With Y2K quickly approaching, food storage will become a dire matter of necessity. Here is how we address it in the woods of the Upper Peninsula.

Food storage is my favorite subject! It feels like I've been doing it all my life. As a young newlywed and mother, I tried my best to give my family the most for the least cost. That often involved buying in bulk and/or on sale and storing what wasn't going to be immediately consumed. Sound familiar? My purpose for food storage now is much more defined - survival.

Does that sound extreme? Not to me. Our winters here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are long and snowy. Our snow totals for the past three years were 263, 278 and 186 inches for an average of over 20 feet per winter. We live two miles from the nearest dirt road. That's a lot to plow, so we are snowed in. It's not that big an issue, since neither of us works outside the home. We park the Jeep on the road and snowshoe out to it when we have to go to town.

We have to make sure that we have enough supplies in November to last until May. Granted, there are a few things we bring in, like fresh greens, but we have everything we need. Most of what we keep on hand will last a lot longer than six months. Necessity is how we got started on our intensive food storage plan.

Here are a few things to consider along with suggestions based on our experience.

Inventory: How did I know what to store? I didn't. I guessed the first year, then I took an inventory on Nov. 1. Afterwards, I kept track of everything that was added to the supplies, then I took a second inventory on May 1. That gave me a pretty good idea of what we used over a six-month period. It's simple, and you have to start somewhere. I have sample inventory sheets available. Send an SASE to P.O. Box 151, Big Bay, MI 49808.

Date everything. I keep a heavy marker on the shelf closest to where I unload groceries. Just the month and year are needed. It will take a few extra minutes to date those 12 cans of evaporated milk, but you'll know which ones to use first. You can see at a glance what is and isn't being used and what to rotate.

A glimpse of Deborah’s food storage area. When you get 20 feet of snow a winter and live two miles from a road, you don’t rely on supermarkets to store food for you!

Space: Allocate storage areas for both food and other necessities. Ours is 250 square feet in the basement. We have 12 shelf units, six feet high with five shelves each. Shelves can be removed to provide space for larger items. I also use thin wooden separators to make it easier and more stable for storage of glass canning jars. The very top shelves are used for storing seldom-used items such as canning kettles, food presses, the manual apple corer and cherry pitter, empty jars, blankets and seasonal clothes.

It makes sense to keep the vegetables in one spot, fruits and jams together, with meat and soups in their own place. This also makes taking inventory much easier. It rarely takes more than half an hour to complete either the spring or fall inventories.

Everyone knows what they like and what they want to have on hand, but there is a need for deeper thinking. Knowing we may not get out of the woods for weeks at a time has really helped us realize what is most important for our food storage. I have a penchant for Caesar salads, so I store one tube of anchovy paste per month. We both like turkey, so I buy several when it is on sale and spend the next three days cooking and canning meat and broth.

Flour is stored in a mouse-proof galvanized trash can, double-lined with heavy galvanized trash bags. Even though our basement tends to be damp, we've never had a moisture or bug problem. Sugar is stored in a five-gallon bucket with an airtight Gamma Seal on it. We use Gamma Seals for rice, salt, pasta, dry beans, brown rice and powdered milk. One basket is filled with this year's potatoes. I store garlic in oil-filled jars. The bulbs last for an entire year, and the oil is marvelous to use!

Food storage suggestions

If food storage is new to you, here are some items that you might want to buy in bulk and keep on hand: flour, sugar, salt, yeast, rice, baking soda, dry milk, dry beans, bouillon, oil, shortening, lemon juice, coffee, tea, soups, canned meats, fish and poultry, vegetables, fruits, spices and herbs. How much you store depends on your own situation, but come Y2K, our current supplies will be tripled.

Gardens will become a prime source for food storage and preservation. I keep literally dozens of extra boxes of canning seals (dated, of course) in an airtight box. Jelly wax can be reused, and it saves seals. Allow some space for open pollinated seeds.

We may need to adopt new ways of eating and cooking in the future. You might be able to grow your own wheat and make flour, but where are you going to get vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg? How about pepper and salt? All of these items except salt were considered to be exotic spices not so long ago, since they came from Asia. Ask yourself what you need to make your favorite dishes or to stay happy, and stock up accordingly.

Since we live off the grid (we have solar), we can everything and don't store food in a freezer, but that's something else you can do. That isn't a long-term solution, since who knows if there will even be a grid in 2000? Meat procured in the winter can be stored outside in an animal-safe box.

Personal items

What about the "other things," those often neglected necessities? Are they really necessities? Do you need them, or just want them? It's your attitude towards them that counts.

You might run out of dish soap, bar soap, laundry detergent, tissue, deodorant, shampoo, razor blades, toothpaste, toothbrushes, Vaseline, floss, talc and hand cream, but you'll make do. If you don't want to run out, store enough to have until you learn how to make your own. Make a list of what you really need to have and things you want to have. Figure out the cost and get things on sale. I might buy a dozen deodorants or 20 tubes of toothpaste at once. I incur strange looks from the cashiers, but I don't care.

If you have lamps, how many extra wicks and how much kerosene do you need? Even if you don't use them all, wicks will last a long time, and they make good barter items. Don't forget extra glass globes. What about matches? That's another good barter item.

You'll want to have an extra gasket or two for your wood stove. If you live in a frigid climate, snowshoes and extra rawhide are a must. This is the time to acquire extra thread, fabric, needles and other sewing items. We will be putting in extra sausage and wine making supplies. How about a honing stone? Make a list.

Since our boys are grown, we stockpile for just the two of us. If your homestead includes children, everyone involved should be making a list. It could even be turned into a game for the youngsters.

Medical supplies

It takes us an hour to reach the nearest medical facility even during the summer. Will it be in business in 2002?

Our first and foremost line of medical defense is caution. A bad cut could spell disaster, so we are extra, extra cautious with our physical safety. In the three-plus years we have been homesteading, neither one of us has been sick, and we attribute that to our lack of exposure to people who are sick.

Despite that, there are always emergencies to consider. Here's what we keep on hand for worst case scenarios: A good basic first aid book (read it now, because you won't have the time to do it during a real emergency); Band-Aids, bandages, gauze, gauze pads, tape, elastic and butterfly bandages, lots of aspirin (could be your best barter item), peroxide as a disinfectant, tongue depressors for finger splints, eye wash and cup, a magnifying glass, tweezers and needles for wood splinters, arm sling, cold and allergy pills and cough drops. Don't forget vitamins.

Entertainment

Everyone needs this. A plastic storage box could contain things like pens, pencils, paper, drawing materials, games, cards, dice, a journal (we're in for some interesting times!). Paul is a stained glass artist. He stocks up on glass and other materials before the snow flies. Ever try snowshoeing with a sheet of glass? With what he has now, he could stay busy for a long time. I have enough embroidering floss for many projects.

With solar power-charged batteries, we watch videos for entertainment even though we don't have tv reception. We watch movies from the library and trade videos with our neighbors.

Books

You can never have too many books, both for education and entertainment. How-to books will be very important in coming years. Other topics to consider are medicine, herbal medicine and animal anatomy; wild food and plant identification; and repair manuals for any machinery you have.

A delicate subject

Weapons bother some people, while others couldn't care less. We are basically peaceful people. Our philosophy is live and let live, but leave our stuff alone. We hope that whatever weapons we have will be used only for hunting food, but we know that in the coming years of Y2K, there may be a need to defend ourselves and our homestead. Those who have not prepared will try to take from those of us who have prepared. If you have a gun, have plenty of ammunition, and store it in a dry place.

I guess our own storage system covers much more than food.