If you’re no stranger to prepping, you’ll know that food doesn’t last long when kept in rotation. Sometimes, you need your foods to last longer while expanding your stock. One food group that can last a surprising amount of time is baked goods.
Baked goods can be either homemade or store-bought. Homemade baked goods must be absent of sugars, eggs, and excess moisture to keep for a long time.
Packaged baked goods should stay in the package until you are ready to eat. This will optimize the nonperishable’s shelf life. Leftovers must be consumed quickly after the package has been opened.
Here are 24 homemade and store-bought baked goods that will last a very long time in your food stock. All foods on this list will last at least 6-12 months when unopened unless specified otherwise.
Animal Crackers
If you have children at home or if you are young at heart, animal crackers are a great packaged snack. Some come individually wrapped, which are best for long shelf life.
Once the whole package is opened, you have a limited window before they go stale. If you see a bulk pack of individually portioned animal crackers, stock up!
Biscuit/Baking Mix
The dry mix for biscuits or pancakes can last a fairly long time in your pantry. You can portion off the baking mix into separate vacuum-sealed bags so that the mix stays as fresh as possible without continuously reopening the box. If a biscuit recipe calls for 2 cups of mix, portion your bags into 2-cup packages.
Biscotti
This twice-baked cookie is a dry, sweet treat that often includes dried fruit or herbs.
Biscotti is known for being very dry, making it a great cookie to keep for a long time. Be sure the package stays closed for maximum lastability.
Related: DIY Poor Man’s Cookies
Cake Mix
You never know when an emergency will strike, but having cake mix in the pantry brings back a sense of normalcy.
Celebrating small wins with a cake is simple when you keep boxed cake mix around! This stuff lasts about 6 months as per the package date, and even longer when kept in a cool, dry place.
Bread Crumbs
When kept in an airtight container, bread crumbs can last longer than you think. It’s also helpful to keep breadcrumbs on hand for breading meats and thickening sauces.
Store-bought bread crumbs are longer lasting than freshly made bread crumbs.
Breadsticks
The crisp, long, and skinny packaged breadsticks are awesome for your food pantry. Many come in interesting flavors such as sesame or garlic.
These are perfect for serving alongside a meal and last a while when kept in an airtight container.
Related: 22 Ingenious Hacks to Make Food Last Longer
Canned Soup
You may think that canned soup is not a baked good, and you might be right.
However, ever since the Great Depression, people have been using canned soups as baked casserole starters.
Toss a can of soup with some canned chicken and veggies before baking. The result is a flavorful and filling casserole using just a few ingredients!
Canned soup lasts almost forever and you may have lots of it in your pantry right now.
Cereal
Although milk is not a long-lasting ingredient, cereal is. Little baked nuggets such as Cheerios or Shredded Wheat can last 12 months when unopened.
Cheez-Its
When you have a cheesy craving and no refrigeration, get your cheese fix from Cheeze-Its.
They are crunchy little crackers that are packed with cheese flavor. Best of all, they last a long time and come in individual packages.
Fruitcake
Did you know that some low-moisture fruitcakes can last more than 2 years if stored properly?
You either love or hate this dried fruit-studded cake, but it is a baked good that lasts longer than any other on this list.
Fruitcake may get slightly dry as it sits, but as long as there is no presence of mold, it is perfectly fine to eat after long-term storage.
Cornbread
The first homemade bread on this list is cornbread. Cornbread is made with little moisture and no eggs or dairy can last longer than you think.
Store your bread at room temperature in a vacuum-sealed bag for a few weeks or freeze for 3-6 months.
Croutons
To top your dandelion greens or home-grown salad ingredients, keep some croutons in the pantry. They add an extra element to a salad that fills you up.
Plus, they are a great midday crunchy snack that lasts quite a while in the pantry.
Granola Bars
Perhaps you have kept the same granola bar in your car or bag for a rainy day without snacks.
Granola bars are made to last a long time. They are also made of mostly healthy ingredients, depending on the brand you buy. Plus, they are individually wrapped for optimal freshness.
Ho-Hos
Ho-hos and sweets like them are prepackaged and individually wrapped cakes that you can keep in your pantry.
