Tag Archives: long term food storage

Emergency Preparation

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If you are putting together an emergency-preparedness kit, it is important to remember that you need to have more than just freeze-dried foodand other food items packed away in storage. After all, the food won’t do you much good if you have no way to prepare it and you won’t survive for long if you do not have water available.

Therefore, it is essential to include water as well as some sort of heating source in your kit. Still, even with the proper equipment available, you will need to keep a few emergency cooking tips in mind in order to make your food, equipment, water and other supplies last as long as possible.

What else should you consider?

When it comes to emergency food preparation, some things you need to know include:

  • Most freeze-dried foods are ready to eat just 10 to 12 minutes after adding hot water.
  • Freeze-dried foods can be prepared with cold water, but are generally more flavorful when prepared with hot water.
  • Just bringing water to a boil will destroy all harmful pathogens, so don’t waste fuel and water (through evaporation) by boiling it longer.
  • Have plenty of food items in storage that do not require cooking.
  • Include a reliable heating source, such as Stove In A Can, in your emergency kit.
  • Include ingredient items such as salt and sugar in your emergency kit to help add flavor to your meals and to use with making fresh food items, such as bread.
  • Remember that flour does not store well over the long-term, so include grain and a mill in your kit so you can make your own flour.

If you do not regularly prepare meals from freeze-dried items or from scratch, you might also want to practice making a few meals. This way, you can become comfortable with the process.  You might also want to include a book containing a few recipes and tips within your kit. This way, you will be more comfortable with making the meals when the time comes.

 

Article from: wisefoodstorage.com

Emergency Preparation: 72 Hour Kit

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If you haven’t started your 72 hr. kits yet, here are some great items to start with. If you have started, GOOD FOR YOU! But, you might see some items here that you don’t have yet.

The one item that is a must have is the “Filtering Water Bottle”. This water bottle can filter up to 100 gallons of water, which is a very important item to have.

The “Fresh and Go toothbrushes” are really cool items to have. They already have the toothpaste in them! There are up to 30 uses in each toothbrush.

Then there is the Premier Bottled Emergency Kit. This kit already has a lot of these items.
It comes with:
2- Purifying water tablets
1- Water bottle
1- Hand and body warmer
1- Emergency poncho
1- Emergency blanket
1- Strike-anywhere matches
1- 9-bulb LED flashlight
3- “AAA” batteries
1- 5-in-1 whistle
1- basic first-aid kit
1- Zip-top bag
1-Multifunction tool
1- Carabiner

