Most overlooked thing in prepping…
Posted by Bad_Corsair@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 169 comments
I have been a prepper for a while now and the most overlooked thing I have seen about prepping is: Spices!!! Is great that you are storing your rice and beans, that you have your water and your guns and Bullets, but at the end of the day it comes down to basics and when you are cooking food to make you feel better after a day of hardship, bland food is not what one has in mind! I have seen first hand how demoralizing it can be to eat food with no flavor, so I strongly recommend that you also consider adding spices to your preps. Things like Garlic, cumin, ginger, cayenne or chili powders, oregano, Tabasco, onion, beef and chicken bouillon, soy sauce, vinegar, dried mustard and any kind of herbs on top of your salt and pepper will make your life on a stressful situation way much better when you are cooking than just plain food.
CubicalQueen@reddit
A simple compass — but I personally get lost very easily
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Compass should be one of the top items one should have. I recommend you watch some videos on navigation on YouTube, you will find how easy it is to use one.
CubicalQueen@reddit
That’s a good idea. I do need to better understand my compass
CubicalQueen@reddit
Clear safety goggles in case there’s a wind incident. Eye protection is key
CillyKat@reddit
Thank you!! We have a half a dozen of these from our kids’ boy scouting days… for some reason I never wanted to get rid of them even though I am constantly purging junk.
CubicalQueen@reddit
I’m glad you kept them!! They’re oddly handy!!
factory-worker@reddit
Hot and soy sauce don't really go bad.
CreasingUnicorn@reddit
Salt and honey also last forever.
Dried peppercorns also have a shelf life measured in decades, they just loose a bit of potency after a few years.
Apesma69@reddit
I've had honey go bad. It hardens and crystallizes. Doesn't take that long, either. A few months.
DustyKnives@reddit
A few minutes in the microwave or sitting in hot water will bring it back to the liquid state. It never went bad, it just changed.
rainbowkey@reddit
I like the crunch of crystalized honey. It's the honey equivalent of crunchy peanut butter.
LordofPvE@reddit
Literally tasted some honey that crystallized in the winter and it's so good
SoDone317@reddit
A new life goal for me. I’m totally doing this.
PlantoneOG@reddit
I strongly suggest you try a peanut butter and honey sandwich with crunchy peanut butter and crystallized honey. Life changing.
SoDone317@reddit
It’s on the bucket list!
ravensdryad@reddit
Lololol you can still eat that honey!! It’s my favorite texture actually! Just use a spoon honey literally can’t spoil
CreasingUnicorn@reddit
If you just warm it up again its good to go, crystalized honey is just a state change, nothing is wrong with it.
Wash8760@reddit
As DustyKnives said, it didn't go bad, it just changed. Honey is usually sold in liquid form, but can crystalize easily with time, especially in colder conditions. Nothing about the quality of the honey changed, just the shape it's in. A warm water bath will melt the crystalized honey back to liquid. You don't need to do that to use it safely though. Often honey is also sold in crème variant, which is crystalized honey blended to be not one solid block, but not fully liquid either. Some people prefer it like that.
factory-worker@reddit
You guys are making me hungry.
TargetOfPerpetuity@reddit
These pretzels are making me thirsty!
funke75@reddit
Vinegar lasts pretty much forever too
adam3vergreen@reddit
Functions as a cleaning agent too
jjensen538@reddit
I keep2 gallons of hot sauce in my dry storage area and cycle through it, when I run out.
factory-worker@reddit
I like the way you think!
account_not_valid@reddit
Every fortnight.
Fn_Spaghetti_Monster@reddit
Hot sauces can and do go bad. They can get mold etc. The more vinegar a hot sauce has, the longer it last, so something like Tabasco is going to last longer than Sriracha. They have shelf lives in years, especially if unopened, but to say the don't go bad is not really true.
Glad_Lychee_180@reddit
Does this go for Tabasco sauce too?
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Correct!!
VitalRMS@reddit
Agreed, Lot's of Kosher salt and black pepper too.