The inside is a chocolate-coated cocoa cake with a frosting-like filling. These treats will last you a while due to the individual wrapping.
Matzo Bread
Another homemade bread with long lastability is matzo bread. It is an unleavened bread consisting of flour and water.
The result is a very thin cracker-like bread, which should be store in vacuum-sealed bags or an airtight container for maximum shelf life.
Related: How to Make Matzo Bread With a Long Shelf Life
Muffin Mix
Jiffy, a long-lasting muffin mix company, makes many flavors of muffins that are known to have a long shelf life.
The most popular flavors include corn and blueberry. The mix just needs water before baking.
Stuffing Mix
Boxed stuffing is a bunch of croutons and Thanksgiving herbs wrapped in a package. Not that there is anything wrong with that!
Boxed stuffing is a tasty side dish or main course. It is a common item in many food storage pantries.
Hardtack
Hardtack, AKA Forever Bread, is a homemade mixture of flour and water to create a hard, dry cracker-like bread.
It has been eaten by soldiers dating back to the Civil War.
Hardtack can last over 2 years when stored in a vacuum or mylar bag.
Oreos
Oreos and other packaged cookies are not the healthiest pantry option, but they sure are delicious. Packaged cookies will last 2-3 weeks beyond their written expiration date.
Pilot Bread
Pilot bread is store-bought hardtack. It is a very hard, thick cracker that is absent of moisture. You can find either boxed pilot bread or canned.
Saltine Crackers
Perhaps the most popular long-lasting baked food, saltines are eaten in so many ways.
They are an easy snack, a great casserole topping (for your canned soup casserole!), and make great breadcrumbs. Cracker crumbs, rather.
Pretzels
Unopened bags of pretzels can last a very long time in your pantry.
Again, buying these snacks in individual packs will help keep them from spoiling, ensuring you have a long while before they expire.
Toaster Pastries
AKA Pop-Tarts. You don’t need a toaster to enjoy these little breakfast treats. Toaster pastries are pie-like dough stuffed with a fruity filling.
Two pastries are wrapped at once, so the rest of the pastries do not go stale.
Whole Grains
While whole grains are not inherently a baked good, they can be used to make a variety of baked goods. Grains are excellent to keep in your food storage because they can last 30 years when stored properly! Over those years, you can make bread, cakes, pies, or anything else you can imagine.
There are lots of baked goods that have a long shelf life. Any baked good on this list would be a worthy addition to your food stock. Many include sweet treats and crunchy crackers, which is what we all crave in moderation.
Pick the items you like most from this list and add them to your pantry – if they’re not there already!
You may also like:
The Only Food That Grows Almost Faster Than You Can Eat It (Video)
10 Survival Crops You Can Grow Without Irrigation
How to Keep Moisture and Pests Away from Your Food Stockpile
Most of the above stuff you’ve mentioned here is nothing more than junk food that is chock-full of preservatives and not good for you at all!
Yes, it’s a lot of junk food. Yes, lots of preserves. But you won’t die of starvation when SHTF.
In an end of the world situation, you will very happy to have junk food. People who denigrate anything with SOME food value because it doesn’t meet their standards of “healthy” food are really saying that they don’t believe such a situation will ever develop. Why they are on a prepper website is beyond me. Try going without any food for a whole day. Take nothing but plain water for 24 hours. See how you feel at the end of those 24 hours. Now imagine that it has been a week like that. How do DingDongs sound now? Still concerned about their lack of all the micronutrients we are supposed to need?
Great point made!
The hard tack I stock up on is Leksands Knaeckebroed. This is a Swedish Crisp bread from Ikea. The ingredients are simple – whole rye flour, yeast, water and salt. It comes in big round disks with a hole in the center. Looks sort of like an edible 78 RPM vinyl record. As I understand that’s the traditional shape. The shape enabled Swedish hausfraus to string the loaves to dry on poles running across the kitchen ceiling or store easily in barrels in the hull of a ship. That way, mice could not easily get to them. It’s tasty with butter and jam or as a side with a plate of soup. However, I will probably eat up all my Ding Dongs before I dip into these.
