I feel I need to share at least 34 things you need to know about food storage today. Let’s be real, please, only stock what you and your family will eat. I have people tell me all the time that they went to one of the big box stores and bought a whole bunch of prepared foods that came on a pallet. Not sure about you, but I’ve tasted some of those products and realized my family wouldn’t eat them, unless as a last resort.
We must be prepared for the unexpected. This could be an illness, job loss, death in the family, hurricane, tornado, or flood. Your house may be the only one left standing in the neighborhood.
Or, your house was wiped out as well. It’s all about having a plan in place to take care of your family, without having to depend on the government or someone else you hope comes through when needed. Let’s remember to start small, you don’t need to have a semi-truck to deliver your food storage.
One of the most important things you can learn to do is to cook and bake from scratch. If you can make bread, biscuits, bagels, tortillas, cinnamon rolls (I had to add that one, LOL), or dinner rolls, you can fill the belly.
Of course, your home will smell really good while you bake that loaf of bread. Be ready to spread the butter on a hot slice of it.
Items I Recommend:
Where I buy my garden seeds: SeedsNow
What If My Freezer Goes Out?
I’m not sure if you have seen a lot of people worried that their freezer will go out, or that they’ll experience the common situation of losing power in a bad storm. I get it, we don’t expect those circumstances to affect our family. We go along thinking things will be fine since there are a whole lot more days that we do have power.
We have all had a freezer go out, yes, it’s terrible. But, let’s live for today, please don’t live in fear. I have some meat in my freezer, but I am not going to pressure can it just in case the freezer might go out, or we may lose power for a week or so.
If things get that bad, I’ll turn on the barbecue and make dinner for the people living on my street. I’ll still have plenty of food storage that doesn’t need refrigeration.
As long as I can cook from scratch, barbecue some meat, grow a garden, and make bread, I can sleep at night. My point is this, we must live for today, and enjoy one another. Life is too short to worry about the unknown that we have no control over. The key is to plan ahead and have food, water, and other essentials put aside so we can “weather the storm,” so to speak. Enough said, I just want people to enjoy life today and work to be best prepared for tomorrow.
34 Things You Need To Know About Food Storage
I put this list together and I’m sure I can add many more items, but this is a very good start. Let’s have fun!
Pantry Items You Must Have
1. Water
By now you know we must store water, it’s a given. I recommend 4 gallons of water per person, per day. The American Red Cross suggests one gallon per day. What about cooking, washing dishes, and personal hygiene, not just hydration. Here again, start small and build up.
2. Flour
I can list all of the reasons we need flour, but I’m sure you have many ways to use it as well. If I get below 100 pounds of white bread flour, I get a bit anxious. Let’s talk about how we can use flour each and every day.
You can make homemade bread, bagels, cinnamon rolls, flour tortillas, pancakes and waffles from scratch, biscuits, and dinner rolls just to name a few. Oh, don’t forget cookies, yeah we need them.
3. Sugar
The great thing about sugar is it lasts indefinitely if stored dry and in a cool place. I admit, that almost all of my baking takes a little sugar. Sure, I use Stevia for hot drinks to save a few calories, but I still need the real thing, white granulated sugar.
4. Honey
My family loves honey, raw, unfiltered honey from Shelley, Idaho. I buy my honey supply from Cox’s Honey store. Walmart here in Utah carries that brand as well. You need to try the creamed honey, no butter, just pure honey.
I love a hot green tea drink with honey and lemon. Oh, it’s so good! It really helps soothe a cold. Plus, I use honey to make my whole wheat bread. And don’t forget whole-wheat toast with honey on it!
5. Oil
We all know we need oil for salad dressings, cooking, and baking. When you think about it, there are so many varieties you can choose from. They all serve a different purpose. Please store your favorite varieties and rotate, and replace them as needed.
6. Saf Instant Yeast
This is my favorite brand of Instant Yeast, it has never felled me when baking. Please store your SAF Instant Yeast in the freezer. I have some packages that have been in the freezer for at least 5 years. They will still work. I stock up when I get down to 5 packages. I also store Wheat Gluten and Dough Enhancer.
7. Instant Milk
Here’s the deal, different recipes call for milk, so if we have water stored, we can make a quart of milk for some cereal and we can make cream soups and maybe even some pudding. I also need dry instant milk for some of my bread recipes.
8. Salt and Pepper
It’s all about adding some flavor to our food. A dash of salt or a dash of pepper, whatever we need to make food taste a little better. Salt also brings out the complexity of flavors. We all need the chemicals from salt, we just don’t want to overdo it.
