Storing food for 2+ years. Starting out..

I'll throw in my $0.02, I have a layered approach:

I have a case of MRE's - these go with us on back country camping hikes - no fire or dishes needed, replace when a sale is found.
I have several (10+) buckets with mylar, O2, and moisture packs. Flour, Oats, Pasta,Sugar, SALT(table),SALT(curing),Rice,Beans
I stock my pantry with everything I use, deep and high.
I also have a 1 month supply of Freeze Dried food (complete) in #10 cans (plus some off milk and eggs in #10s)
 
GM-GUY said:
I'll throw in my $0.02, I have a layered approach:

I have a case of MRE's - these go with us on back country camping hikes - no fire or dishes needed, replace when a sale is found.
I have several (10+) buckets with mylar, O2, and moisture packs. Flour, Oats, Pasta,Sugar, SALT(table),SALT(curing),Rice,Beans
I stock my pantry with everything I use, deep and high.
I also have a 1 month supply of Freeze Dried food (complete) in #10 cans (plus some off milk and eggs in #10s)
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This guy sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

Store what you eat, eat what you store.

I recently started foodstoragecooking.com and am working on getting more content up so keep tabs there.

In addition to shelf stable/canned goods at the grocery store, there are other staples that you can keep on hand for a long time that also double with every day use. For 2+ years it'll be hard to keep pure rotatables so you will need to augment with commercial food storage. A few months worth of freeze dried meals are good but hone up on cooking skills and get started with ingredients.

Cans of dairy related powders (cheese, milk, butter) are a must along with things you can do with Mylar bags, like grains and rice etc. If you don't use a lot of flour, start doing so because if you aren't you are wasting money on a day to day basis and you can rotate it out as it doesn't store for more than a few years. You can't store breads, but you can store flour and sugar in mylar, and yeast in your freezer. If SHTF and refrigeration disappears, you can keep dough starters based on that yeast/flour. A suprising number of things require chicken or beef stock, so start using boulion.

Pick up on a few recipes that deal with canned meats, its more edible and far less expensive than pre-cooked freeze-dried... or that TVP which you wont want to use regularly.

Start gardening. Even if you don't have much space a few containers on a porch or balcony go a long way for fresh vegetables. Cut up 1 gallon jugs for pots if you cant swing fancier containers. There's still a few fall crops you can get good yields out of even starting this late. Broccoli and Greens come to mind.

Get a dehydrator... even if just a cheapo for now. There's a lot of store bought veggies you can put up easily. Also, get into canning for this same reason in addition to any garden surpluses you may start incurring.

If you want some satisfaction starting tomorrow... Market Basket has 79c/lb pasta in plastic bags, cheap canisters of oats, parboiled rice, and canned fruit is 50cents a can this week... plus their generics are generally the lowest price around. SamsClub.com has the lowest prices on commercial food storage I'm aware of (Auguson Farms)... get some butter/cheese/milk/egg/tomato powders. If you have a Sam's Club or similar membership, 50lb bags of sugar are a good deal.. also flour if you are ready to mylar.

Chickens, if you can and are willing get a few... you'll never be able to swallow restaurant scrambled eggs again. You can also store feed long term if free-ranging is limited due to space. Eggs are a reliable protein source and more than just breakfast in most parts of the world.
 
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Hiltonizer said:
Chickens, if you can and are willing get a few... you'll never be able to swallow restaurant scrambled eggs again. You can also store feed long term if free-ranging is limited due to space. Eggs are a reliable protein source and more than just breakfast in most parts of the world.
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If you have to store feed for a long term grid down scenario you are better off eating the chickens and storing more people food. When you look at the calories that go into the animal in feed and the calories that come out in the eggs/meat it is a big loss. Yes they provide protein but so do beans and a number of other storage foods. Quinoa is a great grain and a complete protein. The value added by animals is that they can convert things that we cant into usable product. I have fed my chickens things like mice, chipmunks and bugs. They also get scraps and garden waste. This is all stuff that we dont eat but they can convert into usable food for us. I keep about 2 months worth of commercial feed on hand for my birds but after that if I cant feed them from what I scrounge they are going in the pot.
 