I love Ding Dongs!
If I was starving and came across a box of them….Lord help the person that tried to take them from me…LOL
I used to not eat at all for 4 days/nights, only water.
First day horror, headache, very bad mood, second day begins more bad, but it kinda stabilizes; third day is definitely better; not too hungry any more( but any flavor of even plain rice is like Heaven) .
Fourth day is the best: feeling lightly and healthy.
No hunger at all.
In fact it would be hard to begin to eat.
That day about noon I begin with a green barley water, and some really easy , fruits for example.
Fifth day gradually I return to usual.
I have went for a whole day eating nothing and only drinking water. I have even went 3 days eating nothing and only drinking water and I felt better than I felt in a long time. You can survive quite awhile without food. But you need water.
True. For some of it. I’m wondering what you’ve stashed away for when the SHTF. It might be next year or in 10 years or 100 years. But HISTORY almost guarantees that that day WILL happen. So, what might you recommend and share with us?
I’m so sorry. This message was meant for Gloria M. House. Somehow I inadvertently skipped all the way down here and I didn’t realize it. Maybe I need a bigger phone? Certainly, I need to be mor careful !!
I have a problem with wheat & other gluten-grains affecting my joints…if I had to depend on those foods to survive I’d probably not be able to walk because of the inflammation and pain in my joints.
Totally understandable. I too struggle with gluten. If SHTF, I’ll either be bloated from these foods or I’ll have to bake my own goods with what is left of my gluten-free flours. Also, cornbread made without wheat is high in carbs but contains no gluten.
long time reader, 1st time commenter so go ez on me! lol. I like to keep Pillsbury frosting/icing for when shtf! 50 cents for a 16oz container at Walmart, many varieties & a shelf life up to 2 years! All you need is a plastic spoon!
What if there’s no water or electricity and your water and propane is dwindling?
Then you didn’t prepare with enough water, propane or generator equipment.
Save any liquid in canned veggies to cook rice or pasta. Also adds some flavor.
If your water is dwindling, food is a much lower priority.
Propane and electricity is a luxury.
You can cook over an open fire, Dakota stove, rocket stove, similar methods.
Im celiac. Cant eat any of this stuff
Welcome to the 90% who probably won’t survive SHTF. There are other sources, this is a list of examples only.
You may have to resort to cannibalism.
Oi, chico. Not to fear, by the end of Princess Joe Biden’s recession, I’m sure many of us will be. Look at the Aztec, who depended on grain. they were forced to. Grain-fed people are often victims waiting for a place to happen. do like the ancestors did. Plant the gardens and move on to fresh hunting ground. Plant more gardens there. Swing back to harvest the original, and move on, again. No, I do not expect to survive the troubles, but don’t care, either. I have a lot of years behind me, and the kids all know what to do. niio
Please identify your home as one open to cannibalism – so hungry people will know to avoid begging you for food.
(May be a useful, though sad, tactic for others to keep beggars away, too)
Heato, you may get selection of actionable responses if you were to ask for suggestions for a gluten intolerant diet.
A long while back I found a box of cheerios that was in its original box and it was a year and a half past its expiration date. Without getting into the whole discussion on expiration dates, best by dates, etc. the cheerios were as fresh as new. I would recommend you stock up on dry gluten free foods like them.
The article mentions saltine crackers. Has anyone out there been able to keep them reasonably fresh for longer than 18 months? I found after 12 months they have a rancid smell and taste when I kept them in their original packaging. I then vacuum sealed several sleeves and they only last for 18 months before going rancid.
Any recommendations saltines?
Keebler export soda crackers are essentially unsalted saltines.
Each can is about 1lb, 12oz, unless they’ve shrinkflated them since I last bought some. They last well past the expiration date – I’ve eaten them six months past from an opened tin, and they were fine. The tins are great for food storage, too.
I last saw these at BJ’s wholesale, but have seen them before at places like Christmas Tree Shops and Ocean State Job Lot (both primarily in the Northeast.)
You can jazz them up by brushing the top with melted butter and a little salt, maybe a nice herb blend or some Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Heat them in the oven on low until crispy.
