Long shelf life foods

Does anyone store outside the house? I’m at a serious premium for storage, 700sqft with 2 kids myself my wife, 2 dogs and a cat!

I am woefully behind on“prepping” of any kind, I have 2-3 weeks of pasta, rice etc but would like to start storing more dry goods long term, I have 2 sheds that I could put a rack of shelving in and store 5gallon buckets? Good plan? Bad plan?

I haven’t done much canning before and know I couldn’t store that outside but I’ve done plenty of jerky and dehydrated fruits and veggies which I’d imagine I could vac seal with o2 absorbers in buckets as well?

thanks!
If you own the land around the building, or landlord gives Ok, consider a small DIY mini root cellar for storage...

Hokey, but it works. Our ancestors proved it. (Warning: Not for Snobs)



I've seen this done with a rectangular pit filled with 5-gal buckets, straw and covered with canvas. Buckets contained different produce.
 
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I have a frankensteined setup, where I have a mylar bag sealer that looks like a curling iron. I fill the bag, leaving an extra inch between the bag top and the sealing area, stick in one or 2 O2 absorbers, pull the vacuum on the bag with the foodsaver, then seal the bag with the curling iron thingy. I have some rice, etc that's 5+ years and they've held.

In a diversity attempt, some is in glass, some is in mylar, some is in 5 gallon buckets and some is Bishop's storehouse canned
I've always used a clothes iron and a board, but this "curling iron" you speak of intrigues me. What specific one are you using Jay? Are you happy with it?
 
Visited the northern pantry this weekend to inventory. Tuturosso tomatoes blew out and leached acidic tomatoes down through 4 other layers. Lost about 80 cans.

EDIT: I am done with Tutorosso. THis is the third time they've had a seal break. Not sure if it's the acidity of the tomatoes or the cans, but the ones I have left have all been moved to bottom shelves and I am done putting them ahead. Pastene and Market basket tomatoes from literally the same shopping trip were on the same shelf, and they're fine. Made chili with them and I'm still standing today. Just keep your distance ;)
Mmmmmmm, botulism, my favorite! Serve it with an appropriate vintage giardia, and you got yourself a meal!
 
Opened up a 2009 can of "Future Essentials" green coffee beans today. Picked a really dented-up one. These are just packed with an O2 absorber and silica packet.

Smelled like any batch of green coffee.

Roasted up OK (I am a rank amateur, but they cracked twice, which is nice ;-) ) and we'll see how the coffee tastes in a day or two.

Way beyond its expected shelf life (they said 5 years).
 
Just a warning for some folks. If you have been prepping for a while (decade plus) and picked up stores from eFoods Direct, I have seen a lot of posts of people who dipped into their stock that had originally been picked up for the SARS pandemic, and even though the food was supposed to have a 25 year shelf life, a lot of it was rancid.

Know what you buy and check in on it from time to time.

I am more in the notion these days of stocking up more and cycling through foods and replenishing stock than depending on bulk storable foods
 
Any time I go shopping for canned items my brain shuts off and I forget what to buy. I just end up with beans

When things are stocked up check out the canned meat aisle. Walmart has some interesting items like canned meatballs and usually a variety of Spam. I'm stocking up on turkey and bacon Spam when it's back on the shelf.

Canned hash is also good. Opened a best by 2013 can of roast beef hash this morning. Added onion, garlic and Emerils and topped it with a fried egg.
 
I wouldn't call myself a prepper by any means. But I do like to be prepared for possible short term issues. I've got some first aid supplies, a few cases of MREs, water purification. I figure I'm good for a few months if I had only what's already here (I'm working on this). But what I seem to be lacking is more of the shorter term, the world isn't ending, some things are harder to come by, type of issues. You know, like Covid. The stores were open, and you could get by, but some things weren't easy to come by.