PixiePower65@reddit
I would add flavored vinegars. Nice n sweet can even be a great mixer w alcohol. Ex peach, raspberry, lemon
roxannegrant@reddit
LOVE flavored balsamic on salad and marinating meats.
CillyKat@reddit
I have truly never heard of this. Balsamic, Red wine & white wine but that’s about it. We actually have an olive and vinegar store near us.
PixiePower65@reddit
It’s so fun. Ours bills themselves as “ the other side of the grape. “.
Cranberry pear my favorite combo. Mix with olive oil. My whole family suddenly in love w salad.
But she use lemon infused in water and this store has some sweeter options you mix with seltzer and ( tequila). Ex pineapple coconut.
I cook with lemon and raspberry ( chicken and pasta dishes. ) crazy good!
Open-Attention-8286@reddit
They can also be made from alcohol fairly easily.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
I need to look into this!
PixiePower65@reddit
And they don’t raise blood sugar so Great for diabetics. Key is to Use high end vinegars. Like from an olive oil and vinegar store.
Sone have tastings and an environment similar to wine tastings
They Don’t go bad !
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the tip!
No-Nose-9468@reddit
Sorry if someone mentioned it already, but sugar doesn't go bad either. You need to keep it dry (and keep the bugs out), but sugar actually inhibits bacteria. The Israeli military has used it as an anti-bacterial and for wound debridement, though it's not a first-line therapy. Ditto for honey (including wound treatment), but you need processed honey to avoid possible contaminants. Honey doesn't go bad, though.
Ingawolfie@reddit
Military MREs contain small bottles of hot sauce for just this reason.
No-Nose-9468@reddit
Only some of the MREs have the hot sauce. They expect you to share with others.
romeodelta1178@reddit
My newest addition was a couple bottles of caffeine pills
Frugal_Father@reddit
“Power over spice is power over all”
dglaw@reddit
Spices re a solid prep, but remember that priorities would change in a SHRF situation. Just having the rice and beans may be enough to keep you happy. Let's not forget about basic construction and repair skills. I see this seldom spoken on and could be a life saver. Everything from basic plumbing, structures, electrical, to underground and analog refrigeration.
Freebirde777@reddit
Unless you have a larger greenhouse, most places you cannot grow peppercorns, but you can grow peppers. Bay laurel and some types of rosemary are hardy and can be grown a lot of places. Excess fruit and grains can be made into vinegar with the right skillset and equipment. Most herbs grow well in pots and some like mints are safer to grow in pots because they will take over a garden. A solar dehydrator and coffee grinder are good for processing spices.
Dried and fresh herbs and spices make good trade items that does not tell others about your level of supplies in other areas.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
This is the way!
HairyAd6483@reddit
I think pest control is way over looked. Without garbage pickup, rodents will be rampant. Ants, roaches also.
account_not_valid@reddit
Rodents are my fall-back food supply.
Freebirde777@reddit
Replace shot with rice in shotgun shells when hunting rodents. Damages less meat and you don't have to pick out shot as you eat.
Live trap them. Meat is fresher when prepared. Fatten them up with marginal grains. Breeding stock and can be raised in small area.
account_not_valid@reddit
Rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice. Can be raised in confined spaces, fed on leftovers or plants locally grown. Quick to breed, relatively easy to maintain.
For birds, you need more space. Pigeons are good as a source of eggs and meat, and they'll free-range. Quail for smaller places, chooks if you've got the room.
Substantial-Basis179@reddit
Yooor telling me dis is a rat burger?
La-Belle-Gigi@reddit
beaming Sí, señor!
Careful_Fox3449@reddit
Ratwurst
account_not_valid@reddit
In the Wurst Käse situation, sure.
SharkStomper@reddit
My cats gotta eat...
HairyAd6483@reddit
As long as you haven't eaten it by then.
