Shelf Life and Food Storage Information

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by RightHand, Sep 23, 2006.


  1. thebastidge

    thebastidge Monkey+

    Aside from canning (and learn to do it properly for safety!) there's really no home-stored food which will last as long as emergency rations like MREs.

    However (and I sell MREs in my shop) you still don't need MREs as the mainstay of your preps. MREs are for on the go troops with a large logistical tail. The packaeg to payload ration is way higher than backpacker foods. SF troops never take them into the field in one poiece. They open them, pick out what they want, and discard most of the packaging.

    My recommendation for your preps (as a disaster planner, as a shop owner specializing in prepping) is to get canned goods. For your bug-in/bug-out location, this is the best. It's difficult to carry enough canned goods OR MREs in a backpack to last very long, but realistically, if you have to hike your way out of danger, you'll have to forage anyway. You simply can't carry enough on your back to last for more than a week or so, not inclusive of water (which is VERY heavy) and even then only if you're in very good shape with a very good ergonomic pack.

    Canned goods with a lot of acid should be in glass jars. Any canned goods but ewspecially in jars should be stored out of direct sunlight in a cool (but not freezing) dry location. Canned goods have the benfit that they rarely need water added or cooking. You can eat out of the can as a worst case scenario and they generally contain liquid enough to keep you alive. Getting clean water to cook with is a drawback of freeze-dried goods, and honestly MREs almost REQUIRE water, at least for most of what's in there. The entrees usually can be eaten right out of the bag, but you'll still want water with it.

    MREs and emergency ration bars are a good option for a GHB or bug-out bag to get you to the location where your preps are stored. 1-3 days worth per person.
     
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  2. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

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  3. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    One Gallon Imperial is 4.55 Litres and weighs 10 pounds , Hence SG of fresh distilled water = 1 / one. Was a rule when Buffalo romped with natives .
    US Gallon is 3.78 Litres and is 8.33 pounds (still pounds arrives from Stone, but same mass/weight ) the rest of pints/ quarts is still out of wack all over the rest of the world.

    Litres/metric system , only that & all divisible by 10, Way easy like the rest of the world. So when someone in Britain /Auzi/NZ said I get 40 miles per Gallon , they had real Gallons . Glad the ISS is metric , everyone's tape measure is the same ;)

    Sloth
     
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  4. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    For the less obvious, an Imperial gallon is 5 US quarts. Just how that came to be is lost to me. Might have something to do with where liquor got sold in fifths, dunno.
     
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  5. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Im only going off what I have heard , & from reading , but not sure it's totally fact.
    The New Americas were trying to out-do the British ,(Spain & most of Europe were metric and moving to standardize ) one way is to make the numbers bigger by a smaller amount.Same size hat but call it 12 gallon .. Same as Electricity was 25hz way back in the early north american eastern citys but no real connecting grid's.. In the early 1950's 25hz (strobe lights & bad buzz ) was dropped everywhere and the North American Standard was to be 60 Hz 120/220/330/440/550/660 volt .There are still a few non standard generation plants , but those are just to power an industrial plant.
    With that decision any electrical item from Britain or any other part of the globe wouldn't work , so It had to be Made In North America for North America. I do remember the 25 to 60 hz switch debacle, last years new 25hz purchase was useless when the switch was done.
    That was when my Family went off anything electric, TV wasn't allowed till 1966 ? or so.. Mom did get a wringer washer before that , But the new 25 hz top mounted refrigerate box lived out back for years as a reminder of one years hard wage's wasted !


    Good post on Shelf Life and Food Storage Information

    VT
     
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  6. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    You made me look - thanks!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_frequency
     
  7. wrc223

    wrc223 Monkey+

    So last night I pulled some dried venison from the gladware to give it an updated testing.
    This November it will be 2 years since I started this.

    Background: I shot quite a few deer a couple years ago and decided to do a little experiment. I took one of them and cut up the deer into 4" x 1" slices. I dried the meat using primitive methods (smoke, salt, and solar dehydration). I then simply put it in gladeware containers and have them stashed in all of our food storage areas. Since I did this, I have sampled the meat randomly to see how it's holdin up. I keep my actual preps in MUCH better storage conditions but this experiment is designed to see what happens when food is processed like it was 150 years ago and stored in less than ideal conditions.

    Visually it looks the same as the day I put it away. No change in smell, the smoked meat still has an almost overpowering hickory smell when you first open the container but as far as taste it has really mellowed out. The salted meat still needs to be soaked or boiled to be edible for me but then again I have a very low salt tolorance. Low sodium and no salt products are my preference. No funky smells, tastes, or things growing on it. The dehydrated meat is very bland. When boiled in a tin cup for a couple minutes with a boulion cube, it would be a good base for a soup or stew if you could score some veggies and a tsp of flour. So, at this point I am very pleased with the results. I ate it yesterday and just took care of mornin business and have had no problems at all.
     
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  8. Chizel21

    Chizel21 Monkey

    Cool site, thanks for sharing


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  9. gunbunny

    gunbunny Never Trust A Bunny

    August2012 011 (912 x 684). August2012 012 (912 x 684). I would say that evaporated milk stored in cans last for about 3-4 years.
    Looks like we made cheese. Yuck!
     
