KeithCross
Well-Known Fanatic
What kind of foods are you storing and what methods are you using to preserve them?Beans, rice? Bay leaves and dry ice?
Anybody here doing any long term food storage?
- Thread starter KeithCross
- Start date
jtischauser
I'm addicted to kicking ass
I have about 20 lbs of it stored on my waist line.
I'll see your 20 and raise you 10
shootingbuff
Well-Known Fanatic
Make it 35.
What are you looking for? Grains shouldn't be a problem. Pasta taken out of the box and checked for bugs and placed in an air tight container shouldn't be a problem. Water for the taste should be rotated 6months to a yr depending if you have store bought or refill your own. Canned not can goods can last a while and a friend may teach my wife (I hope) dehydrating works especially when used with a vacuum machine at least for 3 yrs (I would think much longer and is cheap except for the bags and placed in the freezer. Spices got to have spices should do well in an air-tight container and placed in a cool place. A cellar has many merits.
When it comes to L_O_N_G term I only think a couple or three yrs. Keep rotating the stock, use as you go and you wont have to worry about a stash/batch of food being ruined for some unforeseen reason. If things last to the point of long term we have more to worry about then food and if you had to "Bug Out" what then? A trailer would be the sign pointing to you saying take mine, take mine.
What are you looking for? Grains shouldn't be a problem. Pasta taken out of the box and checked for bugs and placed in an air tight container shouldn't be a problem. Water for the taste should be rotated 6months to a yr depending if you have store bought or refill your own. Canned not can goods can last a while and a friend may teach my wife (I hope) dehydrating works especially when used with a vacuum machine at least for 3 yrs (I would think much longer and is cheap except for the bags and placed in the freezer. Spices got to have spices should do well in an air-tight container and placed in a cool place. A cellar has many merits.
When it comes to L_O_N_G term I only think a couple or three yrs. Keep rotating the stock, use as you go and you wont have to worry about a stash/batch of food being ruined for some unforeseen reason. If things last to the point of long term we have more to worry about then food and if you had to "Bug Out" what then? A trailer would be the sign pointing to you saying take mine, take mine.
steak
Well-Known Fanatic
we dont have anything to yet but have been doing a lot of research on buying the over advertised stuff. The wife went and bought the "free" sample from efoodsdirect.com which actually cost $9.99 for shipping and I can actually say that stuff was pretty tasty. some was a whole lot more filling than others but definatly not bad. I think if someone did thier stuff and suplemented with some kind of carb like rice or grain they would be pretty well set up. We have been kicking around the idea of efoodsdirect and a few superpails for a year emergency for a 3 person family.
hermnrob
Well-Known Fanatic
I'm from Florida so we store food, been through hurricane's where all the store are empty. So the wife has a small amount of food stored in air tight jar. But rotates it out, things like rice, flour, beans, and sugar. Plus she has canned food from the garden. Now we deal with snow same thing happens when the weather man says snow is coming stores are empty. The only thing I need is a milk cow, milk is aways gone and kids drink a gallon a day. Sorry two milk cows, maybe three.
dennishoddy
Moderator
I can and pickle veggi's from the garden, we are still eating green beans and pickled green tomatoes from last season. We are real big into buying in bulk, and dividing it up into portions. Vacuum packing everything sure makes it last longer in the freezer.
Scott Hearn
Well-Known Fanatic
I ain't got much but I won't starve. Get a foodsaver. Beans, rice and pasta will last for years and years if vacuum packed. Frozen vacuum packed food in a non-frost free freezer (think chest type) will go for a long while too but will require some rotation. I need to get cranked up on learning canning and dehydration. When it gets too hot to do much else maybe I'll get that going.
dennishoddy
Moderator
Canning is easy. The stores have pre-mixed packages, and they are pretty much bullet proof.
Initial costs of the jars, lids, rings won't save you much the first year but the suceeding years will be profitable.
Initial costs of the jars, lids, rings won't save you much the first year but the suceeding years will be profitable.
Last weekend I opened up a stash of commercial canned goods I put back in 2007.
