The Food Storage FAQs From Misc.Survivalism

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The Food Storage FAQs
Version 3.5
From Misc.Survivalism

Misc.Survivalism's Food Storage Frequently Asked Questions (Food Storage FAQs) are chucked full of information invaluable to anyone interested in food storage, or using these foods. We give a generous thanks to Alan T. Hagan, the curator of the misc.survivalism food FAQs for permission to place them here. If you've never visited misc.survivalism, I encourage you to do so. You will be welcomed by lots of nice, rough cut, patriotic folks who are in the midst of a constantly raging battle of ideas that should be most useful to you. You can read the Food FAQs online below or download them in a 136K zip file.

You can now obtain the book
The Prudent Pantry:
Your Guide to Building a Food Insurance Program,
a greatly inlarged version of these FAQs

TABLE OF CONTENTS
0. Acknowledgements and Foreword I. Shelf Lives: Time, Temperature, Moisture, Oxygen and Light II. The Techniques of Food Storage

     A.  Grains and Legumes
          1.  Grain Varieties
          2.  Legume Varieties
          3.  Types of Availability of Grains and Legumes
               - Moisture Content
               - Cleaning It Yourself
          4.  Storing Grains and Legumes (see above file)

     B.  Dry Milks

Got milk? In the refrigerator, right? Milk is a great source of essential amino acids and vital calcium, but in its fresh liquid form it is a highly perishable commodity. Fortunately, milk can be found in several forms that lend themselves to food storage. The various types of dry milks are the best suited to the task.

          1.  Types of Dry Milks
               - Buying Dry Milk Products (see above file)
          2.  Storing Dry Milks
               - Shelf Life of Dry Milks (see above file)

     C.  Canned Goods
          1.  Canned Milk Types
               - Shelf Life of Canned Milks (see above file)
          2.  Corrosion Prevention of Canned Goods

     D.  Sugar, Honey and Other Sweeteners
          1.  Types of Granulated Sugars
               - Storing Granulated Sugars (see above file)
          2.  Types of Honey
               - Buying Honey (see above file)
               - Storing Honey (see above file)
                Raw Honey and Botulism (see above file)
               - Honey Outgassing (see above file)
          3.  Types of Cane Syrups 
               - Storing Cane Syrups (see above file)
          4.  Corn Syrup
          5.  Maple Syrup (see above file)

     E.  Fats and Oils
          1.  Buying & Storing Oils and Fats (see above file)
          2.  Extending Shelf Life By Adding Anti-Oxidants (see above file)

     F.  Cooking Staples
          1.  Baking Powder
          2.  Baking Soda (see above file)
          3.  Herbs & Spices (see above file)
          4.  Salt
          5.  Vinegar
          6.  Yeast (see above file)

     G.  Infant Formula
          1.  Alternatives to Breastfeeding (see above file)
          2.  Selecting and Feeding an Infant Formula (see above file)
          3.  Storing Infant Formulas and Baby Foods (see above file)

III. Spoilage

     A.  Insect Infestations
          1.  Pests of Stored Grains, Legumes and Dry Foodstuffs (see above file)
          2.  Control of Insect Infestations (see above file)

     B.  Molds In Foods
          1.  Minimizing Molds (see above file)
          2.  Molds in Canned Goods
          3.  Molds in Grains and Legumes (see above file)
               - Preventing Molds In Grains and Legumes (see above file)

     C.  Bacterial Spoilage
          1.  Botulism (see above file)

     D.  Enzymatic Action In Food Spoilage

IV.  Specific Equipment Questions

     A. Storage Containers
          1.  What is Food Grade Packaging?
               - Where Can I Find Food Grade Containers? (see above file)
          2.  Plastic Packaging
               - How Do I Get the Odor Out of Pickle Buckets? (see above file)
          3.  Metal Cans
               - Pooling Resources:  The Church of Jesus Christ of
                 Latter-day Saints
          4.  Glass Jars
          5.  Mylar Bags
               - How Do I Use Mylar Bags? (see above file)
               - Vacuum Sealing Mylar Bags (see above file)
               - Gas Flushing Mylar Bags (see above file)
          6.  Reusing Or Recycling Packaging

     B. CO2 and Nitrogen
          1.  Dry Ice
               - Dry Ice Suppliers (see above file)
          2.  Compressed Nitrogen
               - Types of Availability
               - Obtaining the Gas and Necessary Equipment (see above file)
               - Putting It All Together
               - Putting It Into Use (see above file)

     C. Vacuum Sealing
          1. Vacuum Sealing Considerations (see above file)

     D. Freeze Treating

     E. Oxygen Absorbers
          1.  What Is An Oxygen Absorber? (see above file)
          2.  How Are Oxygen Absorbers Used? (see above file)

     F. Desiccants
          1.  Why moisture is important
          2.  What Is A Desiccant?
          3.  Types of Desiccants
               - Silica Gel (see above file)
               - Clay Desiccant (see above file)
               - Calcium Oxide (see above file)
               - Calcium Sulfate (see above file)
               - Other Desiccants (see above file)
          4.  How Do I Use Desiccants? (see above file)
          5.  Where Do I Find Desiccants? (see above file)

     G. Diatomaceous Earth
          1.  What Is Diatomaceous Earth? (see above file)
          2.  Where Can I Find DE and What Type Should I Buy? (see above file)
          3.  How Do I Use DE In Food Storage? (see above file)

V.   Shelf Lives

"How long will this keep?" This is the defining question of food storage. Everything you will read in this work evolves from this central question. The length of time a particular food will remain palatable and nutritious in storage determines its usefulness for our purposes. The fact of the matter is that there are few hard and clear answers. As a result it is not uncommon to find two or more sources who purport to know, but that give conflicting data. The following will hopefully cut through some of the fog.

     A. "Best Used By", "Use By" and Other Food Product Dates

     B. Closed Dating Codes Used By Some Food Manufacturers

     C. Shelf Lives of Some Common Storage Foods

VI.  Resources

     A. Books (see above file)

     B. Pamphlets (see above file)

     C. Electronic-online
           1. Information Sources (see above file)
           2. Software Sources (see above file)


     D. Organizations
          1. The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

     E. Food and Equipment Suppliers
          1  Mail Ordering Storage Foods What You Should Know
          2  Addresses of Suppliers.
               - Storage Food Manufacturers
               - Food Preservation Dealers & Suppliers
               - Food Storage & Preservation Equipment Manufacturers
               - Diatomaceous Earth Manufacturers & Dealers
               - Storage Food Retailers

-  Alan T. Hagan's Sig File

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Misc.Survivalism FAQs maintained by Alan T. Hagan, E-mail: athagan@sprintmail.com

Web Page Maintenance: Al Durtschi, E-mail: mark@waltonfeed.com
Home Page: http://waltonfeed.com/

Updated: 9/18/96; 4/16/97; 7/21/97; 10/20/97; 9/15/98 11/02/99

Excluding contributions attributed to specific individuals all material in this work is copyrighted to Alan T. Hagan and all rights are reserved. This work may be copied and distributed freely as long as the entire text, my and the contributor's names and this copyright notice remain intact, unless my prior express permission has been obtained. This FAQ may not be distributed for financial gain, included in commercial collections or compilations or included as a part of the content of any web site without prior, express permission from the author.

Revised: 1 Dec 99

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