150 Easy Canning Recipes for Beginners

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Canning is a time-honored tradition of preserving food in air-tight containers. It can be an intimidating process when you first get started. But if you follow the directions and some very easy beginner recipes, you’ll be well on your way to preserving your harvest.

Note: If you are new to canning, make sure you carefully follow the safety guidelines so you don't accidentally cause you or your family to get food poisoning. Here are some canning supplies you'll need, and here are some canning dangers to beware of.

One key element to successful and safe canning is using the right recipes. Recipes are important because they ensure the proper balance of acidity in the food which prohibits the growth of micro-organisms.

Foods that have a high acid content, such as pickles and jams, can be water bath canned, which is the easiest method of canning. Vegetables, meat, and dairy must be pressure canned, which raises the temperature of the food even higher than water bath canning.

Either method is easy and safe as long as you follow the directions carefully. Here are 101 of the easiest beginner canning recipes.

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Table of Contents

• Jams and Jellies
• Pickles and Condiments
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Soups and Stews
• Sauces
• Canned Meats and Protein
• Dairy
• Miscellaneous

Jams and Jellies

Jams and jellies are probably the easiest and safest canning recipes for beginners. The high sugar content acts as a preservative, which helps keep your jelly safe to eat.

Apple butter – Who knew you could make applebutter in the crockpot? This recipe teaches you how to do that and how to can it.

Apricot Jam – If you love apricot jam, you’ll love this easy canning recipe from Sweet Cayenne. This is a great recipe for novice canners!

Banana Jam – As delicious as it sounds.

Blackberry Jam – Blackberries are easy to grow and easy to make into a delicious jam.

Blueberry Vanilla Jam – This jam is a great starter recipe for nervous newbies, and it's delicious!

Corn Cob Jelly – Yes, even corn cobs can be made into jelly.

Easy Dandelion Jelly – Use up those dandelions in your yard with a sweet, honey-flavored jelly that your whole family will love.

Frozen Berry Jam – If time escapes you, throw your berries in the freezer until you have time to make this yummy jam.

Grape Jelly – You can use fresh grapes or grape juice for this delightful and easy recipe.

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly – A delicious “sweet-heat” recipe.

Lemon Marmalade – Tart and sweet, great for spreading on toast.

Mango Jam – Tropical and sweet, perfect for beginners.

Orange Jelly – If you like oranges, you'll love this.

Pear Vanilla Jam – A sophisticated twist on a simple jam.

Pectin-Free Jam – Here’s an easy way to make jam without pectin or sugar.

Pina Colada Jam – If you've never had this, you're missing out!

Raspberry Peach Jam – Combining two summer favorites.

Strawberry Jam – Strawberry jam is a tried and true, easy to make preserve. This is a great recipe to get you started.

Tomato Jelly – Great with cheeses and meats.

Violet Jelly – Those pretty purple flowers that dot your lawn can be made into a delicately flavored, easy to make jelly. Follow the directions in the link, then use the link to Ball canning at the end to learn how to can your delicious jelly.

Pickles and Condiments

Bread and Butter Pickles – Sweet and perfect for sandwiches.

Canned Ketchup – Ketchup is overpriced. Make your own.

Corn Relish – There are a lot of ingredients, but it's worth the effort.

Dill Pickle Relish – Prefer classic relish? Here's how to make it.

Dill Pickles – This post provides everything you need to know about canning dill pickles.

Easy Canned Salsa – If you've never canned salsa before, start with this recipe.

Easy ChowChow Relish – A Southern favorite.

Easy Mustard Recipe – Yet another condiment that is overpriced in the store.

Eggplant Pickles – This has a unique flavor that's worth trying.

Garlic Dill Pickles – A classic with a strong garlic punch.

Giardiniera – A mix of pickled vegetables, perfect for antipasto.

Hot Mustard – Who doesn't love spicy mustard?

Pickled Cucamelons – Cucamelons are tiny cucumbers that taste delicious and can be pickled and canned.

Pickled Green Tomatoes – A wonderful way to use unripe tomatoes.

Salsa Verde – This salsa variety is made with tomatillas.

Sauerkraut – Sauerkraut is easy to make and easy to preserve.

Spicy Canned Apricot Salsa – A must-try for salsa lovers.

Spicy Pickled Carrots – Great as a snack or in salads.

Sweet Pickle Relish – My favorite kind of relish.

Sweet Pickles – If dill isn’t your thing, try these delicious sweet pickles.

Versatile Jalapeno Relish – Hot, tangy, and slightly sweet.

Watermelon Rind Pickles – Don’t waste your watermelon rinds, make them into these easy pickles.

Fruits

There’s nothing like the taste of fresh fruit right off the tree. The next best thing is opening up a jar of fruit that was canned right off the tree! Try these simple recipes to get you started canning fruit.

Apple Pie Filling – When's the last time you had homemade apple pie?

Apple Sauce – Applesauce is a favorite food for kids of all ages; make your own healthy version with this recipe.

Apple Slices – These are a great snack!

Blueberries – This recipe teaches you how to can blueberries without added sugar.

Cherries and Honey – A winning combination.

