Section Three Version 2.00 Updated April, 1997 Supersedes Ver 1.10 PRUDENT FOOD STORAGE: Questions and Answers. Section Three What Equipment Do I Need? Where Can I Find Information and Supplies? From the House at Cat's Green Alan T. Hagan The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it. Romany saying Updated: 9/18/96; 4/16/97 Copyright (c)1997 Alan T. Hagan. All rights reserved. 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 permission has been obtained. This FAQ may not be distributed for financial gain, included in commercial collections or compilations, or including as a part of the content of any website without prior, express permission from the author. PLEASE DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS AND CRITICISMS TO: athagan@sprintmail.com Written material may be sent to the following address below: A.T. Hagan P.O.Box 140008 Gainesville, FL 32614-0008 TABLE OF CONTENTS IV. Specific Equipment Questions A. Storage Containers 1. Plastic Containers - What Makes A Plastic Container "Food Grade"? - How Do I Get the Odor Out of Pickle Buckets? - Where Do I Find Food Grade Containers? 2. Metal Cans 3. Glass Jars B. CO2 and Nitrogen C. Oxygen Absorbers D. Desiccants E. Diatomaceous Earth V. Other Sources (besides this FAQ) A. Books B. Pamphlets C. Magazines D. Phone, voice, non-modem E. Electronic-online VI. Appendices A. Shelf Lives of Some Common Storage Foods B. Dating Codes Used By Some Food Manufacturers C. Food and Equipment Suppliers - Mail Ordering Storage Foods What You Should Know - Addresses of Suppliers ======================================================================== IV -- SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT QUESTIONS ======================================================================== A -- STORAGE CONTAINERS [OK, I'm ready to start my food storage program. What should I put the food in?] You should use food grade containers for storing anything you intend to eat. A food grade container is one that will not transfer non-food chemicals into the food and contains no chemicals which would be hazardous to human health. If you are uncertain whether a container is food-grade or not then contact the manufacturer and ask if a particular container is approved for food use. Many manufacturers are beginning to indicate on the container label if it is approved for food use. 1. PLASTIC CONTAINERS B.1.1 [What makes a bucket or plastic bag "food grade"? And where can I find them?] Plastic films and containers of food grade quality are made from polycarbonate, polyester or polyethylene. Their characteristics in terms of density, permeability and strength vary. To limit permeability to moisture and oxygen, films of the above plastics are sometimes laminated together, frequently with a metallic layer. Military food packaged in just such a metallized polyester, polyethylene wrap has a long shelf life (5+ years) if kept cool. If it is stipulated that it is new, clean and unused then it is my understanding that any container made of high density polyethylene (HDPE - with a #2 inside the recycling triangle) is safe for dry foodstuffs. Anybody out there with factual information yea or nay? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Denis DeFigueiredo Originally posted in: rec.food.preserving I called Berlin [eds. note, a plastic container mfgr. 1-800-4-BERLIN] and spoke to them, plus an outfit called Kirk Container (they manufactured some 5 gallon paint buckets I saw in the local hardware store). Both places said that buckets made from High Density PolyEthelene are approved for food. It has to do with the possibility of interaction between any chemicals in the food and the plastic. As it turns out, Kirk manufactures only one kind of bucket, and then markets it for paint, hardware, food, etc. The price is right on the "paint buckets" - much cheaper than the local restaurant supply house. High density polyethelene buckets will have HDPE stamped on them, or a recycle symbol with a "2" in the middle. DISCLAIMER: I'm only passing on information I received from the manufacturers. I am in no way professing these things to be absolute fact! B.1.2 [Where do I find food grade containers?] From: "Jenny S. Johanssen" Originally posted in: rec.food.preserving Denis - saw your comments on food grade buckets and thought I'd offer my solution. My son cooks at a local Mexican restaurant. They get all their strawberries (for the strawberry magaritas at the bar) in 3 gallon plastic buckets. Now you know how many margaritas pass through a Mexican bar each night - lots. So I asked my son to save me some buckets. They are ideal for storing flour, rice, I made (from my home grown raspberries) a delicious raspberry cordial in one of the buckets, another I made Raspberry wine in. My motto is why buy when you can recycle! Thanks for giving me the time and space to add my two-bits worth. - Jenny ------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Woody Harper Originally posted: rec.food.preserving ...I get topping buckets from Dairy Queen and I have to make sure there is no trace of the strawberry syrup left. A little detergent and elbow grease followed by a chlorine solution bath keep everything nice and clean.-- B.1.3 [OK, I've got some used food grade containers, but they're pickle buckets. How do I get the smell out?] I've had fairly good luck doing it this way. Since vinegar is the primary smell in pickles and it's acidic, we used a base to counteract it. First we scrubbed the bucket well, inside and out, with Dawn dish detergent. I imagine most any sort will do. Then we filled the buckets with hot water and dissolved a cup of baking soda in each. Stir well, get the bucket as full as you can and put the top on. Put the bucket in the sun to keep it warm so the plastic pores stay open as much as possible. In a couple of days come back and empty the buckets. Rinse them out, fill with warm water again and add about two cups of bleach and reseal. Put back in the sun for another couple of days. Empty out and let dry with the tops off. We completely eliminated the vinegar smell this way. It might be possible to cut the time down a lot, but we haven't experimented that much since we can't get that many pickle buckets. Good luck! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. METAL CANS The metal cans used by the canning industry are designed to last only a few years. Most losses of canned foods occur due to the breakdown of the can rather than extensive deterioration of the food under normal storage conditions. The major disadvantages of metal cans for putting up your own food are the cans are hard to come by, they take specialized equipment to use (but so do glass jars) and they can only be used once to seal in food. Not being reusable is the flaw that has largely made them unpopular for home canning use. Since they're not interested in reusing the containers, metal cans make great sense for the commercial canning industry. The cans are both cheaper (for them) and lighter than glass jars and this adds to the economy of scale that makes canned foods as cheap as they are in the grocery store. For home canners, glass jars are better because even the smallest of towns will usually have at least one store that carries pressure and boiling water canners along with jars, rings and lids. With tin cans, however, a can sealer is necessary and that usually has to be ordered from its manufacturer. Tin cans are not really made of tin. They're actually steel cans with a tin coating on the inside and outside. Some kinds of strongly colored acidic foods will fade in color from long exposure to tin so a type of enamel liner called "R-enamel" is used to forestall this. Certain other kinds of food that are high in sulfur or that are close to neutral in pH will also discolor from prolonged contact with tin. For those foods, cans with "C-enamel" are used. The excellent food preservation book, *Putting Food By* Chapter 6 (see reference list) has a section on the use of tin cans for wet packed foods. I know the church of the Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) have gone over largely to metal canning for their food storage programs. If any reader out there has experience with their program and/or their literature that they'd like to share I'd be happy to put it into this FAQ. See also IV.C.2 Preventing Corrosion of Canned Goods. 3. GLASS JARS Compared to metal cans, glass jars are very stable, although they don't take being banged around very well. The cardboard boxes the jars come in are well designed to cushion them from shocks. The box also has the added bonus of keeping out damaging light. The major advantage of glass jars is that they are reusable, both jars and rings, with lids being the only part of the package that must be purchased new for every use. When you get right down to the bottom line, it is seldom practical strictly in terms of dollars and cents to put up your own food in jars. When you count the cost of your equipment, including the jars, rings, lids and all the rest, along with a not inconsiderable amount of your personal time, the cost of purchasing or growing your produce, you'll almost always come out ahead to buy food canned for you by the commercial canning industry. That said, forget about the strict bottom line and examine more closely why you want to put up your own food. For many, gardening is a pleasure and they have to have something to do with the food they've grown! There's also the fact that for many, you simply cannot buy the quality of the food you can put up for yourself. The canning industry tries to appeal to a broad spectrum of the general public while you can put up food to your own family's specific tastes. Home canning is not so much about saving money as it is about satisfaction. You get what you pay for. If home canning appeals to you, please allow me to point you toward the rec.food.preserving FAQ where much very good information about methods and techniques may be found, in particular parts 1-canning; 4-specific equipment questions; 5-spoilage (IMPORTANT!); 6-caveats, troubleshooting and sources. B -- CO2 AND NITROGEN I've gotten the nitrogen and the CO2 gas I've used from a welding supply store. Dry ice can be had from ordinary water ice suppliers, some grocery stores and occasionally ice cream stores. Does anyone out there have other sources they have used for CO2 and nitrogen for food storage purposes? Is there any reason that gas from a welding supply source shouldn't be used? C -- OXYGEN