Food Storage Shelf Life

I just got an e-mail from a good friend that stated a lot of canned food and properly-stored dry good will last a long time. Here's the jist:

When stored away from light and heat, in airtight moisture-proof containers at temperatures between 40-70 degrees F:

30+ YEARS
-wheat
-corn
-white rice

30 YEARS
-apple slices
-macaroni (pasta)
-rolled oats
-potato flakes

20 YEARS
-powdered milk

INDEFINITE
The following items have an indefinite shelf life (last a very very long time!) when stored in the original packaging, away from heat and light and moisture (and bugs/rodents!):
-salt
-baking soda
-granulated sugar

Canned foods when stored away from moisture (to prevent rusting of cans) and away from variations in temperature (not in attic or garage) should last 20, 30, 100 years! These include jams, fruits, veggies, and even meats! The vitamins and nutrients degrade but studies show protein levels stay pretty much the same, although the taste ain't all that great!

For items I grow myself, I've been dehydrating then using a seal-a-meal and storing small baggies in mason jars (unprocessed). I'd like to re-pack some of my supplies. I used to buy bulk dried fruits from http://www.justtomatoes.com/ because my kid loves them but am switching to www.thereadystore.com because they have better prices. Need to buy blackberries, blueberries, mango and green peas... he loves these!

Sorry... I digressed! When I buy pasta and huge bags of rice (among other things(, I'd divide in smaller portions and seal-a-meal'd them. But I don't want to keep doing that. I'm thinking I'd like to seal in a mylar-bag and put in a bucket (used and cleaned icing bucket from bakeries). Will buy the supplies after we move (hopefully within another month).

Here's a link for the mylar supplies: http://www.survivalunlimited.com/buckets.htm

I would also like to #10 can (that's the can that things from Providant Pantry come in) my own supplies but I can't find a supplier for a non-Mormon. Anyone have a link and a cost?

NOTES:
1. The info above said "wheat" or "corn" - not the flour made from those. Grains should be stored whole, and ground when ready to use.

2. I can't find info on storing gluten-free grains like quinoa. I'm going to assume that properly sealed in mylar bags or #10 cans that the whole grains of quinoa, amaranth, etc. should be good for at least a couple of years. Hope so.

3. The info said "pinto beans" - sure am hoping it's good for other legumes, like lentils, split peas, black turtle beans, white navy beans, etc. We just don't like pinto beans much.

4. Not on the list was honey but we've all heard the story of honey from ancient Egyptian tombs that was still edible and delicious.

5. Before I store bought-rice, I always freeze it for 2 days to kill any bugs. Starting to do that with almost everything I buy to store!

6. I just read that a lot of dry goods can be preserved in quart canning jars, with just the tight seal of lids and rings, and not processing. Anyone done this?

Rice and Corn Chex are now Gluten-Free!

It's so hard coming up with a gluten-free cereal that my kid will eat. And that I can afford. He loves Panda Puffs but they are so expensive.

As you know, we're packing up so we can put the house on the market. That means pretty much no cooking once the kitchen is packed up. We'll be existing on yogurt, cereal, fruits and veggies. Sounds fun, right? Well, we can do it.

It had been several months since I'd bought cereal that wasn't from the health food store. I just don't eat it that often, and honestly, it's not a good value for dollar spent. But since we'll be eating more cereal over the next month (or god no, two months), I thought I'd look for another. So I was looking in the cereal aisle the other day, hoping to find that a gluten-free cereal has magically appeared on the shelves. And I saw them. Rice Chex and Corn Chex. They actually have "gluten-free" right on the box!

Ok! Now I can collect coupons for them, buy lots, and add them to our stockpile as well as what we'll be eating until we sell the house and move to our homestead.

Anyone got any original chex recipes? Feel free to post them here.

Hello, Chex people! Got any coupons? :) Vikki

Emergency Essentials - Feb Group Specials

If you read this blog regularly, you know how much we like buying our products from Emergency Essentials.

