 Storing Food At Home

Let Common Sense, Your Taste Buds, Guide you to Storing Food At Home
Copyright 1991 Jj Fallick
Published November/December 1991 Backwoods Home Magazine
Reprinted in The Best of the First Two Years of Backwoods Home Magazine

If you live in the "boonies" - or are considering a move to the country- storing food is of vital interest.  That "quick trip" to the couner market that a city dweller can count on if he runs short of milk or spagetti takes me an hour or more.
Living, as I do, without conventional utilities presents other food storage problems.  Yet anyone can safely and easily store enough food in sufficient variety to live for a year, if necessary, between shopping trips.
The first rule of food storage is "store what you eat and eat what you store."  When you 're snowed in or stressed out because you lack gas money for a long trip to town you are not going to want to experiment with eating unfamiliar foods!  Studies have shown that not only to people prefer familiar foods, especially during trying times, but that abruptly changing the diet can have uncomfortable side effects.
What you store and how you store it will also be affected by your situation and the reasons for your storage program.  If you have freezer space available you can count on this food for times of poverty, but you risk loosing it all from a prolonged power outage. Thus, I recommend storing a wide variety of foods in various forms. Let's look at the "basic 4" and then other items needed for a typical diet.

Meats and protein foods

This group includes not only animal foods, but the easy-to-store dry beans, peas and nuts.  You can store meat, poultry and fish in your refrigerator, freezer or canned on the shelf.  Storage temperature, moisture and light conditions can affect the length of storage and the quality of all stored products.  Non-refrigerated, non-frozen tiems are best kept in a dark, dry location with a temperature between 50-70 degrees.
"Refrigerator" temperature is defined as above 32 degrees but below 50 degrees Farenheight. The lower the temperature, the better the long-term storage, but I've found my cellar and a cool, below-ground room to be excellent "refrigerator substitutes" for about 9 months of the year, for many items.
I reserve my summer 'fridge - a tiny propane-powered RV model - for items that really need low temperatures, in the warm months, like dairy products and meat, and opened containers, mostly.  For long term storage of frozen foods, make sure your freezer stays at or below 0 degrees.  Many refrigerator-freezers to no keep this temperature well and are suitable only for relatively short-term storage.
To avoid nutrient loss in frozen foods, make sure they have appropriate vapor barriers in their packaging.  the plastic packaging on meat in the supermarket is NOT sufficient for freezing; add a layer of freezer wrap or ask your grocer to freezer wrap your meats.
Fresh Eggs keep in the 'fridge for an amazing month!  For long storage, locate a source for food processing dry egg solids.  These are not the powdered egg mix that you got as scrambled eggs in college or the Army, but are used in commercial bakeries for use in baked goods.  They are used according to pakcage directions in place of fresh eggs in any baked goods recipe except angelfood cake, I think!  I use them a lot when our chickens mouls and have even substituted them for whole, fresh eggs in my Grandma's homemade noodle recipe.
I consider dry beans, peas and lentils excellent storage food.  They keep for years when stored in a cool, dry place in rodent-resistant containers.  It will take a little tome to accustom your family to a large diet of beans if you are not now big bean eaters.  Tradition says adding cetain herbs to the bean pot mitigates the gas problem.  Other cooks add baking soda.  I presoak my beans then drain off that water and add fresh water for cooking.  I have also heard of an enzyme additive called "Legume-Aid" that helps folks digest beans, but have never seen the product or used it (1996 addition:  I have now used a product called Beano and recommend it for digestive tracts hostile to beans.)  If you think dry beans are inconventient, try soaking up and canning a batch for use later as "fast food".  Don't forget nuts and nut butters.  Even the "just nuts and salt" brands store well, unopened.
	