Also, as an alternative to bullion. Look for a product now available called "Better than Bullion" it's a paste in glass jars. It has a "sell-by" shelf life of greater than 2 years without refrigeration and has higher protein and fat content than dry bullion. It's 1tsp / cup of water to replace 1cup of water.

And the glass jars are reusable for small item storage. If nothing else, you can refill them with parafin wax to make sealable candles for lighting or cooking.

Regarding live-stock - if you're planning on live-stock for long term protein, make sure the live stock can eat non-consumable food-stuff. Goats are actually pretty good at this and have the advantage of producing milk. As coastie points out, the calorie conversion of live-stock is only about 10%. Comercial growers get this upto 20 even 25% by the use of growth hormones, extremely limited physical activity and specially developed feeds, but it's still a huge losing factor if you can't use "waste" to feed them.
 
We have used and like the Better than boullion. My only issue with it vs cubes is it needs to be refrigerated after opening. It does have better flavor though.
 
coastie said:
We have used and like the Better than boullion. My only issue with it vs cubes is it needs to be refrigerated after opening. It does have better flavor though.
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Run an experiement on how long it lasts without refrigeration once open. Sure, it doesn't last 3-4 years (like it does when closed) but it should keep 30-60 days, which is more than long enough to use the full container.
 
Twigg said:
I can't find an ingredients label on-line but some of the reviews on Amazon state this is heavy (third ingerdient) on MSG (or at least a form of MSG).
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I'll check when I go home, but here's the FAQ from the manufacturer:
http://www.superiortouch.com/retail/faq

They also offer organic and reduced sodium alternatives. When refigerated after opening, they have a 2 year shelf life.
 
Here's the reviews claiming MSG content.

Granted the item does have many favorable reviews but MSG is an issue for some folks.
Not flaming you just making a follow up post.

One of the reviews, highlights are mine:
5 of 19 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Superior Touch, Please advise if there is ANY MSG in your product, February 23, 2009
By J. Coll - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: Better Than Bouillion; Vegetable Base (8 oz) (Misc.)
I have been using the Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base for years. I was in the process of ordering additional jars, when I read Ms Hill's comment, from December, 2008. I reviewed the Ingredients listed on the jar and researched yeast extract and maltodextrin. There are very good articles on line, that explain how MSG can be "hidden", in the list of ingredients. The articles indicate there are over 40 food ingredients besides "monosodium glutamate" that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG). It appears that autolyzed yeast extract and maltodextrin are two of those food ingredients. In addition, "NO MSG ADDED" does not mean that there is NO MSG in the product. If MSG is "processed into" a product as opposed to being "poured into" a product (just a matter of a different processing method), then a company can declare "NO MSG ADDED" or "NO ADDED MSG", even though the product contains MSG.
Therefore, before I make an additional purchase, I am asking Superior Touch --- Please advise if your Better Than Bouillon products actually contain any MSG.
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Twigg,

I wasn't taking it personally, and I understand some people have allergies to MSG (I know several people who do) but that review has some glaring inaccuracies.

The FAQ I posted includes discussions of the exact topic she's covering (likely in response to wide spread misinformation available on the web) The two ingredients she mentioned do contain glutamates (free glutamic acids) but don't contain MSG (which exactly means MonoSodium Glutamate, not free glutamic acids)
 
Dont forget fats/oils for storage. We personally store coconut oil and olive oil and rotate it around so it is used in about a year and a half. I buy smaller jars/ bottles of these so we use them before they turn. I do have a couple of cases of the Red feather canned butter stashed away. It is good stuff but it isnt cheap. I have tried the Butter Powder in #10 cans and the stuff is nasty. Dont know how they call it butter.
 
Twigg said:
Don't forget the sauce
3fcbb419.jpg



and cheese ! [wink] [smile]
1fae92b3.jpg
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So I was pondering this post at the supermarket the other day. I looked at all of the brands and types of cheese there and none of the expiration dates were more than a year. I thought to myself, holy $hit, Twigg really LOVES cheese!
 
