My Storm Stash

If you are anything like me you likely struggle with a sense of disbelief at how quickly after grocery shopping your pantry goes bare. Before payday comes around again I sometimes stare at the shelves and feel like a grumbling and bewildered Old Mother Hubbard. Mind you, my three children are each now occupying their adult bodies and they are, as my grandfather Bornish used to say about my mother and her siblings "awfully fond of their stomachs".

Suffice it to say, the days of making a double batch of muffins last the better part of a week are long since gone.

But it is not only a love eating which my children inherited, they also each love to cook and bake and none more so than our oldest daughter Maria who runs the vegan food acc't on instagram called thisnourishedvegan and whose skill and enthusiasm for both concocting and re-creating plant based deliciousness is a delight to behold.

It is thanks to Maria that I have come to know and love a much wider range of plant based proteins and the benefits thereof. Which brings me to a discussion of my storm stash.

There is nothing like plant based proteins to get you through when the going gets tough. Whether that toughness is having multiple food allergies and needing to travel bi weekly for a year and a half off Island to access health care unavailable in your home province, or that a cousin of Hurricane Dorian threatens to strike; vegan, gluten free cooking and baking travels well, stores well and is chock full of plant based power to keep your energy where you need it.

My storm stash began several years ago when I realized that if the power were to be out for more than a day I would personally have very limited food options due to having a lot of food sensitivities. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have always been a storm baker. Some people clean. I cook and bake like my life depends on it and in some ways it does. But homemade baked goods only last so long and there is only so much fridge and freezer space available and so, the storm stash.

Our storm stash is essentially a box of canned and bottled goods in our front closet. We try to keep several cans each of pinto beans, chickpeas, black beans etc and a can or two of beans in tomato sauce. These are all quick vegetarian protein options that could be eaten cold with a slight jazzing up. We also keep nachos and salsa, jarred strained tomatoes, canned ready to serve soups, canned coconut milk, fruits and applesauce, dried sunflower seeds, seed and nut butters and some canned meat options for the non-vegans who don't eat legumes or soy and still need protein

We plan our storm stash to provide us with varied options. Coconut milk fat lifted off the top of the can, sweetened with maple syrup and served with canned peaches might be a welcome dessert some otherwise dreary night. Same too with graham crackers smeared with your favourite nut or seed butter and topped with a dairy free chocolate chunk or two.

During a power outage in which you do not have access to safe cooking options think chickpea salad made with vegan mayo or olive oil, some dried spices, a splash of lemon juice or vinegar and chopped vegetables mixed into some drained and rinsed, mashed chickpeas and served on crackers or melba toasts. Another quick and tasty (somewhat nutritious) option could be canned beans in tomato sauce mixed in with some drained and rinsed pinto beans, jarred salsa and a dash of tobasco or your favourite hot sauce for a cold, spicy bean dip served with nachos and a dish of canned pineapple for that sweet finish we all so love.

We usually have frozen fruit and berries in the freezer and applesauce and cranberry sauce etc from the summer before but it is still nice to have some purchased canned items set aside should the need arise.

We also do try to have a couple of bags of boxed items like granola bars, crackers, gluten free pasta, rice (which keeps forever--as in thirty years--)dry quinoa for a wonderful nutty tasting high protein option, vegetable broth cubes, bags or jars of dried chickpeas and lentils (red lentils are a splendid meat free protein option when cooked until soft and added to a quick pasta sauce or cooked as dal whereas green lentils are wonderful to prepare in advance of a storm and marinate in oil and vinegar with lots of sea salt, spiced to your taste and will keep in the fridge or a cooler for the better part of a week) sweeteners like maple syrup and or honey--which also lasts almost forever can help as sweet little morale boosters or in the case of honey---soothe sore throats and help to settle irritating coughs.

Some of these options serve better for supporting your family during longer times at home such as a potential quarantine during which a power outage is less likely and water should be more readily available for cooking dried grains and lentils or legumes or boxes of pasta. (Chickapea pasta is a new favourite of mine for its high protein content relative to cost and palat-ablity when topped with a wide range of sauce flavours.)

Our storm stash has grown over time to contain certain items we do not normally use in our environmentally conscious house but which could be important and helpful should a serious global health or weather event arise preventing us from getting out to replenish our bulk shopping and reusable lifestyle. We do have on hand disposable wipes, hand sanitizer, feminine care products, extra soaps and toothpastes, toilet paper and the such.

All of this has not been easy to build up for a household on one income and it makes me feel deeply for those for whom the comfort of a storm stash is simply not possible. Trust me-- prior to payday we often rob our storm stash for canned chickpeas or protein bars when the baked goods have all been gobbled or for some other items we have run out of and replenishing it feels like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

"Where did those nachos go? Who ate the cookie bars?" are common refrains in our dining room when we realize that something we hoped would serve us in our hour of need has disappeared. (And admittedly, in times of exhaustion I have been one of the guilty culprits sneaking something sweet from the stash.)

And although our storm stash is not easy to maintain for a hungry household of five, all of what I've said sounds like a relative luxury and I therefore want to emphasize the importance of supporting those fighting for a basic income guarantee as well as being as generous as you can with donating to your local food bank to help those in need. Dealing with extra to the ordinary food crises as they arise on top of the ongoing and considerable need for food security which already exists, is an enduring and unnecessary stress for far too many people.

Whenever possible be kind and be generous. A storm stash is only as good as the kindness in the heart who stores it.

In warmth,

Jill MacCormack