La-Belle-Gigi@reddit
Demolition Man has entered the chat
gink-go@reddit
Cats dont eat rats, saw some videos of the Ukraine war that show it, the Russians keep cats on the frontlines to control small mouse but the cats dont even approach the rats. Dogs are better for that.
Onlyroad4adrifter@reddit
I fucking hate rats. Seen one in my garage over the weekend.
Bobby_Marks3@reddit
When life has been hard through human history:
account_not_valid@reddit
Geese add the function of 3 and partly 2 (guarding property)
nakedonmygoat@reddit
Donkeys are also good livestock guardians, and can pull a cart or be ridden, although one can only do this in a rural area. In a city, you're more likely to get away with having a goose than a donkey.
bad_at_formatting@reddit
I'm such a person for this, I focus on products with long or no expiration dates, preferably powder or dissolvable forms!
Diatomaceous earth, water based dissolvable insecticides, traps for rodents, and most importantly proper long term pest proof food storage (prevention is better than offense!)
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
To some extent you are right but here is the kicker… spices help to keep pests away!! Sprinkle cinnamon or cayenne around your patio, back yard and trash can and they will go away! They can’t stand the smell of it so is not only good for flavoring food but also as a pest repellent.
NickMeAnotherTime@reddit
You are partially right.
First off you need a significant quantity and also need to rotate it regularly.
However, when gardening especially in a perma garden when you have various herbs growing around you can get rid of some bugs and pests.
darthrawr3@reddit
Spices can go bad, they come from plants (except salt) & will steadily deteriorate.
I agree that they are often overlooked---but I think we should be learning to grow, preserve, & save seeds of our own plants as well as keeping a rotating stash.
My vanilla orchid is doing well, & I'm about to start new plants for cumin, parsley, basil, marjoram, etc. Next up is a pepper vine or 3, Ceylon cinnamon, clove, & bay laurel. Seems like you can "bonsai" just about anything with early/steady/somewhat agressive pruning, so I'll keep them just under ceiling height & not too terribly wide
ParasiticLemon@reddit
What growing medium do you have your vanilla in? I ordered one that is going to ship to me soon and have never tried to keep an orchid alive before. I have orchid potting mix but read somewhere else that they also like leca or something pons instead and I'm not sure which will actually work. The black pepper plant n stevia coming with it will need other mediums but I'm more worried about that vine :/
darthrawr3@reddit
It's in 1part each potting soil, vermiculite, perlite, & Black Cow compost with 2 parts coconut coir. It's doing OK, but I haven't repotted it in a while or fertilized it very often. Still, basically neglect (I have multiple chronic health issues) has let it grow several feet so actual attention would likely get you flowers to hand pollinate in a year or so. There are several videos on YouTube showing how to habd pollinate & trellis them
ParasiticLemon@reddit
Thank you! I am the queen of plant neglect (every plant my mom ever gave me she named goner n stopped sending them after goner #7 died)... so thats comforting. I've been watching some of those videos and my moss pole things just arrived yesterday. I will definitely check out the hand pollination ones.
Open-Attention-8286@reddit
Came here to say this. Some spices are easier to grow than others, so it's best to practice growing them now. That way you can identify the exact varieties that work best for your needs.
I have a patch of oregano on my land that grows so well, it actually out-competes the weeds. It's spread into one of my berry patches, and the two seem quite happy together. Companion planting charts say they shouldn't get along, but they don't care.
wtfeva@reddit
I strongly agree. Also, many spices can also have medicinal value, so you'll get more benefit than just added flavor from those you're growing.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Love this!
Hot_Annual6360@reddit
Anti-fragment sheets on glass and mallet or jack for doors
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
would you care to expand on these two items please?
WildernessBarbie@reddit
I would agree with this. I’m a foodie so it’s a given for me but virtually every time I’ve gone camping, even with seasoned (ha!) pros, I’m usually the only one who brings seasonings beyond salt/pepper.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
I can’t fathom food without any type of seasoning
WildernessBarbie@reddit
Right‽‽‽
First time I went camping on my own was in high school with mostly guys & they brought MREs to be “manly” and I had frozen steaks, bacon, eggs, stew, hot dogs, salmon, herbs etc that I just plopped in the glacier melt stream to keep cold & thaw. Also had butter, olive oil & all the seasonings.
