7 Kitchen Essentials

Recently by Tess Pennington: 5 Reasons to Read TheSurvivalMomBook

Our preps are our life line. The items we choose should be able to carry us, not only through difficult times, but perhaps through impossible times as well.

There is a reason why our ancestors relied so heavily upon essential kitchen items for their day-to-day survival, and it wasn’t because they wanted to make the best baked goods in the county. The “make due or do without” philosophy transferred into their food sources as well. The answer as to why our ancestors stocked these items is versatility.

The following are a list of essential items that are very deserving of a space on your emergency food shelves:

1. Baking Soda – This is my favorite item to stock up on because it has so many darn uses!

  • Because the active ingredient (sodium bicarbonate) is an alkaline, it is a natural antacid.
  • Dental care
  • Electrolyte powder
  • Emergency antiseptic
  • Natural cleaner
  • Cleans off rust
  • Can be used in treating scalding, to prevent blistering and scarring. Cover the scalded area with a liberal layer of sodium bicarbonate and water paste and seek medical assistance.
  • Can be applied to skin irritations that occur from poison oak, poison ivy and sumac.

Please note: Due to the salt content, anyone on a sodium-restricted diet or those with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or kidney disease should not take sodium bicarbonate in large quantities as it can elevate blood pressure, aggravate heart disease and lead to edema, or swelling of the legs and feet due to fluid retention.

2. Baking Powder – Baking soda is actually the primary component in baking powder, so it’s no surprise that pretty much anything you can do with baking soda, you can do with baking powder. Some additional uses include, but are not limited to:

  • Eliminates odors
  • Natural cleaning agent
  • Draws out insect stings and jelly fish venom
  • Keeps ants away from the house

3. Salt – Salt is another of my favorite kitchen essentials to stock up on. It is a multipurpose, low cost prep that will be highly desirable if a long term disaster were to come around. Salt will be a big bartering item! Stock up on different types of salt: sea salt, table salt, pickling salt, curing salt – they will all have their uses in a long term disaster. Sea salt is not only healthy for your body, but it also provides antiseptic and bactericidal qualities. Read more here.

4. Yeast

Where would we be without the discovery of yeast? Yeasts are naturally present and live symbiotically on food sources such as grains, vegetables and fruits. Click here to learn 3 ways to grow your own baking yeast.

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Tess Pennington joined the Dallas chapter of the American Red Cross in 1999 Tess worked as an Armed Forces Emergency Services Center specialist and is well versed in emergency and disaster management and response. You can follow her regular updates on Preparedness, Homesteading, and a host of other topics at ReadyNutrition.com.