Long Term Food Storage

2010-06-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons for needing to store food for long periods of time: buying in bulk to save money, survivalist reasons, or just to be prepared for natural disasters.

Well-sealed cans and jars will keep indefinitely in a cool, dry place (dampness will cause rust on metal cans and lids, which will eventually break the seals).

Frozen foods will keep for varying lengths of time, depending on what it is.

Here is a nice user-friendly website showing the shelf life of various foods in various types of storage conditions: Food Shelf Life

Whole grains, seeds, shelled nuts, and other dry staples have a limited shelf life in ordinary room conditions in their original packaging, particularly when they have been processed (e.g., whole wheat flour will not keep as long as wheat berries).

One way to preserve your dry staple foods for long periods is to freeze or refigerate them. If they are placed in well sealed plastic bags, they can stay "fresh" for years in a freezer.

Most people don't have a lot of extra freezers and fridges laying around :) so there are several good alternatives to freezing or refrigerating dry staples.

FREEZE FIRST
This is the simplest method, with no special equipment needed except for some food safe containers with tight fitting lids. You can find such containers cheaply at yard sales and flea markets, or even get pickle jars from restaurants.

You will need an empty space in the freezer big enough to accomadate one of the containers.

Place the dry foods in the container (in ziploc bags first, if you wish), then place in the freezer for 2 or 3 days. This will kill all insect eggs. Then store the containers in a cool, dry place. Your foods should keep for several months after being treated this way.

For longer term storage (a year or more), one of the following methods is better.

OVEN CANNING
The oven canning method is explained here: Oven Canning Method DO NOT use this method to store wet foods such as meat, produce, etc. It is NOT SAFE for those kinds of foods!! But it is VERY safe for DRY staples. Use any kind of glass jars that have tight fitting lids. Dry staples that are oven canned will stay good for several years.

OXYGEN ABSORBERS
One of the primary enemies of food is oxygen. It allows the growth of pathogens and mold, allows insect infestations, and causes oils to go rancid, which is why foods like whole wheat flour can start tasting funny.

Here is a webpage showing how to use oxygen absorbers to store food: Use Oxygen Absorbers Properly

DRY ICE
Dry ice is a different way to minimize oxygen contact with food. You will need some airtight containers for storing the foods. Full instructions for using the dry ice are here: Dry Ice in Food Preservation

VACUUM PACKING
Home units for vacuum packing your own foods are inexpensive and can be found at such stores as Walmart and Target.

The special bags that go with them can get rather expensive, though.

ADDITIONAL LINKS
Here are some various links for learning more about long term food storage:

How To Start Long Term Food Storage
Food Storage Tips
All About Storing Food
Preparing An Emergency Food Supply

Here is my favorite "survival" forum, where you can get practical, friendly advice, without a lot of paranoid people running amuck and screaming about the end of the world:
Homesteading Today: Survival and Emergency Preparedness
My username there is ladycat.

Amazon.com has a wide variety of food storage supplies.

Oxygen Absorbers - 100 Count Sealed Package - 100 CC Capacity - Oxy Absorption Packets Remove / Absorb O2 - For Food Storage & More.

20 - 1 Gallon Size (10"x14") Mylar Bags for Long Term Food Storage

Rubbermaid FG7K3900CHILI Easy Find Lid 18-Piece Food-Storage Container Set with Lids

Back to Basics 5-Piece Home Canning Kit

Seal-A-Meal VS107 Vacuum Food Sealer

Deni 1331 Freshlock Vacuum Sealer

Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis

How To Get Started Couponing

2010-06-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to present tutorials for beginners. I would only be repeating the wonderful information that's already out there on the web. Instead, I will give links and a commentary.

Here are 3 wonderful coupon and deals forums you can check out:

A Full Cup
(My username there is ladycat)

Hot Coupon World
(My username there is ladycat00)

We Use Coupons
(My username there is ladycat)

All three of these forums are user-friendly, have tutorials for beginners, and will help you learn how to find the best deals at the stores in your area.

I would suggest spending a little time at each one of them, and decide if you are most comfortable at one of them, two of them, or all three.

Once you have learned the basics (or if you already know the basics), then I hope my couponing and deal-seeking posts will be useful to you.

Welcome

Long Term Food Storage

How To Get Started Couponing