Nuts as Survival Food

We know that nuts are a common food type for hikers, because of their low weight to calorie ratio (and people like to eat them). But what about as part of your survivalist pantry?

Nuts are high in calories, fibre, good fats, B vitamins and protein. Not many foods get so many basic ticks.

• Be sure that the nuts you store are dried or roasted. Raw nuts won’t last very long.
• As with all survival foods, keep them in a cool, dark place, and don’t let vermin and bugs get to them.
• If you regularly eat nuts, rotate your supplies

Which nuts should you store? Well they all have their own mixes of calorific, vitamin and mineral values. So store a variety, and remember that cheaper means more, which means longer survival. While your favorite may be cashews, peanuts might save your life because you have more. I’d sooner eat my least favorite food than starve to death.

How long do nuts last? Typically 6-12 months beyond their Best Used By date (which itself is usually quite short)

Consider peanut butter as well! It will last several years (1 year beyond the Expiration Date)

And of course consider growing nuts – there should be a type that suits your local growing zone.

On the downside, they will never be meals. They rarely even used as a major ingredient in meals. They are snacks.