Food for storage

[Guest SUNTZU]

Use some bay leaves, as well.

[midtennchip]

Just some resources if you need them:

For sealed food (i.e., plastic buckets with mylar and oxygen absorbers), this website may prove to be cheaper and/or easier than doing it yourself. It is good for staples (i.e., sugar, salt, rice, etc.):

http://www.aaoobfoods.com/bucketsoffood.htm#top

For freeze dried Mountain House, this website has a good sale going on until March 6th. Mountain House is NOT the cheapest stuff, but is close to the best. It also stores for at least 25 years:

http://safecastleroyal.com/category_63/30-yr.-Cans.html

[kckndrgn]

Just an FYI, for anyone that wants some 5gal buckets to use for food (or any other) storage, Lowes has some on clearance. $2.83 per bucket, they are food grade (checked with mfg website)

I picked up a few and I will be putting away some wheat and rice shortly with some beans to follow.

[Guest pws_smokeyjones]

Rice, dried veggies (peas, beans, corn), canned tuna, canned chicken, Menu C MRE's, instant potatoes (short shelf life though - 6 mo's). I am also looking at some items from www.mredepot.com

[Punisher84]

That's a pretty good website PWS. Seem to be good prices too.

[poak]

Rice, dried veggies (peas, beans, corn), canned tuna, canned chicken, Menu C MRE's, instant potatoes (short shelf life though - 6 mo's). I am also looking at some items from MREdepot.com Home Page

They sell CANNED BACON?!?!?!

This is possibly the best idea ever...

[Guest Swamprunner]

Longer-Term Supply

The LDS church has as it's cornerstone, self-reliance. Buddy up with a Mormon, and ask about the cannery at the Bishop's Storehouse. Open to all, plenty of good stuff, and no proselyting. Just good folks quietly going about their lives, planning for their families future.

[Guest Risky Ruger]

You can vacuum seal almost anything.

[midtennchip]

Looks like Costco is getting into the long-term storage food business. I saw it posted on another forum, but I think these items are only available on the website. If anyone sees this stuff in a local Costco, please let me know. They don't have it at mine (at least not yet).

The Shelf Reliance brand is a decent buy. I have several cases I ordered directly from Shelf Reliance, but some of the Costco prices are pretty good (particularly the 6-month supply).

Costco - search results for "shelf reliance"

[Guest jimdigriz]

I figure the two-year expiration date is good--that means I don't have to rotate my stock very often--but are there other options that would last longer? How are MREs? Any other types of food?

Soups, and most other canned goods, are actually good much beyond their expiration date.

[midtennchip]

I figure the two-year expiration date is good--that means I don't have to rotate my stock very often--but are there other options that would last longer? How are MREs? Any other types of food?

Soups, and most other canned goods, are actually good much beyond their expiration date.

Yes, the true long-term storage foods (freeze-dried and dehydrated) are the best. Mountain House freeze-dried items have a quoted 25-year shelf life, but it is also the most expensive brand. Good stuff, though.

Shelf Reliance advertises 7 to 10 year shelf life, but if stored in cool places, would probably be good for 10 to 12 years (maybe longer).

[Oh Shoot]

...Soups, and most other canned goods, are actually good much beyond their expiration date.

Far as I know, until the can develops the first pin hole allowing oxidation, it's good practically "forever". "Good" meaning "won't hurt you".

- OS

[kckndrgn]

Far as I know, until the can develops the first pin hole allowing oxidation, it's good practically "forever". "Good" meaning "won't hurt you".

- OS

Not always true. Had a can of tomato sauce that when the can open pierced the can there was a definite "exhale" of air not an "inhale". The can was within 1 month of it's "expiration" date and there was no physical damage to it.

With canned foods one way to tell if they are bad it to press down on the top & bottom, if you hear a "click, click" and can feel the top or bottom go in, then there is prolly pressure in the can - not a good sign.

[Guest 22-rimfire]

I have actually had old cans of food burst that I put in a non-climate controlled storage unit in Texas. So, they do go bad and I would suspect if there is pressure inside the can, there is bateria growing and releasing gas. Not a good sign.

[Jamie Jackson]

We have a mixture of canned goods (short term storage), MRE's (intermediate term and convenience of use), and LTS (Freeze dried #10 cans of Provident Pantry & Mountain House, 5 gallon buckets with mylar bags & o2 absorbers, etc.)

We have several raised beds for gardening and grow things we like to eat and cook with. We can and dehydrate most of the garden foods. We live in suburbia, so the raised beds and containers work well for us. And they aren't really that much work.

We keep at least 100 gallons of water on hand, and have a couple of 55 gallon rain barrels for water collection. A good, quality water filter is a must.

We also keep at least 3 cords of firewood seasoning. Cooking with wood is not as convenient as the microwave, but sometimes you simply don't have electrical power available.

Every Day is a learning experience. But the less I am dependant on the "system", the more I can protect what rights and freedoms I have left.