Cherry Pie Filling – Great to have on hand if you love pie.

Grapefruit – Great for salads or baking.

Grapes – Whole grapes are surprisingly easy to can and preserve.

Kiwi Jam – Unusual but delicious.

Mandarin Oranges – For a sweet treat.

Nectarines – Summer in a jar.

Oranges – Another great snack.

Peaches for Beginners – Peaches can be tricky, but this recipe carefully walks you through it.

Pears in Syrup – Even better than store-bought pears in syrup.

Pineapple – Great for baking or as a snack.

Plum Sauce – Versatile for desserts and savory dishes alike.

Strawberries – The flavor fades when canned, but they're still very good.

Vegetables

Vegetables are easy to can. However, canning safety is based on acidity and heat. If you are pickling vegetables, you will probably need to use a pressure canner. However, many pickled recipes only require water bath canning.

Broccoli – How to pressure can broccoli for beginners.

Candied Jalapenos – These are absolutely delectable.

Canned Corn – This recipe uses a pressure canner and discusses both raw and hot pack canning.

Canned Tomatoes – Labor intensive, but worth the effort.

Carrots – These go great with most meals.

Creamed Corn – Kids love this stuff.

Diced Chili Peppers – Lots of steps, but worth the effort.

Green Beans – This is a good one for beginners.

Kale – Add to soups, stews, and casseroles.

Marinated Artichokes – Perfect for appetizers.

Onions – Great for all sorts of other recipes.

Peas – Not as good as fresh, but it's better than throwing them out.

Peppers – Learn to can them or pickle them.

Pickled Asparagus – A springtime favorite.

Pickled Beets – Uses 10 pounds of fresh small beets.

Pickled Corn – Easy and tasty.

Pickled Jalapenos – Another great one for beginners.

Pickled Mushrooms – Excellent for adding flavor to dishes.

Pickled Radishes – Tastes better than it sounds.

Pickled Red Onions – Add some zing to salads and sandwiches.

Potatoes – If you have a big enough harvest, you'll have to can the extras.

Pumpkin – Not puree, but pumpkin cubes.

Ratatouille – A great way to preserve a summer harvest.

Spaghetti Sauce – With chunks of vegetables.

Summer Squash – It doesn't freeze well, so canning is your best option.

Winter Squash – Lots of squash recipes here.

Soups and Stews

You can create your own healthy versions of soups and stews and preserve them through canning.

Beef or Other Stock – Great to have on hand if you like to cook.

Beef Barley Soup – Hearty and filling.

Beef Stew – Everyone should learn to make this classic stew.

Bone Broth – This stuff has innumerable health benefits.

Butternut Squash Soup – Everything you need to know about canning butternut squash soup.

Canned Sausage Potato and Kale Soup – An adaptation of Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana” soup.

Chicken Noodle Soup – A classic, with home-canned chicken.

Chicken Soup – The best cure for a cold.

Chicken Stock – A must-have for soups, stews, and gravies.

Corn Chowder – Creamy and comforting.

Cream of Chicken Soup – Useful in all sorts of recipes.

Homemade Vegetable Soup – Due to its low acidity, vegetable soup needs to be pressure canned.

Minestrone Soup – Full of vegetables and beans.

Split Pea and Ham Soup – Delicious and very filling.

Tomato Soup – This still brings me back to cold winters in my childhood.

Vegetable Beef Soup – A robust and hearty option.

Vegetable Soup: A Step By Step Guide – A recipe for the best vegetable soup ever.

Your Choice of Soup – The USDA gives guidelines for canning any soup of your choice.

Sauces

Caramel Dulce de Leche – Delicious over desserts.

Chocolate Raspberry Sauce – Even better than it sounds.

Cranberry Sauce – An essential part of every Thanksgiving meal.

Elderberry Syrup – This is not a true canning recipe, but this syrup has a long shelf life in the refrigerator.

Hot Sauce – For those who like it spicy.

Singapore Red Chili Sauce – Brace yourself…

Spaghetti Sauce – Can your own homemade spaghetti sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce – Ideal for Asian-inspired dishes.

Canned Meats and Protein

You can can any number of meats in a pressure canner. Here are the recipes.

Barbecue Pulled Pork – Ready to heat and serve.

Beef, Lamb, Or Venison – Never let good meat go to waste.

Canned Salmon – For salads and sandwiches.

Canned Turkey – Great for holiday leftovers.

Chicken – The ideal pantry filler.

Corned Beef – A treat for sandwich lovers.

Ground Beef – Great for Hamburger Helper and other recipes.

Hot Pickled Quail Eggs – It sounds strange, but they're pretty good.

Pickled Eggs – The best way to preserve eggs.

Rabbit – If you’re a homesteader, you might be wondering how to preserve your rabbit meat.

Roast Beef – How to can roast beef or pot roast in a jar.

Shrimp and Other Seafood – For these, be sure to follow the directions carefully.

Tuna Fish – Do it right and it will taste better than Starkist.

Dairy

Did you know you can even can dairy products? Some professionals frown on canning dairy due to the risk of botulism. If you're careful, it should be fine, but do it at your own risk.

