Looking for an emergency food supply that’s low-cost, easy-to-store, and has amazing nutrition? For a great option that meets all these criteria, look no further than beans! As part of your bulk food supply, they can easily be mixed with a few other ingredients to form complete meals.
Beans as an emergency food
If you have any concerns about social and economic instability, food storage becomes a priority. It gives me real peace of mind to have enough food on hand. But bulk food storage does present a few problems. One is the cost, because who wants to spend a lot of money on something that’s going to sit in storage, maybe never be needed, and eventually expire? I sure don’t, but I still want to have a food supply ready for bad times.
Availability of your chosen food supply is an important consideration. Bulk food storage also requires a food that’s stable enough to store for an extended period without spoiling. It shouldn’t need refrigeration and it should have enough nutritional value to meet your physical needs. Beans meets all these requirements and more.
Early on in my personal journey towards preparedness, I learned the value of beans as a food to have on hand for emergencies. They come in a large variety, are available at a low cost, and they happen to be one of those foods that really satisfy hunger. My wife tends to look at food less from a survival point of view and more from a nutritional point of view. She turned my attention to beans as a good food source years ago. They’re highly nutritious and actually are a great source of protein.
Let’s look more closely at a three reasons why they’re such a good option. These are their low cost, ease of storage, and their value as a good source of nutrition:
Low-cost
For most individuals and families, buying food is one of their biggest monthly expenses. It can be a struggle for many people just to put food on the table, let alone buy some extra to store for an emergency. But as far as cost, beans are one of the most economical options you’ll find. Yes, you can buy them in bulk from various suppliers. I’ve done that in the past. But lately, I tend to look to membership only businesses, like Sam’s Club or Costco for this supply. For example, Sam’s Club offers a 12 pound bag of pinto beans for $9.98, which comes out to $0.83 per pound. Try finding a meat source of protein in that price range! Prefer black beans? Sam’s offers a 12 pound bag for $11.78, still under $1.00 per pound.
Most stores that offer beans in bulk will have similar prices. At the going price per pound, you’ll get a food that is very filling. If in doubt, try eating a pound of cooked beans and you’ll see. Keep in mind that when you are counting on dried beans, they require a little more preparation before consumption, but still not much.
If you prefer a good price with less effort to prepare, you can go with canned beans. I normally prefer non-canned myself because of the lower sodium content, but when you’re facing an emergency, a little extra sodium may not be a concern. For larger families, I recommend something like the 117oz can of Bush’s Original Baked Beans at a price of $7.98 per can. You can buy a few of these, place them in storage, and they’re ready to go when you need them. This will ensure you have multiple meals during a disaster or supply shortage. Of course, if you’re buying canned beans, you’ll have lots of options such as refried beans, black beans, pinto beans, ranch style beans, and the ol’ stand by, baked beans.
Remember that when buying your survival food (or any other supplies for that matter), you want to keep in mind the duration of the emergency you’re preparing for. Some common emergency scenarios in U.S. cities are natural disasters or unexpected water quality issues. These are temporary in nature, are generally resolved quickly, and life soon returns to normal. More recently, however, some cities have experienced incidents of increased crime, social unrest/rioting, or supply chain issues. Terror attacks, such as on the power grid or computer networks, could take longer for the authorities to resolve. The situation will dictate whether you only need emergency supplies for a few days or for a more extended period.
If your primary concern is to prepare for a longer term emergency, consider purchasing the larger bags of dried beans. Walmart offers a 20 pound bag of pinto beans for $14.94. Of course, you can find beans in 25 and 50 pound sacks as well.
Easy-to-store
What I’ve done over the last few years is to buy my beans in a mixture of dried and canned. The canned beans need no special preparation for storage. Some people store the dried beans in glass jars. For dried beans, I found an easy storage solution by buying one or two 5 gallon, food-grade buckets from a place like Lowes. I also bought food-grade storage lids from Amazon, which are designed for use on the 5 gallon buckets. The lids have a good rubber seal for keeping out bugs and moisture.
I ensure to clean the buckets and lids carefully with soap and some diluted bleach (follow the directions on the bottle for your safety) before rinsing them thoroughly and allowing them to completely dry. It’s important that they’re sterile before using them to prevent any contamination to the food. I also like to leave the washed buckets in the sun for a few hours to ensure there is absolutely no moisture left on them before sealing food inside. Any moisture will encourage mold to develop. To further combat moisture/mold, I throw a few of desiccant packets into the buckets before closing them for good measure. The desiccant will absorb any moisture that may remain in the bucket from the air.
As far as where to store your buckets, I have kept them in my garage before without any problem because the beans are already dried and the heat does not destroy them. More recently though, I prefer to keep them in the temperature-controlled interior of my home, like in a closet, to extend their shelf life. Food will always keep better if kept in a consistent temperature, which the garage doesn’t really offer. It can get pretty hot in there over the summer.
If you’re storing canned beans, I also think it’s preferable to store them in a temperature-controlled environment. No need for refrigeration, but the garage may not be best. The canned beans obviously contain liquid so I think they’re more susceptible to damage from the heat. I should add though that I’ve kept canned beans in my garage up until the expiration date with no apparent deterioration.
I’ve stored beans in the above manner for years without issue. However, my wife and I do rotate the supply. We use the older beans for meals, and gradually replace them with a fresh stock. This helps keep costs down and encourages us to eat more healthy meals at home instead of going out. If your main priority is just to have a food supply in an emergency and you find it a hassle to prepare your stored food for meals, you can dispose of your older stockpile in a manner you choose. Just remember to replace it so it’s ready for use. If you have canned goods that are still within their expiration date, you could consider donating them to a local food bank as you rotate your stock. Then you’ll always have a fresh supply while still caring for the needy in your community.
Amazing nutritional value
Finally, let’s not overlook the nutritional value of beans. They’re packed with vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and plant-based protein. I’m mainly concerned with protein and fiber at this point in my life. Protein is crucial to the body and my doctor keeps telling me to get more fiber. The amount of protein in beans rivals that of meat, such as beef and chicken. The following chart offers a quick visual comparison of meat versus beans:
As shown above, 100 grams of beef contains about 26 grams of protein. The same amount of chicken contains about 27 grams. Beans are close behind at about 21 grams of protein. Beans are also well-known for being a high fiber food.
If you’re interested in seeing a comparison of the protein content of various beans, check out beaninstitute.com and myplate.gov.
While I’m on the topic of beans, I should add that some of you are fans of smoked meat and barbeque. I am too. Some of my favorite recipes come from Pit Boys Barbeque, including this recipe that uses your favorite beans (pretty much any beans) to prepare a delicious barbeque baked beans dish. You won’t be disappointed!
