25 Days and 25 Foods. What would you choose in an emergency?

Gaye Levy, Contributing Writer
Activist Post

Let us play a bit of make believe.  You know in advance that you are going to be sheltered in place for 25 days.  Luckily, you will be safe in your own home and drinking water will be plentiful.  Power for cooking will be available, but, alas, there will be no refrigeration.

Also, you must use the pantry supplies on hand because you can not leave and run to the supermarket.  Besides, the supermarket will be closed.

Did I mention that you are only allowed to have 25 different items in your pantry?

25 Days and 25 Foods

You have 25 days in which you must fend for yourself and you are only allowed 25 items in your pantry.

What would you choose?  I thought long and hard about this and here are my choices, in no particular order.

1. Chicken Broth
2. Canned Chicken
3. Dried Spaghetti
4. White Rice
5. Freeze Dried Ground Beef
6. Canned Salsa
7. Canned Tomatoes
8. Dried Beans
9. Canned Corn
10. Peanut Butter
11. Oatmeal
12. Flour
13. Sugar
14. Yeast
15. Canola or Olive Oil
16. Salt
17. Instant Coffee
18. Freeze Dried Mixed Vegetables
19. Powdered Milk
20. Trail Mix
21. Canned Butter
22. Honey
23. Nonni’s Biscotti
24. Kashi Energy and Protein Bars
25. Spice Packets (Chili, Garlic, Pepper, Oregano)

What would I do with these foods?  To begin with, I would make spaghetti with meat sauce, chicken soup, a robust chili, warm oatmeal with fruits, and the pièce de résistance, fresh, homemade bread with butter.

Some of the items are indulgences such as the Kashi Bars and the Biscotti’s (which, by the way, stay fresh for two years or longer).  But all in all, for 25 days myself and my family would eat well as long as I included some kibble for Tucker the Dog.

How about you?  What are the 25 items you would choose?

Gaye Levy, the SurvivalWoman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable, self-reliant and stylish lifestyle through emergency preparation and disaster planning through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. SurvivalWoman speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of mayhem swirling around us.  Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!