Butter with a Pressure Canner – Most people use butter every day. It's worth having more on hand.

Cheese – Yes, even cheese can be canned.

Coffee Creamer – Made with vanilla and sweetened condensed milk.

Condensed Milk – A dessert staple.

Cream Cheese – Spreadable and convenient.

Custard and Variations – Who doesn't love pudding?

Milk Step by Step – Better than powdered milk.

Yogurt – For a quick snack.

Miscellaneous

You might be surprised at some of the things you can easily preserve through canning. These items are especially good if you are prepping for bad weather or a possible shelter in place order.

Baked Beans – Not just baked beans—Boston baked beans.

Canned Hummus – For a ready-to-eat snack.

Canned Olives – Both black and green varieties.

Canned Pie Fillings – Apple, cherry, and pumpkin.

Canned Soup Stocks – Various flavors like vegetable, chicken, and beef.

Quick Bread – Yes, even bread can be canned.

Canning Water – Water usually needs to be rotated every six months, but not this.

Dry Beans – These may last longer than beans in Mylar bags.

Nuts – Seriously.

Rice and Beans – These will be good for 20 years.

Sweet Tea Concentrate – Crucial if you live in the South.

Additional Resources

If you are still unsure about how to can, try some of these websites for more information.

• 10 Easiest Foods to Can
• Canning 101
• Healthy Canning
• Mother Earth News Home Canning Information

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Originally published on Homestead Survival Site.

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The post 150 Easy Canning Recipes for Beginners appeared first on Urban Survival Site.

from Urban Survival Site

Bread Making Is Easier Than You May Think

Bread making is easier than you may think. There is something deeply reassuring about knowing how to make bread. Long before grocery stores and packaged goods existed, families fed themselves by combining a few humble ingredients and transforming them into something nourishing and life-sustaining. In times of war, famine, or hardship, that knowledge becomes far more than a kitchen hobby. It becomes a survival skill.

The good news is that bread is not complicated. Once you understand what each ingredient does and why it is there, the whole process begins to feel natural, even simple. You do not need fancy equipment or a culinary education. You need a handful of staples, a little patience, and the confidence to try. Please store your yeast, wheat gluten, instant milk, and dough enhancer in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them fresh. The pantry will compromise the quality of these ingredients. I never use white flour that is older than 12-18 months. Typically, I only buy enough white bread flour for 12 months.

A Few Kitchen Tools:

• Bread Pans (7.75 x 3.75 x 2.5 Inch)
• Dough Scrapers
• Dutch Oven (for No-Knead Bread)
• Artisan Bread Bags
• Parchment Paper
• Large Silver Bowl
• 4-Quart Glass Bowl with Lid (No-Knead Bread)

Bread Making Is Easier Than You May Think

White or Whole Wheat Flour

Flour is the foundation of every loaf of bread, and choosing between white and whole wheat is one of the first decisions a baker makes. White flour has been milled to remove the bran and germ, leaving behind a fine, starchy powder that produces a lighter, softer bread with a mild flavor. Whole wheat flour retains all parts of the grain, which means it contains more fiber and nutrients and has a heartier, nuttier taste. In a survival situation, whole wheat flour is especially valuable because it holds more of the grain’s original nutrition.

Some Blend White and Wheat Flour

Many experienced bread makers blend the two flours to get the best of both worlds: a loaf that is nutritious yet light enough to rise well and please a hungry family. I used to blend two flours; I haven’t done that for 40 years. I worked in a Bosch kitchen store, and I learned many tricks about making bread. Fresh ingredients are critical. If you grind the whole wheat berries, freeze the flour the same day in heavy-duty freezer bags until you are ready to use it. Please note, I only use hard white wheat from Lehi Mills in Utah. They clean their wheat six times. I can’t risk a rock in my wheat grinders.

Yeast

Yeast is what brings bread to life. It is a living organism, a microscopic fungus that feeds on the sugars present in your dough and releases carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct. That gas gets trapped within the dough’s structure, causing it to rise and giving the finished bread its airy, open crumb. Without yeast, you would end up with a dense, flat brick rather than a soft, risen loaf. Active dry yeast and instant yeast are the two most common forms available for home baking, and both work beautifully in a standard bread recipe. Yeast is sensitive to temperature; it thrives in warm conditions and dies in extreme heat, so understanding how to work with it gently is one of the most important early lessons in bread making. I only use SAF Instant Yeast.

Salt

Salt may seem like a minor player, but it is absolutely essential to a well-made loaf of bread. On the most basic level, salt enhances flavor and makes the difference between bread that tastes alive and bread that tastes flat and dull. Beyond taste, salt plays a structural role in the dough by strengthening the gluten network, which helps the bread hold its shape during rising and baking. Salt also slows fermentation just enough to keep the yeast from working too quickly, giving the dough time to develop deeper, more complex flavors. The balance of salt in a bread recipe is carefully considered, and even small adjustments can noticeably change the final result. Redmond Salt is my favorite.