Article from: rugettingprepared.blogspot.com

Canning: DO’s and Don’ts

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    • Do not use overripe fruit. Canning doesn’t improve the quality of food, so if you start out with low quality, it will only get worse in storage.  Plus
    • Do not add more low-acid ingredients (onions, celery, peppers, garlic) than specified in the recipe. This may result in an unsafe product.
    • Don’t add substantially more seasonings or spices, these items are often high in bacteria and excess spices can make a canned item unsafe. I doubt whether increasing a spice from 1 teaspoon to 2 in a batch of 7 quarts will have any adverse effect, but use some common sense and don’t go overboard.
    • Do not add butter or fat to home-canned products unless stated in a tested recipe. Butters and fats do not store well and may increase the rate of spoilage. Adding
      butter or fat may also slow the rate of heat transfer, and result in an unsafe product.
    • Thickeners - With the exception of “Clear-Jel” which has been tested in USDA and university food labs, do not thicken with starches, flour, or add rice, barley or pasta to canned products – this applies to both savory products (such soups and stews), sauces and pickled items. Items that thicken products will absorb liquid during processing and slow the way in which the food heats. Under-processing and unsafe food could result.
      ClearJel Starch, 1 lb. has been tested in pie filling recipes.
  • DO add acid (lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid) to tomato products when directed in the recipe. In 1994, food scientists proved the risk of botulism poisoning from canned tomato products, and acid is now added to canned tomatoes, even to those canned commercially. Lemon juice is widely available, but will add a sharp note to canned tomatoes; citric acid will change the flavor less noticeably, and vinegar is part of many recipes anyway. If necessary, you can balance the tart taste by adding sugar.
  • Heat process (water bath canning or pressure canning, as called for in the recipe) all canned items that will be stored on the shelf. Some recipes, especially those
    for jams and jellies, instruct you to simply seal hot-filled jars, or to invert the jars as the final step. I know of no reputable source (university food science departments, the USDA, FDA, National Home Canning Center, etc.) that recommend either “open-kettle canning” or inverting jars as the final step, as unsafe final products may result.
  • Never process the jars in any oven (electric, gas or microwave). Steam canning is also, pretty broadly NOT recommended.  There ARE a couple of manufacturers selling steam canners, but you’ll find virtually no credible authorities recommending them, for a variety of reasons, starting with basic heat transfers properties of steam vs. water.
  • Increase water-bath processing times at altitudes of 1,000 feet or more to compensate for the lower temperature of boiling water at high altitude. I’ve tried to be sure to include the conversion charts in all recipes for this.
  • To prevent darkening: Some peeled or cut fruits (such as peaches, apples, nectarines) will darken when exposed to the air. Any of these simple treatments will help prevent darkening:
    • Use a commercial ascorbic acid mixture like “Fruit-Fresh”, which is available at the grocery and drug stores. Sprinkle it over the cut fruit and mix well. OR
    • Put the cut fruit in a solution of 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid (vitamin C, available in a powdered form from the drug store) and 1 gallon water. Drain before canning.
    • Put the cut fruit into a lemon juice solution (3/4 cup lemon juice to 1 gallon water). Drain fruit before canning.
  • Canning jars. Use standard mason / Ball / Kerr (etc.) jars for home canning. Commercial food jars that are not heat-tempered, such as mayonnaise jars, often break easily  Sealing also can be a problem if sealing surfaces do not exactly fit canning lids. Be sure all jars and closures are perfect. Discard any with cracks, chips, dents or rust. Defects prevent airtight seals.
  • Do not use jars larger than specified in the recipe, as an unsafe product may result. It’s almost always ok to go smaller.  Generally speaking, quart jars are the largest size you should use.
  • To remove scale or hard water films on jars, soak several hours in a solution of 1 cup vinegar (5 percent) per gallon water. Keep the jars warm until ready to fill (to reduce breakage from thermal shock).
  • Prepare the two-piece metal canning lids by washing them in water and following the manufacturer’s instructions for heating the lids (some need to be covered with hot water  for a minute or more – in steaming, but not boiling water)
  • The flat lids can be used only once, but the screw bands can be reused as long as they are in good condition. Read Do not reuse lids from commercially canned foods.
  • Check jars for seals within 24 hours of canning. Treat jars that fail to seal properly as if they are fresh (refrigerate and eat soon).

 

Article from: pickyourown.org

Food Storage Tips: Clever Ways to Rotate your Food Storage

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With the unemployment rate up again and home sales still awful it really doesn’t look as though we are going to get out of this inflationary period any time soon. I continue to believe food storage really is the wise way to invest our money right now. I love the fact that I only have to purchase foods that are on sale because my General Store is well stocked and thus I just shop in my closet and replenish only at sale time. I love that feeling and if you have not experienced it yet let me help you to conquer your fears and become self reliant!

Today we will talk about a few tips for rotating and add a couple of recipes.

First: Canned fruits are great in smoothies and you probably already know that. Drain your fruit and place it on a cookie sheet in the freezer. For even more added flavor freeze juice in ice cube trays and add to smoothies or use to cook your oatmeal, no other sweeteners needed! When the fruit is frozen place in freezer bags and you are ready to go any time you need a treat. These fruits are also perfect to use in ice cream both homemade and store bought. Before placing your fruit on a cookie sheet cut it into small pieces and you are now ready to add to a freezer of homemade ice cream or to add to a box of store bought. Simply let the ice cream soften a little and fold in the desired amount of fruit. Place ice cream back in the freezer to refreeze. Now you can have peach ice cream year round not just during the summer months. Try this with diced pineapple and add a little coconut extract to the softened ice cream, then fold in the pineapple…pina colada ice cream! yummy

Next use your canned milk in homemade ice cream, hot cocoa, or add to your powdered milk. Evaporated milk makes everything taste creamy and rich. Not storing evaporated milk? See Food Storage Lesson Four next Monday to discover why you should be. Evaporated milk is also perfect to make your own creamed soups for eating or use as an ingredient.

Canned chicken makes great chicken salad. Don’t be afraid to use your canned meats cold. They are completely cooked and safe to be eaten right out of the can. Canned beef makes great hash. Recipe below. Canned meats are also perfect in soups and casseroles. Don’t forget to include them in your meals. When you head to the freezer ask yourself, would my canned meats work in place of the frozen? At least once a week use a canned variety and you will rotate through with no problem.

I love canned potatoes. I use them many ways but my favorite is for home fries. Recipe follows. It’s just really nice to have more variety in your storage and a fun break from instant potatoes, speaking of which…instant potatoes make a great potato soup and they are perfect to reconstitute and use in a potato bread recipe. Potato breads and rolls are so soft and so yummy!

Home Fries

1 can potatoes

1 onion diced

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tbsp. Oil

Paprika

1. Drain and slice potatoes.

2.Saute onion in butter and oil until lightly browned.

3. Sprinkle with a little paprika for an added dimension of flavor and also to add in browning.

4. Salt and pepper to taste. Personally I don’t add either.

Beef Hash

1 can beef chucks

1 medium onion

1 can potatoes

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. oil

1. Dice onion and saute in oil and butter until lightly browned. Cook slowly and do no over cook.

2. Drain and dice beef chunks

3. Drain and dice potatoes.

4. Add beef and potatoes to onions and cook without stirring until lightly crusted.

5. Flip and continue cooking until second side is lightly crusted.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

I love to serve these with poached eggs on top.

 

Article from: blog.totallyready.com/

Food Storage Tips: Freezer Corn

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Do you have corn in your Food Storage? How do you freeze corn – do you make a special concoction for creamed frozen corn, or just blanch it and freeze it?

Here is my basic corn freezing recipe:

Remove husks and silks from corn – though, don’t be too particular about getting all the silks.
Blanch corn for 4 minutes. (meaning cook in boiling water)
Remove from hot water and place in (a sink of ) cold water. Cool briefly.
Use your favorite knife to cut the corn from the cob. Scoop into a freezer safe bag. Fill bag, leaving some room for expansion in the freezer. Squish the air out of the bag. Place in freezer.

Thaw and cook. Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste.

I hope that all made sense to you. Enjoy!

120 Servings Freeze Dried Vegetable & Sauces

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Article From: histakes-food-storage.blogspot.com

Food storage for those who hate to cook

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A Food Storage turn-off for some is the assumed need to possess extensive cooking skills.  Although there is some truth to needing to know how to prepare beans and other dry goods from scratch and learning simple recipes to incorporate food storage items into your menus, there are other super simple options for those who feel like fish out of water in the kitchen.  I was recently introduced to  ready-made meals.  These are individually packaged meals that only require water.   The representatives who showed me the product,  left me a sample of Chicken Teriyakki with Rice.  It was of course very easy to prepare, and was surprisingly good.  All of my kids gobbled up their samples and wanted to know when I would be ordering more.  The company touts these packaged meals as “efficient, compact and easy to store, ready in 10 minutes, and great tasting.”  The representatives also told me that their products have a 25 year shelf life.  So, for a person who doesn’t want to store a bunch of #10 cans of products they don’t know how to use, this may be an ideal option for long-term food storage.

We enjoy cooking and we cycle all of our food storage items, so stocking a large amount of these ready-made meals as our main source of food storage isn’t the best option for my family.  (Plus, I know my kids will want to eat them for lunch all summer.)  However, they are so handy and tasty that I think they will be a great addition to our 72-hour kits.  They are very light weight and would be perfect for backpackers as well.  And, we thought they would be handy for camping. You can click on the following links to order a sample of the ready made meals I was talking about.

