How To Decide What Food Storage Works For You

Today, it’s about how to decide what food storage works for you! I keep thinking about a very nice man’s statement about buying food storage on my Food Storage Mom’s Facebook page. His comment has stuck in my mind for a few weeks, so today is the day I will address how food storage works. I’m updating this post from January 2018, boy that seems like a long time ago. Please store fuel: Emergency Fuel To Store For Survival

He mentioned that only the rich can afford #10 cans of freeze-dried or #10 cans of dehydrated food. He asked me to write about how a family with less money can afford to buy food storage. If you are wondering what a #10 can is, it is a metal can that measures 7 inches (18cm) high and 6-1/4 inches (16 cm) in diameter. It can be filled with various foods.

First, I wouldn’t say that only the rich can afford #10 cans; I am not rich. Yes, I have purchased several #10 cans because I wanted food with a longer shelf life. Some of my #10 containers have up to 25 years of shelf life. Here again, it all depends on the temperature where it is stored. Here’s the deal: that was critical to me. Now, I do not store only #10 cans.

It’s taken me years to build up my food storage supply. I store various foods in different sizes and containers. I would love comments from my readers on how food storage works for you. Many have read your comments, and I appreciate your thoughts and ideas. That’s how I roll.

Food Storage Works With #10 Cans

I prefer buying basics like freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses. I buy a few #10 cans of dehydrated vegetables, but very few because they have a shorter shelf life in most cases. This all depends on your brand and the product you choose to buy.

One really important thing you need to think about when buying #10 cans is comparing apples to oranges so to speak. I sign up for emails to watch for awesome sales and buy when the sales meet my needs. Please look at the ounces per can and the cost to ship it, if necessary. Don’t be surprised about the HUGE difference in price per ounce including shipping. Money is money, and we need to be careful before we push the click button to order.

I prefer #10 cans from Thrive Life, but I have purchased a few cans from Augason Farms. I really only want fruit, vegetables, meats, and cheeses to prepare my own recipes. Please note that you don’t need a particular cookbook to make your food storage work. UPDATE, I now only buy pantry size cans that are much smaller. They are 5 1/2 inches tall and 4 inches diameter.

Here is the reason I prefer the smallet pantry size cans. My family is now down to two people. I can open a pantry can, remove the oxygen absorber and place what I don’t use in a quart mason jar and seal with my Dicorain that Ray suggested we all get. Dicorain Post

The food items mentioned above need to be hydrated, and you are ready to cook any recipe from your grandma’s cookbooks. I promise. Vegetables are vegetables. Cheese is cheese. Meat is meat. Freeze-dried foods can be eaten right out of the can, so freeze-dried fruit right out of the can is perfect.

Is it freshly picked? Of course not. But it tastes great. Is the cheese freshly grated? No, it is not. But it works great in casseroles. Here again, grab some cookbooks or recipes cards from relatives, that’s all you need.

Freeze-Dried

Pros: food lasts longer

Pros: the food is already washed, chopped, sliced or grated

Pros: you can eat the food right out of the can

Cons: more expensive

Dehydrated Food

Pros: costs less money

Pros: the food is already washed, chopped, sliced

Cons: shorter shelf-life, typically 6-10 years maximum

Cons: must be cooked and uses fuel to heat it

Cons: cannot eat directly from the can (it’s hard as a rock)

Food Storage Works With MRE’s

These are similar to the MREs that are served in the military, but some have improved a little. I’m not interested in buying or making them by filing bags or jars. I have always believed to do it right the first time. This doesn’t mean those who choose to buy these or make the items themselves are wrong. Not at all.

I personally will not eat them. We are all different and have different budgets. Please read the ingredients before you purchase them. If you can’t pronounce the words, think again.

What’s nice about them is that you typically open the bag and add hot water, tepid water, or boiling water. I have tried many, and I have to say Mountain House is one of my favorites, although I chose not to store them because of their short shelf life.

Food Storage Works With Pantry Items

I would love this pantry:

Pantry item examples are things like flour, yeast (store in frig), sugar, honey, salt, spices, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, chocolate (I had to add that one), and everything you need to make bread, crackers, biscuits, muffins, pancakes, etc. You know what I’m saying: everything you need to cook from scratch.

Food Storage Works With Home Canned Food

Nothing is more gratifying than seeing those freshly canned jars on shelves. I don’t can food like I did when I had a large family of six. When you have six in the family, you can preserve a lot of food, save money, AND teach your kids to work.

I can a few dozen jars these days, but nothing like I did when I had my girls picking, blanching, peeling, and filling jars. I miss making applesauce. Growing a garden gave us an abundance of vegetables to pressure can together. I can’t even think about all the green beans we snapped together. Life is good with good kids!

Each week, my girls ate freshly baked bread with a quart of peaches they helped preserve. Life is good when we work together as a family to preserve food together. Here again, food storage works.

Food Storage Works With Grocery Store Cans

Now, let’s get serious here. I have cases or bags (stored in air-tight containers) of the following foods that I can make many meals with:

Applesauce

Beets

Corn disclaimer here: I went against everything I believe in and bought some genetically modified corn (it does not taste like corn; I repeat, it does not taste like corn). Okay, I got that off my chest. I will never buy corn unless it says USDA NON-GMO.

I was shopping with Mark, who does not know as much as I do about corn, and I caved and bought the cheap stuff. I am returning it to the store. I had to throw out the pot of soup. I thought it was corn; I opened another can of that brand of corn, and it tasted like a pesticide. I kid you not.

I look at corn on the cob totally differently these days. It makes me sad because my girls and I used to blanch, scrape, and freeze bags of corn. It was delicious, but that was back in the 1970s before Monsanto came into the picture the way they do now. How can seeds, a growing organism, be patented? I shake my head in disappointment. I still eat fresh corn on the cob when it is in season here in Utah. It’s so good!

Green Beans

Chilies

Salsa

Peanut butter

Jam

Crackers

Beans (every kind of bean in cans-ready to eat)

Beans in bags

Pasta

Rice

These are just a few items to help you feed your family after any natural disaster or unforeseen emergency, and if your house is still standing and you have not been evacuated. This post will give you even more ideas: 58 Frugal Kitchen and Pantry Items You Need

Food Storage Works With Water

As you know, water is needed every day. I recommend four gallons per person per day. You need it to cook, stay properly hydrated, for personal hygiene, and to wash clothes—or at least your underwear.

All I can say is do it, one can at a time, a bag of rice, a jar of spaghetti sauce, etc. If you missed my free printable here it is: Where Do I Start-Planning Schedule

Survival Food And Emergency Food Storage

Final Word

If there was ever a time that we must stock up ib food it is now. Water is critical as well. We must hhave those prep items we may need like a Butane Stove, Camp Chef Stove/Oven, SunOven (only if you have a lot of sunshine), fuel, Dutch ovens, please get what you need now.

Copyright pictures: Cans: AdobeStock_74796041 by Freshly, Bottles: AdobeStock_68269335 by Shelley Stuart, Grains: AdobeStock_54588440 by Marilyn Barbone, Pantry: AdobeStock_181283597 by Iriana Shiyan

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