Make sure you understand the difference between "Best by", "Use by" and "Sell by" dates. A "Best By" date, is NOT an expiration date. It's a rough estimate of when peak flavor is sustained.
 
xtry51 said:
Make sure you understand the difference between "Best by", "Use by" and "Sell by" dates. A "Best By" date, is NOT an expiration date. It's a rough estimate of when peak flavor is sustained.
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I just checked the cheese in my fridge. There is a date on the bottom says 20 March 2012. How do you know what's what? I have been looking fiercely on all things I buy lately and it's really confusing what and where they put anything and what it means!
 
Originally posted by Hiltonizer
"Start gardening. Even if you don't have much space a few containers on a porch or balcony go a long way for fresh vegetables. Cut up 1 gallon jugs for pots if you cant swing fancier containers. There's still a few fall crops you can get good yields out of even starting this late. Broccoli and Greens come to mind."




All great advise - I'm glad to see Hiltonizers suggestion to start a garden. We might add to the advise "store what you eat - eat what your store" something like "Grow what you eat - eat what you grow and store the rest." Even a small garden will make a HUGE difference in the quality of your diet today (and health), not to mention if/when the economy bottoms out and you have to live on a years worth of stored food.
Plus if you have a children it is an excellent tool/classroom to teach so much.
 
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kman said:
I just checked the cheese in my fridge. There is a date on the bottom says 20 March 2012. How do you know what's what? I have been looking fiercely on all things I buy lately and it's really confusing what and where they put anything and what it means!
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There should be a spot on the lable that says, "Best when used by date printed on the bottom" Grated Parmagian Cheese has a very long shelf life as long as you keep it from getting too hot or moist. It can normally be kept without refrigeration 45-60 days as long as you don't get it hot enough to start to melt or moist enough to start to clump. (We used to keep a 4oz shaker in the kid's travel bag because they put it on everything). Even after opening, it will keep 6-9 months in a fridge easily. Sealled in a cool basement? 2-years shouldn't be an issue at all.

We started buying 5-lbs containers at Sam's Club and using them to refil the 1lb shakers.
 
ShadeWPI said:
There should be a spot on the lable that says, "Best when used by date printed on the bottom" Grated Parmagian Cheese has a very long shelf life as long as you keep it from getting too hot or moist. It can normally be kept without refrigeration 45-60 days as long as you don't get it hot enough to start to melt or moist enough to start to clump. (We used to keep a 4oz shaker in the kid's travel bag because they put it on everything). Even after opening, it will keep 6-9 months in a fridge easily. Sealled in a cool basement? 2-years shouldn't be an issue at all.

We started buying 5-lbs containers at Sam's Club and using them to refil the 1lb shakers.
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OK, good to know. Thanks. I was wondering if it was worth storing at all. OK, next question. Beef Jerky. I just learned out to make it and I have 8 lbs of it here:
100_2720.jpg

How do you store it long term? A co-worker suggested vacuum packing it and freezing
 
Split it up into 1/2 lbs or 1lbs portions, toss in a sillica gel packet then vacume seal.

I wouldn't freeze it, but a cool, dark place should be fine to keep it from temperature changes or sunlight exposure.
 
So here's what I did for starts. I got about 15 opaque buckets, 15 mylar bags and as much bulk rice as I could find at Costco that would fill the buckets. I also got some oxygen absorbers. I'm assuming you can toss a couple of those outside the mylar and be good for a few years?

For the record, I am only concerned about caloric content and the ability to feed a family here. I don't rotate food and don't particularly care if it's palatable just yet. I'd rather have the basics to keep people alive for 6 months right now.
 
I agree with when you're at the supermarket pick up extras of what you normally eat. The best prices I have found so far are at Aldi. It's a preppers paradise in there. [smile]
 
Whatever you do, try doing a small amount and then actually cooking and eating it. That can keep you from making a big mistake.