Dough Enhancer

Dough enhancer is a blend of ingredients, often including ascorbic acid, lecithin, and various enzymes, that work together to improve the texture, rise, and shelf life of homemade bread. It strengthens the gluten structure, helps the dough retain gas more efficiently, and produces a loaf with a finer, softer crumb. For home bakers who are not yet confident in their technique, a dough enhancer can be a real game-changer, adding a layer of insurance to the process. The bread rises higher, holds together better, and stays fresh longer than it might without this addition. In a preparedness context where every loaf matters, dough enhancer is a worthwhile addition to your pantry. Dough Enhancer.

Wheat Gluten

Wheat gluten, sometimes sold as vital wheat gluten, is the protein that gives bread dough its elasticity and strength. When flour is mixed with water, the proteins naturally present in the grain begin to form gluten strands, but adding extra vital wheat gluten significantly boosts this process. The result is a dough that is more elastic, easier to handle, and capable of trapping more gas during fermentation, which leads to a better rise and a chewier, more satisfying texture. Vital wheat gluten is particularly helpful when baking with whole wheat flour or other heavy grain flours that tend to produce dense loaves on their own. A small addition of wheat gluten can dramatically improve the final outcome without changing the bread’s flavor. Vital Wheat Gluten.

Instant Milk

Instant milk, also known as powdered or dried milk, adds richness, tenderness, and a slight sweetness to homemade bread. The milk solids contribute to a softer crumb and help the crust brown beautifully during baking. Milk also provides a small amount of fat and protein, both of which enrich the dough and add nutritional value to the finished loaf. From a practical standpoint, instant milk is an ideal pantry staple because it stores for a long time without refrigeration, making it perfect for emergency food supplies. It dissolves easily into the dry ingredients and requires no advance preparation, so it fits seamlessly into the bread-making process without any extra effort. Please note, I still store my instant milk in the refrigerator.

Eggs

Eggs bring both structure and richness to bread dough. The proteins in egg whites help strengthen the gluten network and contribute to a better rise, while the fat in the yolks adds tenderness and a golden color to the crumb. Bread made with eggs tends to have a soft, almost cake-like texture, especially in enriched loaves and sweet breads. Eggs also act as a binding agent, helping to hold the ingredients together and creating a more cohesive dough. While not every bread recipe calls for eggs, their inclusion noticeably improves the texture and nutritional profile of the finished loaf, and they are a particularly valuable addition in recipes designed to be filling and sustaining.

Oil of Choice

Oil adds moisture and tenderness to bread, making a noticeable difference in both texture and shelf life. When fat is incorporated into dough, it coats some of the gluten strands and prevents them from developing too tightly, which produces a softer, more tender crumb that does not become stale as quickly as fat-free bread. Vegetable oil, olive oil, and coconut oil are all commonly used in bread baking, each contributing its own subtle character to the finished loaf. In a survival or preparedness scenario, oil is a valuable addition to your bread because the fat content adds calories and energy to each slice. Even a modest amount of oil in a recipe can extend a loaf’s life by a day or two, which matters when resources are limited.

Honey

Honey serves multiple purposes in a bread recipe and earns its place for reasons that go well beyond simple sweetness. It feeds the yeast, providing an easily accessible sugar that helps the fermentation process get underway quickly and vigorously. Honey also acts as a natural humectant, meaning it attracts and retains moisture, which keeps bread soft and fresh longer than sugar alone might. The flavor honey imparts is subtle but distinctive, adding a gentle warmth and complexity to the finished loaf. Raw honey, in particular, has antimicrobial properties that may contribute slightly to the bread’s shelf life. For families preparing to be self-sufficient, honey is also a long-lasting pantry staple that keeps indefinitely when stored properly.

Sugar

Sugar in bread dough does more than add a hint of sweetness. Like honey, it feeds the yeast, accelerating fermentation and helping the dough rise more reliably. Sugar also contributes to the browning of the crust through caramelization and the Maillard reaction, giving the finished loaf an appealing golden color that signals it is fully baked. In recipes that already include honey, sugar may appear in smaller amounts, working with the honey to balance flavor and support the yeast. For beginning bakers, sugar is a forgiving and helpful ingredient that makes the whole process more predictable and consistent.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice might seem like an unexpected addition to a bread recipe, but it plays a quiet and important role. The acidity in lemon juice strengthens the gluten structure, much like commercial dough conditioners, resulting in a more elastic dough that rises better and holds its shape more reliably. It also acts as a natural preservative, slightly extending the shelf life of the finished bread by inhibiting mold growth. Some bakers add lemon juice specifically to improve the texture of whole wheat bread, which can sometimes be dense and crumbly without a little extra help. The amount used is small enough that you will not taste it in the finished loaf, but its effect on the dough is real and measurable.

Why You Need To Store Wheat For Survival

How To Make Bread

Final Word

Making bread at home is one of the most practical and empowering skills a person can develop. When you understand what each ingredient brings to the process, the whole endeavor becomes less mysterious and far more manageable. Whether you are baking for the simple pleasure of it on a quiet afternoon or preparing your family to be resilient in uncertain times, the ability to turn a few basic ingredients into a nourishing loaf of bread is a skill that will never go to waste. Start simple, pay attention to how the dough feels and behaves, and trust that with a little practice, you will find your rhythm. Bread has been feeding humanity for thousands of years, and it is waiting to feed yours, too. May God bless this world, Linda

The post Bread Making Is Easier Than You May Think appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

10 Ways to Die in Your Home! #7 Gets Most People

You’ve prepped your food and your water. You’ve got ammo, medical supplies, and a bug-out bag by the door. But none of it matters if your own house kills you before the crisis even peaks.