Everything was in good shape (ie no dents, swells, or broken seals) so I taste tested the following items:
Jiffy Peanut Butter (Best By date: 8/2007) - Tasted horrible. I think the plastic container somehow migrated chemicals into the food, because it was gag-worthy. It was incredibly difficult cleaning the spoon I used to taste - consistency was similar to construction adhesive. Do not store Peanut Butter.
Dinty Moore Beef Stew (Best By date: 6/2008) - Everything mushed together. Potatoes, meat, carrots all kind of took the same form and taste. Taste overall was off and less salty than normal, but it would work in a SHTF situation.
DelMonte Canned Green Beans (Best By date: 10/2007) - The texture was soft and the liquid was really cloudy, but they tasted pretty close to a fresh can.
Generic Ranch-Style Pinto Beans (no decipherable date. yikes.) - I'd estimate these were between 6 - 8 years old. They were really dark and shiny compared to a fresh can, but the few spoons I tested were palatable. Dump some hotsauce on it and you'd not notice the age.
Chicken of the Sea Tuna Fish (Best By date: 2/2008) Definitely tasted off compared to new cans. Texture was a runny, slimy mess- so that might have put me off to start with, but I would not eat this if other options were available.
Everything was in good shape (ie no dents, swells, or broken seals) so I taste tested the following items:
Jiffy Peanut Butter (Best By date: 8/2007) - Tasted horrible. I think the plastic container somehow migrated chemicals into the food, because it was gag-worthy. It was incredibly difficult cleaning the spoon I used to taste - consistency was similar to construction adhesive. Do not store Peanut Butter.
Dinty Moore Beef Stew (Best By date: 6/2008) - Everything mushed together. Potatoes, meat, carrots all kind of took the same form and taste. Taste overall was off and less salty than normal, but it would work in a SHTF situation.
DelMonte Canned Green Beans (Best By date: 10/2007) - The texture was soft and the liquid was really cloudy, but they tasted pretty close to a fresh can.
Generic Ranch-Style Pinto Beans (no decipherable date. yikes.) - I'd estimate these were between 6 - 8 years old. They were really dark and shiny compared to a fresh can, but the few spoons I tested were palatable. Dump some hotsauce on it and you'd not notice the age.
Chicken of the Sea Tuna Fish (Best By date: 2/2008) Definitely tasted off compared to new cans. Texture was a runny, slimy mess- so that might have put me off to start with, but I would not eat this if other options were available.
Adam Striegel
Well-Known Fanatic
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2012
- Messages
- 776
Last weekend I opened up a stash of commercial canned goods I put back in 2007.
Everything was in good shape (ie no dents, swells, or broken seals) so I taste tested the following items:
Jiffy Peanut Butter (Best By date: 8/2007) - Tasted horrible. I think the plastic container somehow migrated chemicals into the food, because it was gag-worthy. It was incredibly difficult cleaning the spoon I used to taste - consistency was similar to construction adhesive. Do not store Peanut Butter.
Dinty Moore Beef Stew (Best By date: 6/2008) - Everything mushed together. Potatoes, meat, carrots all kind of took the same form and taste. Taste overall was off and less salty than normal, but it would work in a SHTF situation.
DelMonte Canned Green Beans (Best By date: 10/2007) - The texture was soft and the liquid was really cloudy, but they tasted pretty close to a fresh can.
Generic Ranch-Style Pinto Beans (no decipherable date. yikes.) - I'd estimate these were between 6 - 8 years old. They were really dark and shiny compared to a fresh can, but the few spoons I tested were palatable. Dump some hotsauce on it and you'd not notice the age.
Chicken of the Sea Tuna Fish (Best By date: 2/2008) Definitely tasted off compared to new cans. Texture was a runny, slimy mess- so that might have put me off to start with, but I would not eat this if other options were available.