They caved pretty quickly.
That, and the time I stabbed a wild boar with a nail file, are what led to my nickname/profile name here!
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Damn! That’s awesome!!!
Darmok_at_Kalamazoo@reddit
Butter. I'm stocking up.
VegaStyles@reddit
We grow quite a bit of spice. And herbs too. Last year i added pineapple mint into the fray. Cant get enough of it with lemonade. Or just plain water and PM. Shits addicting.
FlashyImprovement5@reddit
I grow many of my own spices and herbs.
treycartier91@reddit
Exercise before SHTF.
shakebakelizard@reddit
I’m kind of already used to not really eating a lot of spices. However the price of spices could skyrocket in an international crisis. Pepper for example is only affordable in the US because of international shipping.
Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit
Also, frozen juice concentrate. Great way to make marinades and create glazes.
Another idea that came to me was pie filling. Sure it isnt great for you but sweet, tasty and fruit that stays shelf stable for awhile.
💚🍍💛
steelheadradiopizza@reddit
Salt pepper garlic all day. If you only had 3 spices.. that would probably have to be it.
steelheadradiopizza@reddit
Good point friend!
WildernessBarbie@reddit
This is a concept that I came upon recently… everyone has their own skills sets & generally targets their own preparation towards their skill sets, leaving critical blind spots.
Like, I grew up in earthquake country, with drills & full day scenarios at school & work that we practiced with… avoiding downed power lines, first aid, gas shut off, what supplies to have on hand.
Not once did ANYONE mention that help may not arrive for many hours or even days, so this is the equipment we needed to have on hand to help get people out of collapsed buildings safely.
IngenuityVegetable81@reddit
Physical fitness
Virginia_Hall@reddit
Good observation. Do note that many spices come from outside the US.
Kerensky97@reddit
I remember this from a survival class long ago. One of the key things to have in a survival kit is dried chicken bouillon cubes. Because if you're scavenging for food and all you find is a wealth of protein rich beetle grubs and crickets, you want to make sure that you don't immediately throw them back up because they're so gross.
Have some spices to hide the potentially nasty flavor of whatever survival sustenance you find in the wilderness. Because it's not all going to be sweet berries and juicy elk steaks.
Hot_Smoke_Red@reddit
Wars were fought and millions have died over spices back in the day so I understand why this is such an important thing. Saffron, nutmeg, and black pepper were indeed often worth more than gold, especially in Europe and the Middle East in the past.
b00benjoyr@reddit
The most overlooked thing is health and fitness. Without a doctor or prescription medication so many will wither away. You have to fix your body before all else
DirectorBiggs@reddit
I'm a homesteader prepper and OP could not be further from correct, this is a bullshit trope that seems to be stated every month or so on these subs.
I guess I'll be the rich one with all the garlic, spices, medicinals and ammo. I already feel wealthy in my health, options and activities, so yeah. I'm prepped already with multiple gardens and orchards and critters.
TheLostExpedition@reddit
Mustard is shelf stable , pickles, salt is a rock .... no one finds it odd that we eat only one rock and the rest of our sustenance is vegetables, animals, fungus, and bacteria?
Melkor7410@reddit
We require many minerals though, not just salt. Iron, magnesium, copper, etc. Of course those are much lower concentrations but we definitely do consume other "rocks."
nakedonmygoat@reddit
Not all salt comes from rocks, though. You can also get it from the ocean, just by setting out a pan of water and letting the water evaporate. Back in historical times, this was a thriving business in coastal towns.
RossCollinsRDT@reddit
life first popped up in salt water. My guess is that has something to do with it.
Bobby_Marks3@reddit
Mustand is a plant that grows like a weed, is somewhat frost hardy, and is on par with kale and other micronutrient-dense greens. Everyone should just grow it, even the leaves have enough flavor to season meals.
