How long will your stored food last?  Here are some additional items you should add to your rotation.

Chocolate Syrup:  2 years 

Coffee:  In the original can 2 years

Dry Milk:  1 year

Gelatin:  1.5 years

Jelly and Jam:  1 year

Ketchup:  1 year

Mustard:  2 years - Did you know mustard does not require refrigeration after it’s open?  It’s a great condiment to keep on hand in case of a long term crisis. 

Oatmeal:  2 years

Oil, olive:  Best if used by 1 year, but may last 2 years

Oil, canola:  1 year

Tea:  2 years

Vinegar:  1 year

Yeast:  2 years

Buy items you know you’ll use and start a rotation in your cupboard.  Always use caution with items close to their stamped expiration date.  If cans are bulging throw them out.  In a true emergency, use your common sense - always inspect items for quality and do a smell test.  If it looks unsafe to eat, it probably is.  Think about foods that will comfort you and your children during a stressful situation and always have plenty on hand.  Keep your food stored in a dry, cool place.  The garage and attic are not suitable as they have extreme temperature fluctuations.  A cupboard or closet is best, or you can tuck bins under your bed.  Your rotation doesn’t need to be complicated, when you add new items, put them in the back and used the oldest first.  A good hint is to write the date purchased with a sharpie on the front so you can check dates at a glance.  All of this will ensure that not only do you have plenty of stock on hand, but it’s relatively fresh and will store as long as possible.

Happy Stocking Up!

There’s a lot of information out there about storage life of food items.  I thought I’d put it in a couple posts for your reference. 

I think the most common storage methods for most of us are canned, and vacuum sealed items.  Some people also use food grade storage buckets, along with Mylar inserts and dry ice.  Oxygen absorbers are popular too, although they won’t be as effective over time.  You can also buy pre-packaged food items in #10 cans that will last for years if unopened.  All of these methods are good, dry ice is usually the best, but it’s not that practical for some people, including me. 

Frozen Food:  Frozen foods should be used within 3 - 6 months for best quality.  This isn’t to say that it will be bad for you if you consume something after that, it just won’t taste that good and the nutritional quality would be questionable.

Canned Food:  Canned items are usually stamped with an expiration date.  Normally canned stuff is good for one year, but it can be okay for longer periods.  Items such as meats and low-acidic items will last longer.  High acidic items such as tomatoes should be used by the expiration date if possible.  If you’re in an extended crisis situation, most items will be okay to consume past the expiration date.  Watch for bulging cans - always throw those away, no matter how old they are as they may contain botulism spores.  It’s not worth taking a chance.

Water:  Plastic bottled water doesn’t have a very long shelf life.  The water itself is probably okay, but the plastic in the bottles starts to break down quickly.  Always use plastic bottled water by the use by date.  My opinion is in an extreme emergency I’d rather drink that than some other contaminated water - but that’s just my choice.  There are some people that can water - this is relatively easy and since the jars are glass, you won’t have to worry about plastic contamination.  There are also juice box type containers of water you can buy on-line.  These will last forever and are a great option for your car and bags.

The following items should be kept in an airtight container, or vacuum sealed for optimal storage.

Baking Soda:  2 years

Beans:  2 years

Cereals:  Ready to eat cereals in their sealed boxes will last up to 12 months

Cocoa:  Powered cocoa will store indefinitely

Cornmeal:  12 months - Can be frozen indefinitely

Cornstarch:  18 months

Flour:  Both white and whole wheat can be stored up to 8 months.  Can be frozen indefinitely

Grits:  12 months

Honey:  Honey will store indefinitely

Pasta:  Regular pasta 2 years - Egg noodles need to be used within 6 months

Rice:  White rice will store longer than brown rice in your cupboard, but brown rice has more nutritional value - so, what to do?  I store two bags of brown rice that I use in rotation.  I also store smaller bags of white rice for long term crisis situations.  Brown rice will last if it’s stored in a sealed bag for up to 12 months.  White rice will store in a sealed bag for 2 years

Salt:  Salt will store indefinitely

Sugar, granulated:  2 years

Rotation is the key to easy long term food storage.  Buy items you use and rotate as you use them.  It’s useless to stock up on wheat if you have no way to grind it into flour and no way to cook it.  Think about easy to prepare foods first and then as your preparations become more developed, you can think of more complex systems of food storage and maybe buy that wheat grinder you’ve always wanted!  If you start simple, you’ll be more prepared sooner.  You can develop more advanced storage plans when you have some basics ready for an emergency now.  Don’t be unprepared because you’re waiting to buy everything you need at once.  Our world is so unpredictable, easily accessed food and water are the most important items to consider in the beginning.

If you have any items you’ve been wondering about, post your comment and I’ll list them in tomorrows post.