Cavalryman, go carnivor. Other than that, make your own without fats. You can make starch noodles, add only water, make dough, roll it out, boil and dry and it keeps for years. As it’s already cooked, just pour boiling water over it. The most popular is made from achira (canna lily) root. Same is from cornflour but you should add starch to make it stick well. niio
Yes, some. Are you stocked on starch? DIY with this stuff and you’ll be fine. I like things like amaranth and buckwheat flour. Corn grain and so on. but, little to none is best. We’re carnivore. I’m gluten intolerant and now grain is a no-no. As it is, you and I are less likely to starve than the grain-fed crowd. We look at something and know it it’s food or not. Like the hidden gardens around here. Achira is a favorite, grown for flowers, roots and shoots. the seeds make a good flour and aren’t bad as bullets, either. When Indian soldiers ran out of bullets during a Sepoy Mutiny in the 1880s, Indian troops used seeds from wild canna AKA Indian shot.
Another thing about grain fed is, they think they need grain to survive. They go to weird lengths to make certain they have it even tho they stand out like a sore thumb. Us? Plant veggies and fruit, then walk away to a new place. come back in time to harvest, let the rest go to seed. Animals attracted to the gardens became the meal. Old-fashioned veggies and some grain will self-sow and, like the Salido and Paiute know, can grow for decades between visits.
Be old-fashioned and consider any grain a treat, not a necessity. Dried meat if kept in smoke can last generations without ham beetles and so on eating it. If curing meat, mix your own cure without salt (and mind the amount of cure, it’s measured in scant ounces or can be toxic). Not salty, it can be frozen for a longer time than cured with salt.
Let the grain-fed brag. An American Indian, I know better. niio
Jim, heato will be better off than grain-fed. Ever seen a grain patch? It screams victim here! come and get me! Most American Indians and a lot of others cannot handle a lot of grain. Grain anything is a treat and that’s all that all of our ancestors saw it as. niio
Jim, I applaud your less than diplomatic replies to the above posts. You did individually what I was going to do in a single post.
Yes, I agree that this list does not apply to 100% of the people, and very few lists will ever apply to 100%, but no list is ever meant to be all inclusive. If you are allergic to, or have some other intolerance of items listed on this, or any other list, then the onus is on you to find alternatives. If you are running out of water or fuel, then research this, or other sites, on how to purify water and obtain other fuels for building fires for heating and cooking. And yes, some of the items listed are less than optimal for your government-recommended minimum daily allowance of vitamins and proteins, but even a couple of Oreo’s is better than starving.
This is a PREPPER website. It is just one of many available on the internet. It is a source of valuable information for many, but not for all. Those that come here will oftentimes leave useful replies that may be applicable to the few that have special needs. It is more useful to say “since I have “X” illness, I find “Y” to be a better alternative”, than it is to say “this doesn’t apply to me since I have “X” illness”.
We learn from others, even if we know it all. I know a whole lot of wrong information, so I enjoy being directed to sources for the correct information. Our window of opportunity is growing smaller for preparing for what is to come, and I appreciate the concise, well meaning posts that help force me to research other ways of doing things.
These articles are not always written to TEACH, but to ASSIST. I make cornbread with eggs and milk. I have printed out recipes that do not use eggs/milk. The article did not TEACH me a recipe, nor did it give me information that I didn’t already know, but for some, maybe it ASSISTED someone in researching other methods of preservation.
I wish everyone good luck and good fortune in the coming future. We need to stick together and share knowledge and information. Long-time patrons and new visitors all belong to the same club, so we should each endeavor to teach and learn while we still have time.
Hear, Hear! Well said!
Kindly and truthfully said!
There are some rules people should follow.
X amount of hours with no shelter.
X amount of days without water.
X amount of WEEKS without food.
I can’t remember the exact numbers.
People will eat whatever they can get when they are hungry enough.
Very well said!
The MOST important phrase is “the onus is on YOU to find alternatives” (my emphasis)
It frustrates me when someone reads an article meant to share helpful information, and can only complain that it didn’t answer a question of theirs that wasn’t asked…
Good and helpful article – some good ideas and inspiration for a few more!
