Food Storage

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Here are some food storage tips from the folks at Emergency Essentials. More tips from Emergency Essentials here.

Have a short term supply and a long term supply. Frequently used flavor enhancers with a short shelf life can be conveniently rotated (first in, first out) into one’s daily meals. It is important to have a variety of flavor enhancers to avoid food fatigue from eating the same type of food too often.

• · Build a short-term and long-term supply.
• · Build a menu and multiply it.
• · Include items in your supplies that will enhance your food storage items but that may not have a long term shelf life
  (think along the lines of mayonnaise, mustard, jarred pesto, salad dressing, etc.).
• · Rotate those items into your day-to-day menu so they are frequently rotated.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Dehydrated and freeze dried foods do not require electricity for long term storage. Some foods (not all) will last 30 years or longer if stored at room temperature or below. Many dehydrated foods (beans, rice, quinoa, fruit, etc.) are available in small packages from local grocery stores.

Frozen vegetables from a local store can be placed directly into a home dehydrator (Excalibur, Nesco, homemade solar, etc.) without further processing. Some fresh vegetables and fruits do require processing to avoid discoloration, but frozen foods do not. Put frozen food directly on to the dehydrator trays.

It is not possible to over dry food but it is possible to dry food at a temperature too high. If fruit and vegetables are dehydrated using a temperature greater than 125 degrees F, it is possible to dry the outer layer of food cells before the interior is totally dry, trapping moisture inside the food and encouraging spoilage. This problem is called case hardening. An exception to the 125 degree maximum temperature rule is when making jerky from lean meat. Jerky requires a much higher temperature.

Vacuum packed Mason jars (the jars and lids are reusable when used with dehydrated foods) are an excellent choice for storing dehydrated foods. Two other popular containers are Mylar bags and P.E.T.E. jars.

Food must be vacuum packed to remove oxygen and moisture, the big enemies of food storage.

Foodsaver jar sealers, wide-mouth and regular, can be used with the electric powered Foodsaver and also with other non-electric devices.

Some examples of ways to remove oxygen rich moist air from Mason jars and create a vacuum:

• Foodsaver, Link 1, Link 2 (requires electricity)
  
• Pump-N-Seal (robust)
  
• Ziploc pump (very inexpensive, possibly not durable)
  
• Modified tire pump (robust, modification requires a little mechanical skill)
  
• Judy of the Woods method (use Judy's homemade tabs for the Pump-N-Seal method)
  
• Oxygen absorber packets (not reusable; fast; reseal unused packets immediately)
  

If one’s budget allows for the purchase of bulk, food Mason jars are still very useful once a large container of food is opened and not totally consumed in a short period of time. Use Mason jars to vacuum pack whatever food remains without causing any decrease in shelf life.

Two excellent instructional websites that address cooking with dehydrated food are Dehydrate2Store and Meals in a Jar.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Jh312Xsu724

[NoNeedForAName]

What about water, Ron? How to store it for long life shelf, if possible? That is a question I never heard the answer for.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Posted by NoNeedForAName (here)
What about water, Ron? How to store it for long life shelf, if possible? That is a question I never heard the answer for.

I have not read or heard that clean water goes bad.

Keep it out of sunlight and algae will not grow.

How old is the water from wells and springs? I do not think this is an issue.

The most important issues with stored water are:
"How much do I use?"
"How much can be stored?"

It is wise to create a plan to get more clean water before stored water is depleted. If only contaminated water is available, then have a quality water filter.

The estimates vary, but a physically fit young person will only live 5 to 7 days without water. But after only 3 days, a physicall fit young person becomes significantly dysfunctional.