And since you did this last weekend and you're not dead we can assume you didn't have any adverse effects? Hah
I've been looking at MRE type foods to stock away in case of tornado or stranded by flood. I'm not looking for gourmet foods or anything, but something that doesn't taste like canned dog food would be nice. I just don't have the time and patience to tend garden and can my own foods. If WW3 ever comes, I'll be the guy with all the guns taking food from those that stored up but don't believe in guns.
dennishoddy
Moderator
I'm trying to remember back in the day when they had the civil defense shelters, where food was stored. Seemed like most of it was dried foods that were stored, that could be mixed with water to make something to eat. Lots of oatmeal, crackers, beans, etc. It had to be refreshed every couple of years with new supplies, so I guess with the exception of twinky's, everything will eventually go south.
Adam Striegel
Well-Known Fanatic
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2012
- Messages
- 776
From all the stuff I've seen, 2 years seems to be the average shelf life for a lot of your typical long term storage food. There are of course exceptions to this, and some things CAN sit longer but as pointed out above they don't taste all that great. Longest I've seen are some types of MRE's that can hold 5 year shelf life if bought NEW. Problem is you'll sometimes buy them and they'll already be 2-3 years old. :/
kdf9511
Well-Known Fanatic
I keep some freeze dried backpacking foods around. I like the stuff from Mountian House and Backpackers Pantry. I also dry my own with a dehydrator. Things like vegies both cooked and raw. Works pretty good. I keep the stock rotated pretty well as I also use them for MotoCamping when I decide on a friday night to just throw some stuff on the bike and take off for a weekend with out any notice.
One thing to remember when it comes to emergency food is how your going to cook it. I usualy have a couple of options at home and in my B.O.B. aka the camping bag/box. What I have is a two burner dual fuel full size Coleman stove, small propane grill and my go to camping/poweroutage stove a Sweedish Military surplus Trangia burner with both the original mess kit/windscreen and a sterno stove that I use my other camping pots on. In a pinch the mess kit windscreen also works with a small wood fire in an emergency. I need to pickup sometime the propane adaptor for my Coleman to give me three diffrent fuels with it.
One thing to remember when it comes to emergency food is how your going to cook it. I usualy have a couple of options at home and in my B.O.B. aka the camping bag/box. What I have is a two burner dual fuel full size Coleman stove, small propane grill and my go to camping/poweroutage stove a Sweedish Military surplus Trangia burner with both the original mess kit/windscreen and a sterno stove that I use my other camping pots on. In a pinch the mess kit windscreen also works with a small wood fire in an emergency. I need to pickup sometime the propane adaptor for my Coleman to give me three diffrent fuels with it.
dennishoddy
Moderator
Good advice.
You do have to cook the food.
You do have to cook the food.
KeithCross
Well-Known Fanatic
Ok...so my wife found a couple of links on Pinterest (who knew?) that are kind of interesting and I thought I'd share them with you all. These are not your usual "prepper" sites so look past the kiddie/girlie backgrounds and pay attention to the information supplied. It seems to be real-world stuff that anyone can use. In full disclosure, I have not yet tried these myself but they look easy/practical enough.
http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20jar%20method
http://imacubmasterwhatnow.blogspot.com/2012/04/be-ready.html
http://www.classyclutter.net/2012/05/build-your-food-storage-for-as-little.html
http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20jar%20method
http://imacubmasterwhatnow.blogspot.com/2012/04/be-ready.html
http://www.classyclutter.net/2012/05/build-your-food-storage-for-as-little.html
hermnrob
Well-Known Fanatic
dennishoddy
Moderator
Checking the links, I totally forgot the ramen noodles. Do they have a shelf life, or are they like twinky's? I love my ramen noodles. Gourmet variety.
TribeSurvival
Fanatic
I buy a few extra cans of food, everytime I go shopping & a case of bottled water.! Also have water filters and other supplies stored up.! Studying editable plants and trapping methods.! I enjoy foraging for plants to eat.! Found more food in my yard than I have room for.! And the medical uses for the plants has amazed me.!
dennishoddy
Moderator
Well, the end of the world has came and gone. Guess we can unload the weapons, seal off the bunker, and get back to normal.
