# How much salt/baking soda/vinegar do you prep?



## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

Salt, baking soda and vinegar being the three I think most "multi" used items for making things, cleaning, cooking, etc...


How much of them do you stock?



I realized I am lacking and in need of "fixing" the amount I have of these three.


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## bourbonred (Feb 27, 2008)

I've got some of each, my plans for salt are a 55 gallon drum. It's so necessary for food preservation, cheap, and lasts forever.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

I simple figure out how much I need for the lenght of time I want to avoid going to the store. It really does not matter what the Item is. I do not like winter driving --it is dark most of the time. Spend a week or what ever you have for your meal rotation and measure out what you use. I add 10 percent to that and round up that figure to the size I need to get. Everyone is going to be different what in amounts for any given item. knowing how to sub for items would be important. 

Hot boiling water is an option to clean many items. Salt when yes it is needed for the body but there is so much salt in can goods that I think that we will be safe. Vinger, well its not an item I need in the winter much not many salads. Since I put my cleaning vinger in a spray bottle it last and last. A gallon for cleaning last more than a year. The one pound of salt last over a year as well for table use. I keep one pound on my baking shelf, one in storage and one on the spice shelf. Baking soda. it's a five pound bag I scoop up a canning jar for cooking, fill a shaking jar for scrubbing and the rest goes to the feed room and on bag in the fall rest in the storage. I like to keep things where I need to use them and if I have to steal from one location for another then I have done it lots of times to tide us over. It works for us. Going to the store is a hassel to me. make do or do without is a reality for some stuff for use. I worry more about haveing water.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

I'm fine on baking soda as I buy the big bags at Costco and keep extra on hand for the goats. I just purchased a 50 lb bag of sea salt, but once we get moved I need more of that. 

I use vinegar in canning and definitely don't have enough of that stocked up.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

I definitely need more vinegar. Had a few gallons but have used them quickly this summer. Baking soda is good I have a big bag from Sam's and that usually lasts a really long time. Salt I'm working on. It was one thing that I hadn't planned on since I try not to use it. I have high bp and really don't use much. But in preserving foods or the lack of other ingredients it will be a good thing to have......still in moderation of course.


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## Pouncer (Oct 28, 2006)

I have quite a bit of salts on hand...about 8 boxes of canning salt, 1 or 2 of kosher, a few pounds of Redman's sea, a couple cannisters of other sea salt, and 50 pounds of table salt. I hope to snag 50 pounds of Redman before too long-livestock variety.

Baking soda, probably not enough, but several of the largish bags, one of which is split into quart jars with lids. 

I used pretty much all my vinegar with the canning and cleaning that's gone on this summer and fall. Down to under one gallon plain, and one of apple cider. Time to restock!

And I should pick up more bleach too, now that I think about it


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## andabigmac (Jan 10, 2011)

I have 75lbs of salt in various forms not including salt blocks for the animals, 10lbs of baking soda in the house and 50lbs of animal grade from the feed store for the goats, and 4 gallons of vinegar. I like to keep around 8-10 gallons of vinegar and 20-30lbs of baking soda so I'm making a Costco run soon. I use it for cleaning, laundry, weed control etc.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I buy 2 large boxes of baking soda each month and 3 gallons of vinegar. Since I use them for cleaning, you really can't have too much. Salt - I think we have 50 lbs.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

I pick up 2 gallons of vinegar every time I go to Sam's...only $3 and some change there for the 2 gallons. Locally the stores want $3+ per gallon. I have about 6 gal in the house....we use about a gallon a month between laundry and cleaning. I need to get more!

We use very little salt or baking soda. Everyone talks about using salt to preserve food, but we never use it for that. A pound box of salt will last us about a year....so the 5 boxes I keep are enough for us. I need to ramp up my baking soda stash. I use it for cleaning and a bit of baking. Again, 1-2 boxes is all we use a year. But I only have about 4 boxes in the basement.