You’ve been spending years thinking about external threats – looters, government overreach, supply chain collapse. But the data from every major disaster in modern history tells a different story. The majority of preventable deaths happen indoors, caused by things people either didn’t know about or thought they had under control.

This isn’t a list of obvious reminders to check your smoke detectors. If you’ve been prepping for more than a month, you’re past that. This is the stuff that kills experienced, prepared people who thought they had it figured out.

10. Your Generator Is a Gas Chamber

You already know not to run a generator indoors. But here’s what you might not know: the CPSC estimates that about 85 people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by portable generators, and 81% of those deaths happen in residential settings. A single portable generator produces roughly the same amount of carbon monoxide as 450 running cars. That’s not a typo.

Your Generator Has 5 Weak Points – Do You Know Them?

The mistake experienced preppers make isn’t running the generator inside the house, but running it in the attached garage with the door cracked. The CPSC found that the vast majority of fatal incidents involved generators that were technically “outside” or in a space the owner considered ventilated enough. Twenty feet from any door, window, or vent is the minimum safe distance, and the exhaust needs to be pointed away from the structure. Anything less than that is gambling.

Battery-operated CO detectors on every level of your home are cheap insurance. If you don’t have them, buy them before you buy another case of ammo.

9. The Scratch You Didn’t Clean

In a grid-down scenario, a cut from a rusty nail, a blister that opens while chopping wood, a scrape from barbed wire while patching a fence – any of these can introduce bacteria into your bloodstream.

As you might already know, without antibiotics, a minor wound infection can progress to sepsis in 48 to 72 hours.

Sepsis turns to septic shock, and at that point the mortality rate is somewhere between 30% and 50% even with modern ICU care.
Without it, you’re looking at near-certain death from something that started as a scratch.

The fix is simple but requires discipline:

• Clean every wound immediately, no matter how small. 
• Use clean water and soap first, then apply an antiseptic. 
• Cover it. 
• Change the dressing daily. 
• Watch for redness that spreads outward from the wound, red streaks running toward your heart, warmth, swelling, or fever. 

If you see those signs and you have antibiotics in your stockpile, that’s when you use them. If you don’t have antibiotics in your stockpile, that’s a problem you need to solve now, while pharmacies still exist – so make sure you have these 4 types of antibiotics in your First Aid kit. 

8. You Drank the Water and It Looked Fine

Clear water kills people. It has for all of human history, and it will again the moment municipal water treatment goes offline. Giardia, E. coli, cryptosporidium, cholera – none of these are visible. You can’t smell them, you can’t taste them. And in a survival scenario where you’re already stressed, underfed, and not sleeping well, your immune system is in no shape to fight them off.

The dangerous assumption is that well water or natural spring water on your property is safe because you’ve been drinking it for years. It probably is, right now, while upstream systems are functioning normally. But after a flood, a sewage backup, or even heavy rains that shift contamination patterns, that well might be pulling in things it never pulled in before.

This is why the single best investment you can make for your water – especially if you rely on a well or any off-grid source – is a proper multi-stage filtration setup. It’s the same layered approach used in Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs), and for good reason. These machines pull drinking water straight from the humidity in the air, but even that water needs to be cleaned before it’s safe.

Here’s what a solid system looks like, stage by stage:

• Sediment or air pre-filter – catches dust, pollen, smoke, and fine particles before they ever reach your wate
• Activated carbon filter – strips out chemical contaminants, chlorine, and the off-tastes and odors that make you question what you’re drinking
• UV sterilization or ozone treatment – this is the stage that kills bacteria, viruses, and parasites like giardia and cryptosporidium, the invisible threats that actually put you in the ground
• Mineralization filter – adds essential minerals like calcium and magnesium back into the water after everything harmful has been removed, so what comes out isn’t just clean but actually good for you

Whether you’re filtering well water, rainwater from a collection system, or using an AWG to generate water from thin air, every drop should pass through a setup like this before it touches your lips.

You can find more info here.

7. Your Heater Burned the House Down While You Slept

When the power goes out in January and the temperature drops below freezing, people make decisions that would seem reckless under normal circumstances. The kerosene heater gets dragged into a bedroom with no ventilation. The propane unit ends up running two feet from a curtain. A fireplace that hasn’t been cleaned in three years gets lit, with creosote buildup thick enough to ignite on its own. 

The Amish Heater that Firefighters Wish Every Home Had

About 80% of fire deaths in the U.S. happen in residences, and the majority occur at night. During a grid-down winter scenario, the risk multiplies – unfamiliar heating methods, spaces never designed for open flames, and exhausted people making judgment calls in the dark.