Milk and cheese

Fluid Milk stores remarkably well under refrigerated conditions.  The main problem with large families like outs if finding aplace to put large quantities of milk, especially in the summer.  If you have a 40 degree cellar, you can store milk there.  And if, like me, you hate to be "wastey" you'll find all sorts of recipes for sour-milk baked goods to use up any odd ends of milk that "turn".  Yes, you can use even pasteurized, homogenized sour milk.
Everyone knows about storing non-fat dry milk, but not every family will drink it.  I can sometimes get it past my kids (who prefer whole milk) by mixing it a little "rich" and getting it very cold...then they'll at least eat it on cereal!
But using dry milk for cooking is an excellent way to keep fluid milk for a beverage.  In a sauce or baked goods, no one can tell dry milk from fresh.  Mice love to get into dry milk, though, so repackage it in airtight and mouseproof containers.  I like glass jars for this.  cheese stores well refrigerated (or in that cool cellar); for longer storage it can be frozen.  Thawed cheese is crumbly, though, so don't plan to slice it.
You can somtimes find powdered cheese (an ingredient in processed food) for your storage shelves.  This is usually in a can and lasts forever.  Use it by adding the powder to a white sauce to make a cheese sauce or you can addit directly to saucy dishes for cheese flavor and protein.  We eat it in Spanish rice and other Mexican-style casserole  dishes.  

Grains

The basis of some food storage programs is wheat.  Wheat is a good storage item, as it's versitile and stores forever.  If you don't have a grain grinder and aren't used to eating whole wheat you'll probably find it pretty uninteresting.  Actually, most whole grains (as opposed to flour) store well so I recommend using and storing whole grains, including rice, and haveing a grain grinder.
If you are used to eating white flour products, by all means store white flour!  It keeps better than whole grain flours and even if you're currently buying all your baked goods it makes a good storage item.  Everyone likes fresh-from-the-oven homemade bread!  the individual ingredients in baking mixes store better than the mixes.  I keep a file of mix recipies, for basic mixed and recipies to use them with.  Our pancake mix recipe is even written on the side of the gallon jar we keep it in; that one's kept full!
Pasta also keeps well if it's dry and away from mice.  We also buy dry cereal in institutional bags.  With sever (or more) hungry mouths to feed, they seldom go stale!  Here, again, store it in glass jars to preserve freshness if your family is small.  We also buy and store cooked cereal in bulk and often make granola to individual tastes.
vLooking for treats?  If no one wants to bake...rev up the popper and break out the popcorn.  Even for us, a 50-pound bag is a years supply...and the end pops as well as the first serving.

Vegetables and fruits

vThe traditional backbone of a food storage program is home canned fruits and vegetables.  Whether you do-it-yourself or buy case lots on sale, these foods will store for a year without losing quality, as do properly packaged frozen foods.  for variety, store some fruits and veggies fresh as well.
Potatoes, ontions, carrots, winter squash, cabbage, beets, apples and pears are the easiest to store and most like a cool moist cellar (onions and potatoes are the exception).  If you have an unheated area that doesn't freeze, add moisture toyour cellar by spreading a layer of sand or dirt (if you don't have a dirt floor) or sawdust and sprinkling this layer with water. I also store dry foods like instant potatoes, soup mix and dry fruits in my pantry.

Other essentials

While they aren't in any food group anymore, there are other items that you will need to store.  These include oil, shortening, margarine and/or butter, sugar and/or honey, yeast, baking powder and baking soda, salt, herbs and spices.  You will want to include other foods you use often such as cocoa, coffee, tea, gelatin and pudding mixes.  While you're thinking storage, don't forget extras of essential non-food items like TP, soaps, bleach, matches and drugstore items you rely on. 
One of the easiest ways to build up your storage is to watch for sales and buy extras of regularly used items.  We used to regularly "invest" our income tax refund in food storage (you can't eat money!)
It is also important to rotate and monitor your storage so that you use the oldest stock first and so that you don's loose track of what you have on hand.

How much to store?

