Stockpiling food is a key part of being prepared. Even if you have the skills and space to grow your own, you can’t be sure that a disaster will leave your crops intact and edible. Sure, you can recover from that, but it’s always best to have enough to keep you going while you plant and tend the next crop.
A lot of attention goes to storing bulk carbohydrates like rice, grains and pasta, or home preservation methods like canning or dehydration. Don’t overlook good old shop-bought canned goods though. These can have an impressive shelf life, they’re cheap and a well-chosen stock of them can add variety and nutrients to your diet in the months or even years after the SHTF.
Related: The Best ORAC Foods to Stockpile
Everyone has different tastes, of course, and what canned goods you decide to buy will be influenced by that.
Here’s our Top Ten canned delicacies:
Hormel Spam. Yes, really. Spam is reasonably priced and actually made from good quality meat. Unlike a lot
of processed meat products it isn’t mechanically recovered scrap; it’s chopped pork shoulder and ham. Spam is surprisingly nutritious if you’re in a survival situation; it’s full of the things you need that wellness gurus hate, but your body craves when it’s working hard – fat, sodium and protein. Spam is also incredibly versatile. It can be eaten straight out the tin, or sliced and used as a sandwich filling. Alternatively you can fry or grill it, add chunks to a stew, make Spam kebabs or chop it up and add some spammy goodness to a pasta sauce or chili.
Great Value Chunk Chicken Breast. WalMart sell this in 12.5 oz cans, and often have a special offer on a two-pack. What you get is a can of diced chicken breast with rib meat, fully cooked and packed in water. It’s ready to eat, so you can use it to improve a salad. Alternatively, add it to soups, stews, stir fry or curries. The water from the tin picks up enough chicken flavor to make a pretty good broth, too. This is a great source of protein.
Great Value Beef Stew. Another WalMart staple; this is a 20 oz can of meat, potatoes and carrots and it
costs less than two bucks. It’s fully cooked, so you can eat it cold if you have to, and it’s easily heated. It isn’t the most exciting stew in the world but makes a great base. Add seasonings, or mix in foraged greens; this makes the greens a lot tastier and adds nutrients to the stew. That’s not to say it isn’t plenty nutritious already; it has loads of fat, protein and energy. Yes, if you’re physically active these are nutrients.
Kirkland Roast Beef in Beef Broth. Two dozen 12 oz cans of this costs around $90 at CostCo. It’s more expensive than the Great Value stew, but what you get is just chunks of cooked
premium beef. It can be eaten cold, but where it really comes in useful is as an ingredient in stews and other dishes. It’s very lean, with just enough fat to add flavor.
Hormel Chili with Beans. This comes in 15 oz or 38 oz cans, and either way it costs about a dime an ounce.
It’s also tasty and can be eaten right from the can if necessary. Otherwise it’s a great way to add flavor to rice, beans or even pasta – a 15 oz can and four cups of rice will feed a family. The chili itself also has a decent amount of fiber, as well as protein and energy.
Canned Tuna in oil. Tuna tastes great and has dozens of uses, from tuna salad to pasta sauces and soups. It’s
a very good source of protein and essential fatty acids, too. Buy tuna in oil – olive oil if you like it, vegetable otherwise – because it lasts longer and preserves the fish’s nutrients. Starkist is a good value brand you can find most places, but any tuna will do. It’s best to go for plain old fish instead of a fancy seasoned or roasted variety; you’ll save money, and you can add the finishing touches yourself. Why pay an extra $1 for a 5 oz can just because there’s a nickel’s worth of garlic in it?
Baked Beans. These are a great side for breakfast or a whole range of meals. They can also be added to soups,
chili, stew and even soups. They have loads of protein and fiber, they’re tasty and they can be perked up with your favorite seasonings. Most grocery stores have an economy brand that sells for not very much, so there’s no reason not to have a few cases of these in your store.
Green Beans. Greens can be hard to find in winter, and unless you’ve managed to get a crop in and can some you can find yourself craving them through the cold weather. Green beans are a simple solution. They’re cheap and can be used in a whole load of
different ways. Steam them as a side, drain and mix with dressing or Miracle Whip to make a salad, or add them to soups and stews. WalMart will sell you a 14.5 oz can of whole green beans for 68 cents.
Corn. Growing and canning corn is a lot of work; four 15 oz cans of it will cost less than $3. Like green beans
this is a really versatile vegetable that can go in everything from salads to chili.
Diced tomatoes. Get diced tomatoes instead of canned tomato sauce; you can turn them into sauce easily
enough with a blender or by forcing them through a sieve, but you can’t turn sauce into tomato chunks if that’s what you’re looking for. Tomatoes need faster rotation than the other goods we’ve looked at because they’re acidic, but they’re so versatile that shouldn’t be a problem. Soups, stews, pasta sauce… you can add them to practically anything. They’re not massively nutritious, but they make your cooking taste a whole lot better.
Hormel Spam. Yes, really. Spam is reasonably priced and actually made from good quality meat. Unlike a lot
Great Value Chunk Chicken Breast. WalMart sell this in 12.5 oz cans, and often have a special offer on a two-pack. What you get is a can of diced chicken breast with rib meat, fully cooked and packed in water. It’s ready to eat, so you can use it to improve a salad. Alternatively, add it to soups, stews, stir fry or curries. The water from the tin picks up enough chicken flavor to make a pretty good broth, too. This is a great source of protein.
Great Value Beef Stew. Another WalMart staple; this is a 20 oz can of meat, potatoes and carrots and it
Kirkland Roast Beef in Beef Broth. Two dozen 12 oz cans of this costs around $90 at CostCo. It’s more expensive than the Great Value stew, but what you get is just chunks of cooked
Hormel Chili with Beans. This comes in 15 oz or 38 oz cans, and either way it costs about a dime an ounce.
Canned Tuna in oil. Tuna tastes great and has dozens of uses, from tuna salad to pasta sauces and soups. It’s
Baked Beans. These are a great side for breakfast or a whole range of meals. They can also be added to soups,
Green Beans. Greens can be hard to find in winter, and unless you’ve managed to get a crop in and can some you can find yourself craving them through the cold weather. Green beans are a simple solution. They’re cheap and can be used in a whole load of
Corn. Growing and canning corn is a lot of work; four 15 oz cans of it will cost less than $3. Like green beans
Diced tomatoes. Get diced tomatoes instead of canned tomato sauce; you can turn them into sauce easilyCanned goods have a long life, but to extend that as far as possible it’s vital to store them correctly. Incorrect storage can shorten the life of your food, and even risk dangerous food poisoning.
Check all cans before storage. If there’s any sign of damage, don’t risk it; throw the can away or, if you know it got dented when you dropped it taking it out the car, use it immediately. Dents and dings create weak spots that rust can attack.
Like most other foods cans do best in a cool, dark place that doesn’t suffer from major temperature changes. Freezing temperatures might not obviously split the can, but they could open up tiny gaps that let air and microbes in.
Related: Homemade 72 Hour Emergency Food Supply Kits
How long you should store canned goods for
- Meat, fish and low acid foods (soup, vegetables) – 3 years
- High-acid foods (tomatoes, pickles, fruit) – 2 years
- Fruit juice – 1 year
Rotate your store periodically; add a few cans to your weekly shop, put them at the back of the shelf and use the cans from the front. That way you’ll keep your stockpile as fresh as possible, so its shelf life is at a maximum when you really need it.
You may also like:
13 Myths and Facts About Canned Foods
An Insanely Effective Way to Build a 5 Year Food Stockpile (video)
22 Ingenious Hacks to Make Food Last Longer
What Should You Do With Your Canned Foods After the Expiration Date?
FINALLY, an article NOT trying to sell something, but instead passing on information useful to all. I also buy containers of MuscleTech Whey Protein, each scoop has 32gr. of protein. I mix 1 scoop of powder in a Shaker Cup with 20 oz. of coffee every other morning. The container lasts approximately 60 days and I keep 6 on hand (1 year’s worth)
Yes, I agree. So many of them are looking to slip a monthly subscription fee. This guy is good and he just tells it like it is.
Thank you for sharing information is always useful and helps to build wisdom and knowledge in things we do not understand
KIppered herring or herring snacks last for almost 5 years and tastes great on crackers. Potted meat cans cost sometimes .50 cents makes a great sandwich meat and can last up to 5 years.
Hi Don. What are potted meat cans? Thank you.
They are small cans that in Walmart are located with Spam, canned chicken and Tuna. They are small as they only hold 3 Oz of the product. I have seen them in the dollar stores, and other discount outlets.
Underwood’s deviled meat spreads are potted meats, you can find other potted meats where Underwood’s are in stores
Great idea. I love the devil led ham mixed with some mayo. They used to have that on white bread for sandwiches in elementary school. Plenty of protein and fat. Like liverwurst. Forgot about that as a survival food. For those unfamiliar, it is a small can, smaller than tuna, white label with red devil on the can. Don’t let the devil deter you.
Another one I like is kippered herring, aka “kipper snacks”. Great source of protein and omega-3s, plus they will store for a LONG time.
Another alternative is canned Sardines (in Olive Oil).
I prefer the King Oscar brand, cross pack or two layer.
Get the plain variety, no extra sauces (like garlic, mustard, tomato).
Walmart sell the cans of Sardines for about half of what you would normally pay for in a grocery store.
Loaded with protein (14g), Vit. A (9%), Calcium (20%), & Iron (9%). Plus some fat.
They seem to keep “forever”, as long as the cans aren’t dented.
Don’t forget cans of Sardines (in Olive Oil). I prefer the smaller size of sardines vs. the larger size: two layer or cross pack.
They’re loaded with Protein, Vitamin A, Calcium, and Iron. They seem to last “forever”, so long as the cans aren’t damaged.
You can find them at WalMart for about half the price as as those that are sold in most grocery stores.
Also Consider Anchovies. NO, I don’t mean the salted ones in the little tiny cans that makes your hair stand up.
WILD PLANET has Anchovies that are not the salted version. These are the UNSALTED Version similar to Sardines.
Also available at BJs Wholesale Club, but different company. We like these quite a bit!
I don’t see any non-GMO labels here. Better to can your own.
EFortin: In an end of the world situation I am quite confident that you will not be reading the labels on any food you run across. You will be quite happy to eat rat cooked over an open fire. If you get hold of some Cheese Whiz you will be escstatic to scarf it down. During the siege of Stalingrad the Russians boiled their belts and drank the fluid that came off the belt. They probably ate the belt too. The took the tongues out of their boots and shoes and boiled those. They scraped wallpaper off the walls and then scraped the paste off the back of the wall paper and made a mush out of that. Read about the famines in the satellite countries of Russia in the 30s when the Communists were trying to organize the farms and factories. The urge for self-preservation is the strongest of all of our factory-installed drives and starvation will make you eat stuff you would only touch with rubber gloves now.
Ha! Good one! How many of you enjoy seedless grapes or seedless watermelons? How about broccoli or kale? So many things we enjoy and assume are “all natural” weren’t found in the garden of Eden folks.
@TD So true! There’s not an apple, or any other piece of fruit that anyone has eaten that wasn’t genetically modified…yes even the “heirloom varieties” are GMO’s.The same for grapes for wine. Also, every dog you’ve owned, own or will own is a GMO. So the only way to get away form GMO’s is to ‘shed your mortal coil’. I want GMO info labels..so I can buy those products!
These comments made me curious, so I just looked up the scientific use of the term “genetically modified,” which is not the way we commoners might use it. This is from Wikipedia:
“Genetic modification involves the mutation, insertion, or deletion of genes. Inserted genes usually come from a different species in a form of horizontal gene-transfer. In nature this can occur when exogenous DNA penetrates the cell membrane for any reason. This can be accomplished artificially by:
attaching the genes to a virus.
physically inserting the extra DNA into the nucleus of the intended host with a very small syringe.
using electroporation (that is, introducing DNA from one organism into the cell of another by use of an electric pulse).
firing small particles from a gene gun.
Other methods exploit natural forms of gene transfer, such as the ability of Agrobacterium to transfer genetic material to plants, or the ability of lentiviruses to transfer genes to animal cells.”
It sounds like a different process from what is called “selective breeding,” the age-old way of choosing the best traits in animals or vegetables.
@Lucy When you graft a Texas grape cutting onto a French Grapevine and come up with a new species of grape, never seen on the planet before, you have accomplished genetic modification, Whether in a lab with a pipet..or in a field with gauze..you have a GMO.
