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A non-perishables cooking challenge


It's Emergency Preparedness Week and my friends over at Emergency Management BC came to me with a challenge. Is it possible to feed a family healthy and delicious food for a minimum of 72 hours with only the contents of your emergency survival kit? Yes it is! It takes planning ahead and getting creative, but with the help of a camping stove and a handy can opener a family can easily share some comforting meals until help arrives.

My first challenge was to prepare a main course using only non-perishables. This Survival Seafood Stew combines stewed and crushed tomatoes, baby shrimp, and iron-rich clams (an excellent food source for anyone who may be injured and has lost some blood), although cans of tuna, salmon or crab could be used instead. Some fresh chives found in the garden served as a garnish.

Here's how I made Survival Seafood Stew:

1 796 ml can crushed tomatoes
1 398 ml can stewed tomatoes
1 142 g can whole baby clams, liquid included
1 106 g can small shrimp, liquid included
torn chives or other garden herbs as garnish (if accessible in an emergency)

The contents of all four cans were combined in a large saucepan and warmed over medium-high heat until bubbling. The garnish was spinkled on top to serve.


My next challenge was to prepare a dessert from non-perishables. This oh-so-simple Preparedness Pineapple Crumble is yummy and offers a real energy boost using only three items from the emergency kit.

Here's how I made Preparedness Pineapple Crumble:

1 398 ml can crushed pineapple, liquid included
1 300 ml can sweetened condensed milk
2 granola bars

I combined the pineapple and condensed milk in a saucepan and gently warmed it over medium heat. The granola bars were crushed in the packet then sprinkled on top to serve.


To find out more about Emergency Preparedness Week and how to get your family emergency-ready, visit the Emergency Management BC website. To watch videos of me preparing these dishes, go to Emergency Info BC's You Tube channel.

What would you cook if you could only use non-perishables?