The Modern Nomad's Pantry

As a Modern Nomad that spends a great deal of her time living in a 19’ travel trailer, one of the questions that I am asked most often is: how do you eat on the road? Do you actually have food in your travel trailer? Do you cook or just eat out all the time?

First, I eat. I like food like…a lot. So no worries there.

While I will never be mistaken for a healthy lifestyle enthusiast the 2020 pandemic has given me a reason to slow down and revisit the joys of making a home, even if it is a tiny one.

One of the first considerations in tiny or mobile living is space. The second is access to resources. Similar to food stores in a traditional home, lifestyle, food type, shelf life, and quantities must be factored into a supply plan.

Storage

In a tiny home or living system maximizing space is a top priority. Typically, I use a combination of mason jars, mylar storage bags with oxygen absorbers, and zip-lock storage bags.

Food Storage Safety Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

Seal EVERYTHING!
Keep food in covered containers
Be PROACTIVE about pests – Use inset-repelling herbs in food storage areas
Rotate your food stores/supplies – keep track of expirations dates

Don’t:

Eat foods from cans that are swollen, dented, or corroded, even though the product may look safe to eat.
Eat any food that looks or smells abnormal, even if the can looks normal.
Let garbage accumulate inside, both for fire and sanitation reasons.

Storage Tip: For longer-term storage of dry goods such as grans, rice, or flour add a bay leaf to the packages/containers to keep pantry pests at bay

Inventory

Even in a tiny space, it is sometimes very easy to forget what supplies we have and where they are stored. Creating an inventory worksheet serves to key functions. First, it will allow you to maintain a working list of what you have in your mobile pantry and it will also allow you to plan means in both emergency and everyday situations.

The Things We Carry

In many mobile living scenarios, refrigeration is limited. Although access to power is not often an issue, it can be, therefore it is wise to incorporate canned foods, dry mixes, freeze-dried, and other pantry staples that do not require refrigeration.

My #1 recommendation is to store nutritious food that you and your family will actually enjoy eating! Regardless if you have chosen a mobile lifestyle or you have become mobile out of necessity, remember that food helps us to have a sense of normalcy and is comforting in emergency or high-stress situations. Calm is Contagious, so store the things that will help your family feel calm and safe.

As a Modern Nomad, my goal is to be as self-sufficient as possible. My goal is to always have a minimum of a 1-month supply of non-perishable food per person. Although most sources recommend at least a 3-day supply of food per person in your household, this may not be sufficient in an emergency situation. Every emergency is not a national emergency – sometimes it is just an emergency of one (you and your immediate family).

Ideally, in a traditional homestead or urban living scenario, the food storage goal my be up to a 1-year supply per person in your household. This level of food stores takes up a great deal of space, please plan accordingly. Here is a summary of my current longer-term mobile food stores:

Item	Quantity	Notes
Rice, Jasmine & Long-grain white	20-30 pounds	Filing, nutritious, long shelf-life
Red beans, dry (light kidney beans)	5 pounds	Perfect protein, filing, nutritious, long shelf-life
Black beans, dry	2 pounds	Perfect protein, filing, nutritious, long shelf-life
Canned vegetables, variety	20+ cans	Consider low-sodium varieties that you actually eat
Freeze-dried meat, variety	#10 cans, smaller cans	Chicken, pulled pork, sausage, ground beef
Tomatoes, canned stewed, crushed, paste	10 cans	Great for making sauces and soups
Grits, instant and 5-minute	24 instant packs, 5 pounds cook	Filing, comforting. Substitute oatmeal if you prefer that.
Peanut butter	2 24 oz jars	Good source of protein, filling, comforting
Tang & Pink lemonade	2 containers	Good source for additional vitamin c, adds flavor to water
Powdered milk	2 pounds	Good for cooking, added protein, can be used in coffee or tea
Powdered coconut milk	6 packages	Great addition to red beans
Beef & chicken bouillon	Cubes	Flavoring and soup bases
Freeze-dried onions & bell pepper	#10 cans and smaller	Seasoning
Pancake mix, complete	5 pounds	Comfort food, great for anytime meal entrée
Honey, jam, syrups		Sweetening, topping
Pasta	10 pounds	Comfort food, filing
Oils, vegetable, coconut		Adds substance to food, supports fat-soluble vitamins distribution in the body
Coffee, ground, instant	5 pounds but often more	Comfort, caffeine
Teas, various	100+ bags & cold brews	Teas are comforting and have medicinal values.
Sugar, raw & brown	5 pounds	Cooking, beverages, first-aid
Powdered coffee creamer		Coffee & tea, adds body to the beaverage
Baking soda	5 pounds	Cooking, cleaning, first-aid
Granola	2 pounds	Filling, energy, snack
Flour, baking powder, yeast, salt	Usable quantities	Cooking comfort foods/baking
Dried herbs, various	Basil, Bay leaves, Lavender, Mint, Rosemary	Seasoning and pest control
White & Apple cider vinegar	1-gallon jugs of each	Add other varieties as needed
Freeze-dried scrambled eggs	#10 can	Nice protein
Freeze-dried broccoli cheddar soup	#10 can	My daughter loves broccoli cheddar soup, so I keep some on hand
Spices & Condiments, various		Flavor
Popcorn seeds & seasons	4 pounds of seeds	Comfort snack
Mixed nuts	2 pounds	Comfort snack
Ham flakes	6 boxes	For seasoning beans
Instant mashed potatoes	2 pounds	Side dish
Pet food, dry	5 pounds	Because we love them
Hard candies, variety	Root beer barrels, lemonheads	Comfort
Manual can opener

‘What’s in your wallet…er, pantry? I’ve been thinking of creating a downloadable pantry list. What do you guys think? I’d love to hear your storage solutions in the comments!

Until next time, stay safe out there!

Bonne journée!

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