I*f you graft a peach tree on to the root stalk of an Oak you still harvest peaches, and they do not resemble or taste like acorn.,
Damn!!! a peach with a nutty aftertaste???? ya crushed my hopes here Graywolf!!! LOL!!
So wrong!
No – you have a HYBRID fruit.
Genetic Modifications can only be done in the LAB. they even put a FISH gene in some TOMATO varieties. this is Frankenstein science. NOT HYBRIDIZATION.
Not according to science it isn’t. You are splitting hairs and redefining definitions to suit either your beliefs, your conversation, or both.
Ha try spraying glyphosphate on that grapevine see how long it lives. GMOs are a Frankenfoods
Thank you. Genetically modifying something means forcing something that is not there naturally and cannot be put there naturally into something that never required it in the first place. Not a good thing.
@Nola I don’t understand the difference that folks seem to profess when dealing with, for example purposely splicing a tomato plant to grow a ‘never before seen’ tomato that cant resist cold better, VS doing the exact same thing in lab. What is the difference? and why is that bad? I think folks have seen to many movies..attack of the killer tomatoes or some thing. 90% + of everything you touch every day has “not been pout there naturally” whether your bed, your car, your kitchen stuff… and all the food you eat. I support GMO technology and innovation.
Please excuse the spelling errors : can vs can’t , put vs pout etc..
MMG, Thank you for your response.
What I mean is having read about putting something from a fish into a potato to (supposedly) make it not bruise so much in transportation, keep it from sprouting (although the gas they put of all produce to keep it from going bad so fast should cover that), and also prevent using something you get from the supermarket to grow your own.
My problem with the potato issue is that in the report I saw the man working on it admitted that potatoes are as good as they are going to get, nutritionally. So WHY add something that has no value to the consumer. Potatoes are easy to grow, even if they do take up a lot of room. And if GMO is so wonderful why can you not save the seeds and grow the same crop again, as you can with open pollination/heirloom seeds?
Sorry, I prefer to KNOW what I am eating, and believe in the 100 mile diet.
LOL NOLA what the heck are you missing? I’ll be sure and tell you my tomatoes are GMO when tshf and you starving and staring at my tomatoes! LOL I grafted a couple tomato plants from 2 heirloom plants. I played with these for about 4 years. I got a plant that was producing plate size tomatoes! The first one was just huge…I was stupid enough to think I was only one watching it grow! I finally turned it around and said time to eat! LOL there was my husband and my son! HMM But i’ll be sure and NOT share with you
Lizza , Your post is humorous . I do have a question though, can You plant the seeds and grow some more big tomatoes next year ?
Your tomatoes are a HYBRID of tomatoes.
This has been done for EONS – combining fruits or vegetable traits for desirable qualities -taste -size-shelf life.
If you find a way to put a FISH gene into your Tomatoes – let me know -as they do that to make GMO Tomatoes.(in a lab)
Lizza, what you did was create a HYBRID. You did not create a GMO. Mankind has been creating hybrids since God put us here. It’s a lot different than splicing genes together that change the original genetics. GMO’s, I’ve read, can genetically modify YOU. I read another article about some cattle that escaped their fencing, and went next door to eat the stalks of some GMO crops that were left after the product had been harvested. This would have been no big deal if it were hybrid corn, but because it was GMO, every cow DIED from eating it. GMO’s are evil things, and mankind needs to STOP playing God. Buy heirloom and save your seeds. I think we’re going to need them the way it’s looking.
like most people you say one thing and whensomeone sees the faulatin it you change your argumentthatis a dishonest way towin an argument and yes it makes you looke smart topeople not as smart as you GOOD JOB !!!
GMO is an ill defined, catch all term unfortunately…something from one tomato into another tomato is a fast way to intentionally select traits (the historical way of producing new varieties) ….introducing an insecticide, or genes from a different species is what the anti GMO people don’t want ….primarily because then that added info is passed along organically to future crops…..no way to control pollen floating across the miles or insects sharing it. GMO will ruin a century of careful intentional breeding. Very stupid act to introduce GMO into the natural world.
Please look up selective breeding and GMO. There is a huge difference. Do you want the genes put in a plant to start to replace your human genes? There are several good definitions above. :Please read them.
MMg the GMO’s are creations that can survive chemicals like Roundup and Dicamba. All other life is destroyed where these chemicals’ are sprayed! This is not natural and is killing off huge tracts of natural life my friend. If it is doing this to life what are we doing eating the proceeds of this action and what is doing to us? Cancers, Dementia’s, Autoimmunes, Autism….all of these increases match up with the increase in the GMO usage!
You’re absolutely correct, and the ignorant people that joke about this really need to stop and think what these GMO foods are doing to their bodies & overall health.
I noticed this year that most candy today, is also genetically modified. Scary, since mostly children consume it. Much of todays candy and gum is also laced with aspartame, the chemical used to fatten up lab rats in research. Monosodium, is another poison added to our foods, along with hormones, antibiotics & other synthetic drugs given to animals, & numerous pesticides on fruits & vegetables, tobbaco, and animal feed… the list goes on, & it’s no joking/laughing matter. Remember, you “are” what you eat.
If Gmo’s are so fabulous, then why are they outlawed in other countries. They have been PROVEN to cause mutations and problems in our DNA. Also I thought this was a sight for people to come together and help each other with survival strategies. What is with all the petty bullshit?
before my time but other things that have been outlawed…..being Jewish, reading , being reincarnated without premison from the government,masturbation, using all of the pennies you own ,Salmon Act of 1986 states that it’s illegal to hold salmon under suspicious circumstances, change a light bulb without electricians licenceso on and so fort so in not so many words your worship of the law to prove your point only proves you are a fool
It can actually be a very good thing! It can cure diseases, make medicines, and feed people. Just like the flip side, buying only “organic” foods is ridiculous. People should rather starve than eat anything not grown organically. Of course it’s usually the people who can afford to buy organic and only miss a meal every now and then due to the inconvenience of not being able to find “organic.” I put the quotation marks around “organic” because the farms have to be certified organic because if you test the food, there is no difference in nutritional value or toxin levels (i.e. Pesticides, hormones, etc) between “organically” grown and non-organically grown foods, veggies, meats, dairy, etc. The “organic” industry has hoodwinked people into believing that commercially grown foods are evil and toxic. What a joke! 85% of the population can’t see through snake oil when it bites then on the nose. And in this case the snake oil you are being sold is the dangers of GMO’s, that “organic” is better…BS! Just because a farm is certified “organic” they are still allowed to use fertilizers and pesticides. And even if they didn’t, how do you think they can prevent the drift of the pesticides and fertilizers coming over the fence from the next farm? There is a lot of BS talk about how commercially grown food is not as nutritious as “organically” grown because the soil had lost the proper nutrients so the plants don’t have them either. I hate to break it to you but plants won’t grow and thrive if they can’t absorb the proper nutrients from the soil, just like people won’t grow if they don’t have the proper nutrients in their diet. Plants are able to make a lot of the nutrients they need with just sunlight and water. Am
I recently read that in Sweden they expose milk briefly to radiation and it keeps quite a while with no refrigeration and it’s not radioactive but I don’t think you’d ever get us to drink it.
Every time you use a microwave oven you are nuking your food.
Gfraywolf12: microwave radiation is NOT nuclear radiation. Microwaves are electromagnetic; nuclear radiation is actually particles of nuclear material. There is a BIG difference.
Also, exposing a substance to nuclear radiation does not necessarily make it “radioactive”. A good portion of the food industry uses gamma radiation to kill germs, microbes, viruses, etc. as a method of sterilization.
We have had milk that can sit on a shelf without refrigeration since the 80’s. Canada had it in the 70’s, where I was first introduced to it while traveling in the Yukon and Alberta. The milk is made by an ultra-high temperature process to make it shelf-stable. This milk comes from Italy and can be found in the baking aisle in your grocery store. It’s called Parmalat. Could this Swedish milk be made by a similar process but someone, not understanding the UHT process, thought it was done with radiation? Just asking.
In Germany (then West Germany) in the late ’70s the only milk the grocery stores in the Stuttgart area carried was what was called “H-Milch.” I think it was the same as Parmalot, but made in Germany. It was shelf stable, in boxes like some juice boxes and rice milk, nut milks, soy milk, in the U.S., hyperpasteurized. It was okay in coffee and for cooking, but tasted a lot like condensed milk to me. Some grocery stores around here carry a brand of goat milk, Meyenberg, in those same boxes.
Nothing tastes like fresh!
When I was active duty military we were delivering pallets of UHT Milk to our military forces all over the world, no refrigeration, exposed to heat, cold, direct sun, etc. It came in plain and chocolate, in single serve boxes with plastic straws, similar to the “fruit” drinks in every store in the USA, and I think there are similar UHT products in the USA stores also, just look for any “milk” product in single serve boxes on the shelves with other convenience single serve drinks. READ THE LABELS to see what the producers say is in the packages. Also look for “best by” and “expiration” dates, but those are really only guides, as many mention, when SHTF I don’t care what the label says or how it was grown / produced, if it keeps my family alive, we are going to consume it.
Nola, when I was a child in the 50’s there were predicted huge famines at the turn of the century due to the inability to produce sufficient food for the predicted population around 2000. With modern technology we can grow grains like wheat, rice, corn and others in areas of the world that could not sustain their growth 60 years ago and the increase in productivity of food crops in areas of the world that were in danger has freed us from the predicted famines and tens of millions of deaths from starvation. Your 2nd sentence is truthful, your last sentence is just poorly thought out opinion. You will not eat GMO food and turn into a turnip.
In this present time, I completely understand your concern. But in the event of an shtf situation where you and your family are starving to death, does it really matter?
I’m wondering that too!
Nola, I agree with you.
Nice job lucy.There is a great difference between crossing life forms that can cross naturally and ones forced by gene manipulation that could never occur in nature.Key words here never occur in nature…Watch the doc Seeds of Death. good info for ya.
Thank You for the clarification. There is a difference between selective breeding and inserting glow in the dark genes from a jelly fish. I always try to buy heirloom food products when ever possible. Roundup is not a desirable trait in food. I believe CWD may be attributed to GMO crops. Are we next?
Crotalus Maximus, you’re right. One thing we must remember is what true GMO’s can harm. Example: suppose scientists take genes from a fish that lives in freezing waters and inserts them into tomatoes to make the tomatoes able to withstand very low temperatures. Then a person with a serious fish allergy eats one of these GMO tomatoes without knowing it’s GMO. He or she may get pretty sick, or worse, die, from anaphylactic shock (allergic reaction). Scientists are fine, even admirable, in the right context. But when they start to play God and mess up His creation, they’re on thin ice.
Avid Reader. Let me give you a slightly modified example (pun intended). Suppose this same scientists, instead of inserting a fish gene into a tomato, modified the tomato gene (in a lab) to better withstand the cold from a tomato variety that is more cold hardy, and repeated the process till they got the same result as the ‘fish tomato’…without the fish or use of any animal gene…Are you ok with that?
True — the GMO that we all fear is the Monsanto round up proofing of crops so the Monsanto farmer can flood the crops with pesticides and the crop will still grow with all the pesticides sucking into the root system — Things like Strawberries and Potatos are flooded with pesticide and fertilizers
Correct Lucy, selective breeding whether its animals or plants is known as “Hybrid” they are not GMO “Frankenstein” creatures but have the best qualities our the two parents.
Finally, intelligence in print… heirloom plants are original and not mixed with any other type. Hybrids are mixed types for the best results… neither has anything to do with GMO’s…
Exactly! Thank you.
You are being disingenuous with your definition of Genetically Modified. The definition of ‘Genetically Modified’ should be reserved to those foods to which have been subjected to artificial modifications occurring at the molecular lever. Usually this means adding genes from different species.
If you look more carefully at scripture the mixing of kinds is what was forbidden. The mule was one of the most visible archetypal example; being the crossing of the horse with the donkey; which produces sterile progeny.
It does us no good to ubiquitously apply GMO to the crossing of breeds or varieties and saving the seeds thereof.
Softballumpire:
You’re so right! Mules are a good example. Liger and tigon are two more. Lion crossed with tiger or vice versa are the same way. My friend, I see you seem to know the Scriptures. Kudos!
@Avid Reader. And yet look at the centuries of service that mules, with their capacity to carry and plow, have contributed to farming and the transportation of goods. They were the small pickup truck and tractor of their day. And are still in service.
Selective breeding and cross pollination is noty the same as GMO. Please read up on these terms.
