Do you have a basic food storage and want to learn how to build a long term food storage? Let me help you! My long term food storage is expansive and has been tried and tested with different storage methods, so I know what works!
What is a long term food storage?
A long term food storage is a food storage that has the shelf life of 10-30 years. Long term food storage is used for emergency situations, but you also want to rotate the food into what you eat once it approaches its expiration date.
I believe everyone should have a food storage because it is a way to safeguard yourself from the unknown circumstances of life and the unforeseen events of the world. I manage my food storage in three layers. If you would like to learn more about what the three layers of food storage are and how they work, check out my food storage video.
How do you build a food storage?
The easiest way to build a food storage is to start buying extra of what you eat. Building a long term food storage is a little different because most items you get at the typical grocery store won’t last 10-30 years. Grocery stores often have sales on canned goods like beans, vegetables, and fruit and these are great times to stock up on canned goods that you and your family enjoy.
How do you build a long term food storage?
When building a long term food storage, you need to be thoughtful about the kinds of foods you and your family enjoy. If you don’t like carrots, there is no reason to include carrots into your long term food storage. Most likely you still won’t like carrots 30 years from now, so why torture yourself? Make a list of foods and meals your family enjoys right now, and center your long term food storage around those. You will also want basics in your long term storage like flour and sugar. Yes, flour and sugar can be stored for up to 30 years with certain food preservation methods and storage!
Why should you have a food storage?
The reasons for having a food storage will differ from person to person. Personally, I like the comfort of having my own grocery store at my house and not having to run to the store every time I run out of an ingredient. I also have vivid memories of the grocery store during the weirdness of “rona” and I never want to find myself fighting through last minute prep crowds again.
If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
A majority of people don’t prep. They think because a grocery store is right down the street, they will always be taken care of. No matter how many global emergency situations they endure, they still insist on the mentality of the grocery store being their safeguard. No entity, program, or grocery store is your safeguard—YOU are your only safeguard! Stop depending on outside sources to care for you, this is a failure mindset. Do you want to be out fighting the crowds next time a disaster rolls around? I know I don’t want to be out fighting a Karen over the last bag of ramen noodles, I don’t even eat those but in situations where the shelves are barren, you grab stuff you don’t normally eat, and that’s a failure too! You can prepare in such a way that you can thrive, not just survive, in disaster scenarios.
Can you feed your family and be self-sufficient in a scenario where the grocery stores are wiped clean for the unforeseeable future? If you can’t, start prepping now.
Three tips to build your long term food storage:
1) #10 cans are an amazing way to build your long term food storage!
What are #10 cans?
Number 10 cans are a type of can used to store food. They are similar in size to a coffee can, and if sealed properly with freeze dried goods inside, they last for 10-30 years!
A majority of my long term food storage is made up of #10 cans. I love that the food is stored in a safe manner for a long period of time. The contents of the cans vary from beans, vegetables, flour, and more. I purchase them from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Bishop Storehouses. They are open for anyone, not just members of the church.
They have affordable prices and the quality is incredible. Augason Farms also offers long term food storage available in #10 cans and they have a wider variety of foods compared to the Bishop Storehouses. Think of the Bishop Storehouses as essentials and Augason Farms as ready to eat fancier meals. I think both are great options!
The downside of #10 cans is that they are bulky and can be hard to tote around. They would not be an ideal food pack for an emergency bug out bag. Freeze dried goods in Mylar bags are the easiest foods to pack into bug ours bags.
2) Manually freeze drying goods and packing into Mylar bags is a cost effective way to build long term food storage.
Freeze dried goods are light weight because they have had all of the water evaporated from them. You can either buy premade freeze dried goods or you can freeze dry goods yourself with a Harvest Right Freeze dryer then pack the goods with Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers you got off of Amazon. The only downside of packing freeze dried goods or other types of foods yourself is that it can be time consuming.
Is a harvest right freeze dryer worth it?
Yes! A freeze dryer is a valuable asset and is worth it if you are interested in building your own food storage. A freeze dryer is relatively cheap to operate and the biggest cost is the initial cost of the freeze dryer itself. Freeze drying your own foods overtime will recoup the cost of the freeze dryer. Check out the prices of freeze dried goods, they’re expensive! I think a freeze dryer is a great investment. You can check out my podcast pros and cons of freeze drying foods.
The only downside of freeze dried goods, is you will need water to rehydrate them if you want to eat the foods in their original state. I actually will eat my freeze dried goods in their freeze dried state because I enjoy the taste and texture, but if you want to enjoy it how it originally was going into the freeze dryer, you need a source of water. Freeze dried goods maintain most of their nutrients, and water isn’t necessary to consume freeze dried goods so you still can receive the nutrients in their freeze dried state. My latest freeze dried favorite food has been green beans!
3) Buying premade long term food storage packages is an easy way to build your long term food storage.
There are a plethora of companies out there that make long term food storage buckets. I currently have some ReadyWise long term buckets in my food storage. These totes are easy to stack and have a variety of meals in them. These are freeze dried meals that will require water to rehydrate.
The only downside with premade long term food storage goods is the lengthy ingredient list. You will find dyes, chemicals, and preservatives. These aren’t my favorite thing, but in a serious emergency situation will I be too bothered? I don’t think so.
Start building your long term food storage today! You never know when the world will erupt in chaos or you or someone you love will lose a job. It is always better to be over prepared than not prepared at all!
