In June 1941, Nazi Germany declared war on the Soviet Union.
Months later, the Germans started the Blockade of Leningrad.
German forces surrounded the city in what ended up being a 900-day siege.
And while Germany never took control of the city, Leningrad was bombed, and many places were destroyed.
To make matters worse, the people in Leningrad faced famine.
During the blockade, the Soviet city was forced to ration food and fuel.
The rations were reduced many times as the supply situation worsened.
Sadly, more than one million civilians died from famine, extreme cold, and bombings.
But to preserve what scant food was available, a little-known tactic used in Leningrad was burying food.
Civilians and soldiers worked to bury food including sacks of flour to keep them from being destroyed by the German bombing and shelling.
Early in the war, Germany had targeted the Badayev Warehouses where most of Leningrad’s food supply was stored.
The warehouses caught fire and thousands of tons of flour, sugar, and other food were destroyed.
Which is one of the main reasons the Soviets decided to bury food.
So, as the famine in Leningrad waned on, the Soviets dug through the frozen ground to find food.
Some were so desperate that they scraped sugar and flour from the frozen ground and boiled it into a paste.
“They said the earth around the bombed warehouse had absorbed flour and sugar. People dug it up, sifted it, and boiled it. That was considered a lucky find,” said one citizen.
Now, the reality is that burying food has been a practice of civilizations around the world – from Leningrad to the Amish in America.
You see, burying food a few feet in the ground can maintain consistent temperatures of around 45 degrees.
If you have ever considered burying food, here are a few things to keep in mind.
The right food:
You don’t want to bury just any food.
Certain foods will survive better underground.
For instance, one popular option is root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and beets.
Ideally, you want to bury shelf-stable and non-perishable foods, things like freeze-dried food or MREs.
Avoid foods with a lot of moisture in them.
Containers:
If you are going to bury canned food make sure to use waterproof, airtight containers including food-grade plastic buckets or similar containers with rubber seals.
Another option is PVC tubes or jars.
Then you can add vacuum packs or Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.
You can even double-bag the food in Mylar bags for added protection.
Location:
Choosing the right location to bury food is crucial to how well it will be preserved.
Choose a location that is hidden but easy to get to during a disaster. I would mark the location or use GPS coordinates so you can find the food during an emergency.
Ideally, you want to choose high ground to bury the food, since higher ground is less prone to flooding.
Avoid areas close to streams, creeks, or any body of water.
And check to see if the area is well-drained and not swampy.
Don’t bury the food close to trees or large rocks.
A lot of people think about doing this so they can use the tree as a marker, but it’s better to find a location away from any roots.
Depth:
To effectively bury food, the depth should be 2-3 feet minimum, but don’t go more than five feet deep since this would be harder to access during a disaster.
The goal is to bury it properly to ensure the food stays safe and edible.
After burying the food, it’s a good idea to insulate the food with gravel and plastic wrap to keep moisture out.
In most environments, the deeper you bury the food the more stable the temperature will stay.
Once you have buried the food make sure you camouflage the area with leaves, grass, or other natural surroundings.
