Hello Lovelies, Taz here. I am big on storing food when I find it on sale, since I am in a situation where I cannot grow a lot of stuff myself, because of the rules of where I live, DEALS ARE MY GOLD! That being said I thought I would share some stuff that if there is a good sale, you should DEFINITELY Stock up on, unless of course you would never eat it, because it would be wasted, unless you wanted it for trade etc.
Next I will post a list of Items NOT to throw away, and Items to stock up on when you get a chance.
alright so lets get started.
1. Honey - This literally NEVER goes bad, they found honey in ancient egyptian tombs that was still good.. so Honey will outlast you and is great for sweetening many foods, it has antibiotic properties, and has been known to heal wounds faster when put on a wound, and well its Honey, who doesnt love honey? I will say to be careful of where you get your honey, sadly a LOT of places sell sugar syrup with a little honey in it as honey.. GET PURE HONEY, or better yet.. make your own so to speak.. Beekeeping gives you Honey, beeswax, and it polenates your plants!
2. Salt - Another one that doesnt EVER go bad.. ever.. The type of salt you save depends on you and your taste, Me personally I have 20 pounds of Himilayan sea salt in block form, I have several pounds of Sea salt, several pounds of Kosher salt, Epsom salts etc.. Which is my way of saying.. I Keep every salt known to man..
Salt is great as a spice, Epsom salts are great for soaks, for a laxative, and a lot of salts are great in soaps and other bath and body things, and you can use it to pull stuff out of infections.. not to mention its a great food preserver. Be sure to either get your salt in block form, or store it in an air tight container as it is very hydroscopic and will absorb any moisture in the air till it becomes little rocks.
3. Sugar - This is another thing to stock up on, if you like sweet foods anyway.. it will last forever if you keep it in an air tight container away from moisture.. because it is so hydroscopic it will suck moisture out of the air and become hard as a rock.. but you can break it up again if this happens..
4. Pure Vanilla Extract - The Alcohol content in this keeps it good indefinitely without refridgeration. Vanilla makes for great food, great coffee, and is actually great for a mouth wash and a perfume! Added note, its really easy to make your own, and the longer you keep it with the beans in it.. the stronger it gets!
5. Vinegars - I would keep several types of Vinegar. White Vinegar combined with Orange peels makes the best cleaner you will ever find, White vinegar also cleans a lot of other products all on its own, combined with salt it will get off baked on yick from pans, Balsamic is amazing and it actually gets better with age. Wine vinegars and Apple cider vinegars have a lot of health benefits, and are good for a variation of problems.. and will attract gnats and flies if you want to get rid of those.
6. Maple Syrup - The high sugar content in this makes it a great long term food option, and its amazing on pancakes and waffles! While this one cost more, you can if you live in a very cold climate make your own.. it takes time.. but the pay off is definitely worth it.
7. Corn Syrup - I know people freak out about HFCS .. this isn't the same thing.. though most is genetically modified if you search you can find organic. Corn Syrup is one of those things that will last indefinitely if stored in air tight containers, and kept in a cool dark place,this is good in a lot of things.
8. Distilled Liquor - Liquor is good for ever, as long as it is sealed against evaporation. The obvious perks are destressing.. just kinding.. sort of, Liquor is great for making a lot of products, for cleaning out wounds, you can use distilled spirits to make Mouth wash, Body spray, Extracts, tinctures, etc. There are SOOO Many uses for Liquor its not even real, I would suggest stocking up on everclear, and vodka. White rum would be alright too.. the clear liqores are best since they don't have a whole lot of flavors typically to interfear if you are going to make tinctures or Extracts. You keep whatever works for you, and remember.. they can also be used for barter if you need.
9. White Rice - Doesn't really matter what variety of White rice, and there are A LOT of varieties of white rice, if stored properly in air tight containers away from light and air, will store for 25 years and I have heard even longer.. but 25 years is awesome. Brown Rice unfortunately is high in fats so you can only keep it a couple of years. White rice is great and filling and will make a simple stew or stir fry stretch so you are still getting nutrients from meats and vegetables but you feel full from the Rice.
10. Corn Starch - This is a GREAT thing to keep. It does not go bad, so long as it is stored properly, it is great in food as a thickening agent, puddings, pies etc, it makes a great body powder that isnt damaging to your lungs unlike Talc Powder, it is absorbant, it goes well in lotion bars to add a soft slip, in bath bombs, and a lot of other products. Corn starch has soo soo many uses I think it is one of those things you should stock up on while its still cheap.
11. Powdered milk - This one has to be stored properly! you can make your own, or you can buy it in bulk, or in small packages when on sale, if stored properly it can last up to 25 years, and I promise you get used to the flavor, you can actually make fresh milk last longer by half and halfing it with Mixed up powdered milk.
12. Ramen Noodles - These will last until the end of time if stored properly, and you don't have to use those over salted packages of Bouillon that comes with it, you can add your own be it canned, dehydrated, or bought, add dehydrated or fresh vegetables, and meat and you have a very satisfying filling meal.