Open-Attention-8286@reddit
I have seen recipes that involved limestone, which is also a rock.
TheCerealFiend@reddit
totally get what you mean but sodium is crucial for cells to function. It's pretty much anything fluids/electrical guidance system.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
We are mammals and even mammals in the wild require salt licks
User132134@reddit
Spices are great for late-game bartering. Seeds and medicine would also be good.
highapplepie@reddit
One of the things I thought about today was the boredom that would hit. I looked at puzzles because I thought maybe I could find one that I wouldn’t mind doing over and over again. During my search I saw a puzzle that when finished showed a collection of various wildflowers and their names. That made me wonder if there was one for plants that would be useful in foraging/ medicine. Sure enough there was a puzzle that showed wild plants and what its benefits were. I thought it would be really practical and a good way to indirectly learn what the plants look like while completing the puzzle. There was also multiple on wild Mushrooms if that’s your thing!
nakedonmygoat@reddit
I've been through many multi-day power outages, including one that lasted a week where the internet didn't come back for two weeks. (A tree fell during a hurricane and destroyed the pole.) Here are my recommendations:
meatshieldjim@reddit
Yeah I occupied myself with a medicinal plant book for weeks once I was laid up.
OttoOnTheFlippside@reddit
When my family all moved back home to take care of my dad way out in the country, the three of us became unemployed. We used the free time to acquire and learn a myriad of games. A set of cards and 6 dice can go a lot way in helping turn an uneventful boring day, night, week, fortnight, into a tolerable existence.
And that was with our modern luxuries of tv and computer games.
tl:dr of it is in my everyone should have some games to play.
Consistent-Fig7083@reddit
Sure that sounds like a good idea until you run out of food and your only hope for survival is finishing that puzzle😜
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
That’s actually pretty good! Love it!
Traditional_Neat_387@reddit
I personally think actual training is overlooked I guarantee 75% of the self proclaimed preppers that focus on guns and ammo and tactical stuff over anything else have very limited to no actual training, I’ll use myself as a example I’ve always been a good rifle shooter but shot pistol very limited growing up, I though I was shooting okay for pistol for the first time, I got some pointers from a instructor and within 30 minutes I was shooting 5x better off the rip. I’m not gonna endorse anyone in this comment and I’ve had good and bad instructors (not so much bad). Like I don’t see the logic in spending 1000s on a SHTF loadout and not getting trained by professionals on how to maximize your skills with it. YOUTUBE ISNT A TEACHER PEOPLE, odds are if you are self taught I’d say 95% that are have huge skill problems in key areas and they don’t even realize it
saturn-peaches@reddit
I love to cook all different kinds of food, so before I even started prepping I was already very equipped in the spice department. My husband and I always say how rich we would be with our spice cabinet a few hundred years ago lol
ARGirlLOL@reddit
I’ve never understood this preoccupation with spices when it comes to prepping. Anyone have a situation other than nuclear holocaust where the spices a person had on hand + what can be grown + what will be scavenged from houses, stores, restaurants wouldn’t last a lifetime?
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
By that same logic, a nuclear blast will erase a significant area of a city if deployed in it so scavenging will be a no go due to radiation. I have been in a couple of hurricanes were we had no power and I was low on spices( oregano, cumin, garlic) and trying to flavor food for my family was challenging! The kids didn’t like it and it didn’t taste like normal food and in situations like that you want to keep as close to normal as one can possibly can
ARGirlLOL@reddit
^other than nuclear holocaust I said and the idea that someone lived through not one, but two hurricanes where they were in dire need of cumin sounds like lie that came out too fast to consider how ludicrous it would be for others to believe. That being said, hurricanes last for hours and in the event your parsley emergency actually happened, one imagines an otherwise prepped person would have the capacity to trade some ice for oregano.