If you plan to heat with wood, get your chimney inspected and cleaned now. If a kerosene or propane heater is part of your backup plan, learn the ventilation requirements for your specific model and match them to the square footage of the room. Keep combustibles at least three feet from any heat source, and never sleep with an unvented combustion heater running in a closed space.

6. You Stored Food in the Wrong Container and Didn’t Know Until You Ate It

Botulism is rare under normal circumstances because commercial canning processes are tightly controlled. But home canning, improvised food storage, and long-term stockpile items that weren’t sealed properly are a different story.

Clostridium botulinum thrives in low-oxygen, low-acid environments – which is exactly the environment inside a sealed jar or bucket of improperly preserved food.

Botulism toxin is one of the most lethal substances on Earth. A few micrograms can kill an adult.

And here’s the part that gets preppers: you can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. A jar of home-canned green beans can look perfectly fine and contain enough toxin to put you in the ground.

The rules are simple but absolute. Use a pressure canner for all low-acid foods (meat, vegetables, soups). Follow tested recipes from sources like the USDA or the Ball canning guide. If a jar’s seal is broken, bulging, or the food smells off in any way, throw it out. No exceptions. In a crisis where medical care isn’t available, botulism is a death sentence. Treat your canning process like your life depends on it, because it does.

5. You Fell Down the Stairs in the Dark

This one sounds almost embarrassing to include in a prepper article, but falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. During a prolonged power outage, your home becomes an obstacle course at night. No hallway lights, no bathroom nightlights, no porch light to guide you down the steps when you hear something outside at 3 AM.

People trip over things they’ve walked past a thousand times because they could always see them before. Stairs without power are particularly dangerous, especially if you’re carrying a weapon or moving quickly because you heard a sound that spooked you. A broken hip or a shattered ankle in a grid-down scenario is potentially fatal, because it immobilizes you when mobility is everything.

The solution costs about $15-30. Solar-charged pathway lights for outdoor stairs. Battery-powered motion-activated lights for hallways and stairwells inside the house. A headlamp on your nightstand so you never navigate your own home blind. Simple, cheap, and the kind of thing nobody thinks about until they’re lying at the bottom of a staircase with a compound fracture and no way to call an ambulance.

4. You Ate Every Day, But Your Body Was Malnourished

This is the one that gets most people, and it’s the one almost nobody talks about.

You can eat 2,000 calories a day for six months from a stockpile of rice and beans and still develop nutritional deficiencies severe enough to kill you. It doesn’t happen fast, and the symptoms creep in so gradually that you won’t connect them to your diet until real damage is done.

Scurvy starts after about four to six weeks without vitamin C. The early signs are fatigue, joint pain, and gums that bleed when you brush your teeth. Left untreated, scurvy progresses to internal bleeding, organ failure, and death. It killed more sailors throughout history than combat, storms, and shipwrecks combined.

Pellagra comes from a lack of niacin (vitamin B3) and can develop in populations eating primarily corn-based diets. Beriberi comes from thiamine (B1) deficiency and affects the heart and nervous system. Both can be fatal.

The fix is straightforward but requires planning before the crisis hits. Stockpile a six-month supply of multivitamins – here’s a complete list of what you actually need. Make sure you add vitamin C tablets specifically – they’re dirt cheap (100 tablets for $5 on Amazon) and last for years. 

Also, if you have any space to garden, even a few containers on a porch, grow leafy greens, peppers, and tomatoes, but also medicinal herbs – have your own medicinal backyard with this complete seeds kit.

3. The Mold Moved In Before You Noticed

After a flood, a roof leak, or even just an extended period without climate control in a humid region, mold colonizes indoor spaces fast. Within 24 to 48 hours of moisture exposure, mold spores begin to grow on drywall, wood, carpet, insulation, and pretty much any organic surface.

In a normal situation, you’d call a remediation company. In a grid-down or post-disaster scenario, you’re living in it. Prolonged mold exposure causes respiratory infections, chronic coughing, and in people with asthma or compromised immune systems, it can cause invasive aspergillosis – a fungal infection in the lungs that is extremely difficult to treat even with modern antifungal medications.

Try This DIY 3-Ingredient Anti-Fungal Salve!

If your home has water damage, get the wet materials out or dry them within 48 hours. Run ventilation through the affected rooms any way you can – open windows, battery-powered fans, anything. If you see visible mold, remove the affected material entirely.

And most importantly, don’t paint over it and don’t bleach it. Cut it out, bag it, and get it out of the house. An N95 mask while doing this work isn’t optional.

2. You Got Dehydrated in Your Own Kitchen

Dehydration doesn’t mean being lost in the desert. It can happen in your own living room during a crisis where water access drops off and people instinctively start rationing before they actually need to. Most wait until they feel thirsty to drink, which already means the body is playing catch-up.

In hot weather without air conditioning, an adult needs a minimum of half a gallon to a gallon of water per day just for drinking – more if physical work is involved.

Winter is deceptive because the thirst signal fades, but dry air and the exertion of hauling firewood or managing a shelter still burn through fluids at a serious rate.

What makes dehydration dangerous in a crisis isn’t the discomfort. It degrades judgment and reaction time before any obvious physical symptoms show up. Decision-making suffers, sleep quality drops, and if it progresses far enough, kidney function starts to fail. Without access to medical care, that progression becomes very difficult to reverse.