ABSORBERS I don't know exactly when they first showed up on the market for use by private individuals, but a relatively recent tool for long term food storage are oxygen absorption packets. The packets,one brand is Ageless Z300E from the Mitsubishi corporation, absorb free oxygen from the air around them and chemically bind it. This removes it from being available for other purposes such as oxidative rancidity and respiration by insects or bacteria. The practical upshot of all this is that by removing the free oxygen from your storage containers, you can greatly extend the storage life of the foods in the containers. Finding any information about these absorbers has been difficult, but, thanks to Al Durtschi, I was able to find a study of their effectiveness from Brigham Young University. The study tested the absorption capacity of the Ageless Z300E packets. It found they were even more effective than their rated absorption capacity of 300 milliliters of oxygen (O2 at sea level pressure). A single packet sealed into an empty #10 can (80% of one gallon) reduced the oxygen in the canned air to less than 1/2%. Even though they apparently will absorb a great deal more than the 300 ml of O2 they are rated for, the following instructions for use are based on their listed rating. So, when using the Mistubishi Ageless Z300E oxygen absorption packets, you should allow one packet for every quart and a half (1430 ml) of *remaining air volume* in your filled storage containers. Now determining the volume of air remaining in a filled container is no easy thing. In the study, #10 cans filled with either elbow macaroni or powdered milk were used and their respective air volumes were determined. A can full of elbow macaroni was found to contain 22% remaining air volume and a can full of powdered milk was found to contain 10.5%. With these as guides, you should then be able to roughly figure the remaining air volume of the foods you have in your containers. You'll have to decide whether the food you are working is closer to the macaroni or the dry milk in its packing density. Obviously, this is a rather rough rule of thumb and this is why I kept my instructions to the listed ratings rather than on what they will apparently really do. The excess capacity will thus serve to cover the shortcomings of your reckonings. These absorption packets should be used only in dry foodstuffs and not with any product that will get them wet. NOTE: If you do choose to use oxygen absorbers in packing your food storage containers you should give some consideration to the container you're using. The absorber is going be removing the 21% of the atmosphere that oxygen constitutes. Since nothing is replacing it this will leave the interior of the storage container with a lower atmospheric pressure than the outside. If the container is sufficiently sturdy this pressure differential will be of little consequence. For containers with thinner walls or more flexible material the pressure drop could cause them partially collapse or buckle, particularly if other containers are stacked upon them. This could make them more likely to lose seal integrity. The sturdier plastic buckets (Superpails, etc), or metal cans should have no problems. Other containers should probably be tested or first flushed with an inert gas (N2, CO2) before the absorber is sealed in. If anyone out there knows of more precise instructions for the use of these O2 absorbers, particularly if they're from the manufacturer, I'd appreciate it if you'll send them to me. To date, the study that Al pointed out to me is the only solid data I've found. It is from it that I derived the instructions I gave above. The following is the verbatim text of the conclusions section of the Brigham Young study. See V.B Pamphlets for the complete citation of this study. Conclusions: "Oxygen absorbing packets are effective in reducing oxygen contents in sealed cans. The ageless Z300 packet has a greater than claimed capacity for absorbing oxygen. Packets abused by 4 hour-exposure-to-air still exceed claimed capacity. It may be economical to use smaller packets based on the dead air volume instead of can volume. Smaller packets would have less tolerance for abuse and personnel would need to be more diligent in protecting the packets." "The level of oxygen remaining in the presence of the absorber packets is sufficiently low to greatly retard development of rancidity. The biological consequences are not so easy to predict. Microorganisms range from aerobic to anaerobic, thus no unqualified statement can be made. The energy requirements of anaerobic bacteria are met by reactions between oxygen and more than one other molecule. This makes bacterial energy a higher order of reaction than rancidity. Thus, the rate of bacterial aerobic reaction would be more seriously retarded than rancidity. These matters are not of practical importance because the products to be canned should be too dry to support microbial growth. Insects are aerobic and would like-wise suffer retardation of activity. No comprehensive statement can be made about irreversible inactivation or death of insects. As long as the oxygen level remains low, insect activity will be lower by at least the square root of oxygen content. In