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When you walk into your local Costco or Wal-Mart, it’s hard to imagine food shortages ever being an issue, but our food supply is much more fragile than you think. A natural disaster, devastating economic crisis, or even war can lead to food shortages. Building long-term food storage is one way to prepare for these unpredictable circumstances.
Whenever you plan to store food, you need to be concerned with ‘shelf life.’
Food doesn’t last forever…
It loses nutritional value over time and becomes unsafe to digest. However, the rate at which food goes bad is dependent on several factors.
Some foods have a surprisingly long shelf life by nature… we’re talking decades, even centuries. If packaged and stored properly, some foods can really last indefinitely!
Here’s a good list of foods to buy if you’re looking to build your long-term food storage:
- Raw Honey: Because of its low water content, honey lasts almost forever. It tends to get darker and crystalize with time, but it is still safe to eat. Old honey softens up with heat.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Just like honey, maple syrup has a low water content which makes it less susceptible to spoiling. As long as it is ‘pure,’ it has a very long shelf life.
- White Rice: All types of rice have a long shelf life, but white rice seems to keep the longest — 20 to 30 years. Just make sure to store it in an airtight container to prevent pest infestations. It is one of the best items to include in your long-term food storage because it doesn’t take up much space but provides high calories.
- Rolled Oats: Oatmeal is a go-to breakfast option that tastes great with a little brown sugar and cinnamon. If stored in an airtight container with oxygen absorbers, rolled oats can last up to 30 years.
- Dry Pasta Products: As long as you keep dry pasta in an airtight container to prevent pest infestations, it can last 20 to 30 years.
- Potato Flakes: This quick side dish has a shelf life of up to 20 years when stored in an airtight container with oxygen absorbers. If you love mashed potatoes, stock up on potato flakes — they are a good source of fiber and protein.
- Dried Beans, Lentils, and Legumes: The shelf life of dried beans, lentils, and legumes is up to 20 years. However, the longer you store them, the harder they are to reconstitute and digest. Boiling dried beans with a little baking soda helps to tenderize them.
- Salt: This should be a staple in any food storage plan. In addition to flavor, salt can help preserve foods through curing and pickling.
- Sugar: Brown sugar, white sugar, and powdered sugar all have a long shelf life but will spoil with moisture. They harden over time but are still safe to eat. You can soften sugar by putting it in the microwave with a damp paper towel for 15-20 seconds at a time.
- Baking Soda: Useful in baking cakes and tenderizing dry beans, baking soda has a surprisingly long shelf life when stored away from moisture. Even when it has gone hard, you can still use it for cleaning.
- Powdered Milk: Even if you don’t like the taste of powdered milk, it’s still a good idea to keep it in your food storage because it is great for baking. Some powdered milk lasts up to 25 years when packaged properly.
- Soy Sauce: The salt in soy sauce enhances its shelf life and will stay good for a very long time. Even an open bottle in your fridge can stay good for 2 to 3 years.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: As long as the bottle is sealed, vanilla extract can last 5+ years because it is mostly alcohol.
- Distilled White Vinegar: The high acidity level of distilled white vinegar makes it last almost forever, especially when stored in a cool, dark place. Apple cider vinegar can last 5+ years.
- Corn Syrup: Because of the high sugar content, corn syrup doesn’t really go bad when stored in a dark place with no contaminants.
- Whole Wheat Grains: Wheat can last up to 30 years when packaged properly. Ground, white flour only has a shelf life of 10 years, which is why many people opt to store wheat in their long-term food storage instead of flour. Of course, you’ll need a flour mill to process stored wheat into useable flour.
- Soft Grains: Barley, grits, rye, and quinoa all have a long shelf life that can go beyond 20 years when stored in airtight containers with oxygen absorbers. Ideally, they should be stored in mylar bags or no. 10 cans.
Also Read: Canned Water with a 50-Year Shelf Life!
Have You Ever Considered Getting a Freeze Dryer?
If you’re making a real effort to store food with a long shelf like, you might be interested in getting a home freeze dryer. Freeze drying is pretty cool! It’s a better food preservation method than canning and dehydration.
After freeze drying, most food can last 20 years or more!
Home freeze drying is new technology. It allows you to extract all the moisture out of food without losing nutritional value. You can freeze dry almost anything, but fruits, vegetables, and meats are popular. Check out the freeze dryers from Harvest Right. They are easy to use and will help you build a food storage your family will actually want to eat.