Here's a link to their current Group Specials: http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_900_A_c2c_E_tn_A_name_E_GroupSpecials - They have discounts for dried onions, dried bell peppers, hiker water filters, and more. These are just the advertised GROUP specials. That means you have to buy the specified number to get the reduced rate.

Now... take a look at my favorite page of their well-organized website: http://beprepared.com/quickshoplist.asp_Q_c_E_64_A_name_E_Provident%20Pantry®%20Freeze%20Dried%20Food%20in%20Cans - these are the dried products from Provident Pantry they sell. I love looking on the right hand size of their list and seeing red which indicates a reduction in price. Looks like strawberries and bananas are reduced, along with others. Yum! Anyone else's mouth watering?

By the way, we do not get a discount or freebies or anything else from Emerg Essentials for giving your their information. (I wish ... hint hint!!) We just think they have the best prices for the best dried foods and other emergency supplies. They fill orders quickly too!

Check them out!

Shop for Supplies at Salvage Grocery Stores

We recently discovered this link: http://www.ehow.com/how_2276932_shop-salvage-grocery-store.html - it discusses how people on a budget can find good deals for food. It may be a little dented, or the label might be a little crooked or off-color, but if the government had a problem, the food wouldn't be allowed to be sold.

So, we used the following link: http://save-a-lot.com/ to find a Sav-A-Lot nearby us. We checked it out. They have some great deals, and some are perfect for storing.... like canned hams, and so forth. They also had toiletries, paper products, pet food, etc. Just about anything you'd get at a grocery store. We found a few decent deals, but not a lot that our particular weird family likes to eat. The Vienna Sausages and corn meal are actually cheaper at Sam's Club.

Here's the link for "grocery outlet" stores: http://www.groceryoutlets.com/ but they don't have stores but in a few states. Check it out - you might be luckier than we are.

Gardening: Seed Catalog Suppliers Links

In our former gardening blog, we went through several suppliers of gardening catalogs. The links are as follows (not in any particular order):

• Seeds of Change: their website: www.seedsofchange.com
• Gurney's: their website: www.gurneys.com
• Baker Heirloom Seeds: their website: www.rareseeds.com
• Park Seeds: their website: www.parkseed.com
• Avocado Trees: their website: www.avocadotrees.com
• House of Wesley: their website: www.houseofwesley.com
• Vermont Bean: their website: www.VermontBean.com
• Vegetable Seed Warehouse: their website: www.vegetableseedwarehouse.com
• Bountiful Gardens: their website: www.bountifulgardens.org
• Totally Tomato: their website: www.totallytomatoes.com
• What Come Seed Company: their website: www.seedrack.com
• Kitaza Seed: their website: www.kitazawaseed.com
• Vegetable Seed: their website: www.vegetableseed.net
• Local Harvest: their website: http://www.localharvest.org/store/seeds.jsp?q=
• Stark Brothers: their website: http://www.starkbros.com/
• Burgess Seed and Plant Co. : their website: www.eburgess.com
• Burpee: their website: www.burpee.com
• Nature Hills: their website: www.naturehills.com

We've been seeing Topsy Turvey hanging tomato gardens advertised all over the place - almost in every gardening catalog and magazine that we see. Here's a link: http://www.hangingtomato.com/ .. .. Does anyone have experience with this contraption? We heard some might have been recalled... what about that? Are they safe? Stable? Really do well in providing tomatoes? What about other vegetables or fruits? Let us know your thoughts - use the comment section for this posting. Thanks.

We've already started placing our orders with some of these suppliers, and are still getting catalogs from even more. Who do YOU order your seeds from?

Stored Food (experiment)

We just got the January Specials 2009 catalog for Emergency Essentials - http://www.beprepared.com/ - and they do have some great specials in this catalog.

• Minced Garlic - from $22.35 to $6.95 ( http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FS%20S304_A_name_E_Minced+Garlic )
• Italian Seasoning - from $71.84 to $6.95 ( http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FS%20S307_A_name_E_Italian+Seasoning )
• Premium Cinnamon 3% - from $17.49 to $5.50 ( http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FS%20S300_A_name_E_Premium+Cinnamon+3%25+%28Korintji%29 )
• Sour Cream Powder - from $30.95 to $23.95 ( http://beprepared.com/product.asp?pn=FS%20D055 )

... and so on. We are definitely placing an order in January when we get paid. Meanwhile, this poses a question that begs your input...