You are referring to hybrids, not GMO. GMO crosses boundaries of species and NO it has NOT gone on via mother nature.
You do not understand how GMO’s are made, and how cross breeding plants and animals work. Please look it up and revise your comment.
@Graywolf12 GMO does not necessarily mean the combination of plants and animal genetic material. (You cannot “crossbreed” a plant and animal btw, that term is only used within kingdoms). Some of the best vegetables I have grown were hybrids. They took the best qualities of one tomato and combined them with another. Were those seeds developed through grafting or in a lad with an microscope and a pipe? I don’t know and I don’t really care. I think claiming that all GMO’s are bad or good does society s disservice. Some are good and some are bad ideas. In any event I will continue to advocate for the ethical and proper use of GMO’s where they can make people lives better around the world. If I choose you use those products, that’s my choice as it is yours to not do so. I don’t fear ‘big brother’ as much I fear the thousands of ‘little brothers’ For misinformation or ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater.’
TD—-that quip about dogs is irrelevant. They are dogs, plain and simple, not two different species crossed with each other.
There is a big difference between Hybrids and GMOs. Hybrids like seedless watermelon are formed by continuous crossing breeding low seed melons. Even seedless melons have a seed or two.
GMOs are from man manually changing gene integrity. This is also how they make seed you buy in stores “sterile” Meaning the seed in the plant won’t reproduce.
Thanks for the clarification; I have struggled with being a loan voice in this matter and appreciate hearing from a voice of reason.
I am also concerned about GMO’s and avoid it. The only reason why I would avoid getting too much food that is not Non-GMO Certified is if I will not eat them items before they go bad. Or I don’t purchase more than I’m willing to throw away. I do, however, have hundreds of pounds of wheat, rice, oats and beans that are canned to last 30 years. I doubt they’re non-gmo, but I consider it worth the investment.
Just don’t store oats from regular suppliers,like Quaker Oats! They are slathered with glyphosate (Round-up) to dessicate the plants to bring them to harvest all at the same time. This is poison you are putting in your mouth/in your body! I buy organic, gluten free oats from Azure Standard buying club, and a 25# bag is only $41.10 plus a small shipping fee! That is only $1.64/lb. for (both) organic and gluten free! UNBELIEVABLE how great that price is. I am starting to wonder how much longer the prices will hold! The current administration is already eyeing our 401K’s, too, as we had notice that our retirement savings in 401K had to reported to the feds. just recently. That sure was a first!!! So when you hear they are eyeing taking your retirement money away from you if/when the dollar value tanks, I no longer doubt it!! That is why it is a great idea to start putting food by in circumstances where it will stay in good shape and do it NOW, before the dollar is worthless and your money is confiscated by the feds.!! Our son asked “how could they do that”? Well, if they know your banking account to deposite Stimulus checks, won’t they also know how to TAKE your money back out of those accounts??? I mean, give me a break! I’ve heard other “advisors” say to put your money into things of value that are “invisible” to the feds…Like NOT Bitcoin, which is all online! Like precious metals, lumber (price/value skyrocketing), land, and I personally think anything to keep your stuff safer during an EMP! However, again, as a Certified Natural Health Professional of almost 2 decades, I am mostly focused at present on food and natural meds., essential oils, homeopathic meds., etc. They WORK!!
Amen to that brother!!
oops–this comment to chuck.
Folks have NEVER been hungry. and there will be those when TSHTF.
jj – not only have I been hungry, I have used the catsup packet from fast food restaurants to make a cup of soup. Of course, it had only been 8 days since I had a meal and I got sick from it so maybe I really wasn’t hungry.
The problem with Atlantic salmon is that most of it is farm salmon. There are varying arguments about farm salmon. I don’t know what the answer is but I am leery of farm raised fish like salmon, catfish and tilapia. Perhaps my fears are unfounded, after all, I eat farm raised pork and chicken and feed lot cattle, so I guess it isn’t much of a stretch to farm raised fish. Speaking of farm raised chicken. The local Safeway has half chicken breasts that weigh in at about a pound and a half to two pounds per half breast. They are bigger than most turkey breasts I have seen on 25 pound turkeys. I asked the butcher what kind of chickens they were and could they even stand up. He just kind of smiled and shrugged. I don’t buy those monster breasts. The Japanese have a term for huge outsize animals “Nushi” Damn I had to correct sushi three times to get Nushi. It means a huge monster anything, fish, snake, oversized cat or dog. Those breasts come from a nushi chicken. They’re cheap. They are $1.19 a pound. You get a lot of meat for your dollar — along with a lot of hormones, I suspect. I wonder if chickens like that get ‘roid rage? I can see the B movie now, “Attack of the 50 Pound Chickens. They escaped from a secret farm in Area 51.
This is an entertaining and factual site: firstwefeast.com/eat/2014/10/how-did-modern-chickens-get-so-damn-big
According to the site, until about 1948 chickens were raised for eggs, and were only eaten incidentally after the egg laying career came to an end. Also, chicken was not rationed during World War II.
Apparently, growth hormone is prohibited in poultry, but legal in cattle, where the hormone pellet is implanted in the cattle’s ears.(The ears aren’t used in food.)
Vitamins and antibiotics, now, are used in poultry, too. Gosh, I wonder why we have such antibiotic resistance?
They are Called White Cornish Cross broilers.They are bred to grow fast and large.Not genetically modified.they are commercially raised and that is where the antibiotics come into play as they are raised in confinement with 1000,s of birds.We raise them on our farm but they are pasture raised outdoors with no hormones,antibiotics but on certified organic non-gmo feed.
Large “farm animals” of any kind are partially due to growth hormones put in the feed by the manufacturers. The high school where I formerly worked did feed trials with chickens and tilapia in the Animal Science classes. Some were fed with feed containing growth hormones and the rest got feed without the hormones. The animals that were fed with the hormone laced feed WERE larger than the others. This is so farmers can get more profit from their animals at sale.
But, there is an obesity problem in the USA. People are overweight. Here is something to ponder…Where do the growth hormones go when you eat the meat from those animals? Do they stay in our bodies and make us grow larger, too?
There is a chicken that is raised just for meat called the Cornish Cross. I’ve raised them and they get huge quickly. No hormones added. There are a few naturally very large chickens.
Using a rooster from one of the large breeds gives you “sometimes” chicks that are bigger. The only one ‘messing’ with the genetics is mother nature.
No hormones, just repeated selective breeding. We have 20 lb roosters now. Vitamins is all they get.
Even my cats refuse to eat farm raised salmon. Cage raised chickens have a yellow egg yolk and thinner shells. Free range chickens have a orange egg yolk and stronger taste. Also their egg shells are much harder. Tomatoes from the grocery store don’t even taste like tomatoes. I am so grateful I was raised on a farm.
YES Nola there r a lot of us that know what being hungry is. I have given my children as much meat and I would drink the juice and katsup to add flavor to almost everything. So I will get food for my family in any place I can ( not against the law).If I can get a item for less than half of those that a organic . I have to go cheep so I can get more. But I do grow my own veggies., pork and beef are shared from a very Good sister here in the north. and goats and ducks are all ready for when we need them.
Yep. This person has it right on. We’re talking the true REALITY here! This is what it would really be like after people find no electricity for their hoarded dehydrator. No baby bottle warmers would work . Mabye the lazies would have to actually scrounge in trash dumps for old canned foods. Of course there would be another prepper gut with a gun guarding a”his” trash dump mound! Im not saying give up, but it seems that in the reality of so SHTF scenario, there would be massive fights and cruelty over scraps from the plentiful years for survival in so post apopolyptic world. If I had to kill or threaten other families to survive, Id rather be dead, as if I choose my life over someone else’s I’d be going to help a0nyway.?
Native Americans know that the drum heads and moccasins they make out of buffalo or deer hide can be boiled, the broth drunk and the leather eaten in hard times. Epic multitasking!
I actually ate rat once…barbequed. I was in Thailand and a farmer who had had his rice fields destroyed by rats had trapped them and was selling barbequed rat. Not especially tasty….sorta like warm baloney…but the sauce was great.
Yes, a broth out of shoe leather is sure better than nothing! Thanks to God that I have never experienced that extreme situation. Having books and other information on natural plants and other possibles in the area is a good investment for “just in case” and you just might learn something!
I spoke with a Dutch guy once and he said in WW2 they were eating tulip bulbs.
Dinner party boiled leather as well.
Sorry! Donner party.
Doesn’t that kind of go against the whole ‘be prepared’ idea behind the article?
That’s because they weren’t preppers
Now that Venezuela? is in deep Do-Do because of liberal socialism, their government workers and police and military are ALL dumpster diving for food
Obviously, you have to read the labels for non-gmo products
The reason we should not modify our plants and animals, is because the REAL plants and Animals have been and are proven against Mother Nature. They breed, spread and populate without man. Ever wonder why crops fail when there is not enough rain? why we have to water constantly? why they die in the first heat wave? these are plants we’ve chosen for color and that last long on the shelf, they are not proven.. Ever wonder why you can not plant seeds from an apple tree any more and get an apple tree? Why apple trees or corn is only found in a store now? Why our farm animals are getting diseases and need vaccines and medicine now?
And of course the seed producers love it when you have to buy seeds every year, and only from them…
When our climate changes, our plants and animals will die, they are not proven, not the best. We are not Gods, with good intentions and laziness, we are ruining a food supply that has survived millions of years.
I garden so I can dehydrate food for the pantry. I also smoke meat and make different types of jerky.. I will be smoking fish this year as well. I am working on adding to my medicinal herbal remedies and essential oils as well. If you have animals you will want to put back plenty of food for them.. I have milk jugs for watering the garden and I have food grade plastic jugs for storing water for us too. I will be fishing but haven’t ever really hunted. I might try that this year as well
People need to prep now because before we know it there will something coming along. You will also want to make sure you have things you can trade for things you want. It is a good idea to have alternative methods to cook and to heat your home. Between that and the economical situation here in US a food pantry is smart thinking.
Canned fruit is also a good storage item. Canned pineapple has less shelf life than canned fruit cocktail or canned peaches or pears. They add that luxury to an otherwise bland meal. I can tell you that canned fruit cocktail was the most sought after C-ration. You could trade a can of fruit cocktail for multiples of other C-ration items. Even more sought after than cigarettes. Yes in the bad old days you used to get five cigarettes in a little box in every day’s rations. Canned peaches were a close second and, of course, canned pears were always in demand. After a delicious meal of sausage patties in gravy(read congealed grease) a can of fruit cocktail washed the nasty taste away. And on a hot summer day nothing refreshed like a can of fruit cocktail — wow, that stirs up some memories. I’m going to have to go out to the garage and grab a can and open it right now.
As I remember it, the primary reason I wanted that fruit cocktail was to help counter the effects of the cheese packets. The one item I would not trade were the round individually wrapped chocolate bars I would need at O-dark thirty to stay awake. Boy I haven’t thought about them for decades. I agree caned fruits are great for storage but don’t forget the coffee and chocolate. 02/23/19
Excellent idea. Just be sure you get WHEY.
Just wondering about the seafood, with Fukishima leaking.
Seek out the Atlantic sourced canned seafood. It’s available.
Thanks
I too have wondered about Fukashima, that “stuff” is STILL being pumped into the ocean! I agree with the Atlantic theory, however, eventually that “stuff” will reach there too. There is no brick wall to divide the oceans or waters so eventually it will be all over. What a wonderful thought.
The problem with Atlantic salmon is that most of it is farm salmon. There are varying arguments about farm salmon. I don’t know what the answer is but I am leery of farm raised fish like salmon, catfish and tilapia. Perhaps my fears are unfounded, after all, I eat farm raised pork and chicken and feed lot cattle, so I guess it isn’t much of a stretch to farm raised fish. Speaking of farm raised chicken. The local Safeway has half chicken breasts that weigh in at about a pound and a half to two pounds per half breast. They are bigger than most turkey breasts I have seen on 25 pound turkeys. I asked the butcher what kind of chickens they were and could they even stand up. He just kind of smiled and shrugged. I don’t buy those monster breasts. The Japanese have a term for huge outsize animals “Nushi” Damn I had to correct sushi three times to get Nushi. It means a huge monster anything, fish, snake, oversized cat or dog. Those breasts come from a nushi chicken. They’re cheap. They are $1.19 a pound. You get a lot of meat for your dollar — along with a lot of hormones, I suspect. I wonder if chickens like that get ‘roid rage? I can see the B movie now, “Attack of the 50 Pound Chickens. They escaped from a secret farm in Area 51.
