Step Two in Preparedness - Food Storage

Ok so Cathy has her bug out bags made now so YAY Cathy! She was surprised at what all she

already had. So she really didn’t have a big cash layout for bug out bags.

Now she wants to work on long term food storage. I suggest that she start with 30 days at a time and build from there. That is what I did. Where a lot of people go wrong is they will buy a case
of this and a case of that and not really have the makings of a full meal. My suggestion to her is to make a list of 30-45 meals and buy the supplies need to make those meals and to set them aside. That will be her base for her long term food storage. She can then continue buying as things along the way or hit a mega sale or two and stock up on certain things. However try to keep things in balance. You don’t want 200 pounds of white rice and nothing to go with it.

Now I want to look at shelf life of canned good and staples. By no means is this a complete list and its information that I have found online. Freeze dried food have a longer shelf life than dehydrated food. Oh and it is best to store in the natural state. Example – flour only has a shelf life of 5 years (unopened) but wheat (yes the whole berries that need to be ground to make flour) has a 30 year shelf life. I am 48 so 30 year shelf life sounds pretty good to me.

Flour - 5 years
Wheat - 30 years
Spaghetti - 8 years
White Rice - 30 years
Split Peas - 8 years
Mushroom Pieces Freeze Dried - 25 years
Potato Chunks Freeze Dried - 25 years
Green Peas Freeze Dried - 25 years
Apple chips - 7 years
Peach slices Freeze Dried - 25 years
Blueberries Freeze Dried - 25 years
Applesauce - 7 years
Apple Slices Freeze Dried - 30 years
Banana Chips - 7 years
Cheese Powder - 15 years
Non-Fat Powdered Milk - 25 years
Apple Drink Powder - 3 years
Baked Potato Cheese Soup - 8 years
Kidney Beans - 30 years

Now these shelf lives are under optimum conditions with the food stored in proper containers inside Mylar bags with O2 absorbers and around 68 degrees. Here is my thought on metalized liners for buckets or Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. They don’t cost much and if you are going to invest money (which will be a lot of money over time) in food with long shelf lives then invest in the needed supplies to keep it fresh the longest. You can’t bet the metalized liner

for buckets for less than $3 a piece and a 10 pack of large oxygen absorbers for $10. Take the time and invest the money, this could mean the difference between starving and being fed. Not only that but it will help keep bugs out of your food. Never ever – let me repeat that NEVER EVER store grains like rice, wheat/flour beans etc in the boxes and paper bags they come in at the store. You will have bugs for sure.

Let me give you a little run down on the amount of grains that are suggested per adult

Wheat - 150#
Flour - 25#
Corn Meal - 25#
Oats - 25#
Rice - 50#
Pasta - 25#
Total Grains - 300#

Shortening - 4#
Vegetable Oil - 2 gallons
Mayonnaise - 2 quarts
Salad Dressing - 1 quarts
Total Fats 25 pounds

Beans, dry - 30#
Lima Beans - 5#
Soy Beans - 10#
Split Peas - 5#
Lentils - 5#
Dry Soup Mix - 5#
Total Legumes - 60 pounds

Honey - 3 pounds
Sugar - 40#
Brown Sugar - 3#
Molasses - 1#
Corn Syrup - 3#
Jams - 3#
Fruit Drink, powdered - 6#
Flavored Gelatin - 1#
Total Sugars - 60 pounds

Dry Milk - 60#
Evaporated Milk - 12 (cans)
Other - 13#
Total Dairy - 75 pounds

Baking Powder - 1#
Baking Soda - 1#
Yeast - .5#
Salt - 5#
Vinegar .5 (gallons)

And that is just staples, it does not include fruit and meat and other vegetables. So this will be an on process and a large monetary investment. So protect your investment.

Come back Monday. I am going to show you what I have been working on this week. I finished it today but do not have my camera at work to take pictures.