Urantian6250@reddit
The AFTERMATH of hurricanes often last for many weeks ( if not months). I live in South Florida and can personally tell you about Hurricane Wilma.
2-3 weeks without power or trustworthy potable water. Hard to drive around because it took out blocks worth of wooden telephone ( cable and power) poles.
ARGirlLOL@reddit
Exactly. That’s why herbs are just about the last prepping item I can think of stocking up on other than having a mostly full container of each thing you use more than once a week for just rationality’s sake, a neighbor would be happy to lend me some, especially since I had accomplished such other preps that I can share as I decide to with them, or a neighbor would have evacuated their home and since I’d reached my comfort-level’s edge of post-hurricane misery I would walk in their damaged home and take some allspice. For my family’s wellbeing. Give me a break.
Urantian6250@reddit
So we e gone from ‘nobody believes you ran out of spices’ to ‘ I can swap some preps for them when I need them’ .
Am I hearing you correctly?
ARGirlLOL@reddit
There’s a whole chain of replies. You’d have to read it.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Ok, you do you! 🤷🏻♂️
Sweet_Sally_Sparrow@reddit
I agree. That's why I have rosemary, parsley, and basil growing on my kitchen windowsill. I want to do sage and coriander next.
nunyabizz62@reddit
I got tons of spices all in mason jars. Lots of sauces. Easily enough for a couple years
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
That’s awesome! 👏🏼👏🏼
Rich_Energy_9999@reddit
Can’t forget all your favorite Tea! Ready to go in packets or learn to grow like everyone is saying , Spices make up alot of teas with your fav plants
Creative_Map_5978@reddit
"The art of eating through the zombie apocalypse" by Lauren Wilson is a great prepper book in general, it teaches you how to dress and cook animals, how to put together a "cooking B.O.B" that includes spices and lots of other important stuff. It's definitely worth a read
Nearby_Ad5200@reddit
I keep lots of spices, grow some, and keep lots of condiments too! All that boring rice n beans need lots of added flavors to change it up. ;)
77OCD77@reddit
Agreed! I actually just got some bacon bits to help flavor up my Tuesday rice n beans. :) my next step is to grow some spices.
wirelessnetizen@reddit
Popeye's Cajun Sparkle packets FTW! Never leave home without it!
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
What!?!? How come I never heard of this before? I hat kind of wizardry is this?
Cold-Call-8374@reddit
If your pantry/storage space is limited, go for blends. I'm doing garam masala for curry, taco seasoning for chili, and Cajun seasoning for red beans and rice. And Italian herbs for pasta sauce and soup. Plus some basics like garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper, etc. As always, get stuff you use already and rotate front to back so your stuff stays fresh. Especially herbs and spices.
Also something I'm stocking is cans of coconut milk for curry, coconut soup, and coconut rice. Just to get a little variety in the mix and shake up a potential slog of samey food.
Low-Wrangler9740@reddit
I know this sounds funny but i feel another overlooked thing would be tobacco. Even if you don't smoke it makes a great barter and help someone else who is also down.
ReactionAble7945@reddit
If you go to sam's club you can buy enough black pepper, red pepper, ... to last you a long time. Having done this before...
After a while the spices change.
Black pepper looses it's spice in around 10 years. So, if you LOVE you come Black Pepper and want to store it deep in your preps you better be growing it.
Red pepper flakes like you used to find at Pizza hut will gain spice.
My Cajun mix looses it zip in 10 years.
I keep saying I will grow all the components, but honestly it will be hard. I think there is something to be said about growing the components you can in your climate.
I have onions to plant. I want to have land enough to grow garlic (to supplement the wild garlic and onions). I have grown red and bell peppers in the past.
I guess the other note is SALT. You must store salt as it is hard to come by. In Roman times, the amount of salt you could mine in a day was worth as much as a day of gold you could mine in a day. Roman soldiers fighting in foreign lands were paid in salt because it could be traded to the uncivilized people for more than gold could be. The only substitute is taking the blood from animals and that is because the animals get salt from plants and ...