How long you can eat on your storage depends on not only how much food you  have on hand, but also on how well balanced it is.  It can be a rel help, during summer months, to have a garden, too.  We have liven on our storage alone for weeks and once for several months when my husband lost his job...but after a while we were eating a little "funny."
It takes lots of will power not to eat your favorite foods up all at once!  But actually eating off your storage is the best way to see how well it will actually work and find out what you forget...and what you need more of!  How much of each type of food to store depends onyour family size and their ages and appetites as well.
Based on USDA guidelines, Table 1 gives a rough chart of how much you would need to feed one "average" person for a week.	Tables 2 through 5 give the storage lives of various foods.  
Of course there are no hard and fast rules of storage.  Many folks, though, are learning the freedom that having even a minimal food storage program can bring...freedom from panic when strikes threaten or weather closes everything down...freedom from immediate price scrunches...freedom from emergency trips to the store and inconvenient and difficult times.  I Know that we almost relish our usual run of "snow days" in our remote home.  We build up the fire, break out the baking goods and laugh at the storm, snug as squirrels in our well supplied nest.

Table 1 - Requirements for 1 person for 1 week

 Meat/protein4 eggs
                               														28 oz. meat
																										 			5 oz dried beans
Milk products7.6 qt. fluid milk
                               														or 30.4 oz. cheese
																										 			ora combination
grains4.4 pounds
Vegetables/fruit12 oz. carrots/cabbage
                               														or 3 lbs. other green or yellow
																										 			and3 lbs. or more potatoes
																										 			and2.5 lbs. tomatoes/citrus fruits
																										 			and1.5 lbs. apples
                               														or 4.6 lbs other fruit
...plus the other essentials (salt, fat, etc.) in proportionate quantities)

Table 2 - Storage conditions for various items

ItemConditionRotate before
canned meat, fish, poultrycommercially packaged or pressure canned per USDA18 mo.
dry eggsairtight package6 mo.
dry beans, peasverminproof package5 yrs.
nutsoriginal package9 mo.
peanut butteroriginal package12-18 mo.
dry milkverminproof, airtight package6-12 mo.
textured vegetable proteinairtight package12 mo.
powdered cheeseverminproof, airtight package3 mo.
wholegrain flourverminproof package2 weeks
white floutverminproof package12 mo.
prepared mixesverminproof package8 mo.
raw, hot cereal(oatmeal, cream of wheat)verminproof package6 mo.
cold commercial cerealoriginal package12 mo.
whole grains (wheat, oats, rye, rice, triticale, etc.)verminproof packageindefinately
cornmealverminproof package6 mo.
pastaairtight package2 yrs.
popcornverminproof package12 mo.
instant potatoesverminproof package18 mo. 
canned vegetablescommercially packaged or per USDA12 mo.
dehydrated vegetablesairtight package8 mo.
canned fruitcommercially packaged or per USDA18 mo.
picklescommercially packaged or per USDA1 yr.
jam/jellycommercially packaged or per USDA18 mo.
baking sodaunopenedindefinately
baking powderunopenedindefinately
cocoaoriginal package18 mo.
yeastairtight package2 mo.
salt/spicesmoistureproof packageindefinately
sugarmoistureproof packageindefinately
honeymoistureproof packageindefinately
Note: these are conservative estimates but based on proper storage conditions. After the "pull date" the times may still be safe, but of poorer quality.

Table 3 - Storage of refrigerated foods

ItemConditionRotate before
fresh meatoriginal package4 days
hot dogs, lunch meatoriginal package4 weeks
eggsoriginal package4 weeks
fluid milkoriginal package2 weeks
cheeseoriginal package6-8 mo.
fresh greensbagged in plastic, with damp paper towel1 week
berriesventilated container1-2 weeks
other vegetablesventilated container3-5 days
tomatoesventilated container2 weeks
yeastairtight container6 mo.

table 4 - Storage of frozen foods

ItemConditionRotate before
meatair/moistureproof package1 yr.
poultryair/moistureproof package6 mo.
fishair/moistureproof package3 mo.
cheeseair/moistureproof package1 yr.
butterair/moistureproof package1 yr.
breadair/moistureproof package6 mo.
vegetablesair/moistureproof package1 yr.
fruitsair/moistureproof package1 yr.

Table 5 - root cellaring

ItemConditionRotate before
potatoesmoderately moist6 mo.
onionscool, dry6 mo.
carrotsmoderately moist6 mo.
pumpkins/winter squashmoderately dry, cool6 mo.
cabbagemoderately moist6 mo.
citrun fruitsmoderately moist6wks.
pearsmoderately moist4 mo.
applesmoderately moist6 mo.




