One of the biggest concerns people have with food storage is shelf life. After all, nobody wants to dip into their emergency food supply during a real honest-to-goodness disaster and find that all of their “imperishable” goods have decomposed into brown sludge. It’s true, many foods such as canned goods and frozen meals don’t last as long as you might expect. But what can you do? Well, for starters, you can do some in-depth research into what you decide to store (which is probably why you’re here in the first place). For another thing, you can stock up on foods that really will last forever. Here are some of the longest lasting emergency food storage items available.
If there is a disaster and you happen to make it out alive, there’s a good chance supermarkets will soon be pillaged and you’ll need access to a steady stream of food.
That means you’ll need to pack your cupboard with shelf-stable ingredients that provide enough energy to help you rebuild society.
Here’s what to grab before the end of the world hits, or during all that looting that’s sure to follow.
Vinegar
How to store it: Keep in its original airtight container in a cool, dry place, away from heat sources.
Fun fact: In 5000 B.C., Babylonians used vinegar for food preservation and pickling. Because of its high level of acidity, vinegar is self-preserving, antimicrobial and can last for centuries. White distilled vinegar will not change in color or potency if you keep it in an unopened container. You may notice some hazing or discoloration in apple cider vinegar, but as long as the bottle has not been opened, it has an indefinite shelf life. After it’s opened, it will slowly lose its acidity. So you can use it, but you probably should get fresh stuff if you are canning or pickling.
Salt
How to store it: Keep in a cool, dark, dry place, where temperature remains constant.
Fun fact: Salt has been used a natural preservative for centuries (it’s a dehydration powerhouse), and both sea salt and table salt won’t expire when stored correctly. Keeping it stored at a constant temperature ensures it will stay edible forever.
Soy Sauce
How to store it: In its sealed, original bottle.
Fun fact: Soy sauce has been used as a condiment in China for more than 2,500 years. Because of its high concentration of salt, soy sauce will last forever-as long as it stays sealed. Once opened, soy sauce is safe to eat for two to three years when kept in the refrigerator.
Dehydrated foods-
Although not quite as long-lasting as freeze dried meals, dehydrated foods still have long shelf lives. This is because they follow the same basic process: moisture is removed and then the item is packaged. The difference is that with conventional dehydration techniques, only about 90% of the moisture is removed (as opposed to freeze drying, which removes approximately 98% of the moisture). Thus, dehydrated foods only last about 15–20 years before needing to be replaced. Still, that’s really not bad, when you think about it.
Pemmican
Invented by Native Americans, pemmican was traditionally made from the lean meat of large game like buffalo, elk, or deer. The meat was dried over an open fire, mixed with fat, and pressed into little cakes. Sometimes berries were tossed in for extra flavor.
Pemmican makes the perfect survival treat because they’re easy to make (there are only three basic ingredients), it’s a good source of energy and protein, and it does not have to be refrigerated, cooked or heated.
Today, US Wellness Meats in Missouri makes packaged beef pemmican snack sticks and bars, which they say last up to two years in the freezer.
Here’s a recipe for homemade pemmican — for when your post-apocalyptic-self butchers an elk — which can supposedly last forever.
Meals, Ready to Eat
Commonly known as MREs, these pre-packaged meals have been sustaining American troops on the battlefield since 1981. Each foil pouch, which can be easily carried, prepared, and eaten, contains about 1,200 calories.
It’s not just standard meat and potato dishes either. There are a wide range of entrees to choose from, including beef brisket, lemon pepper tuna, and vegetable lasagna for plant-eating preppers.
Depending on storing conditions, an MRE bag can stay fresh for up to five years. If you’re less concerned about flavor, the pocket-size army grub can hold up for more than a decade.
Hard liquor
In a time of crisis, alcohol is a must-have.
Unopened bottles of hard liquor like vodka, whiskey, and rum don’t really go bad, though they may lose some of their “kick” as the years pass. Be careful about leaving them out in the sun though.
This is one of the more expensive items to have in your survival cupboard, but it has many practical uses besides drinking, like cleaning wounds. Having it available for a post-apocalyptic party doesn’t hurt either.
Peanut Butter
Creamy, chunky, or organic, peanut butter is a cupboard mainstay for many Americans. Kept in low humidity the thick spread will last for quite some time. A high amount of Vitamin E prevents peanut butter from spoiling.
This is the one situation where you’ll want to stay away from the all-natural stuff, which requires refrigeration because it does not contain preservatives.
Here are some of my favorite canning recipes. I guess they are my favorites because I grow many of these items myself in my garden and orchard. You can also find literally hundreds of canning recipes, and more information on canning techniques in The Lost Ways
Corn Syrup
How to store it: Keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Fun fact: Corn syrup is derived from corn starch. It’s made after the starch has been converted to sugar through a process called acid hydrolysis. The longer the hydrolysis takes place, the sweeter the corn syrup will taste. Corn syrup’s high sugar content is the reason it keeps indefinitely when properly stored.