60 Serving Gourmet Entree

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Article From: allaboutfoodstorage.com

Food Storage Tip: 10 Essential Food Storage Shopping Tips

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Food Storage Shopping Tips

1.      Think in terms of calories per person per day. High stress situations require more calories. Under normal circumstances, adults need 2000-2600 calories per day, more if very active. Children need 1500-1600 calories per day or more to maintain growth and energy1. Be sure you can determine how many calories per person per day you are purchasing. If you are unable to determine the quantities in a kit, combo, or year supply, you may find yourself not having as much nourishment as you thought. For example, 2,000 calories per day for a month for one person is about 60,000 total calories; for a year, 730,000.
2.       Look for nutritious calories, not empty calories. Try to get calories from as wide a variety of sources as possible. A lot of calories from sugar drinks or candy are far less healthy than from balanced meals.
3.       Be informed about nutritional values. For example, how much daily nutritional value, on average, will you get in carbohydrates, protein, iron, or vitamins A or C? During times of stress or disease, nutritional values take on additional importance.
4.      Do not rely entirely on number of servings. Not all servings are created equal. Servings per person can be misleading if it’s not clear what the serving size is or what is included. For example, a cup of orange drink, a cup of beef stroganoff, a tablespoon of butter, or a quarter teaspoon of salt all technically count as a “serving.” Make sure you are comfortable with what your supplier means by “servings per person.” Three servings per day could mean only 600 calories per day. Also, serving sizes for similar products are not necessarily consistent from one supplier to the next.
5.      Be concerned about menu fatigue. Buying only a few menu options may be challenging to endure should you ever need to use your food over an extended period of time. The more variety you have, the more enjoyable your eating experiences will be and less shock it will cause to your body. Think through in your mind what it would be like to eat entirely from your food storage for a week, a month, six months, or longer and compare that to the variety you’ve enjoyed over the past week. Having a variety of grains, legumes, dairy, meats, fruits and vegetables plus a variety of seasonings on hand will go a long way toward expanding your meal options. Clearly, you should not sacrifice calories and nutrition for the sake of variety and yummy meals–after all, your first priority is to save lives—but for almost no additional cost, and with some forethought, you can have a dramatically more enjoyable and healthy food supply.
6.      Be aware of weights and volumes. Gross or shipping weight includes the weight of the packaging materials. “Net weight” is only the weight of the food and the best measure of how much food the package contains. Knowing the net weight or volume of what you are buying makes it easier to comparison shop. For example, focus on dollars per ounce (weight) or dollars per gallon of like items when comparison shopping, just as you do when shopping at the grocery store. Remember that the equivalent quantity of food occupies more space if it’s freeze-dried than if it were dehydrated.
7.      Know what kind of cook you are. Better yet, anticipate which kind of cooking you most want to do during an extended period of difficulty. If you like to cook or bake from scratch, you can save money by emphasizing basics like wheat, rice, legumes, milk, eggs, and individual types of dehydrated vegetables, fruits, and seasonings. This gives you the greatest flexibility for menu choices and is the best way to avoid menu fatigue. If you prefer just-add-water options, you can save time and heat resources using dehydrated or freeze-dried meals or entrées. If you want to heat and eat without adding water, MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat)—like what the military uses—may be the ticket. Most people settle on a combination of all of the above, due to the variety they allow, to save both money and time.
8.      Scrutinize shipping and handling charges. Food storage orders can be quite heavy and shipping can be a major cost if you’re not careful. Some suppliers charge a flat fee, others charge according to the weight of the order. Take into account the entire cost, including shipping, when price comparing. A reasonable flat shipping charge presents an opportunity to add additional items to the order without incurring additional shipping costs.
9.      Don’t just look at the price. Not all food storage companies are the same nor do they package and price their products the same. Products perpetually on sale may actually not be the best available price. Beware when price per net weight, calories per day, cans per case, number of complete meals, etc. are not determinable. This might be a situation where you are not getting the best value for your dollar.
10. Understand the pros and cons of the different kinds of packaging. The enemies of food that has been prepared and packaged for long term storage are heat, moisture, oxygen, and light. Protecting against heat depends 100% on where the product is stored, but the other three—moisture, light, and oxygen—are mostly controlled by the packaging. Make sure oxygen is removed from the container by either use of an oxygen absorber or by nitrogen flushing. For pails, which are not 100% air tight, make sure the product is sealed inside a metallized bag (a common brand is Mylar®), otherwise oxygen will leak back in. Certain freeze-dried foods kept in oxygen-free cans that are stored in a cool, dry environment can retain nutritive value for 25 years or more (see tip regarding shelf life).