I need to get more bleach, too. Only have 2-3 bottles and that's not enough if SHTF!


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

WHat does everyone use so much baking soda for? We use some but not that much. Salt, I buy a few containers each time I go to the store. They are super cheap. But vinegar, thats just expensive. I do pick up a gallon every couple trips, but can't afford more than that.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

i checked my vinegar yesterday. i have 10 gallons. i plan to have quite a bit more on hand for the winter. i clean my carpet with it . so many things i use it for. soda. i have about 4 large pks. never saw it in bags. salt. several boxes. not enough. i've got it on my list of things for winter. got a few bags of coarse salt in the cupboard. just in case the front steps are icy. i sprinkle a little there rather than go down to the shed to get the large bags. ~Georgia.


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## Ode (Sep 20, 2006)

Baking soda lasts me quite awhile, as I mainly use it in baking. Once in awhile I will use it to clean something but not often. I go through quite a bit of washing soda though, I buy a big box once a month. Also Borax. 

I use a lot of vinegar. Laundry, cleaning spray for windows and surfaces, and in canning. I probably use at least 12-15 gallons a year.

I buy several types of salt. Coarse sea salt, a couple types of artisan style coarse salts for use at the table (an indulgence, if something cut me off from such things I wouldn't be trying to replace it), iodized table salt for cooking, and kosher salt for canning and such. In a SHTF situation, salting would be important in preserving fish and meat and I probably don't have enough of it. Not every climate is suited to air drying for dehydrating foods to the proper moisture level, and you cant assume your electric dehydrator will always be working or even if you will have power. I think I'm going to start adding to my salt stores, just in case. It won't go bad unless it gets wet or dirty, like in a flood. Ordinary moisture in the air won't hurt it though, just make it hard.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Salt is cheap so I have lots of it stored - probably 100 lbs of iodized and non-iodized. I figure we'll eventually use it, or I can trade it for something I need in a SHTF situation. I use it for canning and pickling, and it would be useful for salting hides or curing meat. I also have 4-5 lbs. of fancy sea salt for table use, but I don't count that as a prep item.

We need more vinegar - I think I've got 3 gallons of white vinegar and 3 of apple cider vinegar. I use the ACV in the chickens' water. I tried making vinegar this summer and ended up with a foul smelling mess. But I'm going to try again.

I think I've only got one of those big Costco bags of baking soda. But it lasts forever, and it's good for tooth brushing and baking and cleaning so I should probably pick up another one or two.


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## Bluesgal (Jun 17, 2011)

Just when I think I have things at a decent level.. you guys teach me that there is SOMETHING ELSE I need to improve on. Off to add to the Costco list....


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## vaponydoc (Apr 7, 2003)

I buy 50 lb. Bags of Redmond Salt for livestock -- it is around $11 a bag. What about using that for human use?


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I've wondered that myself. I bet it's not considered food grade because of the processing equipment. The human redmond salt is about 15 bucks a pound. Sheesh!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I just got back from a Costco run Thursday, so I have another 4 gallons of vinegar, 25# more salt, and another big bag of baking soda. I use the baking soda free choice for the goats as well as cooking, cleaning and bee string treatments. Since a 25# bag of salt is about $4 at Costco, it's cheap insurance for preserving meat if the power goes out permanently. I buy another bag every time I go.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

We don't use a lot of iodized salt for cooking, a pound maybe. Cleaning gets livestock salt, 100 lbs here. Table is sea salt, a couple of pounds. Canning is plain salt, not much any more, keep it light. 50 bs baking soda. I make 50 gallons of cider, 30 of vinegar every year, use hard cider to make vinegar by adding mother as needed....James


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

vaponydoc said:


> I buy 50 lb. Bags of Redmond Salt for livestock -- it is around $11 a bag. What about using that for human use?





lonelyfarmgirl said:


> I've wondered that myself. I bet it's not considered food grade because of the processing equipment. The human redmond salt is about 15 bucks a pound. Sheesh!



