For those who eat out a lot....help

MelodyatHome....when they get hungry they will all come together. You plan, you shop, you will make the decision on what they have to eat tonight.

MelodyAtHome wrote: What has happened to me over the years with my prepping is food ends up being expired. I only buy the kind of food we do eat but I never can go through it fast enough. ... So what do you do about keeping your preps fresh but yet have enough food so if you do stay home for months at a time that you have enough? Thanks.

I had the same problem. I started freezing and learning how to do long term storage as I could not afford to buy the stuff. I have also started canning and I'm trying to learn how to sun dry....not doing very well, Texas has lots of humidity.

Get basics like beans, rice, powdered milk, oatmeal, flour, nuts, garden seeds, etc. things that you can freeze for three days ( I usually do a week) then let it return to room temperature, store out of sunlight in easy to transport containers, with several bay leaves, a few pinches of salt, and Oxygen absorbers. Label the container with your contents. I try to put meals in the containers, i.e. cereal, powdered milk, tang, flour, sugar, salt (stuff for bread, biscuits, pancake mix (add water only) syrup, etc....

Remember sugar and salt are indefinite, it may get hard but you can crush it to use. Don't forget you need supplies (expendable items) like extra toothbrushes, soap, baking soda (read the label, it will help with your supplies in many ways and comes in very large inexpensive boxes. I'm still eating store canned greens, corn, peas, carrots from 2/1999. Sure they are expired but we boil the contents, use in stews, as long as the can is not dented or bulging we have not had any problems. JMHO

We all have to prepare and risk loosing some food items, rather than risk being without food when the pandemic arrives and we are quarantined to our homes. We have to have home supplies. Good Luck


    

MelodyAtHome wrote: Hi Annie, I was wondering about all my cans that I bought since many expired but they are not bulging or anything...we store in the basement and we live in northeast Ohio so it never gets hot downstairs so I would think they would be OK for a while. 1999...that is good to know. I'm not recommending you eat anything past a due date. I have kept my goods cool and in a dark place. Acidic foods spoil usually within two years if not earlier. But most of my other vegetables have still been good. I do make sure I boil a bit longer. Does brown sugar and powdered sugar also last forever? I froze mine then put in sealed containers like coffee cans (now screw on plastic) still in their unopened bags. Mine has been okay for eight years, still using. Okay, now you know I over prepared for Y2K, LOL I am still using up and rotating in supplies. Even the nuts I got have an expiration from it(Planters) I do know nuts go bad, I froze them also, but they don't hold up much for me unfrozen past about three years, they start to go stale in the plastic soft containers, my hard plastic and jar nuts have been just fine. Also, slim jims I noticed has expiration dates and I thought those too would last forever. Don't know. I bought some powdered milk fom Wal-Mart but the expiration date was something like 8 month. I've bought some in the past that had 8 year expiration date. I wonder what is the difference. Anyone know? I froze my powdered milk and put in jars out of the soft packaging, mice got some of those boxes. Be sure to keep rat bate everywhere and safely away from kids and pets.

    

The point I was using is that you must do the preps on your own to buy the most sensible choices on menus you will be preparing. When (if) the day comes they will be happy you made the meal. We do the best we can with what we have.

Thank you everyone for your help. I sure do appreciate it. I will continue to store what we do eat but I think I better get some freezed dried foods that July mentioned that lasts a long time. Does anyone have any favorite places to buy free dried foods online that might taste OK? Thanks a million everyone.