So what I'm working on right now is canned meat. Chicken, Beef, maybe others. I'm not looking for big cans, it's just me so normal grocery store size cans will keep it fresh and I won't have to eat the same thing for a week. What I'm hoping for is some opinions on brands. When I'm looking around I see the name Keystone, so if anyone has tried their beef, chicken, or turkey let me know what you thought of it. If there are others please speak up. But keep in mind what this is for, it doesn't need to survive a hostile environment for 20 years, and large packaging would be a waste. Just want a buffer when the grocery store is bone dry in the meat department.

And has anyone tried the B&M Brown Bread?
 
@42!

The B&M bread is really good. Slice it into rounds and put it in the toaster. If you like cream cheese put some on, It's awesome.

I keep a supply of canned chicken, BJ's brand. Very versatile. I don't think you can screw up canned chicken but some on here have mentioned they really like the Trader Joe's brand.

Keystone is a big name brand. I think they have items like roast beef and ground beef and pork you don't see anyplace else. I don't have much of that due to $$$. Lehman's .com usually has canned meat. Also $$$.

You can't go wrong with an assortment of chicken, tuna, canned ham, roast and corned beef hash and canned salmon. I made some really good salmon burgers during the shutdown.
 
And has anyone tried the B&M Brown Bread?

I haven't had any in forty plus years, but when I was a kid in the 70's I remember sitting down at the dinner table eating hot dogs, baked beans and brown bread. I also remember my mom opening the can of brown bread, sliding it out, wrapping it in foil and warming it in the oven. And when I had a slice, sometimes two, I'd smother the warm bread with butter, enjoying it with my dogs and beans!
 
Opened up a 2009 can of "Future Essentials" green coffee beans today. Picked a really dented-up one. These are just packed with an O2 absorber and silica packet.

Smelled like any batch of green coffee.

Roasted up OK (I am a rank amateur, but they cracked twice, which is nice ;-) ) and we'll see how the coffee tastes in a day or two.

Way beyond its expected shelf life (they said 5 years).


A New England climate-capable, coffee bean would be a Godsend if things ever got so bad we could no longer get coffee.
I have tobacco seeds in storage for this reason, even though I only smoke a cigar on occasion.
Yes, viable cooler weather coffee beans as seed stock is in my future...

@weekendracer @Uzi2 and @Radtekk might have an easier time though with their climates...
 
A New England climate-capable, coffee bean would be a Godsend if things ever got so bad we could no longer get coffee.
I have tobacco seeds in storage for this reason, even though I only smoke a cigar on occasion.
Yes, viable cooler weather coffee beans as seed stock is in my future...

@weekendracer @Uzi2 and @Radtekk might have an easier time though with their climates...
they'd also make good renewable trade goods
 
Absolutely. I think Our future will be like Bartertown...

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And has anyone tried the B&M Brown Bread?

I finally found some at Stop & Shop. Tried it tonight.

It's not too bad. I toasted a slice and spread some butter on it, pretty good.

But, for me, it just doesn't quite cross the line from "It's pretty good" to "Wow, that's great". Almost like the Lifeboat survival rations.

Will probably put a couple of cans with my food stash though.
 
I keep it simple and I store stuff that I already eat


Albacore Tuna
Kippered Herring
Peanut Butter
Pork-n-Beans
Dehydrated eggs
nuts and dried frut
Steel cut oats
WATER WATER WATER

I am no prepper or anything but I do keep 3month worth of food on hand. My "emergency" water comes from 8 rain barrels and a fresh water spring that runs through the property.
 
I keep it simple and I store stuff that I already eat


Albacore Tuna
Kippered Herring
Peanut Butter
Pork-n-Beans
Dehydrated eggs
nuts and dried frut
Steel cut oats
WATER WATER WATER

I am no prepper or anything but I do keep 3month worth of food on hand. My "emergency" water comes from 8 rain barrels and a fresh water spring that runs through the property.

You just defined what a prepper is. It’s just a matter of what degree. You’re already in the top 1% if you have water and 3 months of food
 
What are people doing in regards to my favorite beverage, coffee? Not the longest shelf life unless I'm missing some kind of long term coffee storage.

I tried a package of this, it was okay and I'd stock up on some.

 
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