I realize this comes way after first postings but you worry about farm-raised catfish. As a child I watched as my dad and others would take a weekend trip to the river to seine fingerling catfish, which they would transport home and use to stock farm ponds, because the bass which were a farm pond staple had frozen out the year before, and the waters were stagnant and mossfilled. We had to wait two years, but were able to harvest 3# beauties from the ponds , and the meat was white and delicious, no muddy water taste that is prevalent in river caught fish. I don’t worry about pond-raised catfish-I prefer them
Using fresh or canned salmon, tuna, chicken or turkey is easy. I flake the meat, adding fresh or dried onion, garlic, celery, Mrs dash and tobasco sauce or celery seed. Let your mind and use what you and your family like. You can use fresh veggies or powdered. Salt.and pepper is a good choice as well. Add an egg or two, day old bread, or cracker crumbs. You will need to adjust your batch size depending on the number of hungry mouths you will be blessing. Mix well and shape into patties and either bake or fry in a good cast iron pan with olive oil or vegetable (I add a little pat of butter for flavor). Eat well my friends. I am just started on my prepping, have lots to do.
I was born and raised in the US, my wife is Asian. Things we eat that are “cross-over” from each other’s preferences are rice, corn, potatoes, and my wife loves all veges but we both like green beans, peas & carrots, onions & garlic, and we both like fresh and canned meats (prefer fresh of course) such as chicken, beef / corned beef, pork, turkey, SPAM (I know, it’s pork, but deserves a separate mention), and she loves all seafood (not me, I’m very finicky with seafood). Easy one pot type of “meals” we make routinely that will be easy enough to prepare in a SHTF situation (depending on available fuel and water) is rice mixed with any of the other mentioned ingredients. For example, make plain rice, mix in some diced chicken, pork, or can of tuna, some peas & carrots, soy sauce and any other spices you like, heat and eat. I’ll do similar things with rice and/or pasta mixes such as mac-n-cheese with diced SPAM mixed in. I prefer to mix things while still cooking, timing when to add things like peas and carrots about five minutes before the rice / pasta is done so it all gets cooked but not mushy. Another “one-pot” meal starts with a packaged potato mix like augration, or loaded potatoes (my favorite), cooked both stovetop and baked, by prepping per directions, then add diced meat, veges such as chopped onions, cut green beans, etc. bake in Corningware or Pyrex (dutch oven will work) and when done, again you have a “one pot” meal that covers a lot on nutrients. Sometimes add “extras” to baked things like adding leftover bacon or sausage, crumbled or chopped, maybe some left over kernel corn or chopped green onion, to a corn muffin mix. Prep the mix, stir in the extras, pour into baking cups (I prefer foil for no sticking) and bake as normal. Be bold and experiment now and you’ll have some good ideas worked out for if you end up cooking in one pot over a fire or camp stove. I just bought a dutch oven so I’ll soon be learning how to cook with that.
In addition, Crider makes canned turkey in 10-oz. size, like canned chicken for $1.20 a can. Matzo balls in glass jars keep for years, and remind me of Grandma’s dumplings to top a stew or soup. You can get great deals after the Jewish holidays (October, I think) when the merchants are trying to get rid of leftover stock. Actually, I am eating some out of the jar right now, comfort food. Canned salmon and mackerel make tasty patties with an egg to hold them together.
Tomatoes and all kinds of tomato sauces come in glass jars, and keep much longer than tomatoes of any kind in cans, and they taste better without that metallic taste!
How could we forget corned beef, and either corned beef or roast beef hash! The best-by date is 5 years out, too.
What else do you put in the patties Do you scramble the egg and dip the patty in the egg? I am interested in canned salmon recipes other than just eating the salmon out of the can. Any suggestions or references? Simple is better. Not really interested in 20 ingredient all day prep.
Even easier! Just dump the canned salmon into a bowl, break it up a little if the clumps are big, crumble in a piece of bread — stale is best — and crack a fresh egg into it and stir. The egg is the binder. I like to throw some chopped onion in, but a dash of onion or garlic powder is good, too. Or not! If you have some fresh herbs, like parsley or dill or whatever you like, throw a palmful in. Stir it all together, and plop spoonfuls into a greased skillet and cook. When one side looks done, turn the patties over and cook the other side until they look browned a bit. Eat them on bread, with cooked rice or noodles, or just a fork!
If I were you, I would place the egg in the bowl first and beat it up in Lucy’s recipe. Then, add the salmon after. Trying to combine an egg with the chunks of salmon would not enable you to combine them very easily.
Salmon patties- drain the salmon from the can, remove the “backbone and discard. I personally discard the blackish skin and discard. Then I add egg, onion and sometimes crushed saltine crackers. Consistency of meatloaf. Form into patties and fry. Season to your taste. Growing up there was 13 at home and canned salmon was cheap, made a great meal extender side dish.
When I was a boy in montana I snaged Sockeye samon and my mother canned them in a pressur cooker in bell canning jars at 25lb pressure and we ate them all winter and was glad to get them.we were allowed 40 fish a day but my home was less than s block from the place I was fishing and I will say th at I brought home more than 40 a day.We were poor and canned meat in a pressure cooker was welcome as the only freezer was the great out doors and that only worked in the winter. Deer meat was marinated in Cream of Tarter to take the wild out of it.
With the salmon you can remove the bones or not your choice. Drink the liquid if you want to or give it to your dog or cat. I like to add 2 eggs crumble up half a doz crackers mix well and then fry to a golden brown in coconut oil. I often add chopped up onions and garlic both for taste and health benefits. makes a great meal any way you fix it.
Thanks all, for the suggestions. I have been wondering how to make salmon patties. I now have a good handle on a couple of methods. Appreciate the various suggestions. Growing up Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks was about all the further we ventured into gourmet fish preparation.
Don’t listen to them! Add a quarter cup corn meal for each can salmon/mackerel for some slap ya grandmaw goodness. Their recipes are good, just add the cornmeal. Maybe some Tony’s, Slap ya Mama, or Old Bay to liven things up a bit. Fry like hot water corn bread. Eat the bones. A days supply of calcium for a grown man in each can.
We always poured homemade pepper sauce over our fish patties, to give them a little extra taste.
We always poured homemade pepper sauce over our fish patties, to give them a little extra taste. I reckon a person could eat it with anything they wanted to, but that’s the way we did it. Blessings…
the bones crush easily, and you don’t know they’re in there! Both of my parents partially raised us kids during the depression. My dad was born in 1909 and my mom in 1914. We didn’t discard anything! We ate salmon stew, and salmon patties. They both had the skin and the bones! Use your hands and just mush it all up together! You won’t know it’s there! And BTW flour wasn’t the only thing that came in fabric sacks. Feed did also. And I wore lots of feed sack dresses. We were blessed, because in later years my dad worked for a company that sold Purina Chow feeds. We even saved the string from the top of the sacks to tack quilts with!
When we went to the feed store or grocery store my mother gave us a swatch of cloth from a feed bag or flower sack. We were to look for that pattern and buy if we had some money. DO NOT loose that swatch. That was almost a capital punishment crime. It was a lot different from today, but we had fun, enjoyed life, and I guess it did not hurt us too bad as I’ll be 81 in Oct.
Goofed. I’ll be 82 not 81.
you can make salmon cakes with flour, 1 egg & mix & stir. fry in pan with little bit of oil-doesn’t matter what type of oil. you can use any kind of spice you want.
good luck
Salmon patties: salmon, diced onion, a little garlic, cracker or bread crumbs, your favorite seasoning (think salt and pepper, Mrs dash, tobasco or old bay seasoning) you can definitley use powdered garlic, onion, celery seed just pick your favorites. Add some egg and mix well. Form into patties and try in your good old cast iron skillet with olive oil or vegetable oil with a pat of butter added for flavor and nice golden color. Use this same BASIC recipe with canned chicken or turkey too. Feel free to experiment. Happy prepping! I am just getting started.
Mix an egg, some cracker or bread crumbs. Seasoned bread crumbs give a good flavor. Try a little dill. Oatmeal can be used in a pinch, but too much can give a pasty taste. You can also roll in bread crumbs before frying. Enjoy.
Our local Dollar Tree has canned chicken Bologna, and canned luncheon meat. The luncheon meat is in cans about the size of spam cans and the Bologna is the size of large tuna cans and they are a dollar each. Pretty good tasting for a buck a can. Good cold, fried, chopped for seasoning in green beans, etc. usually grab about 5 cans each time I go in to restock and rotate.
You should eat the bones in salmon, etc. This is good calcium. Also, I store Spam instead of bacon. It’s really good with breakfast. Plus, no refrigeration needed!
The ‘store’ canned meats are great in BOB’s. Add veggies and serve. Big Lot’s used to have canned chicken in gravy that was wonderful. Haven’t seen it in several months.
Yep–I have those 5 oz. cans of canned turkey, ham, chicken, and tuna–great for making salad for sandwiches.
Just right for two folks.
Some brands of vegetables use lined cans. These seem to keep the metal taste down, I have heard they last longer. Usually larger cans
I would add canned greens not just green beans (turnip or mustard greens, spinach, collards) and a variety of beans. But your list is a great one for those that are just starting on getting supplies.
We use the beef stew as a base for pot pie by topping with biscuit or cornbread batter. Add more vegies and seasoning variations to help improve the flavor or to extend to feed more folks.
Be vigilant of canned potatoes. I had 2 cans go bad before best by date- no obvious damage. Leaked soylet green goo onto my shelf and smelled horrible. We have had vegetables from ’09 that were still good and had good color. We experiment with different types of canned goods to see how long they keep. We store ours downstairs in a dark corner and it stays about 65 degrees year round. Best to find out this now and buy the longest lasting brands, than waiting until shtf to find out.
I have canned potatoes (whole and sliced) for 8 years now–one of the first canned goods I stored for beef/veg soup.
I haven’t noticed any abnormalities.
Thanks for the warniing.
Hi JJ,
DO you mean that you “home can your potatoes”? If so, I would love to have you tell me how you do them. I have been canning foods of every kind and description but have never done potatoes. Would love to learn how to do this as the “new potato season” is upon us here in Oregon and the stores have some fantastic prices on the new crop right now.
Anyway, if you have the time, would appreciate hearing from you.
Armour dried beef that comes in jars. Great for SOS (creamed chipped beef). Stores a very long time past the Best By date. In a pinch, beef jerky can be re-hydrated and mixed into other dishes, but doesn’t store as long as the chipped beef.
Where do you find jars of dried beef or even tomatoes? Most everything I see is in cans.
The dried beef is in smallish glass jars in the same section of the grocery store as the tuna, corned beef, canned chicken, sardines, etc. Around here, they don’t carry many jars, so you have to poke around or ask someone who works there. The dried tomatoes are most likely in with the Italian foods, or sometimes with canned tomatoes. I just called my local grocery store, who looked it up for me and said they have them either in glass jars or foil or plastic packets, in three different places in the store!
check your local organic food stores, surprising amounts of glass canned foods in ours
at the risk of being offensive, as a Navy submariner, SOS was S**t on a Shingle and was a ground beef and tomato sauce base. Creamed chipped beef on toast was what we called fried foreskins..
When LBJ had his appendectomy when he was pres, it was reported “his first meal after surgery was creamed chipped beef on toast. It is obvious he didn’t care what the military thought of him”
I’ve read some articles that claim that canned food can last up to 15 years or more. Indeed, I knew this old man, a WWII survivor, he kept a pantry full of canned goods and some were well over 10 years old. One day I happened to be visiting and he opened a can of tuna to eat with some crackers: the tuna was tasty, just like any ‘ole canned tuna, and I didn’t get sick. The expiration date on the can was 12 years old. Any comments on this?
Tuna is usually dated about 2 years out for a best by date I think. But, I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t keep for 2 or 3 times as long. Just check for rust on cans. We have had the best luck with green beans and such, haven’t tried anything real acidic like stewed tomatoes. That is my next project.
Well, it probably depends on how cool and dry things are stored. My cellar is dry and purty darn cold, about 47 degrees. I would get on just fine with your WWII survivor! I have no problem with so-called “out of date” canned foods. A lot of respectable websites out there say that canned foods will last years longer than the “Best by” date, which is an arbitrary date chosen by the companies themselves, not by the FDA, by the way. They said that the only food that is required by law to have a stipulated “Use by” date is infant formula! These sites also say that, as long as the can is intact, you can eat it just fine, that the food quality will degrade over time, but not become toxic. If they were properly canned to begin with, and all the bacteria were killed in the processing (which it should be!), no bacteria can grow in the jars or cans. The high acid foods will last longest IN GLASS, but not in cans, because the acid will eat through the metal. Still, if you are wary of eating foods past those arbitrary dates, best to let someone else eat them. It would upset your stomach because of your concern!