I have a family that depends on me and they are my primary motivation.

Hunting, fishing, and living "off the land" sounds great, but I can't see it as very practical, especially in a real SHTF situation. I don't want to be where a hundred other goobers are when they are all armed and shooting at everything that moves.

Preparations are never wasted. They are probably the best insurance investment we can make.

These are interesting times, very uncertain to say the least.

Tappan on Survival, while a bit dated, is a really good read on the subject, imho.

Dare to Prepare by Holly Deyo is an excellent resource book for those starting out on preps.

Great thread!

[Punisher84]

Wait....CANNED BACON?!!!!!!! OMG!

[E4 No More]

Beans are always good!

[Guest fdx28]

Walton Feed is another good place for large volume of dried food.

Walton Feed

[Guest kerstuff]

In addition to hunting and fishing, having space and the knowledge to do some gardening will be important. Patrick, I agree you cannot store enough food for a major event, but we have stocked away enough for about 6 months (and plan to have more). The space need for 6 months is not that large (I've got it on two shelving units). But, there's probably $1500 worth of food.

I admit I don't have enough know-how regarding gardening and hunting, but I'm learning.

BTW, if any of you haven't read "Lights Out" yet, read it.

Great suggestion! I've gotten it stored as a PDF and send it to relatives under the guise of a good short novel. I hope they will "see the wisdom" from it and think they thought of it on their own. Some people resent info from their older relatives and all, don't you know!

[Mark@Sea]

That's the direction I was thinking. Except not all of us (apartmentites) have room for wood storage, or a wood stove for that matter. Are there alcohol burning stoves that could be used to cook for two, like the small camp stoves (called "indian stoves" back in the day, how times have changed) I used as a child?

I collect and restore old gasoline, kerosene and alcohol lamps, lanterns, heaters and stoves. E-bay is a good source for any of these. If you need restoration or repair tips, PM me.

My stoves range in size from a vest-pocket single burner to a cabin 'hotplate' 3 burner. We keep a couple of Coleman 502's on standby at home for power outages. One for food, one for the old percolating coffeepot. 502's (out of production) are the best single burner stoves Coleman ever made. You should be able to pick one up for 15-25 bucks plus shipping.

Of the three, gasoline stoves are the cheapest, usually. Kerosene stoves are, frankly, a pain in the nether regions to operate, but they work. Well, most of them, anyway - I have an old australian-made double burner that is a real gem. Alcohol stoves are okay, but I would recommend against, primarily for safety reasons.

ANY of these stoves will consume oxygen, and produce carbon monoxide. Keep that in mind, and keep a window partially opened for draft.

No one has mentioned home canning. Has it gone out of style or something? It's cheaper, after initial setup, than buying canned goods, much less the long-term storage goods offered on various websites. Properly canned foods can last 15-20 years.

[kckndrgn]

Mark@sea, I'm sending you a PM. I knew there was someone around here that worked with lanterns but couldn't remember who.

As far as canning goes. My MIL still does it. The wife and I help out and we get to keep some of the "canned" goods. Does making preserves count as canning? If so, I started this year with strawberry preserves from my garden, YUMMY!!!

[Mark@Sea]

Got your PM

Yeah, Strawberry jam, peaches, tomatoes, peas and chili so far this year. My wife loves to can.

On the lantern - first thing you do is light it. Then, while lit, shake vigorously from side to side. If the lantern dims or brightens while you do this, you need to clean the tank again, and possibly clean or replace the fuel pickup tube.

Second thing to check is the airtube that supports the burner assembly. A favored spot for old spiderwebs and dead wasps, anything in this tube (and even a dent) can restrict airflow and cause pulsing or just poor burning.

Replacing the generator is cheap and easy, but doesn't sound like your problem. A bad generator doesn't usually cause pulsing, it just doesn't burn well (or at all).

[broylz]

another easy way to store water is to reuse 2L soda bottles. i drink a decent amount of soda, i know its bad for you, but i refill all my 2L bottles with tap water. then add a few drops of chlorine bleach to it. these can be stored literally anywhere. i have shelves of them out in the garage. threw a few under the sofa and beds etc... it adds up very quickly.

[Guest WhiskeySix]

Serious long term storage is easy for dry goods like rice, beans, grains, etc. Storing in original bags is a recipe for bugs/spoiled stores in the long term however.

Get on You Tube and search for "long term food storage". There are videos on there showing how to use mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and 5 gallons buckets to safely store food for 20+ years. It's fairly cheap and easy and the supplies can be ordered off the internet/Ebay. Sealing in mylars will keep DRY foods edible and safe for decades. I'm really getting into this aspect of storage and I have the gear if anyone needs any help getting started.

[Moped]

Back to canning. My Grandmother use to can meat as well as vegetables and fruit. One other nice thing about canning foods in the old Ball Jars. If the food goes bad, all you have to do is look at it and you'll know without opening it.