PT, well said! For mine, grain is a treat, not a mainstay. Raising a lot of it in the old days made you a target for raids. We In what’s today Penna) traded most of it, anyway to beer guzzlers as far away as Canada. Better a hidden garden that can be abandoned for a season or even years and still produce. sunchokes and achira (canna lily) are high in carbs if someone wants carbs and both survive and even thrive on neglect. Same with many old-fashioned fruits and veggies; sunflowers, most nut trees, and mesquite. And, mesquite, not maize, was the queen of the crops in southwest. Right now, thanks to the rains, mesquite is in it’s 3rd bloom for the season and this time the tree is yellow with blooms. I do not need grain and a few pounds of cornflour and buckwheat last a long, long time. niio
I like sun chokes. Thanks for some to get the patch replanted. No problems with grain but most grains aren’t what I need the most. I use a lot of other seeds. Grains are ok added to a soup of stew or make water crackers. I do like cornbread. Sourdough, if I eat bread, is my favorite.
I use a lot of wild amaranth for greens and grain. It’s not a bad grain popped then eaten as a cold cereal with milk.
These are good suggestions, but estimated “OK to Eat” dates would be helpful.
Also, I think political comments are not appropriate. Blaming the current POTUS or the last one, is not helpful
A single person or source recommending “OK to eat” times is probably not responsibly possible. Some things almost never spoil, just due to their nature, and some expiration dates can depend a lot on climate (warm or cold, humid or dry), as well as how one stores them. Here again, this is something that each person will have to determine – with experience and research.
Any hateful comment is not appropriate, but prepping has a LOT to do with current political climates. Prices/availability and inflation, law enforcement issues (both extremes), potential terrorism or attacks from outside (or inside) the country, power grid issues, threat of martial law, and other situations that might require us to ‘hunker down” – are ALL influenced by politics, and IMHO MUST be discussed, calmly and reasonably, to be as knowledgeable and prepared as we can be.
Happy prepping!
Good to know this. Thank you for posting!
I do not see any gluten free options in the list. Have you done any experiments or can you tell me where to look for such long storing gluten free varieties?
Google is your friend. A 30 second search on the internet yielded this:
https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2020/03/13/gluten-free-emergency-food-list/
Yes Google can he helpful at times – but a friend too? (Yikes)
Best regards always!
Thanks for what you do. Any information that may spark action from just a fewis great.
Along these lines, I recently wrote an article about the food that I had stored in my car for severe emergencies. I sampled some significantly out of date foodstuffs and reported what I found upon eating them in an article I sent to Claude. A week later I am still posting, so I guess it didn’t kill me. Look for Claude to post the article.
I have mentioned before, I dry the crust ends of loaves of bread and store them in 2 quart mayonnaise jars. They do nicely in making a bowl of any kind of soup more satisfying. I used to dry them in the oven, but was always concerned about using the oven and creating extra expense. I discovered that I can dry the bread cubes over the toaster. I make a slice of toast every morning for breakfast and I put the cubes of bread over the open slots in the toaster. I only put the bread on the slots while the toaster is active once. If you do it twice, you will start to burn the bread cubes. However, the toaster stays quite hot after making the toast and is perfect for drying the bread. I usually leave the bread over the toaster for three or four episodes of toast making. By then it is sufficiently dry to go in the jar which, when it is full, is seal with a piece of aluminum foil under the lid.
It takes a while to fill up a 2-quart jar. I use that particular jar because we use a lot of mayonnaise and they are a uniform source for storing. Any jar size would work. I like plastic, although it is not as secure as glass because it is cheap (an important element) and light weight, which with advancing age becomes more and more significant. So far none of the jars show any signs of deterioration. I think it depends upon the bread being as dry as possible. It is sort of a light-weight hard tack. They are all sour dough bread crusts as that is the type of bread I like best. That may be a factor. I don’t have a jar of Wonder Bread crusts to make a comparison with. Most commercial bread today has a fair amount of preservatives in it to give it longer shelf life. Unlike some, if the EOTW arrives, I feel survival will be my biggest concern, getting enough food from whatever source and clean water to SURVIVE. I will worry about possible long-term effects of various chemicals in either the food or the container once my basic survival is assured.
zwiebach is a twice baked bread. In Europe it was for old people with coffee or tea or teething babies. Easy to make and will keep a long time if kept dry.