Store more water than you think you need, and drink on a schedule regardless of thirst. One quart minimum every four waking hours, more if you’re sweating.

Find out exactly how much water you should store before an emergency hits!

1. Your Medication Ran Out and You Had No Plan B

This is the quiet killer in every long-term crisis. Roughly half of all American adults take at least one prescription medication. Insulin, blood pressure meds, thyroid hormones, anti-seizure drugs, blood thinners, psychiatric medications – millions of people depend on a pharmaceutical supply chain that can collapse in weeks during a serious disruption.

Uncontrolled diabetes leads to diabetic ketoacidosis, which can kill in 24 to 48 hours. Unmanaged high blood pressure leads to stroke. Sudden withdrawal from certain psychiatric medications or benzodiazepines can cause seizures. These aren’t slow deaths over months. Some of them happen in days.

If you take daily medication, talk to your doctor now about getting a 90-day supply. Some insurance plans and prescription discount programs make this possible. Rotate your stock so nothing expires unused.

Research what alternatives exist – herbal, dietary, or lifestyle changes that could partially substitute if your medication runs out entirely. This isn’t about replacing modern medicine with wishful thinking. It’s about having a bridge strategy that buys you time when the supply chain breaks.

On a personal note – I’m not someone who leans toward alternative medicine. I’ve always been skeptical. But my wife started working through The Forgotten Home Apothecary, and the remedies in that book have genuinely helped with a number of things I was dealing with, including an autoimmune disease.

The reason I trust it is that the author is a renowned doctor – this isn’t folk wisdom dressed up as science. It’s a physician drawing on traditional remedies with the credibility and clinical understanding to back them up. If you’re looking for a serious, grounded resource on home remedies, that’s the one I’d recommend.

Final Thoughts

The threats most likely to kill you in a crisis aren’t the ones you’ve been rehearsing in your head. They’re the carbon monoxide seeping in from the garage, the infected cut you forgot to bandage, the water that looked clean but wasn’t. Every item on this list has a body count in real disasters, and almost every one of them is preventable with knowledge you can act on right now – before anything goes wrong.

That’s also why home defense means more than reinforcing doors and keeping a firearm within reach. If your home isn’t safe to live in during a prolonged crisis – if the air, the water, the heating, or the food storage can take you out – then no amount of perimeter security matters. You have to solve the inside before the outside makes any difference.

If you haven’t taken the Home Defense Academy course yet, now is the time. It covers the full picture – not just keeping intruders out, but making your home a place that actually keeps you alive. That matters for everyone, and it matters even more if you’re older, managing a health condition, or responsible for someone who is. The people most at risk in a crisis are the ones with the least margin for error, and this course is built to close that gap. Take it now, while taking action is still easy.

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How to Make Flour Last Over a Decade

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Flour is one of the basic foods that everyone should have in their stockpile. Not only can it be turned into amazing food, but it's also an essential food that can sustain someone for a long time.

As homesteaders, many of us have a lot of flour on hand. However, not all of us are storing it correctly for the long term. A good stockpile involves using the older items first and then adding newly purchased items to the back of the stock. While this is common practice, it is still possible to end up with a lot of either infested or inedible flour.

Flour tends to go bad when it is not stored properly. Placing bags of flour in a damp area can ruin the flour with mold growth and bad smells. Flour sold in stores will have the best-by date on the package. However, you can still consume flour that has gone past that date if it looks and smells okay.

Rancid flour is best detected by smelling the contents of the flour bin. Any flour that has gone rancid will smell sour and may even have a different color and texture than normal flour.

Some homesteaders have also encountered weevils, also known as flour bugs, that end up infesting flours, grains, and rice. Weevils appear in flour because they were already in the bag when you bought it.

Female weevils lay eggs in the grain before it is milled and processed. The eggs can survive the field-to-table process and may hatch in the sealed flour under the right conditions. Flours and grains that are less refined will have a higher chance of containing live weevils due to the limited amount of processing involved.

Fortunately, you can make your flour last up to a decade or longer using these tried-and-true techniques. You may already be doing some of them, while others could be newer ideas that you haven't thought of yet.

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Which Types of Flour Last the Longest?

Not all flour is created equal when it comes to long-term storage, and understanding the difference can save you a lot of frustration down the road.

White all-purpose flour is the best candidate for decade-long storage. Because the bran and germ have been removed during milling, it contains very little fat and is much less prone to going rancid. Stored properly, white flour can realistically last 10 years or more.

Whole wheat flour is a different story. Because it retains the bran and germ, which are richest in natural oils, it goes rancid significantly faster than white flour. Even under ideal conditions, whole wheat flour typically only lasts 1 to 3 years.

If you want to store wheat long-term, your best option is to store whole wheat berries instead and grind them into flour as needed. Wheat berries stored in sealed containers with oxygen absorbers can last 25 years or longer.

Specialty flours like almond flour, coconut flour, and oat flour also have much shorter shelf lives due to their higher fat content. These are better suited for short-term pantry rotation rather than long-term stockpiling.

