# What foods for long term storage?



## Michiman (Sep 4, 2017)

I'm new to this and have been looking around for foods to keep on the shelf for long term. With the exception of buying the freeze dried foods, what's the best to purchase at the local store and put on the shelf?


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## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

I started with good old beans and rice,(not together of course) Easy to store easy to keep, and probably will be there when other foods have gone. I Vacuum sealed them in mylar bags, using Oxygen absorbers work well too. After that, about any can goods will last years if stored properly. Just remember as you bring in the new stuff, put that on the shelves and eat the older stuff, called rotating your stock. Don't just put a bunch of stuff on the shelves then forget about it. Keep bringing in the new, and using the older stuff.
On last thought, don't buy anything you aren't willing to eat right now. Yes, if things get tough a person won't be so choosy, but if it's something you rather not eat now, it will sit on the shelve and go bad. I made that mistake when I first started. Best of luck.
One last thought:
Get ya a permanent marker(I keep one on the shelve), and mark the month and year on the cans as you store them, makes them easy to see, and give you an idea on the older stuff you might need to use.


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## Michiman (Sep 4, 2017)

I've been reading about how much fuel the beans take. Any way to lessen?


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Michi! As Moonshinedave says, rice and beans. You can't go wrong with that, because they're cheep and will fill the belly. Beyond that, water---as much as you can store! Start buying two of all the nonperishables you normally consume each time you go to the store. Rotate your pantry and watch for sales on things you like, then stock up!


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## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

Michiman said:


> I've been reading about how much fuel the beans take. Any way to lessen?


How much fuel? sorry lost me on that one? What do you mean?


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Michiman said:


> I've been reading about how much fuel the beans take. Any way to lessen?


Dry beans? A pressure cooker. I've recently heard that 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 pound of beans will help tenderize them during the simmer stage of cooking. I plan on giving it a try.

ETA: should cut down on cooking time.


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## Michiman (Sep 4, 2017)

Fuel to cook the beans so they're soft enough to eat. Supposedly people go through a lot of fuel to prep them.


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## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

Michiman said:


> Fuel to cook the beans so they're soft enough to eat. Supposedly people go through a lot of fuel to prep them.


Oh ok, I never thought of that, I'll probably will be using wood to cook them, so I never gave fuel much thought, I do know you can cook enough to last several days at one time, then just heat them up as needed.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Michiman said:


> Fuel to cook the beans so they're soft enough to eat. Supposedly people go through a lot of fuel to prep them.


you soak them in water a day before cooking.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

first question you need to answer - What's your idea of long term? - anything under 5 years isn't considered to be in that category - it's considered short term ... for short term your dry goods type foods like beans, rice, pasta, ect ect are good to go just as they sell them on the retail shelves - just protect them against rodents & insects .... long term you'll have take re-packaging precautions ....

if you're just getting going - canned goods - stuff you already eat - just start increasing your pantry inventory to cover weeks of meals - build in an inventory & rotation system ....


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Michiman said:


> Fuel to cook the beans so they're soft enough to eat. Supposedly people go through a lot of fuel to prep them.


Hard to imagine you don't have enough wood in Michigan. Lots of info on this site regarding long term storage of food as well as cooking methods. Hard to beat a rocket stove during a crisis. I suggest you take some time & read past discussions in the areas that interest you.


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## Gauge0317 (Dec 4, 2016)

Look into LDS canneries. I'm not a member of the church so I am not bias but they do have long term food storage figured out. Look for videos on YouTube that show people buying from it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


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## Alteredstate (Jul 7, 2016)

Buy and stock what you eat. Tuna fish, jack mackerel, spam, dak ham in a can.
Rice, canned fruit, vegetables pork and beans

Three cans a day. One vegetable, one fruit, one meat. Per person per day.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Michiman said:


> I'm new to this and have been looking around for foods to keep on the shelf for long term. With the exception of buying the freeze dried foods, what's the best to purchase at the local store and put on the shelf?


Dried pasta
Dried fruit
Nuts in shell
Rice
Oats
Honey
Salt
Seeds
Dried meat
Powdered milk
Canned meat, fruit, vegetables, soups, beans, butter, cheese
Dried beans, peas, lentils
Flour, yeast, sugar

Get rice and beans first and then work your way from there.


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## Ragnarök (Aug 4, 2014)

Once you can feed yourself for 3 months then add luxury items like spices to the mix.


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