9. Baking Powder
This is a must-have in my kitchen. Baking powder helps the dough rise and expand as it bakes. Baking powder is a complete leavening agent, meaning it acts as both the base (sodium bicarbonate) and acid, making your baking items fluffy and light.
10. Baking Soda
Baking soda is a leavening agent used when we bake cookies, cakes, and muffins. When a liquid and an acidic liquid mix with baking soda, carbon dioxide is activated and your recipe will rise and be light and fluffy. The acidic liquid is like lemon juice or buttermilk.
11. Molasses
Molasses is a very thick syrup that people use sometimes as a sweetener. It’s a byproduct of the sugar-making process, and it comes from crushed sugar cane or sugar beets.
I use molasses to make Gingerbread houses, Molasses Cookies, and Brown Sugar. Molasses is indeed a thick and honey-like liquid that not only works as a sweetener but also helps to add just the right texture to some of your favorite dishes.
In case you missed this post, Molasses: Everything You Need to Know
12. Cinnamon
I love cinnamon on baked apples, oatmeal, cookies, and so many other things. Don’t forget we use it in pies! I use a lot of cinnamon in my home. I keep at least three containers stored at all times.
Some people enjoy it mixed in with their drinks, while others prefer it more so on certain baked goods like cinnamon rolls, cookies, and doughnuts. In case you missed this post, Cinnamon: Everything You Need to Know
13. Chili Powder-Garlic Powder-Sweet Basil-Parsley
We need a lot more spices, but at least these we use for soups and stews. Please add your favorite spices to your list.
14. Seasoning Salt
I use this for almost all meats, baked potatoes, roasted broccoli, etc. Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
15. Popcorn
If you eat popcorn, I would stock it! You can grind it and make cornmeal out of it, and also eat buttered popcorn all year! In case you missed this post, How To Make The Best Caramel Popcorn Ever
16. Peanut Butter and Jam
We started buying smaller jars since the kids don’t live at home anymore. I still giggle when I see #10 cans of peanut butter, yep I used to buy those! I love small jars of jam, my favorite brand is Smucker’s.
I save money by making bread, so that’s how I justify buying some really good jam. In July I hope to make some Raspberry freezer jam. Luckily I have the jars, and I have already picked up the pectin. Boy, has it gone up in price.
17. Chocolate Chips
Sometimes we just need some chocolate, right? I love dark chocolate which is nice because it actually stores longer than milk chocolate. Some people feel dark chocolate is better for you. I still buy milk chocolate, white chocolate, and peanut butter chips. Can you tell I love to bake?
18. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a good staple to stock up on for breakfast, cookies, or cakes. It’s inexpensive and fills the belly.
Paper Products
19. Paper Plates, Cups, and Plastic Silverware
Please stock paper products to save on your water and fuel use. You will need fuel to heat the water to wash dishes, we have to think about that. I have paper towels, paper plates, paper bowls, hot and cold paper cups, cup lids, straws, and plastic silverware. You can buy a little at a time. Just keep stocking, my friends.
Bulk Items
20. Pasta
If you stock pasta, stock some jars of spaghetti sauce as well. Pasta is great in casseroles, salads, soups, and so much more. If you have to cook a meal for a crowd, spaghetti is a perfect choice!
21. Rice
By now you know, I store a lot of rice. I love Jasmine rice, I could eat rice every single night. Add some veggies from the garden or freezer and we’re good to go. You can add rice to soups, make casseroles, and eat it plain or with gravy on top. And don’t forget Fried Rice Recipes
22. Pinto Beans
I love love love pinto beans, well, just about every bean. Quick and Easy Refried Beans I buy a lot of bulk beans as well as canned beans. After a disaster, canned beans are a great option, you can eat them right out of the can or just heat them up with very little fuel.
If you can make tortillas, stock some refried beans in cans. Of course, I stock a lot of salsa. If you haven’t purchased a butane stove, I highly recommend you do. Butane Stove with Fuel
23. Black Beans
The first time I ever tasted black beans was in the state of Texas, yes, Harry, in Texas! I don’t know all the spices they use in Texas, but I would fly to Texas just to have another bowl of those tasty beans. In case you missed this post, The Top Health Benefits of Beans
In case you missed this post, How To Cook Beans
24. Quinoa
I love quinoa. After cooking it you can serve it hot or cold. It’s delicious in salads, soups, or as a side dish.