Take a slice or heel of bread, sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon and dry till crisp in a warm oven. I like it sometimes without the bit of sugar and cinnamon. Just crisp dried bread. Store in a glass jar. The toasting enriches the flavor.. My favorite is either whole wheat or sourdough. Dad liked sourdough bread slices cut in 1 inch wide strips, sprinkle with garlic and cheese, then bake at 250 till crisp. Eat with soup.
I used to make a crisp water cracker sprinkled with garlic and blackpepper. It stores well in a jar. Good with salads or soups. Ok if you add salt but it will draw moisture if you add the salt.
What puzzles me is the first paragraph mentions that items should have no sugar or eggs. Then they proceed to list things that contain sugar and eggs. Very confusing.
Sometimes the article and posts we write are not quite as lucid once we have posted them as they seemed upon original composition. That is the curse of all who write anything. When I was writing ads for my business, I finally after many false starts, started going around to all my employees and asking each one of them to tell me what they thought the ad said. I assured them there was no right or wrong answer and whatever they told me should be what they really thought the ad said; that it would be far more helpful to me for honesty than to try to sugarcoat their answer.
I sometimes got some very surprising answers. I almost always immediately saw where the wording I had chosen, while crystal clear to me might be confusing to another reader. After I had revised the ad to correct the confusing language, I would repeat the exercise with my employees and when we were all on the same page, I would show it to a couple of good customers to get their feedback. When I was done with the polling, I ran the ad. In almost 100% of the time I needed to correct my copy to eliminate confusion. I like to think I am fairly articulate and have a decent command of the English language, but we all come from different backgrounds which influences how we view different things.
We once had a situation where a reader on this list accused a regular contributor to the comments of advocating the rape of the reader and her daughter. I was surprised. I hadn’t picked up on that. The accused was flabbergasted and denied any such thing. I went back and carefully read and re-read all of his posts on the list and could not detect any such thing. I posted to assure him that I had re-read everything he had posted and could find no reference to rape nor even the implication of such. Severe others reported the same thing. I don’t know how the woman reached the conclusion she did. I believe she was sincere but badly mistaken. Some long time followers of this list may recall the the incident. It just confirms how some comments may be badly misinterpreted. And then sometimes, we are just plain wrong and put down something we have not checked thoroughly and should have. That’s what the comments are for, to correct misinformation. There is too much that is just plain wrong on the internet and it needs to be and should be corrected where it is just plain wrong.
I haven’t checked this article for inconsistencies, but the references to various ready-made mixes was at variance with what I understood about them, that they had a much shorter shelf life than ordinary baking flour and baking soda. That said, I feel my expertise in that area is considerably lacking and so didn’t comment about its accuracy. I think Sue may be correct, but again, lack the knowledge to make a competent comment.
It says HOMEMADE baked goods should be free of eggs, milk, and excess moisture.
Most of the items listed are prepackaged. The homemade ones are recipes free of eggs and milk.
I guess you can preserve any dry mix out there , even cookies. Mason jar, oxygen absorber and presto sealed. Even put a cigar in one( I don’t smoke but might come in handy for bartering) and see how well it turns out later in time. Mother-in -law gave me one for Father’s Day. Still don’t understand why she thought I would smoke it.
Many people denigrate stocking up on tobacco products on the basis that they will get stale. I grew up in the smoking era and I can attest that dedicated smokers, while they might prefer freshly rolled tobacco products, when it’s stale cigarettes or nothing, stale cigarettes will win out every time. For the dedicated smoker, tobacco is akin to food.