In a perfect world, we’d never have to worry about food spoiling, but if it’s not one of these long-lasting powerhouses, check out these six simple ways you can easily identify food that’s gone bad. Plus, here’s a master list of how long your favorite produce will last after purchased.
Canned or dried beans
Kidney, pinto, black, or Lima — take your pick. Beans are the ultimate survival food because they’re high in protein, easy to store, and come in many different varieties.
When combined with rice (another survival food) beans form a complete protein. That means the meal contains all of the nine essential amino acids to support your body.
- Pinto Beans
- Kidney Beans
- Lentils
- Lima Beans
- Adzuki Beans
- Garbanzo Beans
- Mung Beans
- Black Turtle Beans
- Blackeye Beans
Rice
Rice has long been a main food source for more than half of the world population. The hearty grain will continue to keep humanity strong and well-fed in the event of a disaster.
Rice is also dirt cheap, comes in many types, and is easy to prepare.
- Buckwheat
- Dry Corn
- Kamut
- Hard Red Wheat
- Soft White Wheat
- Millet
- Durum wheat
- Spelt
- Barley,
- Oat Groats,
- Quinoa
- Rye
Powdered milk
Powdered milk is a mainstay of fallout shelters and food aid supplies when fresh milk isn’t available. The dried stuff many not be very appealing, but it pretty much lasts forever and is useful for cooking and baking.
It’s also easy to tell if the product has gone bad. If your powdered milk turns yellow, it’s time to toss it.
Ramen noodles
The Japanese noodle is filling, easy to prepare, and light-weight. Some college kids even live on these squiggly pastas for years.
It makes sense: The dried bricks come with different-flavored packets and can be purchased for as little as 16 cents a pack. Mixed with some dehydrated vegetables, the noodles can make a nice meal.
Instant Coffee
How to store it: It’s essential to keep instant coffee dry. Keep unopened instant coffee granules in the freezer.
Fun fact: Instant coffee is made by spraying brewed coffee in a fine mist through very dry, hot air, which dehydrates the droplets into a powder. Because of its low moisture content, instant coffee could potentially last a lifetime if stored properly. After it’s been opened, it can last up to 20 years when stored in the freezer.
Freeze dried foods-
Freeze dried foods are made by rapidly freezing meals, and then leaching the water from them leaving only a frozen, dry substance that can be easily packaged and stored. Adding a little boiling water will reconstitute the food into something not only edible, but downright palatable and healthy. See, the freeze drying process is able retain the taste and nutrients of the original meal. Different freeze dried foods can be safely stored for varying lengths of time, but regardless of what you use, their shelf lives usually end up being about 20–30 years. Compare that to most canned goods, which only last for 3–5 years.
Remember… back in those days, there was no electricity… no refrigerators… no law enforcement… and certainly no grocery store or supermarkets… Some of these exceptional skills are hundreds of years of old and they were learned the hard way by the early pioneers.
Bouillon
How to store it: If you want these tasty cubes to last a really long time, just store them in a Mylar bag to keep out moisture, air and light. Or seal the package with a food sealer to ensure it’s super airtight. This will also keep out any bugs that might be looking for the stuff (yuck)!
Fun fact: Bouillon is packed with salt, which helps extends its shelf life much longer than traditional meat or vegetable stock, which is why it’s handy to keep around in a cooking pinch. However, it’s important to note that as time passes, the intensity of the bouillon’s flavor can change-it will still be safe to eat, it just might not taste as delicious.
Books can be your best pre-collapse investment.
Carnivore’s Bible (is a wellknown meat processor providing custom meat processing services locally andacross the state of Montana and more. Whether your needs are for domestic meator wild game meat processing)
The Lost Book of Remedies PDF ( contains a series of medicinal andherbal recipes to make home made remedies from medicinal plants and herbs.Chromic diseases and maladies can be overcome by taking the remediesoutlined in this book. The writer claims that his grandfather was taughtherbalism and healing whilst in active service during world war twoand that he has treated many soldiers with his home made cures. )
Easy Cellar(Info about building and managing your root cellar, plus printable plans. The book on building and using root cellars – The Complete Root Cellar Book.)
The Lost Ways (Learn the long forgotten secrets that helped our forefathers survive famines,wars,economic crisis and anything else life threw at them)
LOST WAYS 2 ( Wordof the day: Prepare! And do it the old fashion way, like our fore-fathers did it and succeed longbefore us,because what lies ahead of us will require all the help we can get. Watch this video and learn the 3 skills that ensured our ancestors survival in hard times offamine and war.)