City Survival: How Much Grain Does One Person Need To Stockpile For A Year?

Just How Much Grain Does One Person Need for a Year?

Grains are a great survival food for urban environments thanks to their nutrient density and long shelf life. A staple food for humans for thousands of years, grains are a very useful food to have available in storage, providing a quick source of energy and nutrition. But, how much grain does one person need for a year?

To stockpile grains for a year, it’s recommended to store 137 pounds of grain per person – that’s 55 pounds of corn, 41 pounds of wheat, 27 pounds of rice and 14 pounds of oats.

If you have a bigger family, you should take the above numbers and multiply them by the number of family members living with you. Remember to take into consideration your family’s dietary preferences as well.

Living in a city can make it challenging to store grains, as storage space is often limited. In this blog, I’ll take a closer look at how much grain does one person need for a year.

This will involve looking at the importance of grains as a survival food, the different types of grains that are essential for survival, the problems of storage in the city, and the exact amount of grains people need to store.

Ready to learn more about how much grain does one person need for a year? Let’s go!

Table of Contents: How Much Grain Does One Person Need for a Year

How Much Grain Does One Person Need for a Year? A Breakdown

Why Stockpile Grains for City Survival?

Let’s have a look at why grains are an excellent survival food to store in the city. First, grains are full of carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy. They also contain fibre, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, making them a well-rounded source of nutrition.

Grains are easy to store and have a long shelf life – in fact, some grains can last up to 30 years! They can also be used in a variety of simple to prepare dishes so are extremely versatile in a survival situation.

Even if an emergency doesn’t occur, grains are inexpensive at a time when inflation is increasing as well as a reliable source of food that can be prepared quickly and easily no matter your situation.

If food shortages arise in densely packed areas, you will need to have sufficient supplies available to feed yourself and your family that you can rely on to keep nourished – and grains fit the bill.

Different Types of Grains

There are many types of grains, but some are more important for survival than others. The most essential grains to store for survival are wheat, rice, corn, and oats – but in this day and age there are a lot of other types grains we’ve got used to.

This is especially true for those living in the city where, you can get anything you want on a whim. Examples of such grains include cous cous, bulgur wheat and quinoa – all delicious options you can use to prepare meals quickly and efficiently.

Saying that, in cities, you’ll have limited space for storage, so it’s essential you don’t waste that space and that you stock up on the most necessary grains.

With the below, you can always swap out wheat for bulgur wheat, or cous cous for rice if you wish to – but these are the top four survival grains you should keep in mind when thinking about how much to add to your emergency supplies per person…

• Wheat is an excellent source of protein, fibre and essential vitamins and minerals. It can be ground into flour and used to make bread, pasta, and other baked goods.
• Rice is a staple food in many parts of the world and is an excellent source of carbohydrates. It can be used in a variety of dishes, from stir-fries to sushi.
• Corn is another essential grain for survival, as it can be ground into cornmeal and used to make bread, tortillas, and other baked goods. It is also a good source of protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
• Oats are a strong source of fibre and protein and are often used in breakfast cereals, granola bars, and other baked goods. They can also be used in savory dishes, such as soups and stews.

Exact Amount of Grains to Store for a Year Per Person

The exact amount of grains you need to stockpile for a year per person can vary. But keeping in mind official advice in The 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans , it’s recommended to eat six ounces of grain foods daily with wholegrains making up 50%. If you stock up grain for one year, that would mean you would need to store a whopping 2,190 ounces of grain – that’s roughly 137 pounds per person.

That’s a lot of grain. And if you have a family, you will need to multiply the above amount by the number of family members. For example, in a family of four, you will need to store around 548 pounds of grain.

But how much do you store of each grain type, you may ask? Well, this depends on what you enjoy to eat – but here’s a rough ballpark of how much to store per person per year from my top four survival grains:

1. Corn: To break down the 137 pounds of grains into corn, allocate approximately 55 pounds of grains to corn. This would provide you with about 220 servings.
2. Wheat: Stockpile around 41 pounds of wheat. This would give you about 205 servings of cooked wheat berries.
3. Rice: Stock-up on approximately 27 pounds of rice. This would give you about 220 servings of cooked rice.
4. Oats: Allocate about 14 pounds to oats for around 220 servings of cooked oats.

You might be curious as to why corn is given a higher proportion than other grains. The reason is that it’s simple to cultivate and stock up on, contains no cholesterol and is low in fat.

But, this allocation is subjective and not absolute, and as previously discussed, you can include other grains like couscous, quinoa, bulgur wheat, or any other grain of your preference if you have more room to spare.

Ultimately, it is best to choose grains that you enjoy and that will help sustain you through challenging circumstances.

How Much Grain Does One Person Need for a Year: Problems of Storage in the City

So, now you’ve got your grains, where do you store them?

Because storing such a large quantity of grains in a small living space can pose such a challenge, one solution is to use stackable containers that can be stored vertically, or under-bed storage containers that maximize the use of space. It is also important to store grains properly to ensure their long-term viability.

Another issue is that apartments and houses in the city don’t always have the ideal storage conditions for grains.

Grains need to be stored in a cool, dry place, away from moisture and pests. In the city, it can be challenging to find a storage space that is up to scratch in your home, so being creative and working with what you’ve got is key to success.

Recipes with Grains

If you end up in a situation where you need to use your emergency supplies, grains can be used to cook a variety of different dishes.

Here are a few recipes that can work with the four survival grains listed above – provided the power is still available and you have access to cooking facilities:

Homemade Bread: To make homemade bread, combine flour, yeast, salt, and water in a large bowl and mix until the dough forms.

Knead the dough on a floured surface until it’s smooth and elastic. Place it in a greased bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise until it doubles in size.

Push down to dough and shape it into a loaf then let it rise again. Preheat the oven, slash the top of the loaf across the top, and bake for about half an hour or until ready.

Egg and Vegetable Fried Rice: To prepare this dish, you’ll need the following: 3 cups of cooked rice, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots, 2 beaten eggs, and 3 tbsp. of soy sauce. Combine these ingredients in a skillet and cook them over medium heat for delicious fried rice.

Cornbread: To make cornbread, you’ll need 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of cornmeal, quarter cup of sugar, 1 tbsp. of baking powder, 1 tsp. of salt, 1 cup of milk, 1 egg, quarter cup of olive oil, and 1 cup of canned corn. Mix these ingredients together and bake them in a greased dish for 20-25 minutes.

Oats: This simple recipe requires 1 cup of rolled oats and 1 cup of milk. Mix these two ingredients together in a jar and leave them in the refrigerator overnight for the morning.

And finally – if you’re a fan of cous cous like me, try this yummy cous cous and chick peas recipe!

Cous Cous and Chick Peas: Boil 2 cups of water and pour it over one and a half cups of cous cous in a bowl. Cover and leave to soak for around 20 minutes.

Once ready, stir in olive oil, butter and season and fluff up the cous cous. Take your drained chick peas and stir them into your cous cous. Mix well to combine, adding in some fresh herbs if available.

How Much Grain Does One Person need for a Year: Summary

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article about how much grain does one person need for a year. To conclude, grains are a key survival food for those living in urban spaces.

It’s important to stockpile your grains ahead of time, so you can face an emergency confident you have the necessary supplies available.

And, with a little creativity and flair added to basic recipes, you can make delicious meals from your grain storage – but let’s hope that you never have to use it!