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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Long Term Food Storage Shelf Life Listing

A jar of honey
I wrote this post for another message board I frequent but felt that people here could also benefit.

If these items are properly packaged in 5 gallon buckets in sealed Mylar bags with O2 absorbers the following shelf lives can be applied. Once packed, they must be stored in a dry location where the temperature is at or below room temperature (75 degrees F; 24 degrees C) the cooler the better. If anyone can locate documentation to extend any shelf lives please let me know and I will edit this list.
Initially this list was only for the above packing method. I am now expanding it to include Canned (mason Jar) Items but I will note if its is a packing method other then Mylar.

Metal packed items like store bought green beans or carrots have a "Best By" or "Use By" date on the can, this is not an expiration date but merely a recommendation. Most items packed industrially by this method will still be good three and even four years past the "best by" date. If the can is bulging or the contents smell bad or off throw it away immediately and to not taste it to check. There are many, many posts on this forum about people eating canned foods way past the "use by" date with no ill affects.

>>> Some of the links will take you to an different preparedness message board. I apologize but that is where I found the information. <<<

Indefinite Storage Life Items:

Salt
Raw Honey (do not pack in Mylar... what a mess that would be)
White Sugar

30 Year Items:

Hard Grains (Whole)
-Buckwheat
-Corn, Dry
-Flax
-Kamut
-Millet
-Durum wheat
-Hard red wheat
-Hard white wheat
-Soft wheat
-Special bake wheat
-Spelt
-Triticale
Oats (whole or rolled)
Rice
Beans
-Adzuki Beans
-Blackeye Beans
-Black Turtle Beans
-Garbanzo Beans
-Great Northern
-Kidney Beans
-Lentils
-Lima Beans
-Mung Beans
-Pink Beans
-Pinto Beans
-Small Red Beans
-Soy Beans
Macaroni
Powdered Milk
Potato Flakes
Dried Apple Slices.
Dehydrated Vegetables

20 Year Items:


10 - 15 Year Items:

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Dehydrated Dairy Products
-Cheese Powder
-Cocoa Powder
-Powder Eggs
-Butter/Margarine Powder
-Whey Powder


8 – 10 Year Items:

Soft Grains (Whole)
-Barley
-Hulled or Pearled Oat
-Groats
-Quinoa
-Rye
Brown Rice
Shortening

3 - 5 Year Items:

Peanut Butter Powder
Coffee (Possibly Longer. Minor flavor loss in the first 2 weeks)
Bottled Butter (3 years google "bottled butter" or visit Wendy DeWitt's blog)
Chocolate (Vacuum packed in canning jars)
Meats** (See Note)
Brown Sugar (Vacuum packed in canning jars)

1 - 2 year Items:

Flours* and Other Products Made From Cracked/Ground Seed
Yeast (1 year if frozen)
Fresh Eggs 1 year (lightly coated in mineral oil and stored point down in a cool place. I have not tested this yet)

*Flour stored longer than a year or two will make perfect looking loafs of bread but the bread will taste bad. LDS package flour in #10 cans with O2 absorbers and give it a 10 year shelf life. SO this remains up in the air and I would suggest testing and erring on the side of caution.

**For the method of safely bottling meats please see Wendy DeWitt's blog below.

Useful Links:
Why to Keep Quiet About Your Preps. <--Everyone read this
Food Storage Mylar & Buckets Video
Food Storage Calculator (A good starting point for the beginner)
LDS 30 Year Extension Message
Other Shelf Lives
Stock Rotating Storage for Canned Goods
LDS Preparedness Manual
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4 comments:

  1. I can't get any of your links to open...

    ReplyDelete
  2. All repaired.

    TY for letting me know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! I started checking out a few about freeze dried food storage until I came across to this one! What a great site! I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete