I’m going through my stores in the basement. I have a lot of food. I’ve been buying canned goods since Covid started. I look them over every so often. Occasionally, a can will leak or show signs of deterioration, but for the most part, they’re in good shape. I cycle them and constantly grab a few cans whenever I shop.
According to many websites, canned goods are okay indefinitely: “ Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the 'best by' date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.”
Hey, if we’re starving, we’re going to eat what’s down in the basement, so it’s good to know if a can of soup was “best by” a certain date it will be okay eat in an emergency.
I’ve got a lot of other stuff besides canned goods, but I figure fruits and vegetables in cans are the way to go if freezers fail.
I’ve bought enough rice and beans to last a few years and I vacuum sealed them, along with pastas, tons of flour, sugar. I also bought powdered milk, powdered butter and powdered eggs. Drink mixes too. Lots of tuna. Bread mixes. Popcorn. Freezing pounds of butter. Lots of big containers of oils. Buy spices at discount stores like Job Lots.
I ordered six pounds of fresh peaches to can. Buy mason jars early. There seemed to be a shortage last year around this time.
I have a Berkey water filter.
Ramen noodles folks! In a pinch just add hot water.
I ordered 6 battery operated lanterns. I’m getting extra propane for the grill. A huge gasoline storage bin. I’m getting a generator soon. Not enough sun where I live for solar powered.
Used books! No internet? Read!
I’m doing some container gardening and bought a ton of seeds for storage for the future. We should all buy grow lights.
I’m working on a farm this summer and they give me fresh meat to freeze in exchange for my help.
Yeast! There will be a shortage of it like there was during the early days of Covid. Stock up now. Learn how to bake bread and biscuits.
What are you stocking and storing? Tell me about your efforts. I always learn something new from you guys.
Honey in glass jars. miracle food and will NEVER spoil.
If it hardens just put in hot water bath
Aluminum-free baking powder and organic corn starch, or other starches like tapioca or arrowroot.
Glad to see yeast in there, was worried after I saw the tons of flour listed...
Pick up some stuff for trading like coffee and lighters, don't forget first aid, especially antidiarrheal and antibiotics. Maybe Gatorade mix or other replenisher just in case.
EDIT: forgot! Baking soda, vinegar- which are good for a stupid amount of things.
Herbs and spices make a difference too. Things like rice and beans get old without some extra flavor.
Love this! Thanks
yep, I have had issues with pineapple and tomatoes. But it was still 2-3 past the best buy date. Anything with a high acid content, you need to keep an eye on.
I learned to buy tomato products in glass bottles. Cost more upfront but usually a better quality and don't have explosions in my pantry.
Im buying up auguson farms #10 cans that are guaranteed to last 25 years. Mostly oats, powdered orange juice, dry beans rice, powdered eggs, powdered butter, freeze dried meat, etc. i bought a water distiller, a shit ton of salt. Lots of fire starter. Shit ton of seeds. Silver and gold. Supplements. Medications. First aid kit. And hunting and fishing gear.
Good choice, but check out your cans some of the auguson items are only ten years.
Yeah some are 5, 7, 10 but a lot are 25 30 years
And a country boy can survive. God bless.
Wow. I’m coming to your house!
Red Feather Creamery Butter in the can 10+ years
BEGA cheddar cheese in the can 10+ years also
MRE entrees, side dishes and wet pack fruit. these components also indefinate storage as long as the packaging integrity is good.
Bridgford shelf stable sandwiches last way longer than 3 years at 60 degrees or cooler.
Keystone meats in the can. BEST canned meat ever. BB dates are like five years.
The butter & cheese are great, we bought a case of each a few years ago and tried a can of each. Very high quality, and the cheese melts great on a grilled cheese sandwich.
I have not heard of the Bridgeford.... sounds interesting.
I have heard good things about the keystone meats, but haven't bought any. I hear they are harder to find now and the price is skyrocketing. I started canning my own meat a few years ago and it is so good! I highly recommend pressure canning your own, if you can. You can save a lot of money and you know exactly what's in it. I have done chicken breasts, pork shoulder, pork sausage, a lean beef roast, beef brisket (my absolute favorite), hamburger, meatloaf, and deer. Meat is probably the easiest thing to can (imho), it takes a long time (90 minutes at pressure for quarts, 75 for pints), but you literally stuff chunks of raw meat in a jar with salt (optional), put a lid on it and process it.
Canning your own meat is an important skill to learn, especially if the grid goes down and you have a freezer full of meat you don't want to lose or you have to kill what you eat and need to preserve it.
Bridgford is the primary supplier for the US Army First Strike Ration.
There's a variety of meat sandwiches and desserts like cinnamon buns, french toast and turnovers with apple, cherry and blueberry filling. Ready to Eat hot or cold. They also have shelf stable pizza!
Best by dates are 3-years at 80 degrees, I've eaten 8 year old ones stored at 60.
I really need to kick my lazy A$$ and try canning.