Forerunner said he uses it. :heh:


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

We use the coarse stuff for soups, canning, meat preservation and livestock supplement.
A blender does a fine job of reducing the stuff for table use.
The only difference is--and this is odd-- there are chunks of mineral in the coarse stuff that don't taste like salt, and aren't so pleasant to chew.... as the table grade.
Those mineral chunks sink to the bottom of a canning jar or pot of soup, so just be warned when you get close to empty.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Forgot to add, I use the vinegar and baking soda *together* as a drain opener. Works great most of the time!


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## westbrook (May 10, 2002)

I have 500 pounds of rock salt for canning and salting/brining meat. To smoke meat which lasts for a very long time, ya need to brine first, unless of course you are just making jerky. I have the ability to can meat but that would get rather tiresome so having nice smoked meats will be a nice change of pace for the pallet.

Though I probably won't use 50 pounds of iodized salt, I have it. Since salt doesn't go bad, it can be stored forever.

Baking soda, I bake and give it to the goats (free feed in pvc home made mineral feeders). I keep 100 pounds on hand at all times. Probably should keep more... will consider getting another 100 pounds.

Vinegar... salad dressing and canning! I don't pickle gallons upon gallons but if there was a breakdown in society and I needed to sustain myself, I would need to pickle a lot more. Pickled foods tend to ward off Appetite/Food Fatigue as well as preserving the harvest.
But I do keep 4 gallons of apple cider and 2 gallons distilled. I also have 2 quarts of red wine vinegar and a bottle of rice wine vinegar on the shelves. I do keep a bottle of Bragg 'Mother of Vinegar' which I use and replace frequently. Clearly not enough to sustain us for 3 years. I need to add several more gallons because vinegar lasts forever... it is just a matter of space.


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

One of my goals for next year is to start making my own vinegar. Fingers crossed it works well. We only consume the Braggs raw acv and it's about $5 a bottle here. I would rather make a barrel of it!

We use it alot raw in salads and drinks, but also in making bone broths.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Vinegar is pretty easy. We just pour apple cider into 5 gallon glass carboys and let it age.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I usually have around 7 or 8 gallons of vinegar on hand at all times. We use it for the rinse cycle in our laundry and for other cleaning purposes around the house. I don't pickle a lot of stuff but could use it for that.

We probably have about 4 lbs of iodized salt, 2 lbs of sea salt and go through 100 lbs of rock salt for ice melting purposes each winter.

Baking soda is used for a few cleaning tasks, but mostly for baking. We have about 6 lbs of that. I also stock cream of tartar to mix with the baking soda to make baking powder.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Forerunner said:


> Vinegar is pretty easy. We just pour apple cider into 5 gallon glass carboys and let it age.


do you use an airlock for this? how long does it take? I wonder how you would test this to see if it is the right % for pickling.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> do you use an airlock for this? how long does it take? I wonder how you would test this to see if it is the right % for pickling.


No airlock. Vinegar is the antithesis of good wine. Ask me how I know. 

A cloth ribber-banded over the bottle neck to keep bugs out is a good idea.
You won't have any trouble determining your vinegar strength when it's done.
I small swig will knock your socks off.  :thumb:


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I'm starting to add cream of tartar to my preps as combined with soda = baking powder. BP itself does not keep all that long but the ingredients do until mixed. I keep a lot of soda and salt on-hand in the regular grocery size boxes. Vinegar I try to have several gallons of both white & cider on-hand at all times.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I'ld like to know what you all store your salt, Baking Soda and vinegar (Is it apple or white vinegar you're collecting?) in. Do you just sit it up in the packaging it comes in without concern about rodents, etc. bothering it?


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

motdaugrnds said:


> I'ld like to know what you all store your salt, Baking Soda and vinegar (Is it apple or white vinegar you're collecting?) in. Do you just sit it up in the packaging it comes in without concern about rodents, etc. bothering it?