Airtight Containers

Most of us use airtight containers to store flour in large quantities since air is a top culprit in spoiling food. Some of these containers could include plastic Tupperware that fits a shelf to large 50-pound bins and food-grade plastic buckets.

No matter what container you use, it is important to ensure that there is no chance of air making its way into the container that could spoil the flour. Make sure that the lid is tight-fitting and that the container has no breaks, cracks, or integrity issues.

Store flour in airtight containers located in a cool and dry area for the best shelf life. Flour stored in this manner can easily last up to 2 years in the proper conditions.

Vacuum Sealed

Many homesteaders have access to a vacuum sealer, which can help elongate the shelf life of flour. While airtight containers work for flour storage, vacuum sealing goes one step further in removing any access air from the container itself.

You can easily store flour in vacuum-sealed bags or jars using a small vacuum sealer. Instead of placing flour directly into the vacuum seal bag, make sure to put it in another bag so that the flour isn’t sucked up into the vacuum sealer itself.

Plastic vacuum-sealed bags are easy to store but maybe a bit more prone to dampness. Storing flour in vacuum-sealed glass jars such as mason canning jars is a great way to protect the flour from both the elements and any excess air. Vacuum sealed flour usually lasts at least 2 years but up to 5 years in a shelf-stable environment that is dry and cool.

Freezer

Some homesteaders choose to freeze their flour in order to make it last longer. You can also temporarily freeze the flour for 48 hours after bringing it home to help kill off any weevil eggs lurking in the flour.

Freezers technically can prolong the shelf life of flour but would always need some kind of power source. Many homesteaders choosing to live off the grid may not want to spend precious freezer space on flour for years on end.

When choosing to freeze flour, it is best to let the flour come to room temperature before baking. Frozen flour should act much like frozen coffee grinds in that it is easy to scoop and handle straight from the freezer. However, it is best to bring the flour to room temp before baking, so you don't waste ingredients.

Frozen flour can last at least 2 years, while some believe it can last indefinitely in its frozen state. No matter how long you freeze flour, be sure to do so in small batches in airtight containers so that the continuous opening of the freezer won't impact the flour longevity.

Mylar Bags with Oxygen Absorbers

One of the best ways to store flour for an extended amount of time is to use mylar bags with added oxygen absorbers. Mylar bags are a special kind of bag that you've probably seen in stores. They are made from a metallic material and are often used to store MREs. Mylar bags stand up great to moisture and oxygen but may have a bit more trouble lasting if in a rodent-infested area.

Adding oxygen absorbers to a mylar bag helps boost the longevity of the food even further. These absorbers remove oxygen within the bag and can help flour last up to 10-15 years on the shelf. It is vital to use the right amount of oxygen absorbers for the kind of food you are using and use any open packages of absorbers quickly.

Oven Canning

Oven canning is an older method of flour preservation that some long-term preppers swear by. The process involves placing dry flour into clean, oven-safe mason jars, heating them in the oven to kill off any insect eggs, and then sealing the jars while still hot to create an airtight seal as they cool.

To oven can flour, fill your mason jars leaving about an inch of headspace, place the lids loosely on top (do not fully tighten), and bake at 200–250°F for about 60 minutes. Once removed from the oven, tighten the lids immediately and allow the jars to cool completely. As they cool, the lids should seal with the familiar popping sound you get from water bath canning.

It's worth noting that oven canning is not an officially endorsed method by food safety organizations like the USDA, which cautions that the dry heat may not be consistent enough to guarantee full sterilization for all foods. However, for dry goods like flour, the primary benefit is killing weevil eggs and creating a sealed, oxygen-reduced environment .

Diatomaceous Earth

Many of us who raise poultry know a thing or two about diatomaceous earth. This critical farm supplement is made up of tiny fossils that help prevent mites and insects and can be added to flour to help prolong its shelf life. You can purchase industrial and food-grade diatomaceous earth with the food-grade option being the obvious choice for flour.

The most important thing to remember when using diatomaceous earth is that a little goes a long way. In fact, you only need to use about half of a cup for 25 pounds of food. Many homesteaders choose to use this for their large flour storage in 5-gallon buckets or bins to minimize the chances of weevils hatching.

Bay Leaves

Bay leaves are a simple, all-natural trick that has been passed down through generations as a way to repel weevils and other grain insects. The strong aromatic compounds in bay leaves are unpleasant to insects, making them an effective deterrent when tucked into flour storage containers.

Simply place one or two dried bay leaves directly into your flour container or bucket before sealing it. You can also tape a bay leaf to the inside of a lid for good measure. The leaves won't affect the flavor of your flour and can be left in place until you work through the supply. This method works especially well when combined with airtight containers or mylar bags, adding one more layer of protection against infestation without any chemicals or special equipment.

It is important to take all of these tips on long term flour storage and use them at your own discretion. Always check your flour to ensure that it looks and smells right and is free from the presence of weevils. Inspect the flour thoroughly before using even years in the future.

Also, note that different kinds of flour may have different storage lifespans depending on the ingredients. Consider all of these tips when trying to make your flour last up to a decade or longer.

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