Buy some 5 lb bags of whey protein it’s good protein just add water and drink it. Get a shaker bottle. Cheap protein in case the meat runs out
I found out the hard way that you can’t mix whey protein powder in hot water because it will clump. Mixed with cold water it does fine.
Oh yeah, I've got canned goods to last till the end of time!
When that lot runs out,it's marsupials and parrots! Yum!
Have a few months sealed food my patriot supply style. Have prob another month of canned/pasta/rice/etc. Just ordered a whole cow and have a new giant freezer for storage.
Need to get a purepro for water but I have an old gravity filter and some life straws too
Love the cow idea.
As long as you have a generator
I watched a video where a man said to 'freeze' 4-6 gallon milk jugs of water in bottom of deep freeze. If freezer is a large one, freeze a few more. Then have some extra gas and a generator on hand for when your food starts thawing. Run generator long enough to refreeze everything until it can possibly be eaten. I have done this with my freezer. You have a little less food if its a small freezer, but those gallon jugs help keep food frozen a bit longer. Just a hint that I am using for now.
I purchased a butane stove so in case the peanut butter hit the fence in the winter, you can cook indoor and no smoke. I also have wood and wood stove in case of cold.
I have tons of canned foods (proteins like chili, tuna, spam, etc). Rice and beans are good but to preserve them longer vacuum seal them. If you store rice without vacuum sealing it, eventually small insects will infest it. When beans go bad, no amount of soaking or cooking will get them to soften. Good advice fren.
I'm on a sardine kick , as well as tuna. 17-21 gm protein/can!
Good bugout food if you can mask the smell...
Yep, I’ve got sardines as well. I get mine from Costco.
Baking soda breaks down the hardest compounds in beans, makes them creamier and less gassy.
I’ll add that learning how to make a proper sourdough starter (really just flour water and time) really lessens the dependency on yeast for bread making
Definitely agree that if you do your own canning, get your supplies early. Like Now.
Last year I had difficulty finding lids, locally and online. It could be worse this year if there is more demand.
our stores seem to be well stocked this year so far (we are well into harvest season in my area)... but the prices have gone up considerably. It is a pleasant surprise after the last couple of years of not seeing anything on the shelves. I picked up a whole case of regular & wide mouth lids (24 packs each) earlier this year and was so excited, felt like I won the lottery! :) They had at least 10 cases of each on the shelf.
Also, I have not tried them, but the canning ladies on youtube seem to like them..... There is a newer company called Forjars that is selling lids online. There are also coupon codes available for them for 10% off. Might be worth a shot if you can't find lids locally. The YT ladies have had no problems with them sealing and they seem to be a little higher quality than the ball lids.
I have been canning like crazy this year, got about 9 quart cases of green beans from our garden. Been pickling okra and peppers, canning squash & zucchini, potatoes. Ended up creaming and freezing all our corn last weekend. Hoping we get more tomatoes in before this heat kills the plants. The deer keep eating all the tops off the sweet potatoes, so I don't know if they are going to make it.
If you're within driving distance of Lima Ohio and looking for canned meats, check out https://www.keystonemeats.com/
They're all excellent and the lowest sodium canned meats you'll find on the market.
You can buy them online, but prices are ridiculous AF. Double, triple, or more than when I first came across them a couple years ago.
Everyone is scalping these on Ebay, Amazon, etc.
Just bought a couple of cases direct from Keystone. $100 for 12 - 28 oz cans.
Also good prices at my local grocery on these $7-10 each 28 oz can.
Yeah, major price gouging on these. I haven't bought any in over year but Walmart and Amazon had the 28oz chicken for 6 bucks a can.
I looked but found no retailer near me :(
Really great for keeping an eye on sodium intake which shoots up quickly with most canned foods.
Ill add: sprouts ....
Canned goods are mostly good for 7 years from date of manufacture. After 7 years, inspect the can for any signs of internal pressure. If it bulges, throw it away. When opening, listen for air going into the can. There should be a vacuum. If you don't, or if gas escapes, throw it away. The final test is the smell test. If it smells wrong, don't eat it. The taste will degrade, the older it is, but if none of the above apply, it is probably safe to eat. Yeast is not needed to make flat bread/tortillas. It is super easy to make and doesn't require activation and rising. Very tasty and can go with anything. Don't forget to stock up on spices. Food that smells and tastes good is a good morale booster. Sugar, Honey and salt are critical. They are added to most recipes and are typically arduous to get on your own. Anything that can be scavenged locally is not supercritical. Anything that is difficult to acquire where you live, but essential or highly desirable is what you might want to focus on.
This is not true. When my mother passed and I was cleaning out the place, I found some canned goods on shelves she ignored for at least 10 years. Most cans were bulging and a few broke open. The tin was brittle when I tried to pick them up. It was clear that bochulism had infected these cans. The shelves had to be replaced. I only wish I knew exactly how long those cans were there before they went bad.