If you home can high acid foods, obviously use glass jars, but make sure you use a non-metallic lid like Tattler. We had some tops corrode through years ago, salsa, peppers, etc. And the best part is if you take care with Tattler tops, they will reuse as long as your jars!
In Army basic training in 1974-1975 for AIT we were feed C-Rations dated 1942. They tasted just fine for C-rations. Depending on the box you got and how hungry you were they could be pretty darned good. I do not know of even one case of anyone getting sick from them.
Wish they still made C-Rats. I think they tasted better than today’s MREs. I’ve personally witnessed several cases of people not drinking enough water with their MRE and ending up in the hospital. Not pretty. You didn’t get that with the C-Rats.
Well, I was in 20 years before you and we were using C-rats from WWII. Most on this list are too young to remember Lucky Strike Green Goes to War. Apparently whatever was in the red ink used on Lucky Strike (Do they still make those?) Cigarettes was a vital war materiel. So Lucky Strike switched to a green circle on their cartons and packs as a patriotic duty. Some of the C-rats in the 50s had Lucky Strike Green cigarettes. That authenticated how old they were.
This is one article that goes in my “favorite places” and I thank you. We have food that lasts 25 years and I’m glad for it, but this is much less expensive and useful. I can use the food and just replace it as I go always keeping a good amount should we need it. We have hurricanes that put out power and this is just good sense to be prepared. And, if the unspeakable happens, it would be a life saver. Again, thank you for the list and for all the suggestions that followed.
I, too, am thankful for a very informative article that isn’t trying to make a sale. So many sites give the hook, then go on and on about how great the information is, thinking it’s something you can “make” for yourself, only to have to buy something. Ugh!!!
Not long ago, we practically lived off our pantry stocks. Canned fish…tuna, salmon, kippers, undrained,.. makes a lovely baked dish. I make up the fish just like any tuna or salmon salad, we add mayo/miracle whip, chopped pickles, and spice. then add a raw egg or two and a baking mix…the boys favorite is Corn bread muffin mix, the spouse likes bisquick. Bake to the corn bread loaf instructions. Sometimes I’ll sub.the pickles with frozen vegs. Add 20 minutes if the vegs are pea sized, and cover with aluminum for the first half of the time then. Thaw vegs out if they are larger, and add only 10 extra minutes.
That’s an interesting recipe, Chris. Thanks. My mother used to make tuna salad with hot dog relish (well, relish, I always eat hot dogs with relish so have always called it hot dog relish). I am crazy about capers, so make my tuna salad with capers instead of relish. I never thought about making a casserole with tuna fish salad. I will have to try it.
Store canned goods in your extra refrigerator to extend their shelf life indefinitely.
I do purchase some of these, but I only get them if they have to be opened with a can opener. I found out that once a pop-top can is dropped, it is kind of like a used motorcycle helmet…the structural integrity is damaged. So unless you are going to use it within a few days it can become hazardous to your health.
On the chili, I prefer to buy chili WITHOUT beans-then you are basically buying ground beef in chili sauce…Which you can stretch w your own cheap dried beans or serve as is over rice/potatoes/noodles, or even toss into broth w veggies to stretch it into soup.
We work with the lab in Corvallis at the university. We also work with the Oregon state medical examiner. We are accredited with national and international certifying organizations.
A client engaged us to test several cans of food estimated to be from about 1870 or so. Over a hundred years old.
Our analysis indicated the contents == cow meat, peaches, apples, cod == were edible but contained significant amounts of mercury and lead.
HOWEVER…
The nutritional values were off the scale compared to baseline 2017 foods. Apparently, soil depletion from an additional century of farming leaves today’s food with the appearance of old time food, but only a tiny fraction of its original nutrition.
Accordingly, we either need to supplement to compensate, or we need to eat more.
Large Marge – Exactly my point from an earlier comment. I would guess the heavy metals came from the canning process, back then they soldered the seams with lead-based solder, and probably contained mercury as well. Heavy metal pollution in our food chain is a modern phenomenon, after we started using those metals indiscriminately around the turn of the century.
BTW, I restrict my intake of tuna to a minimum, those fish are apex predators and concentrate large amounts of mercury, I don’t care what levels the FDA approves.
Not sure what methods you used for your analysis (gas chromatography?) and what levels of those heavy metals you encountered, but with modern canning techniques and materials, going back to my point, we should see no reason to consume food canned for over 20 years. In a pinch, canned food is the ultimate survival food.
I remember reading about an arctic expedition that got stranded back in the early years of the 20th century. They existed almost exclusively on canned goods for the time they were stranded as early on they used up all their fresh supplies. They all eventually died of lead poisoning as the cans were all soldered shut and the solder contained large amounts of lead which killed them. Fortunately cans are not soldered shut these days and lead is not used. Even the “lead” seals on wine bottles is aluminum these days. Some governmental wonk decided that there was a danger of getting lead poisoning from the residual lead on the lip of the bottle getting washed off into the glass of wine. My rejoinder has always been: If you are suffering from lead poisoning from the residual lead being washed into your glass from the seal, your problem really isn’t lead poisoning, your problem is waaayyyy too much wine.
When all else fails eat your neighbor. We’ll maybe not, depends where you live!!!!!!! yummy
•Meat, fish and low acid foods (soup, vegetables) – 3 years
•High-acid foods (tomatoes, pickles, fruit) – 2 years
•Fruit juice – 1 year
This isn’t for everyone, but I have meat, sardines, tuna, and veg soups stored for over years now.
I have diced and whole tomatoes still in cans shelved for over 6 years also, and canned fruit, not pears.
Pickles?? I’ve had those for about 8 years.
And these are commercial cans–my home canned foods in glass jars?? Good for twenty years at least.
These are water bath canned items.
I have two rooms I don’t heat, but do cool in summers.
Do you can meat and vegetables? I don’t want to can tomatoes, cucumbers or fruit. I must not be You Tubing the right videos because they say we can’t safely do it in the kitchen like they can do commercially. I’d really like to do a vegetable stew and can that myself. A friend of mine does, but everything I read says I can’t do it safely. Are you able to?
Of course, you can put up your own meats and vegetables! It is like any other skill. You must take the correct precautions, you don’t want your pressure canner (not cooker) to blow up in your face or not use the recommended times, pressure, etc. If you have any qualms at all, go to your county extension office and get their information and find out if they offer or know of any classes regarding the information you want. Our community college offers many classes on food preservation, cooking, meal planning, etc. There are also many classes on line about this as well. The LDS church (I am not Mormon) have all kinds of information available and you don’t have to join their church.
Nola,
What is a ‘county extension office’? Thanks.
MMG,
A “County Extension Office” is where you find the person and information that assists the farmers and ranchers in a given area. Usually the County Courthouse can get you in contact with the Extension Officer in your area. If that doesn’t work, try the City Offices or State Agriculture Offices.
Thanks Nola! I hadn’t heard that term before. I’ll check it out.
MMG,
You’re welcome. Sometimes being an “old broad” comes in handy.
You are able to can meats or stock with veggies as soups as long as you don’t add flour as a thickener. You then add flour to thicken when you use it. Can it as long as the meat and you will be fine. Chill too, just add masa to thicken or flour when you use it.
Here let me find you a link…YES YES you can safely can Also if you are on facebook please join safe and smart canning recipes and food preservation HOLD on lol http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/chicken_rabbit.html Also get the big ball book …latest edition of pressure canning…You must have a pressure canner not a pressure cooker…For tomates u can use a water bath but NOT for meat!
Better yet, go to Rebel Canner on FB. Learn to can all the things our great grams did. Meat & milk from the grocery store. Learn how now.
I experimented several years ago on canning meat stews and etc. My method was to make pots of stew or whatever in a large crockpot put in clean sterile glass canning jars and put on lids and rings. I then put into a water bath boiling for 45 to 60 minutes completely covered over the top of jars. This lasted for 3 or more years. Was really good for getting chicken put up boned and broth esp when you get bags of chicken quarters in 10 pounds on sale. Hope this helps
I made and canned ketchup a number of years ago. I know of folks who have canned tomatoes. Honestly, I wouldn’t go to the effort to make and can ketchup again, but glad I did it them. Going to old cookbooks, and I don’t mean 1970’s era but those pre-1950 will give much more reliable information about what can and cannot be canned than what recent “information” might say. Be sure to get and read the old editions, not modern editions because food preferences, fads and styles change over time.
You can can anything you buy……but it MUST be pressure canned in sterile glass jars.
Get an old copy of the BALL BLUE BOOK
I do that on a semi-regular basis with all kinds of “soups” or “stews”. Always done in my pressure canner, though, and always for the time and pressure listed to can meat! Best of luck to you. NO, you CANNOT/MUST NOT can meats with the water bath method. It could kill you! ONLY USE PRESSURE CANNER METHOD!
This isn’t for everyone, but I have meat, sardines, tuna, and veg soups stored for over 6 years now.
One should purchase a good “pressure canner” with which to can foods. Pressure cookers are NOT the same in terms of pressure and therefore temperatures for proper food preservation.
And stay away from those electric cooker/canners. Most of them have a warning that they are NOT safe for canning foods.
If you have room, go for an All American Canner. They don’t use rubber gaskets and can be used on a wood fire.
I have a unique way to store food that I first used in 1999 in prep for Y2K. My ‘goal’ was to feed one meal a day to twenty people for three months. Beyond that???
Anyway, you men who repair air conditioners and have a vacuum pump can do this. I bought three new, 30 gallon barrels (bbls) with the removable lids. I installed an air conditioning schrader valve in each lid. This valve is like the valve on car tires. I am not a cook. And my wife thinks that the whole preoccupation with food storage is nutty. So there wasn’t any help coming from her in doing this. I went to a local food store that caters to restaurants. I bought 20 lb bags of rice, black beans, packages of noodles, spaghetti, powdered milk, seal salt, flour, etc., and filled these bbls. The final cost was about $700. to 750. With my vacuum pump, I was able to draw the bbls. down to 20 inches of vacuum. Any bugs interred were promptly dead. I went to the local welding gas supply house and bought a cylinder on nitrogen. I injected the nitrogen into the bbls. That ended oxidation. Then the bbls were stored under the house in a crawl space. In 2012 I opened one of the bbls and ate the spaghetti. It did not taste any different than a package of spaghetti bought the same day.The one friend that I had in doing this recently passed away. But two other people have had me make up bbls for them. And I am now using the 16 gal bbls. with removable lids instead on the 30 gal ones, just to cut down on the weight of the barrels. The 30 gal bbls need to be moved with a hand truck (dolly) because of the weight. One thing that I should mention in closing here. When I opened that bbl. from 1999, there was not even a hint of rust in it even though the interior was bare metal, unpainted and uncoated. I have wanted to make a you tube video of this but do not have the technical knowhow to put it together.
Long sleeping thread, but I also built archived food packages back in the 90’s. I took 4″ ABS pipe cut it to 4′ length, added a glue on cap on one end, and a threaded cap on the other. I flooded them with nitrogen after filling them with beans, rice, small bottles of olive oil, and cans of meat. They were sealed, and in a low oxygen environment, I hung them with plumbing straps from the floor joist under my house in the crawl space. When I moved out 5 years ago they were opened up and donated to the local shelter, with no noticed degradation of the product.
John S, I hope you find someone who will help you make that video! It sounds pretty straight forward, and really handy!
We’ve been talking mostly about highly nourishing, essential foods to store, of course. Except for left coast chuck’s mentioning pineapple, fruit cocktail, etc., we haven’t talked much about the “luxuries.”
Sometimes I want a little something, but don’t want to prepare or even just break open that either takes work or will need to be refrigerated. One answer: Baby food in those tiny jars! Judging by how hard they are to open, I would guess they would keep a really long time, too. I am still snacking on both little and medium jars of organic applesauce and pears I bought at Big Lots 6 years ago for 25 cents a jar. Sometimes I mix in an equal amount of yogurt, or put one into my oatmeal.
