What stores longest
| Food | How long, stored right |
|---|---|
| White rice, dry beans, rolled oats, wheat | Decades in Mylar with oxygen absorbers, kept cool and dry |
| Salt, sugar, honey | Indefinitely if kept dry and sealed |
| Home-canned food | Best within about a year |
| Dehydrated fruit and vegetables | Months to a year or more, depending on dryness and packaging |
| Brown rice, nuts, whole wheat flour | Shorter. Their oils go rancid, so rotate them |
Long-term staples need water and fuel to cook. Store them alongside your stove and fuel, and keep your no-cook pantry too.
Mylar bags & buckets
- Use only dry foods with low moisture and low fat, like white rice, dry beans and oats.
- Fill the Mylar bag, leaving a few inches at the top.
- Drop in the right size oxygen absorber. Open the absorber pack last and work quickly.
- Press out extra air and seal with an iron or heat sealer.
- Label with contents and date.
- Put the bags in a food-grade bucket with a lid to protect from pests and light.
- Store somewhere cool, dry and dark, off the floor.
Home canning
Use tested recipes
Follow tested recipes from the USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Low-acid foods like vegetables, beans and meat must be pressure canned. Water-bath canning is only for high-acid foods like fruit, jams and pickles. Improper canning can cause botulism.
Dehydrating
- Slice evenly so pieces dry at the same rate.
- Fruit and vegetables are done when leathery or crisp with no moisture inside.
- Condition fruit for a week in a jar, shaking daily, to check for moisture before storing long term.
- Dried herbs from your garden become your remedy kit.
Eat what you store
The best long-term pantry is one you cook from. Use a little rice and beans every week, and replace what you use. Keep a written inventory with dates.
Long-term storage checklist
Months, not days
Long-term food storage
0 of 7 done
Long-term storage gear
Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers
Seal dry food for years.
My pick: Wallaby 1-gal Mylar bags + absorbers
Pressure canner
Required to safely can low-acid foods.
My pick: Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker
Food dehydrator
Dry fruit, vegetables and herbs.
My pick: NESCO FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator
Impulse or iron sealer
Seals Mylar bags airtight.
My pick: METRONIC 12 Inch Impulse Heat Sealer with Repair Kit
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