Assuming you only have the products from Emergency Essentials (http://www.beprepared.com/), dried fruits/veggies/soybeans from Just Tomatoes (http://www.justtomatoes.com/), a few bulk items from Sam's Warehouse like olive oil, honey and salt, and water, could you prepare an entire year of menus, and not get bored?

We're working on compiling a list and have to admit, we're having fun. If you have any thoughts, be sure to post them here in the comments' section.

Thank you... The Williams Family

p.s. They are not compensating us in any way; this is just our project!

Gardening Catalogs

We're starting to get gardening catalogs, which means it's time to start planning our gardening. What can we grow that we can (1) fit in our small space (2) provide healthy food (3) provide enough variety so we don't get bored eating our harvests.

Check out our gardening blog: http://www.survival-gardening.blogspot.com/ - we'll be noting gardening catalogs over the next several days.

Healthy Food Suppliers for Menu-Planning

We grew a lot of foods this past summer and dehydrated them (check out www.thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com and www.survival-gardening.blogspot.com). But we have to buy what we can't grow (mango, rice, salt, honey, olive oil, etc.). Here are a few of our suppliers:

Vitamin Cottage - http://www.vitamincottage.com/
For decent prices, they have a huge selection of nuts, seeds, soybeans, grains, herbs, fruits and vegetables. They package their own spinach, parsley, bell peppers, carrots, onions, garlic and more. Find a location near you and check out their stores. They probably also ship. Everytime we stop in a Vitamin Cottage, we pretty much clean them out of onions, garlic, spinach, carrots and parsley. Usually also bring home soybeans for the freezer. (They also have a "soup vegetables" package with various veggies but it also includes potatoes so we can only use it on a "Potato Day" in our "Rotation Diet".)

Emergency Essentials - http://www.beprepared.com/
This catalog company has great supplies, not only for emergencies but also food. MRE'S (meals ready to eat), meal-bars, first aid kits, sleeping bags, cooking and heating supplies. Good water storage containers and grain grinders. What we really love is their #10 cans and big storage buckets of grains, beans, dried fruits/veggies, powdered eggs/sour cream/butter/peanut butter, and so on. They also have dried meat like chicken. This is a MUST for certain essentials. We order from them whenever we can, at least the peanut butter powder, powdered eggs and wheat berries (to grind for wheat flour).

Just Tomatoes - http://www.justtomatoes.com/
We usually place an order with this company about every month - love 'em love 'em love 'em! They dehydrate all of their products with no sulphur, and nothing added. Our 12 year old Son refuses to eat fresh mango or blackberries but will clean out a single container of Just Tomatoes dried mango and dried blackberries in an hour! We order big packages of those, blueberries, soybeans, and green peas. Sometimes we get the small packages of apples, carrots, fruit salad, pomegranate, persimmon and cranberries as well as others. We have a special place of honor for these products in our kitchen area as well as our storage area. The company says these will last unopened for about a year, but we recently came across an unopened bag of peas from 4 years ago and they were just fine. Be sure to keep moisture-proof.

Sam's Club - http://www.samsclub.com/
They have good prices for bulk items, and our membership pays for itself within a month of stock-up-supplies. Once every other month, we buy several of each: rice, salt, honey, corn flour, olive oil, and vitamins. Be careful with price comparisons - one brand might be labeled price per ounce and another with a different brand might be price per unit. Still, a 25 pound bag of Morton Table Salt is $3.58 - a lot better than paying a dollar for a pound at the local store! Sometimes we use their "click n pull" where we choose the items online and in a couple of days, the order is ready for pickup. Certain stores also deliver.

These are just four of our suppliers but there many others. (Try CostCo too.) Feel free to use this post's comment section to add your own information.