trap pigs and feed it to them and then eat them. I can make cornmeal and hominy from it. Where I live they sell deer corn at the convenience stores. It is dirt cheap and keeps well. It is just dry shelled field corn.

 

I would prepare to be able to withstand a minimum 2 week quarantine. Can you and your family stay in your house with no outside contact for at least two weeks? Food, water, toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, OTC meds etc.), household disinfectants, trash bags. I would get extra vitamins, especially Vitamin C. Lysol. Hand soap, and sanitizer. Toilet paper.

You can get face masks if you choose. The masks will not protect you from the virus, but they will keep you from touching your face. That appears to be one of the primary ways the virus spreads. You touch something that is infected, then touch your face around your nose or mouth, and ingest it without even knowing. Anything else you can think of that would help in a quarantine situation.

 

I don't consider it eminent enough to supply for the virus yet . But if I do high on my list would be crime scene type tape and sign making material to warn people not to approach my retreat as I may impose self quarantine to prevent the virus from effecting my household . As I live in a wooded site , I would only have to step out my door to gather wild game or stroll down to the spring for water .

 

Morgan suggests two weeks minimum supplies. While that is a start, and better than nothing, I'd suggest 3 months and work up from there. If hunkering down becomes your plan the disease will not have blown through in a couple weeks. Then agin, trying to keep my wife out of the public for two weeks would be monumental.

 

It is mundane but if I might be hunkering down there are a few things that I want to stock up on that didn't come to mind at first.
1. Toilet paper!!!
2. Coffee & Tea (Gotta have it or I'm not very nice in the morning.)
3. Extra propane for the grill and heaters in case we lose power.
4. Extra medicines both OTC and prescription.
5. Disinfectant spray and sanitizer.
6. Disposable gloves & N-95 masks

Even if you are in hiding you may get deliveries and the mail, UPS, FedX carriers might have something that you don't want besides junk mail.

 

I just ordered my quarantine tape . I decided to go ahead and get it before there is a run on it , making it hard to get or expensive to get . That ploy wouldn't work with a lot of people being packed house to house but I live fairly isolated and that would be my tactic . I wouldn't even have to venture out into the public sector for years if need be .

 

I agree with @Caribou 's first: more.