In defeated Germany and defeated Japan after WWII when the food that was available was Spam, Vienna sausage, dried milk and a glutinous mess called cheese supplied courtesy of the U.S. Army, cigarettes were still the most in demand item in those devastated countries. For a sufficient supply of cigarettes the U.S. GI could obtain anything. I mean anything. There truly was nothing that could not be exchanged for cigarettes. I submit that if it appears as if the end of the world as we know it has occurred, once again, cigarettes will be an exchange medium that in sufficient quantity will get you anything you want. The same applies to alcohol and drugs. On further thought, it seems as if alcohol and drugs will get you anything you want without it being the end of the world.
If you have the money to spend on tobacco as a medium of exchange and can protect your stock from flood waters and insects, in an EOTW situation, you will find that your money invested in tobacco products was a good investment. That said, I am still putting my scarce funds in food and safe water supplies. Should Uncle Joe decide to run in 2024 and dispense largesse as he did upon being sworn in, I may invest some of it in tobacco products. Or I may once again do as I did with his largesse this year, donate it to various Second Amendment organizations other than the NRA.
A good cigar could become a valuable barter item!
Stu,
A good cigar could become a gal able barter item!
(ps: apology for double posting this idea to “left coast chuck”- my error!)
*valuable barter idea
Tobacco is seen as healing in native communities.
Tobacco will also desire your critters. I plan to grow some next year.
deworm your critters.
Copper is better, and will not get animals out hunting wild tobacco. In either case, we feed some raw, homemade yogurt to kickstart the digestive system.
I think the stress of a total breakdown will REQUIRE some comfort food!!
I Love Ho Ho’s!! I also like junk food in moderation. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have at least one quilty pleasure along these lines.
When I have a cold and don’t want to eat much, I turn to a can if spaghetti Os. Comfort food for me, garbage in a can for many.
I also love dark chocolate and have some put back for when SHTF.
Imagine your 49th meal of rice and beans. Now imagine it with an oreo or 2 at the end of that meal?
I know I’m gonna be excited to see an Oreo and I don’t really like them now.
Man cannot live by bread alone.
Peace
MadFab
You can get gluten free
Biscuit
Oreos
Bread crumbs
Saltines
Yes, all it take is a little of what my Grandma used to call gumption. A virtue seriously lacking in many people these days. They have a sense of entitlement. “The world has to take care of me and watch out for me. I am unable to do such for myself.”
As Jim said, they will be part of the 90%. They are the folks you see wandering around the mall glued to their cell phones and after tripping and falling into the fountain blame the mall for having such dangerous devices in the mall.
The time rule of thumb you may have heard is 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. But the only one that really is firm there would be I think the water. In some climates being out in the wrong weather in the wrong clothes at the wrong time could kill you in 30 minutes, and there are some people who could go months without food (I remember one time a Survivor winner was the heaviest person there at the beginning, by the end he’d lost over 50 lbs and was still trucking along on his personal calorie stores, got into a state of steady burn fat ketosis and outlasted everyone else who had started to burn muscle which will make you feel sick & weak. Those who have a low body fat percentage, a lot of muscle, & fast metabolism often if they miss meals or diet will quickly go into a state where their body is cannibalizing its muscle, which makes a person feel awful, weak, foggy, etc).
Has any one prep any candy. what kind will last long term.
I prepped some…
I have some wrapped hard candy (starlight mints, butterscotch discs) vacuum sealed in half pound packs, and some high cocao bittersweet chocolate bars – also vacuum sealed in 3 bar increments. I believe these will keep a long time in my stash..? I have the same type of chocolate just in my pantry, and it has been fine and good tasting after a couple of years with just regular storage.
I like candy…, so I’m thinking I’ll be looking for other long storage types…
I had some chocolate but it turned white. now I do have Hershey chocolate in a can and you can’t find it any where. even on Amazon .
Red,
I keep werthers original toffee and peppermint hard candies. Stock up on candy canes after the holidays.
I have some stomach problems and candy canes will sometimes soothe the ache.
So far so good. I also vacuum pack them or seal in Mason jars.
Peace
MadFab
red ant: chocolate turns white from the cold. niio
MadFab: How about ginger? You can grow peppermint about anywhere as long as it gets enough sun. Sugar can increase gut problems, as can dairy. Since I went carnivore, I can eat most dairy, but not straight milk. Too much cheese or yogurt, I get the Toltec Two-Step (diarrhea :). I avoid gluten even if I have to miss a meal or not eat for a few days. Better that than the hospital.