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  10. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    Ok, I can say with certainty now that Velveeta will not last a year and a half past it's exp date. Pulled a box out of the cabinet and tore it open, and it was kinda dark and brown. Smelled ok... as ok as that mess ever does anyway, but the taste was kinda off. There was also an odd hollow spot on the bottom, and a clear liquid was around that spot when I peeled off the foil. Checked the date, June 2011. I probably could have eaten it, but I wasn't going to be the only one eating dinner that night so I decided not to chance it and tossed it to the chickens. I have a bunch of cans of cheddar cheese soup I need to use anyway.
     
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  11. RamboMoe

    RamboMoe Monkey

    Wow, very nice!
     
  12. jimm1

    jimm1 Monkey

    Thanks goin to be using this for years
     
  13. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Great Information!!! [winkthumb]
     
  14. recon

    recon Senior Member Founding Member

    I do love the spam!
     
  15. pearlselby

    pearlselby Monkey++

    Thank you for a great post.
     
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  16. tatiana

    tatiana On Hiatus Banned

    wow this is incredibly helpful
    This is incredibly helpful thank You so much for doing all this work. Excellent research. You're my hero.:)
     
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  17. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    1. HONEY
    Pure honey is as durable as it is delicious; it keeps safe indefinitely. Honey may change color or crystallize over time, but that won't make it unsafe.
    Keep it fresh: Store in a cool area and keep tightly closed. Revive crystallized honey by placing the opened jar in warm water and stirring until dissolved.
    2. RICE
    White, wild, arborio, jasmine and basmati rice all have an indefinite shelf life, when kept free from contaminants. The exception: brown rice. Thanks to its higher oil content, it won’t keep nearly as long.

    Keep it fresh: Store in a cool, dry area. Once opened, place rice in a sealed airtight container or place original package in a resealable heavy-duty freezer bag. For added protection, store rice in the refrigerator or freezer.

    3. SUGAR
    White, brown or powdered — sugar never spoils because it doesn’t support bacterial growth. The real challenge is to prevent it from becoming rock-hard.
    Keep it fresh: Keep sugar in a cool, dry area. To prevent sugar from hardening after opening, place it in an airtight container or cover the original package in a heavy-duty plastic bag and seal tightly.

    4. HARD LIQUOR
    Whipping up some penne alla vodka and a pitcher of cocktails? Distilled spirits —vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, tequila and the like — don’t spoil, even after opening. The taste and aroma may fade gradually, but it’ll take ages before you notice.
    Keep it fresh: Store in cool, dark area, away from direct heat or sunlight. Keep bottle tightly closed when not in use.


    5. MAPLE SYRUP
    Pure maple syrup not only makes your pancakes special, it adds tremendous flavor to a whole range of dishes. Best of all, it keeps forever in the freezer.

    Keep it fresh: Refrigerate after opening. For long-term storage, freeze maple syrup in airtight plastic containers.

    6. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
    Yes, it’s more expensive than its imitation counterpart. But pure vanilla extract keeps forever, so you’ll never have to waste a drop.
    Keep it fresh: Store in cool, dark cupboard and keep tightly closed when not in use.
    7. DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR
    A reliable standby in everything from marinades to salad dressings, distilled white vinegar will remain virtually unchanged as the years pass by.
    Keep it fresh: Store vinegar a cool, dark area and keep tightly capped after each use.
    8. CORNSTARCH
    A must-have for thickening sauces, gravies, and puddings. Cornstarch will keep indefinitely if it's kept dry and free from contaminants.

    Keep it fresh: Store in cool, dry area; keep package tightly closed between uses.


    9. SALT
    From the basic table variety to fancier versions like kosher and sea, salt is a flavor enhancer that never spoils or goes stale.

    Keep it fresh: Store in cool, dry area.


    Hard Liquor doesn't last indefinitely at my house [LMAO] Just saying [touchdown]
     
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  18. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    I use oxygen absorbers in every thing I repackage ,
    Usually in serving size ,then in a second bag holding several serving size bags, and O2 absorbers in there as well .
    It is very important to store salt for future storage and canning supplies .
    Never assume things will go back to normal .
     
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  19. Kingfish

    Kingfish Self Reliant

    We have lots of sugar salt and White rice in 5 gallon cans with oxy absorbers. Those three are main stays.
     
  20. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    Eat what you store and store what you eat.
    include all the foods one uses normally and rotate them as necessary .
    Learn to can foods that won't keep other wise ,and dehydrate fruits for short term storage .
    The reason farming and gardening and canning is so valuable, is the long term, and in the event the growing season is short the stored food is still a viable resource .
    However using the stored food up, and then starting the gardening can be the worst mistake, not knowing how to garden, nor the supplies to be successful, especially in a changing environment .
    I have been making so many blunders learning I would have died of starvation long ago if I was depending on it.
    Just who are going to be the ones to get things going again ?
    NO body.
    If every one that survives initially, is depending on some one else to make that provision.
     
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