13. Beans - This is I will grant a given, everyone knows about beans and everyone knows about rice.. but I will add it anyway. You can get a variety of beans and store them and keep them for up to 30 years, if time gets lean you can always make beans and rice, you can grind it to make bean flour, you can use it to plant fresh plants, and you can use them as weights in your pie making.
14. Spices - preferably whole spices since they keep their oils longer, thus keep their flavor longer, but many spices can be kept for years in air tight containers kept out of sun so that when you want some spices, and who doesnt you have something that will make your food taste good.. even if they lose some of their potency, most spices wont actually go bad.
15. Baking soda - This is imporatant in baking, and in cleaning, and it will last for next to forever if kept away from air that can degrade the quality.
16. Bouillon - you can make your own, though it is time consuming, but good Bouillon will last years if you store it away from light and air, it is definitely something that will make food much more flavorful, and healthy giving you nutrients from the animals or vegtables that went in to it.
17. Instant coffee, Tea, and Cocoa - Storing these favorites will definitely keep up the morale. Instant coffee that is vacuum freeze dried will last forever if kept in a dry airtight container. As for all three, they must be kept away from any moisture.
18. Dried Corn - Corn has a virtual plethora of uses and in a staple of many diets. Drying fresh corn is actually very easy and storing corn is much as you would store beans.
19. Pemmican - Pemmican was first made by Native-Americans and later by European fur traders and settlers. It was made from meat of large game like buffalo, bison, elk or deer. The lean meat was cut into small pieces and dried by putting it over an open fire. Then it was mixed with fat and pressed into little cakes. Sometimes, berries were tossed in for extra flavor. Pemmican makes a great survival food. In fact, it was given in rations and used by British soldiers during the Second Boer War
20. Soy Sauce - As long as it’s never opened, soy sauce will last forever. Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans, salt, wheat and water. The high sodium content of soy sauce helps to preserve it. But if you’re gluten intolerant, make sure that you buy a soy sauce that is gluten-free. From stir fries to soups, soy sauce is an important ingredient in Asian recipes.
21. Whole Wheat berries - Besides the obvious that you can make Flour out of this, you can also sprout them for vitamin C when Juiced, you can also use these as a great low cost treat for your animals.
22. Oatmeal - This is inexpensive and can be used for cereal, in baked goods, or even ground up into a flour. It contains fiber and is easy to flavor with seasonal fruits and spices.
23. Whole Coffee beans - These will last years if stored properly and will keep you from killing people.. or is that just me? Whole beans last several years where as ground coffee even vacuum sealed wont last nearly as long as their oils degrade.
24. Chocolate - oh yeah.. you read that right! Chocolate kept away from heat, and stored in air tight jars will last several years, and will make for a great addition to cakes, candies, or just for a treat, because in a situation where you are on your own.. you need some comfort food, and what is more comforting than Chocolate?
25. Popcorn - while I suppose this could go under the title of Dried corn, I view popcorn as a different entity. Popcorn makes a nice comfort food type keep.. I am not talking about microwave popcorn, but those big bags of just dried popcorn, if you want a variety, get the heritage varieties like blue, red, and purple Corn Popcorn.
26. Hard Cheeses - YEP! I hear you screaming BUT ITS DAIRY!!!! So? When waxed, and I will do a post on waxing cheese for long term storage soon, and kept in a nice cool area Hard cheeses such as montery jack, Cheddar, Gouda etc will last for 8-10 years. So Invest in some cheese wax, and a good quality cheese brush, and stock up on those quality cheese when you find a good deal.. unless you make your own then more power to you sugar!
27. Ghee - Ghee is Butter that has been melted and simmered for a long time till all the water has evaporated and all the milk solids have settled to the bottom, if you just take the liquid you can can it and keep it for years.
28. Distilled water - Yes, I know.. NOT a food strictly speaking, but water is something we need to survive, and Distilled water is its purest form so not likely to get all funky and gross in long term storage.
29. Pasta - while it doesnt have a 25 year life span, it is a great thing to store. Pasta's are pretty low in fat and dehydrated already so when stored properly you can keep pasta for a couple of years.
30. Dehydrated ... everything? Okay not everything but you would be surprised what you can dehydrate all by yourself, and store for many years in your pantry, or wherever you like to store food, make sure its in a cool place since foods kept in a cool even tempurature last longer.
31. Canned foods - depending on what it is, some Canned foods will last up to 25 years..
Alright.. this is a VERY long list, and I doubt you will ever need anything to last for 25 years.. I would suggest rotating your food out at least once every year or two, and store enough to keep your family at least a couple of days, longer if you have the space to keep it. One of these days I will make a post pointing out the pros and cons of Dehydrating food vs. Canning foods.
Alright I think thats it for now, If there is something I missed please let me know! If you want to know how to store anything on this list let me know!
