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11 Foods That You Can Keep Forever

Have you ever had to chuck out a large supply of food because it has gone bad? I know I have, and now I also know I could have avoided the horrible waste if only I had known how to preserve food by storing it properly. This useful guide gives a comprehensive list of 11 vital and yummy foodstuffs we can preserve practically forever. It also explains exactly how you should store these foodstuffs so it can continued to be enjoyed months, years and decades into the future:
 

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It’s been the case for thousands of years that people have preserved food. Perhaps the most famous hoarder of grain was Jacob’s son, Joseph, who saved nation upon nation through his squirrel-like foresight. Now you can save your family from the horrible waste that comes with not knowing how to keep food properly. Before we start on how to preserve them, let's take a look at 11 potentially immortal foodstuffs:

 

The 11 Food Staples We Can Preserve indefinitely Are...
1. Honey

11 Immortal Food Stuffs
Honey has such a low water content that microorganisms cannot flourish in it.  Honey can last an incredibly long time if the environment in which it is kept is stable. Some 3000-year-old honey was once found during the excavation of an Egyptian tomb. Amazingly, it turned out to be edible!



2. Salt

11 Immortal Food Stuffs
Salt is a well-known preserver itself, and we use it in particular for curing fish and meats. However, it does absorb moisture, so a little silica gel or oxygen absorber is required to make it last forever.


3. Sugar

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

Sugar also absorbs a lot of moisture, which can be prevented by adding a few grains of rice to your preservation container (see below).

4. Wheat

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

Over a third of the world's population relies on the constant availability of wheat. The majority of us today get 20% of our carbohydrate requirements from wheat. But in the event of a drought, the price of wheat goes through the roof. Buy it in bulk and save it for the future just in case you ever need to make use of it. 

5. Dried Corn (Maize)

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

Corn, or sweetcorn, has a very short window in which it is seasonable, therefore it has long been dried to provide a substitute for fresh maize. The same applies today. By drying out corn, you will be able to transcend the time limits imposed by the world's seasons, and enjoy some of your favorite recipes whenever you want.

6. Baking Soda

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

The uses of baking soda are so numerous that there are hundreds of articles and dozens of books about them. It is considered a must have for any long-term storage plan. 

7. Instant Coffee, Tea and Cocoa

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

Frozen dried coffee is well known to be something that outlasts most drinks that you enjoy, but the same is also true of tea and cocoas by following the same principles outlined below. By using desiccant or oxygen absorption packets, the life of these heart-warming beverage products can be lengthened indefinitely.

8. Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

Carbonated drinks contain too many sugars that, although bad for you too, just break down and remove the drinks' particular flavors when stored for a long enough time. This accident is not so with non-carbonated drinks such as vitamin water, Gatorade, bottled water and juices. You can in fact invest smartly in such drinks, and store them for future need.

 


9. White Rice

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

Buying food in bulk is an excellent and cheap way to sustain your family, and this is especially the case when we come looking at rice. Yet often we are tempted to buy so much that we never get around to eating it before it turns. However, if you store it properly it can last you 30 years, becoming a great source of calories, and dozens and dozens of healthy, tasty meals. 

10. Bouillon-Based Products

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

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Removing stock cubs or bouillon products from their usual packaging and placing them in a controlled environment with a pinch of salt can add lots of longevity. This will allow you to preserve something you can use to flavor your dishes for a very long time. 

11. Powdered Milk
11 Immortal Food Stuffs

One good way you can preserve already long-life powdered milk for longer than usual is to store it in the freezer. If you remove its packaging and store it properly, you will also be able to free up your freezer for other products. 

The Best Method for Preserving These Food Staples is...
11 Immortal Food Stuffs

...The "multi-barrier" system. This method for storing food keeps out sunlight, moisture and air almost perfectly by using more than one storage system at the same time, thus reinforcing the protection. Let's take at look at some of these barriers.

- A 5-gallon food-grade plastic container as pictured will not transfer non-food chemicals into your food, and does not have in itself any harmful chemicals. Often, such a container will be marked with a number 2 and an acronym HDPE (high density polyethylene). Before using this container, please clean it with soapy water before thoroughly rinsing and drying it. 

- A Gamma lid, which, if you purchase, means no need for a lid opener, though these lids are more expensive than usual bucket lids. If you purchase a simple bucket lid, make sure it's airtight and spill-proof.

11 Immortal Food Stuffs

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- A Lid opener will be required if you have a basic lid. 

- Mylar bag liners are very important because even the best container allows air seepage over time. If you purchase a bag over 5mm in width you will be gaining a 20 year guarantee of food protection! 

- Oxygen absorbers at 2,000 ccs of oxygen can be added to your 5-gallon container, prolonging the food's durability by absorbing the container's oxygen, preventing the development of mold and aerobic pathogens. They have no affect on the taste, smell and toxicity of your food either.

- Desiccant packets, which, although they do not absorb moisture, moderate moisture levels, will be necessary for certain foods. However, DO NOT use them with flour, sugar or salt since they need a certain percentage of moisture to keep them from solidifying. 

- Food-grade diatomaceous earth is organic and perfectly safe to use with your food, being the fossilized remains of diatoms. For every 25 pounds of food, 1 cup of diatomaceous earth should be added to your lined container.

The Procedure

1. Using one that is fitted for your container size, place a mylar bag into your washed and dried container.
2. Add oxygen absorbers or desiccant to the mylar bag (you will also add one more absorber at the top of the bag).
3. Pour your food contents into the bag, until about halfway. Then give the bag a good shake to distribute the food evenly.
4. Keep filling the bag, until three quarters of it are full of your food.
5. Now place the final oxygen absorber at the top of the bag.
6. Start to fold the mylar bag, pressing down to release any air which may be trapped inside.
7. Taking a hard board of some kind (e.g. book or chopping board), place it over the air-free bag and gently press on it with a hot domestic iron. Do not push hard or go too fast, because we want the bag to stay good. Seal across the bag in a straightened line. But leave the last 2-3 inches open to allow you space to push any final air from the bag.
8. Push the rest of the air out and seal entirely.
9. Push the bag down into the container, perhaps with an additional oxygen absorber on top of the bag. Put the lid on your container and seal it tightly. 
10. Label the container with your food of choice and also the date on which you sealed them up.
11. Keep the container in an area where there is no sunlight, and where the temperature and moisture levels are steady. A dark place would be ideal
 
h/t: readynutrition.com: a; b
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