That is a really excellent suggestion, Lucy. I hadn’t considered baby food. It has been a long time since we were feeding it to our kids who are now almost ready to retire, but I seem to remember there was tapioca, pudding and other desert items in addition to pears, peaches, apple sauce — that’s about the limit of my memory, but a jar of baby pudding would make an excellent snack. We do like sugar and I can remember really savoring the canned fruit after a long, hard, hot day. It was really luxury to sit down and enjoy a can of cool fruit cocktail or canned peaches. You’re hot, tired, sweaty, smelly, coated with dust from head to your boondockers and the taste of that fruit sliding down your throat was better than the finest champagne.
How long does salt in the original container last. Should it be re packaged in mylar
Forever – as long as it doesn’t get wet. Even then, once it dries it can be pulverized into granulated salt again. Salt is a mineral: sodium chloride. It doesn’t “spoil.” That’s why it was used to preserve fish and meats – salt-packed fish and slat-packed beef in particular.
Thank you ElizabethR I just went out got my bag of canning salt that was hard as a rock and stuck it in food processor LOL its now granulated!
The salt that comes from salt mines and is sold commercially is millions of years old. It never goes “bad”. It may be rock hard, but just break it up. I’ve read that the pioneers heading out west took blocks of salt with them and broke it off as needed. I keep 1-gallon plastic vinegar bottles to store my salt in. Be sure to keep some iodized salt for table use as the iodine helps prevent goiter. If you are going to use salt for meat and fish preservation, do not use iodized salt (I don’t know why, I just read that in some food preservation article) I stock both kinds, with the emphasis on non-iodized as it takes more salt to preserve meat than I would normally eat in a lifetime. I need to find out if salt used once to preserve meat can be re-used. I really don’t know the answer to that question. I suspect it can as I don’t think the Indians threw the salt away after they were finished preserving fish and meat. It was too hard to come by.
I don’t really know, and would only reuse meat salt in an EOW situation. However, I read in a novel (maybe “Cold Mountain”) about Southerners during the Civil War. They would scrape the dirt floors to reclaim salt from the floors of ham smokehouses.
By the way, I routinely eat canned food that is 6-8 years old. It’s a non-issue.
canned foods will last a hundred years. If the can is not swollen or puntured the item inside is edible. Has been proven by science with 100 year old canned food. The taste might be off but the item is still “good to go”
Heck, in service I ate C rations that were 12 years old. and they were delicious
Only 12 years old? Heck that was practically freshly packed.
Home canning home grown meat is a good hobby, and lasts a long time. If you invest in a pressure canner get an AA (All American) they do not have a rubber gasket and will work on a campfire. Some people I know buy on sale and can, helps the rising price of food. yes, this list is a good start. We all need to move our stocks forward.
Yoo-Hoo lasts forever in glass bottles. They put an expiration date on cardboard boxed Yoo-Hoo just because the packaging degrades over time. Kool Aid powder or Gator Aid Powder will keep for decades on the shelf.
Lots of good comments here. When the SHTF happens you’ll be willing to eat a lot of things. But one point, the best by date, is just the government controls that were put in place to get us to buy more. It’s a “best buy” thing, not a “eat it and die” thing. How did our ancestors survive when they didn’t have this nonsense? Use common sense. Most meats, rice, beans canned fruits and dried foods last years, if handled correctly. Learn what grows where you live. You’d be surprised the “weeds” you try to eliminate are edible. It might just save your life!
GMO = genetically modified organisms… a graft is not what we consumers are asking about or talking about, when we want to see labels and want to know who is messing with our food. We don’t want to feed stuff to our kids that other countries wholesale reject!! Why would we? We want to see which corn was modified to be shorter and what else was genetically modified in its DNA. How were its genetics changed and why and then how was that guaranteed to be safe and healthier for humans?. Some foods are genetically modified to repel the insects that love to destroy them. Great! But how does that new ability effect my family and me when we eat the genetically modified product? Will we start to repel those insects? Oh, no.. wait a minute, that’s what the new plant can do. The bugs that used to destroy it, die now, before they kill the crops. Like the bugs, will we die too, or get cancer or get asthma or ADHD? Has this even been tested on anything? Where are the results that say tested and guaranteed SAFE for human growth, life and health. I haven’t seen even ONE test report!! The bees are dying because they cannot process the “new” products (GMOs) that are being grown in the farms. Bees are the main method of cross pollination. Food will start to die without the bees but the bees cannot survive the genetically mutant plants that they are trying to gather nectar from. Its killing them! Haven’t you seen the bees lying on the pavement, weak and dying. Honey is harder and harder to find and getting more and more expensive. Monsanto is buying out farmers. They either plant Monsanto’s Genetically Modified Seeds or they don’t plant. GMO’s are rejected by other countries (they are freaked out enough that even the promise of bumper crops hasn’t changed their minds) but America is forcing the acceptance of GMO’s!! What’s that about? I’ll tell you what its about. Its about a government not for the people and not BY the people anymore. Its all about MONEY. Follow the MONEY and you will have your answers! Run from food that has been genetically modified! Buy organic and non-GMO foods always. Grow your own. Shop at local farmers markets. And raise your voice! Write your congressmen and congresswomen and assemblymen and women. Study up and chat it up. Tweet the Pres! …but mostly, don’t buy it if you can possibly buy organic and non-GMO instead.
I’ve spent days and hours upon hours searching for some information on storing canned food in hot temperatures. I can’t find any info that is helpful anywhere on the internet. I hope someone has some ideas. I live in S. Ca and like to keep canned food in my van in the event of an earthquake, since I live in earthquake country.I’ve looked on the internet & I can’t find how long something like canned black beans stay nutritionally etable in our hi 100 degree summers. Can anyone tell me how long a can of beans will stay good if it’s stored in a van when the temp. here is between 90 to 100 degrees every day? Thanks for any help anyone can give me.
Inside your van, the temperatures will be much higher than the outside temps. Canned foods will not keep in such temperatures. They will be spoiled within a day. I’ve had that happen to canned food that fell from the grocery bag and then left in the car. Where I live, the summers are no where near as hot as yours. Your best bet would be to store dehydrated/freeze-dried foods like Mountain House but in such heat, even Mountain House and the like have a short shelf life. Then comes the issue of the water needed to rehydrate them. Unless the water is sterile, it will grow various pathogens in the heat inside a van. Unless you keep the air conditioner running 24/7, I see no way of safely storing food in your van.
I live in a hot environment as well. It just gets too hot I side a vehicle to keep any convertible for any time. I’ve considered rotating foods and water in and out of my vehicle, but I’d have to be doing it every few days. Too much heat. Even dark chocolate melts.
Great. Autocorrect struck again. Please read ‘inside’ for ‘I side’, and ‘comestible’ for ‘convertible’
I made and canned ketchup a number of years ago. I know of folks who have canned tomatoes. Honestly, I wouldn’t go to the effort to make and can ketchup again, but glad I did it them. Going to old cookbooks, and I don’t mean 1970’s era but those pre-1950 will give much more reliable information about what can and cannot be canned than what recent “information” might say. Be sure to get and read the old editions, not modern editions because food preferences, fads and styles change over time.
It’s not just how long the nutrition lasts, but how the cans hold up. Even with optimal, cool inside storage, cans can fail. In the past few years, I’ve had both commercially canned strawberries and green beans explode. I have Go bags with food stationed in my house, but that doesn’t help if you are caught away from home. I also live in a hot climate. In the hot months, even with windows cracked and trying to park in shade, your car will get real hot. I just wouldn’t bother with canned products. Rotate some shelf stable foods every couple of weeks because fats will go rancid, such as peanut butter crackers, Cheez Whiz, granola bars, Slim Jims. Carry a bag of dried beans and a pot to cook them in if you are really interested in beans.
Curious as to why no one mentions freeze dried canned foods. I’m an independent consultant for Thrive Life Foods and their cans last 25 years unopened & 1 year opened, no refrigeration required, no GMO, no preservatives…. They are a great company, you get reward points back for everything you buy to use towards future purchases. You can earn commissions plus free and half off product. Their food is picked at its peak nutritional value & is so flavorful. We use it all the time because it saves so much prep time, money and is delivered to our door. Check out my website: mlonsberg.thrivelife.com You can join the business yourself by buying a consultant kit for under $150. There are no quotas to fill, no required parties but the earning potential is incredible. Emergency food should not just be stored for emergencies. You don’t want to be learning how to use FD food when you are in an emergency, you should use it often so your family knows how to cook with it and are used to eating it. Above all remember to: “Store what you eat & eat what you store.”
P
People are getting the term HYBRID & GMO confused. When you take any fruit or veggie and cross pollinate it with a different variety, you get a HYBRID.
When you Insert a GENE into a fruit or vegetable, that is GENETICALLY modified. Big Difference. Ill eat Hybrid anything…wont touch GMO.
I think we have gotten way out off track here lol What we are looking ay is survival in a situation where you will not be able to go to store and get food… Any thing you find you will eat or you can choose not to survival will depend on your ability to look beyond GMO or any other nutritional diary fad as bad for you. It is a simple matter of calories and Protein when stock piling food as well as Longevity of those supplies. Our body basically require calories to provide energy and protein to repair damage and maintain muscle. Of course we need micronutrients vitamins etc but you can buy a years supplement of everything for $20. Your stock pile will of course be dependant on your budget Proprietry foods sold to you as emergency rations will be 10 x more costly for the same nutritional value. You can discuss all you like on variety and treats etc but that is just the mentality of people who are not really serious about survival and think it will never happen. Survival is more psychological than you imagine if you cant eat the same thing for more than a week then you will just not survive you do not have the mental toughness to make it. tinned meat and fish for protein and mixed dried grains are your starting point add to gather and you have most of the ingredients you need so survive nutritionally. I would add herbs and spices will last and do make a huge difference to how palatable your food will be.Stock cubes have reasonable shelf life. I go for Corned beef and Spam cheep and have high fat content which is good course of condensed energy. Conservation of energy is key keeping warm means you need less calories never expend more than you need to. It is pointless expending more energy foraging than you get from the food you find. I stock pile breath mix which contains grains and pulses as a basis for stew or soup Canned corned beef for protein and fat as well as tuna in oil again oil is energy spring water may be your preference now but when you need energy oil is concentrated calories. Stock cubes and powered herbs. Of course multivitims and mineral tablets takes care of micro nutrients. I do however as was mentioned stock pile Weight gainer Protein powder don’t go for whey as one person suggested get a product that contains a mic of slower digestible protein like Casein whey is flushed out of your system if you body doesn’t utilise it Cacin releases slowly over time and is completely utilised take morning and night for repair. Super green powder keeps well but is expensive but mixed with protein makes a complete meal. I like nuts as a supplement buy large bulk bird variety they will be far more cost effective just because they are for birds lol not humans.There are of course things you can add for variety but start with the basics for emergencies and survival. Always forage before using your stock and to supplement what you have. You will survive if you can eat anything you can find that is edible regardless of the label and its GMO constituents it’d not GMO that will kill you just your attitude to debate the for and against the salt level or whether it is healthy for you.
“if you be????”
Growing up in a family of five, I had no idea we were meat poor. Today, I like all canned meats because that’s what we ate weekly. I wish my mother had known how to make a salmon patty instead of just dumping some flakes on a plate along with a dollop of yellow mustard. By the way, canned corn beef hash got a dollop of catsup.
I’ve always avoided the creepy silver-black salmon skin, but then I’ve never starved.
Only after I was married did I learn that you could have more than one tough, thin pork chop at supper. That was a revelation.
About 35 years ago, standing in the grocery check-out line, a man who worked for Tyson started up a conversation. Told me that canned chicken was old, stringy, tired, worn-out layers. I’ve steered clear since.
I’m a little surprised no one has mentioned Pickled Pig’s Feet. You can still find it in glass jars. My Depression Era father often ate it for a treat. I never have.
Finally, I always liked the bones in canned salmon and the veins in beef tongue. It made the meal more interesting. Of course, dip both in yellow mustard to kill the taste.
PS I never dared serve ANY of these items to my family. The only exception is Wolf Brand Chili No Beans. Heat the chili, lay tortilla chips in the bottom of the bowl, add diced fresh onions, finely grated cheddar cheese, salsa, and a healthy squeeze of Heinz Ketchup. Now add the chili and stir. If you really want to go uptown, top the chili with green onions and a dollop of sour cream. We have this once a week. Gourmet fare!
Because the transfer of a fish gene into a tomato to help it resists freezes is not nearly the same as selective breeding. Please study a little biology before you confuse a lot of people with false info.