Now, if you live in walking distance to the ocean, things are a little different, you have options.
DanoPinyon@reddit
Only if you live in the tropics in the Indian Ocean. Otherwise, just buy some and expect to store it for 5 years plus.
And I don't know what 'looses' means in the context of spice, but 10 years of preps in the year 2025 is doing very, very, well
ReactionAble7945@reddit
Well, lets make it easier. If you buy a thing of black pepper for $5 at sams. Unless you run a restaurant, you will not run out of it. But it will taste like you are adding sand to your eggs. No flavor.
If you go to a restaurant, which has been open for more than 10 year and has a pepper shaker on the table, take 1. Dump off the top inch. The bottom will have been there for multiple years... probably since the restaurant opened. So, it will be dead, no zip.
Heck, challenge a "friend" to take a big spoon of black pepper, you from your restaurant stash and them from some FRESH. You will see the difference in their eyes.
While I am thinking about it....
If you want a continuous rotation of all the black pepper and catsup and ...
Start going to fast food places and order out.
You can grab some black pepper every time you are there and put it in rotation.
Catsup will last at least 3 years, but by 10 it starts changing color. I never wanted to taste it after it started changing color.
Sugar, salt never goes bad, so that is where I started grabbing the small containers for camping.
The Chinese place I used to frequent was ok with me grabbing a handful of duck sauce and hot mustard with spring rolls. Both are only good for 1-2 years.
Coghlan's Camp Spice Shakers, are a great invention for when you are cooking for others, but with spices expiring be sure to get a NEW one.
>>>>>
And for the black, I think it last longer when I don't buy pre-ground.
DanoPinyon@reddit
I began by pointing out that Royal 'We' cannot grow our own black pepper. If you want your own spices that are grown in the tropics in the Indian Ocean, you cannot grow them in Minnesota, NoDak, Iowa, or Texas. You cannot grow them. Because you cannot grow them, you have to store them. Therefore you must store them.
If you are hermetically sealing spices for 10 years down the line, you may have some spices 10 years down the line that are no longer good, and you'll have to deal with it. Maybe there will be some plants left growing by the crumbling roadsides and crumbling building foundations that can be used to flavor freeze dried meals.
ReactionAble7945@reddit
I agree to an extent. And everyone's SHTF is different.
And while I can't grow BP where I live outside there are options.
https://coleandmasonusa.com/blogs/seasoning/how-to-grow-your-own-black-peppercorn-plant#:\~:text=The%20seeds%20need%20to%20be,to%20your%20house%20or%20garden.
There are options.
I don't like the idea of storing something that will run out. There are those things I eat now which will run out and that is understood.
But in the same way, I don't want to store 4#s of black pepper just to have it go bad.
I am more the have a plan to change out and grow stuff, forage stuff....
I can grow mustard and I am, but I will eat the greens.
I can grow mint.
I can grow red pepper.
I can forage, onion and garlic and ...
DanoPinyon@reddit
OK. Grow black pepper. Good luck.
Strider_guy@reddit
Pet food
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
You are right sir!
Bobby_Marks3@reddit
If you have reliable fuel access, the easiest flavor comes from perpetual stew. Just don't stop cooking it. Get a huge pot, keep it warm. Throw in anything you can scrap up from outside and slow cook it to tastiness. In all seriousness, you can give a soup a hit of fat/protein flavor before bed with a couple of fine-chopped slugs, and by the time you're ready to eat breakfast it'll just taste like bacon or ground beef went in.
Salt is so cheap and easy to store, everyone should have 20+ pounds.
Lastly, two notes about growing flavor:
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Great advice! Thank you!
PrizedMaintenance420@reddit
What if you get sick? Are you taking something to insure you don't get sick while bugging out. What is your plan if things are not going to plan?
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Yes, I have several comprehensive first aid kits with trauma additions and medication for most common things
lonster1961@reddit
Salt is dirt cheap and will store forever. Other basic spices are reasonable and can last. Don’t overlook honey.
