Food Storage Basics

Food storage is simple once you know the basics.This may be a long read but continue reading and you may actually be informed of tips and guidelines of how and what you could actually do on the concern of proper food storage.

I. Develop a Home Storage Mindset

If you're new to food storage, first prepare by developing a food storage mindset. It's easy to think of lots of reasons why we can't get our food storage started; but we have to remind ourselves that ANY food item that is stored for later use (tomorrow, next week, next year, or years from now) is food storage.

A. Keep Food Storage on Your Mind

As you begin to focus on your home storage, keep your storage in mind as you shop, clip coupons, and browse newspapers for sales. When you find tomato sauce on sale, stock up on enough for a month or two. When canned vegetables are on sale, buy enough for a variety of canned goods in your storage. Pasta, oil, and beans keep well; so store enough for two or three months. As your pantry fills, you will begin to develop an idea of what you want to add to your storage, and you'll keep that in mind as you shop and plan your gardening.

B. Plan Ahead When Buying in Bulk

Reusable containers can be a blessing for those who plan to continue their storage as a way of life.

II. Start Simply

Don't begin your food storage focus with the compulsion to obtain a year's supply of food storage immediately. Start your food storage plan by determining what food items you use regularly that could be bought ahead and stored for future use.

A. Back to Basics

You may be able to save money with your food storage by using "back to basics" techniques such as grinding your own grains, sprouting seeds, growing garden vegetables, home canning, etc.

B. Food Storage is NOT Just for Emergencies

Food storage is not something we set aside for an emergency, although it is a great blessing in such a time. Food storage is a plan for living better, buying less expensively, preserving foods we grow ourselves, developing a healthier lifestyle, and learning ways to use our storage for household uses

III. Store What You Will Use

Examine the shelf life of food items your family uses. That will help you to estimate how much you can store. You can only store as much as your family will use before the shelflife of the food item runs out (stored at proper temperature and under proper circumstances in adequate food grade containers, without oxygen if appropriate.)

A. Make Use of Your Storage

Proper use of your food storage can help to simplify your life, improve your health, extend your budget, and enlighten your soul.

IV. Set a Goal, Devise a Plan, and Obtain Your Storage

Set a goal, devise a plan, and obtain the storage you desire. For example, you might begin with a goal to obtain a month's supply of food storage. You might plan to purchase items such as staples, canned goods, dry milk, and pasta, making a chart of how much of each item you will need to store. As you make your grocery purchases over the next month, buy twice the amount you need of each item (one for this month's use, and another for next month's storage.) Buying on sale, using coupons, and growing your own foods can help to reduce the initial cost of storing foods.

A. Tailor Guides for Short-Term Basic Storage and Long-Term Extended Storage

As you develop a home storage mindset, you can devise a plan for short-term basic storage and for long-term extended storage. Food storage guides are meant to be used as general guidelines that can be tailored to your family's needs that serve to give you a better overall picture of home storage. Food storage buying guides generally lay out a plan to obtain a year's supply of food storage with monthly or weekly goals; but these, too, should be tailored to your family's needs.

B. Find Space for Your Storage

As your storage grows, finding storage space can be a challenge.

If space is a problem, get creative. Build shelves, store under beds, use an unused corner of a room, store under decorative tables, or store behind couches and other furniture.

C. Label Carefully

As you package a food item for storage, be sure to label the container plainly with the name of the food item and date it is packed. Place your labels so that you will still be able to see them when containers are stacked or shelved.

D. Rotate, Rotate, ROTATE!

The MOST IMPORTANT thing I can tell you about food storage is that it is necessary to ROTATE your storage. That means that you use the container that's been stored the longest and replace it with newer stored containers behind the older ones. If you are storing items that you never use, you are wasting space that could be used for food items you need. Food storage that spoils or lies untouched is garbage. Don't fill your home with garbage. Fill your home with precious healthy food storage that will be a blessing to you and your family on a regular basis and in times of need.