a practical sense, these packets are effective in stopping insect activity. USDA does not recognize any method except disintegration as effective for completely killing insect eggs." Use of Oxygen Absorbers in Dry Pack Canning D -- DESICCANTS D.1.1 [Many of the food storage programs that I've read call for the use of desiccants. What is a desiccant?] A desiccant is a substance with very hygroscopic (adsorbs moisture from the air) properties. There's any number of different chemicals that meet this description, but only some of them will serve our purposes. The most commonly used desiccant is silica gel. This is an amorphous, highly adsorbent form of silica. It is generally found as small white crystals looking much like granulated sugar with small colored specks scattered throughout. Those specks are how we determine whether the gel is dry or has adsorbed all of the moisture it will hold. If the specks are blue, the gel is dry and capable of carrying out its moisture adsorbing mission. If the specks have turned pink, then the gel has adsorbed all it will and is now saturated. Part of what makes silica gel so useful is that it can be refreshed by driving out the adsorbed moisture so it can be used again. This is a simple as pouring the saturated desiccant into shallow pans and placing in a 250 F oven for no more than five hours until the colored crystals have once again turned blue. You can also do the same thing in a microwave. I generally do mine in one pound batches at full power for about five minutes. I then stir thoroughly and repeat until dry. Although I've never found anything that mentions this, apparently it is possible for silica gel to break down over time, or at least the colored crystals can. I had a five pound can stored in an outside shed here in Florida for several years before I opened it again to use some of it. Nearly all of the colored indicator specks had broken down and disappeared. I don't know if the gel itself was still good and with no way to reliably determine whether it was saturated or not, I discarded it. The can the gel was in was just cardboard and it gets *very* humid here in Florida so it really was very poorly stored. Under decent conditions it may not break down at all. (I've never heard of this occurring, anyway.) Keep in mind that silica gel is not edible so when you use it, you need to be certain it does not spill or leak into your food. I generally use a double layer of coffee filter paper to seal the container I've put it in. The paper is very permeable to moisture so the gel can do its adsorbing, but it's tight enough to not allow the crystals out. I've never found any certain rule of how much silica gel to use to how much dry goods. For my purposes, I use about four ounces of gel to a five gallon bucket of dry grain and beans. If I think the moisture content is over 10% when I seal them, I'll go as high as a half pound. This might be ridiculous overkill, but in Florida everything is high in moisture because of our ever present humidity. For a one-liter bottle of dry milk I'll use about one ounce of silica gel rolled up in a paper cartridge made from a coffee filter. If you're familiar with them, it looks like a paper cartridge such as you'd use for black powder weapons. They fit nicely into the bottle and keep the gel in. I buy all of my silica gel at Wal Mart in their dry flower section where it is sold in one and five pound cans for flower drying. I've seen it sold the same way in crafts stores and other department type stores that carry flower-arranging supplies. You can also buy it from many other businesses already prepackaged in one form or another to be used as an absorbent. All of the desiccant that I've found packaged this way has been rather expensive (to me) so shop carefully. There are other desiccants, but I am not familiar with any that can be used with foodstuffs. I know that Kearny recommends using a piece of gypsum wallboard as a desiccant in his expedient radiation meter in Nuclear War Survival Skills, does anyone know if this can be used with dry foodstuffs? How about other desiccants? --------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Pyotr Filipivich Simple trick is to dry a piece of wood in the oven - and once it is bone dry (more than usual) then put it in your container and seal it. The wood will suck up any available moisture. E -- DIATOMACEOUS EARTH Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring substance comprised of the fossilized remains of marine diatoms. These diatoms are microscopic in size and are covered in sharp spines that make them dangerous to exoskeletal insects, but not to animals with internal skeletons. Thus, it is possible to mix a small amount of DE into your stored grains and beans to control insects without having to remove the dust again before you consume them. To use, you must mix thoroughly one cup of DE to every forty pounds of grain, grain products or legumes. You need to make certain that every kernel is coated so it is better to do the mixing in small batches where you can insure more even coating. Since DE is essentially a kind of dust, you need to take steps to keep it out of your lungs and eyes. Even whole wheat flour dust can cause lung irritation if you breath enough of