NopeRope13@reddit
For me it’s salt as it’s a vital nutrient. I’m not worried about flavor as hunger creates flavor
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
That’s an interesting take… I need to mull on it 🤔
AceInTheX@reddit
Fitness. The most effective prep one can make.
henicorina@reddit
I honestly feel like a lot of the people hoarding rice and beans have never actually cooked or eaten them.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
I sadly have to agree to this
throwaway281409@reddit
I thought about splices awhile back. I started picking up spices in bulk at Costco. I figure they would make good trade stock, or the tariffs will drive prices up and I’ll have them in stock.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Tariffs are about to make a lot of things expensive especially Spices!! So, good call on that!
Patmorris89@reddit
intermittent fasting?
Urantian6250@reddit
I have tons of spices from Costco. Not sure how long they last sealed and in the AC.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
I am sure they can last a while but you have to use them
wpbth@reddit
It’s actually organization
Shadow_beats@reddit
Spices Feminine supplies Tobacco products Grain alcohol Board games or table games
Spices in food can be the best morale booster in the world sometimes. If you’ve got women in your life menstrual cycles don’t stop during disaster situations. Tobacco products are an amazing barter tool Cause nicotine addiction is seriously no joke. Grain alcohol is insanely useful if you know to use it, also alcohol as a bartering tool is also no joke. Table games are also such an insane morale booster that it can turn a totally shit day into something bearable.
I buy spices in bulk at places like Ollie’s, Walmart rollback etc. I also stock up extra pads and such every time my wife gets her period so that way it’s stocked up monthly as a normal expense for the most part. I’ve bought some bulk bags of cigarette tobacco that I’ve vacuum sealed with O2 absorbers for fairly cheap that will store awhile longer than some cigarettes stuck in a closet somewhere. I also have several bottles of shitty gem clear that you can get for cheap at your local liquor store and a few times a month me and the wife will drop in to the local goodwill and snag up old board games and puzzles and stuff to toss in a closet for a few dollars a piece. That way on the dullest day you still have something to do!
No-Peak6384@reddit
Tabasco, at its best, tastes like a hot sauce I found 10 years after the apocalypse. But you're right. Save some flavor. Not just spicy, rancid, vinegar
SetNo8186@reddit
I would have said water. How many have 10,000 gallons on hand?
We just opened the pool and it's now sparkling clear. We've had to use it as a non potable source for flushing toilets, bucket baths, watering dry gardens, etc. Went a week without power but plenty of water got us by.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Geez! Where was this ?
Comfortable_Guide622@reddit
Yes, I agree. I’ve bought black pepper because I use it daily. Figure out what spices you use and like and get three times what you think you need.
Standard-Smile-4204@reddit
I stock up on jars of salsa for this purpose too. Salsa has a ton of flavor. Garlic, onion, peppers, etc. and tastes great mixed with canned chicken on a tortilla or with rice
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Add them to a bean or a chicken soup and you will discover a new galaxy of flavors! 😋
SharkStomper@reddit
My man, I got 15 pepper plants (hots and super hots) growing in raised beds rn.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Hell yeah!!
daringnovelist@reddit
Yeah. I’d say if you only have room to grow a couple of things in a patio pot or two, grow peppers and garlic.
murzeig@reddit
Spot on. Got honey, loads of salt, and tons of spices that we rotate through or give to the kids (now adults) to take home.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
This is the way!
Alamohermit@reddit
Most people will have spices already on hand in their house if a disaster/emergency hits.
If worried, I recommend getting these for your car or go bag. I keep one in both vehicle and another in my EDC. Comes in handy more often than you'd think.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
Yup! Have it on my bug bag as well! Good call!
Alamohermit@reddit
Mostly comes in handy when hiking and camping. Especially if you fish or hunt for food.
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
I mostly use it for camping but yeah, fishing and hunting is super valid!
Bad_Corsair@reddit (OP)
You are preaching to the choir!! I love this !!