No more acid reflux, no more eating antacid tabs. The orange flavored ones were the best. Meditation on God’s peace, love, and joy was the major help. Asking Him to teach me was right up there with it. His peace to you, niio
Individually wrapped hard candies of any kind are good, but some may melt a little if the weather is hot and humid unless you seal them with an oxygen absorber. I like lifesavers, the solid white minty ones with sugar. Sugar free hard candies don’t store as well.
If you have extra sugar in your preps, you might want to try making homemade candy at some point. Sweetened condensed milk is good for fudge and caramel. Many cookbooks have a candy chapter, especially the older ones.
wonder,can you make a hard candy that might last the test of time. maybe with honey.
It all depends on the temperature and humidity. If they’re sealed air tight and kept in a cool place, commercial hard candies should be ok, at least for a couple of years. If they get too warm, they sweat from the salt used in them to help them cook properly.
If your chocolate is covered with a white film, it’s just the fat finding it’s way to the surface. If it smells and tastes ok, you should be able to eat it. Cocoa powder, unsweetened and no milk – Baker’s cocoa- good quality, lasts a long time and can be used to make all sorts of goodies. Baker’s chocolate in bar or chip form needs to be kept cool ish so the fat doesn’t turn rancid.
M&Ms were developed with the candy shell for the US military chocolate rations for use in hot climates, because the bars would melt and attract bugs. That happened to my grandfather when he was stationed in India during WWII. He left part of his ration on a table, went out for a while and came back to a line of huge ants carrying the remaining candy out the window. Ick!
Honey keeps well (forever), but may not be the best for hard candy? I know baking with honey keeps baked goods moist because it attracts moisture. Unless honey candy is kept totally sealed from the air, it gets soft and sticky. I have some commercial hard honey candy and cough drops that get sticky after a while – still good, but sticky…
Red ant,
I make a toffee and peanut brittle at the holidays. Cook the sugar to hard Crack on the candy thermometer and I have kept it in just a metal tin for 5 months and still fine. I imagine if vacuum sealed it would last longer. Will have to experiment this year, if allowed, lol.
Peace
MadFab
I keep hard candies in my preps and in the med bag. I figure a bit of sweet is equal to comfort food under stress and one candy is calming for kids. My home preps do include sugar. Sugar or salt will act as a preserver for fruits or meats. Just decide which you prefere.
Hmmm. Kids calmed after eating candy. If I gave candy to the kids their mother would take a broomstick to me. They’d be howling at lightbulbs and crawling on the ceiling looking for more things to destroy. The kids outgrew it, so now I only do that with the grandkids. Before they go home. And their parents want to scream “No! No!” A gentle smile, soft-spoken words prevent a lot of pain and suffering, meaning me. “May your children be just as you.” niio
A cracker that last is saltidinas mexican cracker blue box . They are wrapped in foil six crackers in each. I have 4 boxes. I ate some a year old and was as fresh as the day they were made.
The Jiffy company makes a good biscuit mix in an 8oz.box. Just add water for six nice biscuits and you can actually taste
the buttermilk flavor. 59-79 cents usually.
Marcella:
An excellent cookbook is “The Joy of Cooking”, by Rombauer, Becker and Becker. This has everything from basic stuff like scrambled eggs up to haute cuisine. If you get an older edition, there is a great chapter on preparing and cooking game, including squirrels and possums. Very useful in a shtf scenario. Newer editions don’t seem to have this, but have an expanded selection of “ethnic” food, so it’s a trade off as to what you find most useful.
Once shtf, and we don’t have access to the GMOs, your grain intolerances will disappear like magic. Except for the celiac patients, anyway.
After not eating fast food for years, I had a craving and paid for it for days. Hurt everywhere and no appetite at all. There is a lot to be said for clean eating.
I’d add bags of high quality jerky to the list. Especially if you don’t have the luxury of staying in your home. It’s light, high protein, and you will need the extra salt since you will be sweating it off.