it. DE does not kill the insect eggs or pupae, but it will kill adults and larvae and any eggs or pupae that hatch into adults will die after coming into contact with it. IMPORTANT NOTE: There are actually two kinds of diatomaceous earth to be found on the market and only one of them is suitable for use as an insecticide to use in your stored grains. The kind that you DO NOT WANT is the type sold by swimming pool suppliers as a filtering agent. It has been subjected to a heat treatment that dramatically increases it's silicate content and makes it unsuitable for use with your foodstuffs. The type that you want is sold by a number of suppliers as a garden insecticide. Many organic garden suppliers will carry it. An appendix with the names and addresses of some DE suppliers may be found in the food and equipment suppliers section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: higgins10@aol.com (Higgins10) Originally posted in: rec.gardens Good afternoon all. Diatomaceous earth is approved by the USDA as an animal feed additive, however I have found out that there are vast differences between various forms of diatomaceous earth. Some DE products may not be effective in controlling insects, while others may be harmful to humans and pets. The most important differences between individual forms of DE is the shape of the diatom, content of Crystalline Silica, and the purity of the Silica Dioxide. The World Health Organization cautions that DE with a crystalline silica content of three percent or higher is dangerous to humans, (and probably pets and birds as well). Diatomaceous Earth used in swimming pool filters has close to a 60% crystalline silica content. I know of a product called Organic Solutions (insecticide) which is approved by both the EPA and USDA and has a crystalline silica content ranging between 0.36% to 1.12% according to its labels etc. It is classified as Amorphous fresh water Diatomaceous Earth (whatever that means). However, all literature I have read assures it is safe for both humans and animals and seems to be very effective at killing insects. I stumbled across all this info. while shopping in the mall. If you're interested in reading it too, go to the Organic Solutions website at http://www.BuyOrgs.com. Hope this helps answer the question and always use environmentally safe products! Higgins10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From kahless@ns.waymark.net Sat Aug 24 14:08:48 1996 To: Dunross (A.T. Hagan) Private e-mail [previous text deleted] I have always purchased DE at the local feed store. It's cheaper there than at the garden and hardware stores. The feed store I buy at has DE available in bulk, but they'll package up a smaller amount if that's what you want. My package in the garage doesn't have a brand name but says Nitron Industries at the bottom. The label recommends 7 pounds of DE for each ton of grain. Ha! As if I had "tons" of grain in storage 8-D I've been using DE for grain storage for about 15 years now but flea control only for the past 6 years. The only fleas we've seen in that period of time is the ones that hitch a ride in with friends pets. A very light dusting afterward takes care of that problem. Miracle stuff as far as I'm concerned since we'd had an awful time with fleas before we started using DE. Much much much cheaper and as far as I'm concerned the advantages FAR outweigh the risks. Sam (hope that was helpful) ========================================================================= V -- Other Sources ========================================================================= [This FAQ does not tell me what I need to know!] Please put the question to the misc.survivalism or the rec.food.preserving newsgroup. You could even resort to the tried and true method, a book. The following is a list of books that I have found to have useful information. It is by no means an exhaustive list on the subject. If you have books you would like to suggest, please feel free to e-mail me with the particulars. If you can please include the same kind of information about the book in question as you see below, particularly the ISBN #, if it has one. A. BOOKS: Build Your Ark! Book 1: Food Self-Sufficiency; Geri Guidetti; 1996; ISBN# 0-938928-01-5; Published by the author; The Ark Institute, P.O. Box 364, Monkton, MD 21111; E-mail to arkinst@concentric.net Cookin' With Home Storage; By Vicki Tate; 1993; ISBN# none; Published by the author; Address: 302 East 200 Nort, Manti, Utah, 84642; Tel # (801) 835-8283 Home Food Systems; Edited by Roger B. Yepsen, Jr.; 1981; ISBN# 0-87857-325-9; Rodale Press. Keeping Food Fresh; Janet Bailey; 1985; ISBN# 0-385-27675-3; Doubleday & Co. Keeping the Harvest; Chioffi and Mead; 1991; ISBN# 0-88266-650-9; Storey Communications. Making Food Storage Fun, Fast & Easy; LauraAnne J. Logar; 1993; No ISBN; Published by the author; Address: LauraAnne J. Logar, 17140 Oak Leaf Dr, Morgan Hill, Ca 95037-6621 Making the Best of Basics - Family Preparedness Handbook; James T. Stevens; 1996; ISBN #1-882723-25-2; Gold Leaf Press http://www.webcom.com/infinet/basics.html Marlene's Magic With Food Storage; Marlene Petersen; 1991; No ISBN; Published by the author; Marlene's Magic, 4958 Alpine Circle Highland, Utah 84003 (801) 756-6423 Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply, 1909-1988; 1992; Nutrient Education Division; Human Nutrition Information Service of the USDA. Nutritive Value of American Foods; Catherine S. Adams; 1975; No ISBN; USDA Handbook No. 456 Putting Food By; Greene, Hertzberg and Vaughn; 1982 (14th edition); ISBN# 0-525-93342-5; Penguin Group. Root Cellaring (1994); Mike and Nancy Bubel; ISBN 0-88266-703-3. Whole Grains; Sara Pitzer; 1981; ISBN #0-88266-251-1; Garden Way Books B. PAMPHLETS: Consumer Information Center, Department EE, Pueblo CO 81009. Ask for the Consumer Mailing List Catalog. Can order those nifty USDA pamphlets from this catalog. Check your extension service office for pamphlets, which can usually be bought for a dollar or so. Especially important for high altitude canning, getting recipes specific for locale, even information on U-Pick sites and local farmers' markets. Controlling Indianmeal Moths in Stored Shelled Corn and Soybeans Phil Harein and Bh. Subramanyam; FS-0996-A-GO Revised 1990 Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota FOOD STOCKPILING FOR EMERGENCY SHELTERS. Food and Materials Division, Commodity Stabilization Service, USDA, April 1961] Food Storage In The Home FN502 Utah State University Cooperative Extension Service Bulletin Frequently Asked Food Questions FN 250, 1993 Utah State University Cooperative Extension Service Bulletin Molds And Mycotoxins In Feeds; C.M. Christensen, C.J. Mirocha, R.A. Meronuck; FO-3538-C-GO 1988; Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota Molds In Grain Storage; Richard A. Meronuck FO-0564-C-GO Revised 1987 Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota Nonfat Dry Milk FN142 Utah State University Cooperative Extension Service Bulletin Use of Oxygen Absorbers in Dry Pack Canning; Albert E. Purcell, Theodore C. Barber, John Hal Johnson; Benson Quality Assurance Laboratory Department of Food Science, Brigham Young University C. MAGAZINES: American Survival Guide P.O. Box 68033 Anaheim, CA 92817-0833 (714) 693-1866 Backwoods Home Magazine. Dave Duffy, publisher. P.O. Box 40 Montague, CA 96064 (916) 459-3500 (800) 835-2418 (orders only) E-mail: backwood@snowcrest.net http://www.snowcrest.net/backwood Countryside & Small Stock Journal W 11564-P Hwy. 64 Withee, Wisconsin 54498 (800) 551-5691 Mother Earth News P.O. Box 56302 Boulder, CO 80322-6302 (303) 678-0439 D. PHONE: (non-modem) Your extension service--check your local university directory, especially if its a Land Grant College; look under Government Services, under Dept. of Agriculture. Master Preservers--similar to Master Gardeners or Master Composters. E. ELECTRONIC: ftp ftp.ucdavis.edu pub/extension/4h-youth fp001.zip-fp008.zip Files are compressed, written in Word Perfect 5.1 or Post Script format. Files are eight lessons in food preservation. ftp://ftp.michvhf.com/pub/rec.food.baking/FAQ The FAQ for the rec.food.baking news group. Good stuff. http://www.tiac.net/users/mcron/rff1.html Website with the rec.food.preserving FAQ's on it. ========================================================================= VI -- APPENDICES ========================================================================= A. SHELF LIVES OF SOME COMMON STORAGE FOODS From: Geri Guidetti Newsgroups: misc.survivalism [Contact info in V.A.Books] ...As far as general rules for shelf lives of common veggies and fruits is concerned, jarred foods keep at least 6 months longer than cans if stored in the dark as well as dry and cool. Glass is inert. Acid or acidified foods such as sauerkraut, apple sauce, pickled beets, tomatoes, tomato sauces, pineapple and citrus juices, etc. keep the least length of time in cans. They do interact eventually with the metal of the can. They will taste "tinny" and blacken as well. These are suggested by their mfrs. to be eaten within 18 months of the day packed--that's where the code comes in. Jars of the same products last at least 24 months from date packed. Non-acid foods in cans--corn, green beans, mixed veggies, mushrooms, potatoes, yams, asparagus, carrots, etc.-- will keep a minimum of 24 months. Beyond these dates, though the food will not have deteriorated beyond eating, there is a steady vitamin loss in percentage points each year for individual veggies and fruits. The percentage varies with the product. But they ARE still edible. The cooler/darker your storage conditions, the greater the shelf life as a rule and you can push these dates some. Interestingly, the shelf life of evaporated milk varies with the fat content. From my book: Skimmed evap. milk, only 9 months. Lowfat, 12 months. Regular, 15 months. Sweetened condensed, 12 mo. This, Carnation says, has to do with the stability of the milk proteins and their expected performance in the recipes people use them for. They still have nutrition but will fail performance tests in cakes, etc. The skimmed and low fat versions will also darken faster. For the group member asking about the longevity of canned meats: Meat, salmon, stews and tuna--24 months recommended shelf life. Again, you can extend that with no danger if unopened but with fewer intact nutrients. B. DATING CODES USED BY SOME CANNERS AND PACKERS From: Geri Guidetti Newsgroups: misc.survivalism [Contact info in