Hi, Graywolf12,
I looked up the definition of GMO. The broad definition includes even the type of work that Luther Burbank did. It is the stricter definition that pertains to the type of altering you and many others object to.
Yes the definition covers everything being done in making GMO plants, animal, fish, and insects. With what was originally called hybridization cross breeding was done, but not the elimination of, addition , or splicing genes across species to do things impossible in nature. Cross pollination is very possible in nature. Read on seed packs that say do not plant within X feet of non whatever to prevent cross breeding. My main complaint is the destruction of pollinators by the process of making plants produce insecticides that endangers the human race through food shortage. It is not known if some of those inserted genes can replace human genes when eaten with modified food. This is man being god with all creatures including man. As the article in Wikipedia says insects are learning how to survive those products man made plants produce. What next, eliminate all dark skinned people, those with a predisposition for a chronic disease by causing a spontaneous abortion, or what ever the little gods deem unwanted?
Where do you find pickled pigs feet?
Find pickled pigs feet in the canned meat aisle. Since it’s not a popular item, it’s probably on the top shelf, just a couple of jars.
Water Damage, you have some good ideas. A question: have you ever written for publication? Or shot film/video for publication? It takes a lot of time and thought. Although your comments to ‘jazz’ up what is being offered are obviously meant kindly to assist in reaching a broader audience, this is not Hollywood. When I read the title of this post, for example, I know or think I know what I will be reading. The title also gives a me an idea of whether I want to spend my time on it. I do not have the time to watch videos. The only reason for me to watch one is for real solid content, not a 30 to 45 minute commercial which is titled in such a way as to make one believe they will learn something instead of feeling like I am being ‘forced’ into buying something. I have leaned there are sites where I will not watch the videos. There are pictures included in this article. Are you aware of what has to happen to include one picture? It takes time to either set up a ‘photo booth’ and shoot pictures until you get one you are happy with, then upload, etc., or to search the Web to find a photo you can use. Although I do think you are trying to help the author with some good suggestions, they take a lot more time than most people realize. My thinking is that if someone really wants a video, they will look it up. To be fair, I have been reading about, discussing with those far more experience-based knowledgeable than I and doing many of these things for years. Have a great day and good luck with your prepping. P.S. I am not trying to start a firestorm. We all have our ideas and perspectives, and it’s great to see folks being courteous with each other.
I’ll start off with ” I really like your list, it was just what was searching for”. Thank you.
I do have a problem I need some advice on. I’m a senior lady who just moved into a small appartments in town. It is t totally electric. Give me some ideas on how I could cook if we had a nucular attack where we couldn’t go outside. I checked into a butane stove but it warns against using inside. Is that right.
Hi Nan,
I too am a senior lady who has had to downsize into an apartment. (I don’t like it) I bought a propane 4 burner camp stove with legs that screw into the frame, which elevated the stove to a level easier on the back. I keep this stove on my front patio (don’t have a back one) right next to my BBQ. When my power goes out I will have to use it outside. Like it or not. You can only do what you can do.
Best of luck
SuzyQ
I bought a couple cases of SPAM when Obama ran for president, thinking it was a great survival food, knowing that the WWII SPAM was still good after 50 years. well, yesterday 01/31/2018, I decided to open a can to use for dinner. Over 50% of my stock (kept in pantry from day of purchase had bloated can and some had flexible cans. I wrote Hormel and they were very prompt in their response about the shelf life of all their canned meat products including Dinty Moore stew. They said they were only good for 3 years and to consume them by the date on the bottom of the can.
I like SPAM but now I am in a position to have to consume the balance of my stash.
I will not consider them for survival meals. Haven’t had the same problems with the Campbell’s Chunky soups or canned chicken breast meat, canned ham.
Dave, have you considered, home canning (ie recanning) the spam. You’ll need a pressure canner; recanning will probably increase the shelf life, also make it safe longer. you might try that, rather than give up on the meat. Open the can, drop it in a pint jar, maybe cut to fit, then PC for 75 minutes. You really don’t need liquid. PC meats 75 min for pints, and 90 min for quarts. Normal meat appears to be approx pound per pint, and 1.75 pds per quart. you might give this a try for a “good” can wait 6 months then open your own glass jar and check. I can for one, regularly recan #10 cans of food, (buy when it’s on sale).
thank you for a great idea.
Dave, is your pantry next to an oven/stove or the refrigerator? Heat from those appliances, especially the oven, will heat up any pantry or cabinet it is against. Other than that, it could have been a bad batch from the factory or gotten too hot in shipment, because Spam shouldn’t have spoiled that quickly. I’ve got Spam that is several years old and still just as good as the day it was bought.
We added 3 cans of concentrated juice mix, cranberry, apple etc that were in aluminum cans to our emergency go barrel. We are building a house and did not check on them for about a year. All 3 cans had leaked and ruined every other box, package and can in the barrel. Cans are coated on the inside to protect them no the outside. That concentrated juice went right through them all.
Camping with my Uncle when I was a little kid, he shot a couple squirrels, dressed em, spitted them on a green stick and started slow roasting them over the fire. They looked like rats to me but I didn’t say anything, when they were about ready I opened a can of Chili and Beans and stood it by the fire to warm up. After a few minutes my Uncle stood up, took the spit off the fire and slung those squirrels over into the Leon River. Open another can of chili he said, smiling, beats the hell out of squirrel…
You’re gonna need lots of Chili and Beans.
IvyMike Can’t believe you threw away that squirrel for chili. If you prep properly, you can’t beat the taste. After dressing & skinning, soak in cold salt water overnight, thrn pan fry in the morning for a great breakfast
You shud have added the meat to the chili. Cook first if you don’t trust it, then strip the bones and add to the chili. Gives the chili more protein and disguises the taste if you need that. Remember chili spices were used, are still used to mask the taste of less than fresh meat. also the long cooking made sure it was a) safe and b) a little tender.
Non-sense….
Don’t buy food with tomato in it. It does not last long. Skip anything with “red” sauces. (beans, chili, sauces…) Forget corn and bread, get something more nutritious.
In a survival situation, do you really need “tasty” sauce and all this crap? NO !
Don’t waste your time and money, just buy long lasting foods – canned meat, tuna, black beans, green foods – green beans, peas, rice, then have a good rotation of canned fruit, water.
I lived of peanut butter and beans, and water for a year during college (OK, some beer too). All you need is 6 to 12 months, after that most everyone will be gone.
Then you get out your seeds, how-to articles and plant.
Then sit on the porch and polish your guns and play the guitar.
I’ve been prepping for 30+ years, here’s the truth – stock what you are going to eat, don’t get crazy, be real, you don’t need 10,000 different foods or need to build an ark. Invest in your skills and tools on how-to get food, make things, and do things. That’s much more important.
.
Non-sense 2 – OK, forgot one thing – please don’t buy the cans with the pull-tops (LIKE PICTURED IN THE ARTICLE) for long term storage.
That cuts the storage time like in half.
Who wrote this article !?!
Over the course of the initial period, they began to flrm group identities. bkegkebebgddabbd
Peanut Butter – Cheap, loaded with calories and fat. (Natural style recommend)
It won’t keep for years but an extra unopened Jar is a worthy addition. Walmart has a Great Value no-stir natural PB – 26oz for $3-4.
I received an email containing a comment from Homesteader about canned fresh milk being available from the 70’s. When we drove up the Alcan we bought canned fresh milk in Tok Alaska in June of 1968.
The milk I was talking about is not canned or evaporated milk, like Carnations or Pet. Did you have to reconstitute the canned milk with water? The milk I was speaking of comes in a tetra-pack and does not have be reconstituted since it was never evaporated, just made shelf-stable. Next time you are in your local grocery, look for Parmalat milk, usually found in the baking aisle next to the evaporated milks. It comes in whole milk and 2%, just like the milk in the coolers.
This milk came in 32 of. cans. Punch a hole in the top, pour in a glass and enjoy. I think it came from Norway or Sweden, but that may not be true. As I remember a lot of things came from over there. In 1971 when we drove back down the Alcan we had breakfast in Whitehorse Yk. They had fresh milk at that time. We still talk about that wonderful meal, and the people that ran it.
That is surprising. When I was in the Yukon in ’78, I was told they couldn’t get fresh milk. Parmalat milk was all that was available. Nowhere in the Yukon or Alberta, at that time, had the canned milk you spoke of, and no one carried fresh milk outside of Edmonton.
I think Spinach would be a much better choice, instead of green beans. I scramble a couple of eggs in a can of drained spinach and it makes a good meal with lots of vitamins. Canned carrots would be good, instead of the beef. I think I’d stock vegetables that would provide as wide a range of vitamins needed and that I liked best…
I’m curious – What would you replace the missing protein and nutrients with? Vegetables are fine for adding bulk and fiber, but they don’t provide many of the nutrients found in meats.
YES, I have been considering home-pressure canning organic carrots, since it can sometimes be hard to get them in stores. Corn and beans are easy-peasy, but not always carrots. That is my next project! Now that I’m used to pressure canning, it is quite easy and I no longer fear messing things up, either! It just takes a small bit of practice! As a matter of fact, I use my Instantpot quite a bit over here, but that would not do in an EMP/no electric situation. So…I guess my next request for birthday will be a stainless steel stove-top pressure cooker! Love, love,love the easy meals from “The Six Sisters” on YouTube! Their cheesy chicken and rice is FABULOUS and easy!! I love to make it with Arborio Rice, which makes it so nice!!
If spinach is grown organically, sure. BUT conventional spinach is sprayed very heavily, so those pesky little leaf miners don’t make it look unsightly. Same with green beans, actually! We have been buying a lot of organic diced carrots, beets, whatever we can get our hands on that is nutritious, and freeze-drying them! No additives, no sprayed and good for 20-25 years if packaged up properly! We bought our small freeze-drier last summer, during the massive harvest season. Best investment in preppring we’ve ever made, plus at that time, they were on sale, too!
Oh, yeah…we’ve freeze-dried a BUNCH of Butternut Squash, too! It comes out in a sheet with a styrofoam feel to it. Breaks into chunks to fit in mylar bag, too. BUT it tastes like a million bucks, even dry like that. I’ll bet you anything when rehydrated it would be awesome and so full of vits. and minerals (and the ginger that I always add).
Don’t forget to stock up on dried “Nettles” herb (can buy from any decent herb company). Nettles are LOADED with vitamins and minerals. They are truly a SUPERFOOD! You can just throw a small handful into any pot of food on the stove, especially soups and broths, and the Nettles will make it MUCH more health-ful! “Trade secret” amongst us who use lots of herbs and spices. There are plenty of other common herbs, like parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc., etc. that are extremely valuable for your health, too. True…. some even against viruses! Just do a search on whatever type of herb you are interested in, and your eyes will be opened!! Most are not that hard to grow, either. We threw a few creeping thyme plants in the front of our house, and they are not only beautiful when they bloom, but I can go out and pick whatever quantity needed for culinary purposes all through the season, even uncover from under the snow right now!
Update: So, I purchased numerous cans of food over the last 5 years. Here is my experience this year when I opened them:
– WE are always told that can food will last years….
1. Fruit Cocktail (I thought this would be good – I needed some fruit) – ALL the cans I opened were bad after two years – smelled terrible. I think it had too much sugar – so – no sugar can foods.
2. Corn, Peas, carrots, green beans, potatos, were all good after 3 to 5 years. We ate them and replaced them.
3. I bought cans of manich – thought it would be good to mix in some deer meat. – wrong.. All the cans were bad after two years.
4. Beans with tomato sauce, beans and franks – ALL bad after three years.
5. All can fruit with sugar – bad after 2 or 3 years.
So, just some advice… check your cans, use what you have and replace.
All can food does not last years and years, as a lot of bloggers are saying…
ALSO : This post lists baked beans – NO, shelf two years maybe.
Tomato Soup – NO – shelf life 2 – 3 years.
Stew – NO – shelf life 2 to 3 years
Don’t waste your time with these, get raw vegetables, raw basic food – unsweetened, no tomato sauce.
When you or your loved ones are on the verge of starving, GMO won’t matter much. There’s a cycle that repeats every 400 yrs or so that devastates the world’s crop growing regions. It creates a starvation scenario that has toppled the major Chinese dynasties for over two millennia and it’s about to happen again.
By 2028, the world will not be able to feed itself due to loss of crop yields. It’s nothing strange or catastrophic beyond the net result of food shortages, just a repeating cycle of the sun that has gone on since the beginning of the world.