In case you missed this post, How To Cook Quinoa and Store It
25. Lentils
I have to thank Janet for introducing me to lentils. They are so good in soups, tacos, stews, and meatloaf, you name it! In case you missed this post,
Lentils: Everything You Need to Know
Canned Goods
26. Canned Items You Need
I wrote a post on the canned food I recommend. In case you missed this post, Canned Foods I Highly Recommend You Store
Refrigerator Items You Need
27. Eggs
I’m hearing eggs have gone sky-high in price. We all like to eat eggs in one form or another. I need them for baking, and we love hard-boiled eggs. Hang on for the ride, they may be going up in price again. Mark and I both love egg salad sandwiches.
28. Milk
Yep, most of us need milk. Mark needs it for his morning breakfast cereal. I would stock some instant milk for emergencies. I use dry instant milk for my white bread as well.
20. Lemon Juice or Lemons
So many recipes call for lemon or lime juice. I love stocking both of them, but I also buy Santa Cruz Lemon Juice and Santa Cruz Lime Juice for the refrigerator.
21. Buttermilk
If you don’t use buttermilk very often, a lot you may want a can or two of powdered buttermilk, or just make your own buttermilk. In case you missed this post, How to Make Buttermilk
22. Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Mark and I love both mayo and Miracle Whip. They don’t have a long shelf-life, so I rarely have more than six small jars of each in the pantry.
23. Mustard
Mustard is one of those condiments you either love or hate. I love mustard on some things. I don’t stock a lot because I’m the only one that really likes mustard. One or two small containers a year is enough stored for Mark and me.
24. Ketchup
Ketchup is fairly cheap and makes so many foods taste better. I stock 5-6 bottles so I never run out. I no longer buy large containers because when you’re down to two people food goes bad faster. Always stock up, rotate, donate, and toss when in doubt.
Fresh Vegetables
25. Vegetables in Season
When you’re able to buy vegetables in season, they taste so much better! Check for a Farmer’s market near you. You may luck out with organic food and help both the farmer and your community. If you grow vegetables in your garden you’re teaching your kids and grandkids garden skills and how to grow their food.
Fresh Fruit
26. Fresh Fruit in Season
I love to buy fresh fruit in season. If you have fruit trees, I applaud you! You are so lucky if you have a farmer’s market near you. You can get fruit that is in season and hopefully saves money and helps the farmer as well.
Freezer Stuff
27. Bacon
Bacon, oh my gosh, I hate to admit how much I love bacon. Okay, I said it. I LOVE bacon. The prices are so high, that I have had to cut back on my bacon consumption. I guess I’m healthier now by eating less bacon, but I still buy bacon and freeze it.
28. Nuts
By now you know, nuts go rancid very quickly. Please store them in airtight containers in your freezer. I use FoodSaver bags as well to store them.
29. Meat
When you see meat on sale, pick it up, if it fits your budget. I try to look through the discount area and grab meat I can use. Even if it’s a tough cut, I can cook it in my pressure cooker to make it more edible.
30. Frozen Vegetables
My favorite vegetable to buy would be frozen onions when you can get them. They are chopped and ready to use for just about any cooked meal recipe, including soup, or stew. Yes, I buy fresh onions as well.
31. Frozen Fruits
You can get really good organic frozen fruit at Costco, and possibly Sam’s Club. I love to make smoothies and having a bag or two of frozen fruits saves me washing and cutting the fruit. I store blueberries and strawberries because they are my favorite fruits.
32. Butter
Butter in one-pound packages with four sticks works great in the freezer. When I see a good sale, I stock up. I typically have ten pounds of butter in the freezer at all times.
33. Shredded Cheese
If you see shredded cheese on sale, stock up and freeze it. You can break down the bags or freeze the whole bag. Sometimes I fill pint jars and fill my freezer with them. I freeze only shredded cheese like Mozarella, Cheddar Cheese, and a Mexican blend. It works great and I never throw out moldy cheese.
34. Saf Yeast-Wheat Gluten-Dough Enhancer
If you make bread or want to learn to make bread, please store your SAF Instant Yeast, Wheat Gluten, and Dough Enhancer in the freezer. Wheat gluten and dough enhancers make your bread soft and fluffy.
34 Things You Need To Know About Food Storage
Final Word
Thank you for reading my post about 34 things you need to know about food storage. I wrote this last night because I feel so strongly that people must stock up now more than ever. I am not talking about the end of the world, my friends.
Let’s be prepared to take care of our family, or that extended family who has not prepared for anything. Literally. I get it, we may be angry about having to look out for others who didn’t prepare, I hear you.
But, we may not be able to turn a toddler away, or an elderly single man or woman living on pennies a day. May God Bless this world, Linda
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