60 Serving Gourmet Entrees

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Article From: preparednesspantry.blogspot.com

Food Storage Tip: Re-Hydrating Vegetables

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One of my must have Food Storage item is dehydrated vegetables.  Most vegetables need to be reconstituted and cooked prior to eating.  There are a few exceptions like potatoes and zucchini.  The best way to reconstitute most vegetables is to do it in two steps.  The first is to place the vegetables in a container and pour in an equal amount of water or other liquid.  Hot or boiling liquid will shorten the time, but it will begin to cook the food.  Cold liquid works fine but takes longer. The soak time depends on the size and thickness of the pieces.  It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours.  Do not soak vegetables for longer than 2 hours or this can result in the growth of bacteria.

The second step is the cooking process.  While it is possible to do this in one-step, your vegetables will be more flavorful and tender if you do it in two steps.  The exceptions are leafy vegetables like cabbage, lettuce and spinach. These should be cooked and rehydrated in one-step.

The finished rehydrated vegetables should be near their fresh size.

Fruits & Vegetables

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Article from: preparednessadvice.com

Food Storage Tip: Buying in Bulk to Ease the Budget

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Sometimes it is hard to know how to incorporate bulk foods from your food storage into your diet if you are not use to cooking them. I remember years ago reading cookbooks and health related books and filling my head with great ideas on how to save money and cook better food for my family.  I found a store way on the other end of town that sold bulk foods in barrels that you scooped out, bagged and labeled yourself.  So I brought home my treasures and then thought.. now what do I do with it. I tried some recipes and a few turned out and some did not but in the end most days I went back to what I knew how to cook and the bulk items sat on my shelf. However, slowly I began to learn more, cook more and figured out how to incorporate these cost saving, nutritious foods into my diet. That began my journey into not only saving money (I admit this was my biggest desire when I started) but also I began to see and understand the health benefits for my family.

Types of Bulk Food?
What type of bulk food am I referring to? They would be mostly grains and beans and a few other miscellaneous types of foods. Here is a list of what I buy in bulk:

Beans:
Red beans
White beans
Pinto beans
Black beans
Split peas
Lentils

Grains:
Oats
Wheat
Brown rice
Corn
Pop corn
Miscellaneous Foods
Seasonings
Powdered milk
Honey
Whole wheat pasta
Cane juice crystals
Sucanat
Baking items such as:
Salt
Baking soda
Baking powder
Nuts
Coconut

It is amazing with the above list and a few items from your freezer and refrigerator what you can create to feed your family.

Article from: thefamilyhomestead.com


Food Storage: Not Just for Natural Disaster

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The number one misconception about Food Storage is that you will only need it when there is some sort of Natrual Disaster.   What happens if you lose your job, or have your hours cut? Stocking up on food now will allow you to prepare meals for your family without needing to buy as much each week at the grocery store. Food storage can help you stretch your emergency fund further as you look to replace your income.

Here is how to get started:

1.)    Start by storing water. Let’s face it, a person’s survival depends on drinking water. We can survive 3 weeks without food but only 3 days without water. Some emergency services recommend that we have at least a two-week emergency water supply on hand at all times. I recommend 1/2 gallon per person per day just for drinking and minimal food preparation purposes. You might not think that you drink that much in a day, but I’ll bet if you added up all the water, juice, milk, soft drinks, broth, and other liquids, you would be close to consuming 1/2 gallon. In an emergency, you may find that you want more liquid than in regular circumstances. Water bottles are cheap and fit perfectly in the trunk of your car to be used for emergencies. Also get  a 55 gallon drum for additional water storage.

2.)    The next step is to start buying additional long term food items that you like and can eat on a regular basis. For example, 10 cans of tuna this week then a sack of rice the next week and a couple bags of pasta the following week and so on until you have a six months’ worth of food.  Great thing to keep in mind is to plan your food storage items around meals that you and your family like to eat. If you have pasta, then make sure you have canned sauces etc…

Getting started can really be simple and easy. Start buying a little extra items this week then a little more next week until you get used to buying a few extra items and the next thing you know, you have a year supply of emergency food storage stored at your house.