Those who prepare now, will be most likely to survive, those who don’t will fade from existence & memory.
It’s not CO2, it’s not you, it’s the sun.
The Maunder Minimum lowered the European temps 10? degrees for about 200 years. Crop failure caused the french revolution, our revolution, the rise of beer and potatoes not wine. Oh yes, the catholic church decreed underground crops were evil, so may have caused the reformation. They also believe the Stradivarius Violin came from the excessively slow growth trees of that time. All the idiots talking global warming, I’m more concerned about a repeat of the Minimum, and the sun appears to be headed that way.
Ice Age Farmer and others on YouTube put onto the Mini Ice Age we are in (‘Eddy’ Grand Solar Minimum) with a magnetic pole shift and corrupt governments (carbon tax). Stocking pile enough to survive even just three months seems smart.
Just bought a very scary book. “Cold Times, preparing for the Mini Ice Age” by Anita Bailey 2017. She says we are already in the Awakening. Our weird weather is the beginning. Get thee books and knowledge, that will be gold.
My sister has the same thought. She is a retired geologist/hydrologist/paleontologist, with the credentials. She saw this coming when she was still in high school in 1960, which is why she took the college courses she did. The Maunder Minimum was not the only time the temps lowered – think ice ages. They started similarly, with weather and temperature fluctuations.
Now, how many of those are nitrite and nitrate free? How many of those have MSG? GMO? Natural ingredients or chemical? bisphenol-A (BPA) free? Finally Hydrogenated oil and or food? There are brands that are clean, I just didn’t see any of them listed here. Part of survival is health, lose that and you lose the ability to survive.
Be VERY careful with acidic canned goods (especially tomatoes and pickles) as the acid wears on the can and may cause food poisoning. Much better to buy them in glass jars.
Start learning to can. Several pros:
1. You know what is in it. 2. Shelf safe.
Learn to do it now, acquire the tools and the knowledge.
for my “being prepared” stocks, I have both dry and canned. I advise everyone to routinely check (once a month is good) on what you have and use / replace as needed – it’s better to use the food and replace rather than throwing it away. I may keep a can or two long past expiration just to see how long before it bulges, rusts through, or otherwise is not safe, but economically it makes more sense to keep and rotate on-hand stock to avoid spoilage and waste. I do have some 20-30 year shelf life products such as a Costco bucket of mac-n-cheeze, and a bucket of lentils, a dozen or so cans of Mountain House chicken & rice, breakfast scramble mix, chili-mac, etc.to keep us fed after the canned and dry goods are consumed until we figure out how AND are successfully able to hunt / gather / produce our own food stocks. I also have been planting store bought vegetable seeds, letting them grow until they produce seeds, then harvesting and replanting those seeds, hoping to develope “hybrid” strains that grow better in our southern California climate. I also have an orange and lemon tree, but other fruits are hard to grow in our climate unless you add significant amounts of additional water – water that will NOT be available after SHTF. I know our biggest problem will be lack of water, but it’s hard to “bug-out” the older you get, so I am focusing more on how to survive in the area we currently live. I think learning useful skills similar to the Natives, Pioneers, and even the Amish and Mormon cultures still use are better than arguing about GMO content in your survival stockpiles. We each can only do what we can afford AND know how to do, so make smart choices and learn to be frugal with everything, and you will be better for it both now and especially if SHTF.
Sounds like a plan, but are your Mountain House foods safe? Or do they contain a lot of preservatives and some forms of MSG? Just be careful, please. I never buy anything that has additives and MSG, of eventually that food will make one ill, and who needs to become deathly ill in a SHTF scenario? If you are truly planning on bugging in, then better to dehydrate, freeze-dry, or can your own food.
Sorry about a few typos in my last 2 posts!
I would also suggest that if you plan to grow your own food, have your soil tested. You never know (even in rural areas) what industrial or other runoff has permitted the water table. Unfortunate that can make you ill as well over time.
*permeated
This is a good article, but I have found that canned items are extremely heavy if you have much of them. If you have to bug out, and have limited space and/or can’t carry a lot of weight in your vehicle or on your back, dehydrated foods would work much better, and you can carry probably ninety times more food than if it’s canned. Literally, food for thought.
I agree with everything this article except for one thing. NEVER, EVER BUY STARKIST. THE PELOSI FAMILY OWNS A TON OF THAT STOCK AND WILL BE ENRICHED. I buy Bumblebee because the label specifies country of origin, something the Walmart Great Value and a number of other brands do not show.
How long is a canned food good after the expiration date
Pickled Pigs Feet. I don’t eat the stuff, but my father did. It would be in the canned meat section with chili, tuna, sardines, beef stew, probably on the top shelf out of the way. Probably only a couple of glass jars because it fell out of popularity when depression folk finally weren’t poor anymore and could afford higher quality meets.
And yes, milk easily freezes, then thaws for use.
Could we freeze milk
Yes. We do it all the time. We have froze whole unpasteurized all the way to 2%, and all did fine.
Yes the definition covers everything being done in making GMO plants, animal, fish, and insects. With what was originally called hybridization cross breeding was done, but not the elimination of, addition , or splicing genes across species to do things impossible in nature. Cross pollination is very possible in nature. Read on seed packs that say do not plant within X feet of non whatever to prevent cross breeding. My main complaint is the destruction of pollinators by the process of making plants produce insecticides that endangers the human race through food shortage. It is not known if some of those inserted genes can replace human genes when eaten with modified food. This is man being god with all creatures including man. As the article in Wikipedia says insects are learning how to survive those products man made plants produce. What next, eliminate all dark skinned people, those with a predisposition for a chronic disease by causing a spontaneous abortion, or what ever the little gods deem unwanted?
@Graywolf12 Again let me state that I am differentiating between inserting animal genes into a plant, and inserting genetic material from one grape into another for example. Both the gray and the pipet are ‘inserting genetic materials’. For the same grape, If you have no fear from a graft why fear the pipet? For those GMO’s (plant to plant) I have no issue with and see no difference between a branch graft, and a pipet in a lab. In fact the lab development of hybridized vegetables to be more hardy, has increased crop yields and fended off large scale starvation in many areas across the globe.
For the last time. The vine from France grafted on the root stock from Texas is still a French grape vine. No genes have been added, subtracted or c/changed. . The branch of a Peach tree grafted on to any other root stack still bears Peaches. In the lab genes are added, removed, spliced, and probably other things. The gene added to a corn seed that allows the plant to produce Bt to kill ear worms is a GMO plant. I do not think you want to see the difference scientifically.
You are misunderstanding genetics. it would be a unique Texas/French grape DNA sequence. If I graft a Texas grape sprig that is resistant to blight onto a susceptible french vine,and the graft takes, and new grapes grow on that vine, if you were to take the new grapes and compare the DNA in a lab you would see the genetic sequencing of both varieties in the grape. Consider bee pollination, plants do better when different plants of the same variety cross pollinate rather than pollinate from the same stalk. If you looked at plant A and B, and then a bee brought pollen from A to B, if you looked at the new flowers that grow, you’d see genes from A and B. if you grafted you would also see the genes from A and B in the new flowers. Now I don’t support animal to plant gmo work, but plant to plant in the lab is much faster than grafting even if you’d eventually get similar results. Many suggest that a GMO must mean that animal dna is inserted into a planrt cell, but this is a mismoner. Injecting the texas grap dna sequences that protect blight into the french grape cell will yield the same new blight resistant vine that the successful graft yielded. otherwise they just would have planted the texas seeds in france, Which would have done away with the aspects of the french grapes they wanted to preserved, so they had a texas france marriage..that yielded a gmo..yes a gmo… new grape.Grating in the end is a form of genetic modification of the host.
You are misunderstanding genetics. it would be a unique Texas/French grape DNA sequence. If I graft a Texas grape sprig that is resistant to blight onto a susceptible french vine,and the graft takes, and new grapes grow on that vine, if you were to take the new grapes and compare the DNA in a lab you would see the genetic sequencing of both varieties in the grape. Consider bee pollination, plants do better when different plants of the same variety cross pollinate rather than pollinate from the same stalk. If you looked at plant A and B, and then a bee brought pollen from A to B, if you looked at the new flowers that grow, you’d see genes from A and B. if you grafted you would also see the genes from A and B in the new flowers. Now I don’t support animal to plant gmo work, but plant to plant in the lab is much faster than grafting even if you’d eventually get similar results. Many suggest that a GMO must mean that animal dna is inserted into a planrt cell, but this is a mismoner. Injecting the texas grap dna sequences that protect blight into the french grape cell will yield the same new blight resistant vine that the successful graft yielded. otherwise they just would have planted the texas seeds in france, Which would have done away with the aspects of the french grapes they wanted to preserved, so they had a texas france marriage..that yielded a gmo..yes a gmo… new grape.Grating in the end is a form of genetic modification of the host.
Please list your education in genetics.
No more or less than yours I suppose.
Probably less. Retired after 44 years of working as a director of labatory services in hospitals. I think that qualifies as being able to talk about genetics.
@Graywolf12 I appreciate your work history, While my graduate degree and original work was in the criminal justice and law enforcement, about 15 years of my career (and currently)has been in FWA investigations including labs, pharmacies and providers, including DNA testing schemes. I think that also qualifies me to talk about genetics.
Where can I buy Kirkland canned roast beef? Costco rarely sells it.
you really need to rethink nutrition of tomatoes. They are amazing!!!
And none of it is organic. Might as well eat dirt.
Spam comes in FOURTEEN FLAVORS!!! Certain flavors are only sold in certain geographic regions. Go to spam’s website to learn about the various flavors
Amazing lot of comments here so most people probably won’t see this but you need to understand the biggest reason for GMO seeds: Profit.
Once they patent the seed then the farmer is forced to buy and can’t save their own. In fact, they sue farmers who have trivial amounts of a patented grain on the edge of their farm next to a massive grower of the same patented grain – in other words, seeds wash or blow onto a neighboring property and Monsanto sues the recipient of that unintended planting.
It is their goal to own all seed production and to pass laws giving them ownership of even open pollenated seeds. Buy seeds, grow them, save them, freeze them for long-term. Make sure you get the seeds today that you think you might need in 20 years.
@Dale
I agree with you 100% on the treacherous litigation that goes on with GMO planting. GMO seeds themselves, developed to be resistant to drought, blight, and other harsh conditions, saved many lives in the past decades in locations where traditional heirloom varieties would not have produced yields sufficient to feed countless hungry folks. So, the issue of GMO’s is not a cut and dry issue.
To GMO or not GMO that is the question…
For me tis better to eat than go hungry..
Its better to eat than worry…
Rat tastes better browned and stewed than broiled… With a little rice if you please.
? I think I’ll pass on eating rats, thanks.
Chef boyardee spaghetti and meatballs 410 calories per can
If that’s what you have, go for it.
If i can take the gopher out of my cats mouth,
I’ll go for that too.
There are only two ways an E.M.P. event can happen: massive solar flare or an air burst nuclear explosion. If an E.M.P. attack is so effective; why hasn’t it been involved in a recent war?
We have only had technology that can be destroyed by an E.M.P. attack for about possibly 50 years.
There are more effective ways to attack a city without using nuclear weapons. How about destroying all the cell phone towers in New York city all at once?
After TSHTF happens; Who’s going to give a @#$%^$^% if your stored food Is GMO free or not? I won’t care one bit.
Thank you for mentioning SPAM. If any of your relatives survived the Great Depression; they survived eating SPAM.
@Elbert Jones Years ago my brother had a news photo on his fridge showing Boris Yeltsin holding a can of Spam. Intrigued, I did some research and found out that when Yeltsin visited the US he insisted on visiting the Hormel plant that produces Spam. When asked why, he said that during WW2 his family avoided starvation largely due to cans of Spam sent from the US and he wanted to thank Hormel all those years later. I’m with you 100% on GMO’s and to be honest I’ve been eating GMO products for years. This comment string has been going on for years with no end in sight lol… I must have posted a dozen comments myself. Be well.
If that’s all you’ve got, go for it.
Not all GMO’s are bad but when you splice the genes of a Roundup resistant beetle to corn so you can spray more Roundup on the crop without killing it you have a GMO that is a Frankenfood.
Before we captured Baghdad; we bombed the @#$% out of it’s power grid. Once we occupied the city; they realized that they’d $%$%%^^^& up royally. I know a guy who was there. He said that we pissed off a lot of people. People who were not supporters of the defeated Govt. Ordinary people. Many were mad enough to consider killing the guys who bombed the power grid