Salt in plastic drums. Vinegar in glass. Don't store vinegar in anything with a metal lid.
A piece of heavy plastic wrap with a rubber band works if you don't have a plastic lid or cork.


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## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

It's hard for me to store any of those things we use so much...I will be leanring how to make viegar soon, hopefully...I use all three almost excclvly for cleaning.


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

Forerunner said:


> Vinegar is pretty easy. We just pour apple cider into 5 gallon glass carboys and let it age.



Do you pour in any "mother" to get it going or just let it go?


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

Since vinegar is mostly used for cleaning purposes, we store the gallons of white vinegar that we buy at Save A Lot. So far, it is the cheapest place that I've found to buy it. AC Vinegar is purchased at the Natural Foods store and we don't use much of it.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Freya said:


> Do you pour in any "mother" to get it going or just let it go?


I usually just let it go, but I have cultured a few batches.
Sometimes it takes a little longer than others to get the hard cider to convert to vinegar, but it gets there.
Other fruit juices make interesting vinegars, as well.
Watermelon and peach are interesting....


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## Paintedmoose (Sep 21, 2011)

Salt must not last forever, just a long time, because the Bible talks about salt that has lost it's flavor.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I believe that scriptural reference was in regard to a people who have lost their vision, and, hence, their purpose in His plan. Pray they regain their senses before it is too late.

I have never come across any evidence that sodium chloride ever loses it's saltiness.


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## mommathea (May 27, 2009)

My Braggs ACV grew an awesome mother. So I'm going to make at least 1 jar of cultured ACV. 
But the three things listed here are a major prep failure here. Gahh, the more I learn the further away from being prepared, I feel.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Another good reason to learn to make our own vinegar is that distilled white vinegar from the store is made with petroleum products. That's fine for cleaning, but I'm not happy about using it in our food. Even a lot of the "apple cider vinegar" sold is just apple flavored white vinegar. My first try at making ACV (well, it was peach peel vinegar) didn'td work out but I'm going to try again. The more things we can make for ourselves, the better of we are health-wise, cost-wise and supply-wise.


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## Leister Square (Feb 7, 2010)

Ann-NWIowa said:


> I'm starting to add cream of tartar to my preps as combined with soda = baking powder. BP itself does not keep all that long but the ingredients do until mixed. I keep a lot of soda and salt on-hand in the regular grocery size boxes. Vinegar I try to have several gallons of both white & cider on-hand at all times.


Now there's an idea! I worried about my b. powder not lasting...


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I currently have 300 lbs of salt. That sounds like a lot, but it's really not. I wish I had 10 times that amount. When you start salting down meat, it takes a LOT to salt very much meat. 

As for baking powder, I don't store it. I store cream of tartar and baking soda along with arrowroot. I mix it as needed. If I'm going to keep it longer than a couple months, I add a bit of arrowroot (arrowroot is used in place of cornstarch.) Right now I have about 70 lbs of baking soda, 2 lbs of arrowroot, and 10 lbs of cream of tartar in storage. I need more. 

I don't buy vinegar either. I have apple trees and make my own vinegar. Home made is much different than store bought. They are almost nothing alike. In the rare instances I've had to buy a jug in town, I was sorely disappointed in the quality of it.


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## Sweetsong (Dec 4, 2010)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> WHat does everyone use so much baking soda for? We use some but not that much. Salt, I buy a few containers each time I go to the store. They are super cheap. But vinegar, thats just expensive. I do pick up a gallon every couple trips, but can't afford more than that.


Baking soda is an excellent cleaner. With it, and sometimes vinegar, you don't need the commercial brands. 

Also can be used for medical purposes. There's a book, or two:

Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun, and Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Soda-Fabulous-Probably-Thought/dp/0916773418/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317993291&sr=1-1


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