V.A.Books] Tammy Barette wrote: > I was a little shocked to learn that MREs are expected to be >usable for only a 5-7 year period. I routinely keep store bought >canned goods for more than two years, regardless of their expiration >date. So far I have never encountered a bulging can or food which has >a funny odor, and I have never experienced food poisoning. > Just how long will a canned meat product stay fresh? Vegetable product? > (Today was a wonderful lesson in food shortages -- we're expecting >a whoppping 4" of snow tonight and the bread shelves are empty at the >stores in large areas of Ohio.) I will do my best to answer. First, individual companies make up their own codes to be stamped on the tops of cans and jars. I finally got disgusted enough trying to decipher them when doing research for my book that I called a few big food corporations and asked "what's up?" with these coding systems. Carnation Foods was one and deciphered their evaporated milk stamps--example: 4145MC 202S The only thing important to us lies in the first four digits. The 4 stands for 1994, the year the milk was packed. The 14 represents the 14th day of...the 5, the 5th month, May of the year. This can was packed May 14, 1994, well past their recommended shelf life. The rest of the letters and digits represent plant and lot numbers as I recall. Now let's make things more confusing: A can of store brand cranberry sauce is stamped NOV 98 MO 652. This firm stamps the pull date, or date after which they can't guarantee top quality. Much more direct for our purposes. A jar of mustard, another company: 696270 Packed June of 96 and should have a shelf life of at least 2 years if packed in a cool dark place. Remember this is a glass jar, not an acid-sensitive tin can. More on that in a minute. A jar of tomato sauce, not a can: OCT98 1003....etc. Bless them, too, an easily read code that suggests it's at top condition until Oct. of '98 if kept in good storage conditions. In a nutshell, my observations have been that more and more mfrs. are beginning to use more user-friendly codes, but the funny business still persists for many. On such cans, like the evap. milk, read the can label carefully to locate a consumer hotline or customer service no. Call it and ask for a translation and then register your dissatisfaction with their coding system. Tell them you and your food storing friends won't be able to buy their products if you are to be kept in the dark concerning expiration dates, etc. They WILL listen. BTW, my discussions with Carnation disclosed that the grocery store, a large, reputable chain, had sold me evap. milk two years beyond the recommended storage date! Carnation called the store to tell them to pull it off the shelves and then sent me two coupons for free cans for the ones bought past date... C. FOOD AND EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS C.1 - Mail Ordering Storage Foods - What You Should Know When it comes to building a long term food storage program, sooner or later it is going to become necessary to seriously consider mail ordering at least a part of the foods you want to store. Even for those of us who try do as much as we can locally there are some things which are not going to be easily available in your area. Because of this I have included below a list of food and equipment suppliers where just about anything can be found. Because many do find it necessary or desirable to purchase through mail order I am including a few points which should be considered before shelling out the cash. 1. Find out how much the shipping costs are going to be. Grains and legumes are relatively cheap, but weigh a lot when bought by the five or six gallon-bucket full. Because of this, shipping charges can sometimes as much as double the actual cost of the product by the time you get it to your door. Adding insult to injury is the new $2.00 per bucket fee UPS is charging. Compare carefully each company's list price *and* their shipping charges, combined, when deciding who to order from. Saving up for a larger order, or trying to find someone to combine orders with might enable you to make a large enough order to get a price break on shipping. You could also take a vacation in the area of the company's location or swing through the area on the way back from one. If you choose to do this, be certain to call ahead and let them know so they'll have your order ready and waiting for you. The company in the next state may be slightly higher on the list price, but end up being much cheaper than having it shipped in from six states away. 2. Ask the supplier when your order is going to ship. Some suppliers are way behind in order filling and you could be waiting and waiting. Slowness in shipping is not necessarily a sign of bad business. Some suppliers may drag their feet, but others may be genuinely swamped by the volume of business they are receiving because they have a good product at a fair price. 