I ended up storing wheat, rice, and beans primarily, in mylar in 5 gallon buckets, sealed with a hair straightening iron. And an assortment of freeze dried vegetables, as well as some other things like freeze dried fruit, soup stock, dehydrated peanut butter, biscuit and pancake mix, corn meal, baking soda, yeast, baking powder, sugar, salt. We learned to make a couple of basic things and practiced from time to time using the stuff; pizza dough and indian flat bread from wheat flour, lentil soup, chili, and so on. I don't really like bread made from whole wheat flour and yeast, but making indian "roti" on the stove burners works great and I don't get tired of it.

If you don't use the stuff, you'll end up with stuff that just gets old and never used, or find yourself not able to make food that is actually edible.
 
je25ff said:
So here's what I did for starts. I got about 15 opaque buckets, 15 mylar bags and as much bulk rice as I could find at Costco that would fill the buckets. I also got some oxygen absorbers. I'm assuming you can toss a couple of those outside the mylar and be good for a few years?

For the record, I am only concerned about caloric content and the ability to feed a family here. I don't rotate food and don't particularly care if it's palatable just yet. I'd rather have the basics to keep people alive for 6 months right now.
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You need a lot more than rice to cover the basics. You arent going to live on rice alone. Look at what the LDS min requirements for an adult are.

http://www.provident-living-today.com/Bulk-Food-Storage.html

THere are a number of videos on Youtube about how to properly pack a bucket with mylar and O2 absorbers.

Do you have the ability to cook that much rice and easy access to water to prepare it?
 
+1 on the water aspect.

Also, if you are going to do a slow buildup one item at a time, rather than diversifying right away, buy bulk vitamins. They can be found in 500 and 1,000 bottles for cheap on line. Buy chewables if you have children. They double as a nutrient source and a treat.

Make your next item a protein. Tuna stores well. The chunk style, while not as tasty as solid white, can be found many places under $0.65/can.

In place of butter for the rice you can store an oil like vegetable or corn that will add fat to the meal.
 
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Chewables are definately the way to go.

Given equal input, your body will process chewable vitaemins better and easier than non-chewable. Since most chewables are flavored (makes them more palitable) they can be crushed and added to treated water to mask the flavor of treatment or added to prefared food to improve its flavor.

Add drink mixes - while not good calorie sources, they make treated water much more palitable.

Absolutely practice making food with the items your storing - split off a small amount when your transfering it to mylar bags for storage and use that for practice. Remember to practice using cooking techniques that will be available to you. Knowing how to make break or pizza dough in your electic oven is not very useful if power's been out for 2 months.

Take some cooking courses. Understanding how and when to use spices to alter the flavor is extremely valauble - Eating rice 30 nights in a row isn't too bad if it tastes different every night. If it's just plain boiled rice, it gets old quick.

As Xrty points out, start with a single item, but expand it each time you add. If you've packed away a 40lbs pack of rice last time, pick a different carb when you cycle back to packing carbs. Pasta, Flour, Corn, Oat, Potato. If you bought 2 cases of Chunk Tuna last time, look for chicken (often the same packaging as tuna and great for those alergic to fish) sausages, ham, dry or canned beans, nuts, etc. If you keep roating through Carb, Protein, Fruit/Vegitable, Fat, repeat - adding a different type of each each time, you'll build diversity.

If your packing canned food, don't worry too much about storing salt - there is tones of salt in the canned food (even the low salt canned foods) so if you're drinking the packing liquid (and you should be if you're in survival mode) you'll get plenty of salt.

Another thing is to practice steaming foods rather than boiling, and practice saving the water when you do boil - I use a steamer pot rather than a collender to strain veggies and pasta. I serve them at the table in the steamer pot (water helps keep them warm at the table) and in a long term survival situation the water can be reused or used as a soup base with starch or viteamins already desolved in it.
 
I just recently started creating an emergency food supply for my family. I've got a roughly 6ft tall metal cabinet for food, water, and supplies.

The easiest thing starting out, as mentioned before, is to pick up a couple extra things every time you go shopping. And always look for stuff on sale.

Just picked up 40 candles for $1.00, that were on clearance from Halloween at Walmart.

I don't have much yet, but still feel more prepared than most people.
 

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