So, what about everything that isn’t shelf-stable? Vegetables, fruits, meats, entire meals, or even water are all subject to bacteria, mold, and other organic degradation over a long period of time if they are allowed to sit out in the open for too long. There are lots of ways to safely preserve and store these goods to ensure they are safe to use for a long time.
Basic Storing Principles:
Temperature: Store products at a temperature of 75°F or lower. Higher temperatures promote bacteria and organic growth.
Moisture: This is the main perpetrator of ruined food. Use air-tight containers or sealed, vacuumed bags. Check frequently for leaks or water damage.
Pests: Protect your food pantry and insect damage. This can be done by ensuring proper insulation and sealing, as well as setting traps and bait around your pantry.
Sun Light: Sunlight encourages containers to degrade over long periods of time and can promote algae growth in water or liquids. Pick a location that’s always dark to best protect your stores.
Air Flow: Stagnant, stale air is key to bacterial growth. Good air flow helps decrease microbial action -- make sure to leave space beneath your containers so that air can pass underneath.
What about water? Each person should be allocated at least 2 gallons of water per day in your preparation plan. This allows water for drinking, washing, and cooking. But how do you store water, and keep it clean and safe to use?
Containers for storing drinking water should be:
- Sealable and airtight to prevent outside contamination
- Food grade, certified for potable storage (other kinds of materials will allow hazardous compounds to leach into your water over time)
- Easy to transport and store (it may be a good idea to have several larger containers that remain in one spot, and then use gallon or liter containers to then transport the water from there).
Other possibilities for access to water may include setting up one or more rain barrels. Water collected from rainfall won’t be suitable for drinking due to airborne pollutants. Rain barrels can be effective for hygiene or greenhouse uses, however, especially if it’s filtered, and this will significantly reduce the pressure on your potable water stores.
If you’re in a suitable location, it may be a great idea to set up a private cistern or water tank now. Cisterns can range between 500 and several thousand gallons. Decide ahead of time whether the cistern will be used for drinking water and how you’ll ensure it remains pure enough to drink. If your cistern is elevated, you’ll have a certain amount of water pressure to help move it to a spigot.
When it comes to food, 3 months of food for each member of your family is a safe store to keep on hand. Make a list of everything your family consumes in a week. Meals, sides, snacks, treats, what do these look like? How much does each person eat? Find the places where certain products or food types overlap and can be used in a wide variety of ways. There are lots of ways to preserve your foods to maintain their nutritional value and keep them safe to eat.
Chilling and Freezing: Bacteria thrives in warm temperatures. By lowering the temperature below 40 degrees, bacteria’s ability to eat and reproduce is slowed to an almost stop, slowing the spoiling process at the same time. This takes a lot of power, however, and your standard freezer can only store so much food.
Canning Vegetables: Canning removes the oxygen that microorganisms need so badly to survive, as well as adding a preservative like salt, or acid. This is an excellent choice for storing bulk vegetables and fruits. This provides a diverse diet year-round and can help when things start to feel a little boring at the dinner table. However, the salt needed to keep this food fresh can be excessive, especially in store bought versions.
Dehydration: Moisture is an essential part of microbial action. Removing moisture, therefore, removes opportunities for bacteria and organisms to take hold. Moisture is evaporated out of the food through heat or sunlight (whose ultraviolet rays kill microbes). This can be used to make jerky, dried fruit, or for drying out herbs for storage.
Fermentation: This form of preservation has been around since ancient times and is still found everywhere to this day. Fermentation is a tightly controlled version of the spoilage process, where the types of bacteria and microorganisms are picked out or killed off carefully. This eliminates the harmful microbes that can hurt or make humans sick. Meanwhile, the resulting microorganisms both add new flavor and extra benefits to the fermented food. Think of kimchi or sauerkraut -- tasty, long-lasting, and good for your gut.
