Food storage

Food storage refers to storing food and is one of the most important parts of the Beans-Bullets-Bandaids mnemonic paradigm for preparedness. There are two major sub-categories of food storage:

1. Food preparation
2. Food storage

Preparing food

Food can be prepared in many ways, such as boiling, frying, baking, or left raw. It can also be prepared in ways the prolong its storage life.

• Canning a very effective form of long-term storage of perishable food. If you have a garden or other source of fresh food that you want to preserve for long periods of time canning is perhaps the best option at home and requires no special equipment or supplies other than jars, lids, a canner (pressure or water bath depending upon the food) and cooking utensils.

• Dehydrating food is an excellent way to preserve fresh food or to prepare it for further preservation such as vacuum storage or other dry food storage.

• Pickling is a very old method of preserving food that can be used for far more than cucumbers.

• Vacuum storage is a very quick modern method of preserving food for storage. It is generally much easier to do than other methods, but does require special equipment, supplies, and access to electricity. Vacuum sealing does not negate the need for refrigeration, freezing, or some other form of storage, but it usually improves the effectiveness of those forms of storage.

Storing food

Storing food is a major component of preparedness, understanding how and why to do it can improve or save lives. Learning recipes you enjoy is a good way to improve your life if times get tough, or even if they don't.

• Dry food storage is important, because most staple goods are dry such as rice, wheat, corn. barley, millet, pasta, etc. Also, once fresh foods have been dehydrated they are stored the same way.
• Root cellars are buried structures that create a natural cold storage environment ideal for extending the life of fruits and vegetables when modern refrigeration is unavailable.
• Canning is a versatile method for preserving many types of foods.
• Pickling can be used to preserve vegetables for long periods of time.
• Fermentation is a tried and true method for preserving a variety of foods including vegetables, milk and meats. See lactic acid fermentation.

Commonly stored foods

• Beans
• MRE or Military ration
• Rice
• Salt
• Wheat

See also

• Preservation (food)
• Dehydration
• Canning