3. How fresh is the product you are ordering? Freshness is what it's all about when it comes to storage foods. If a food has a five year shelf life in its container then you want as much of those five years to be on *your* shelf, not the supplier's. 4. Be very clear as to how the product you are ordering is packed. Many suppliers offer identical foods packed in several different ways. Be certain the product number you are giving the salesperson is for the product packed in the manner in which you want it. 5. If you are ordering foods packed in a nitrogen flushed oxygen free container (with or without an oxygen absorber packet added) then ask about the laboratory test results that measure the oxygen content of the head gasses in the container. This is of great importance if you are counting on the extra storage life such packaging will give you. There are but a few companies such as Perma Pak, Sam Andy and Walton Feed that actually produce packaged storage foods and most dealers only distribute and retail their products. If the dealer can not produce the manufacturer's test data measuring the head gasses of the products they are selling then keep looking. 6. If you are purchasing wheat and intend to use it primarily for bread making then be sure to ask about its protein content. The best breads need at least 12% protein and the higher the better. Also take a close look at the weight of the grain. One company's five or six gallon bucket of wheat may not weigh the same as another's. The same applies to dehydrated foods such as fruits, vegetables, tvp, etc. Ask about the moisture content of bulk foods which are not already packaged for long term storage. 10% moisture is where you want to be for grains, legumes and most everything else. 7. What is the company's damage and return policy? If your carefully packed superpails and #10 cans get dented or cracked in shipping you'll need to have them replaced. Most mail order companies will require you to contact the shipper (such as UPS) for a claim number. The shipper may or may not require an inspection so don't destroy any packaging or containers until you know for sure. Does anyone else know of anything else a person should look out for or ask about when mail ordering storage food? C.2 - Addresses of suppliers I have accumulated the following list of names and addresses of various suppliers of one thing or another relating to food preservation and storage. They are listed in alphabetical order and their position in the list should not be taken as an indication of worthiness. Naturally, addresses, phone numbers, web sites, etc change over time so if you have more current information than I'm giving here, please be so kind as to let me know. Additionally, I'm always looking for new companies so if you have some that I don't have I'd like to see those too. Thanks - ed. ALL GONE! Phone: 800-373-3423 E-mail allgone1@vero.com Diatomaceous earth ALPINEAIRE FOODS Post Office Box 926 Nevada City, Nevada 95959 (800) 322-6325 http://www.alpineaire.com/ E-mail: sales@alpineaire.com Shelf stable foods with a long storage life. Many foods that require no cooking. Also backpacking meals. AMERICAN FREEDOM NETWORK, THE P.O. Box 430 Johnstown, CO 80534 (800) 205-6245 orders http://www.amerifree.com/index.htm E-mail: orders@amerifree.com Mainstay Emergency Ration bars, grain mill BEST PRICES STORABLE FOODS by Bruce Hopkins 1737 Cascade St Mesquite (Dallas?) Texas 75149 (972) 288-0262 (972) 288-4610 http://web2.airmail.net/foodstr2/ Long term storage foods and oxygen absorbers CHAR-BROIL OUTLET STORE 1528 Bradley Park Columbus, GA (706) 576-6351 Meat smoking supplies CON YEAGER SPICE COMPANY 144 Magill Rd Zelienople, PA 16063 (800) 222-2460 Meat curing, smoking, herbs and spices COOKBOOK SHOPPE, THE Vickie Tate 302 East 200 North Manti, Utah 84642 (801) 835-8283 Home Storage & Preparedness Books including Cooking With Home Storage. COUNTRY LIVING PRODUCTS 14727 56th Avenue NW Stanwood, Washington 98292 (206) 652-0671 Manufacturer of the Country Living grain mill. DEWEY RESEARCH CENTER 3800 Dewey Avenue, Ste 125 Rochester, NY 14616 (800) 208-9576 (716) 865-8994 fax http://www.4drc.com/ Alpineaire foods DIATECT CORPORATION c/o Gordon Dill 410 E. 48th St Holland, MI 49423 Diatomaceous earth DRYING PANTRY, THE 9756 South Kristin Drive Sandy, Utah 84070 (801) 571-9115 A non-electric kitchen food dryer. Uses naturally occurring heat, either from the sun or your homes heating system. Hangs from hook to save counter space. Is also serves as a sprouter. EMERGENCY ESSENTIALS National Catalog Sales Office 165 S. Mountain Way Drive Orem, Utah 84058 (801) 222-9596 (800) 999-1863 Toll Free Order Line http://www/emergencyessentials.com/ E-mail: essentials@mtmarketplace.com Food Storage, MRE's, Water Purifiers and Storage Containers. EPICENTER, THE 6523 California Ave SW, #161 Seattle, WA 98136 (206) 937-5658 voice/fax http://TheEpicenter.com e-mail: bjnelson@TheEpicenter.com Storage food supplier, equipment, water purification. FAMILY SUPPLY 525 South Main St Heber City, Utah 84032 (801) 654-3314 Long term food supplies, Dairy Delight milk FOOD STORAGE CENTRAL P.O. Box 561 Salem, OR 97308 (503) 585-0478 http://www.foodstorage.net:80/index.html E-mail: director@foodstorage.net Alpineaire foods FOSSIL SHELL SUPPLY COMPANY P.O. Box 50225 Amarillo TX 79159 (800) 370-9920 (806) 355-4236 voice (806) 351-0777 fax E-mail jandj@arn.net Diatomaceous earth FUTURE FOODS Post Office Box 1922 Orem, Utah 84059-1922 (800) 949-FOOD (3663) Pantry size cans of dehydrated foods that are packaged for long term storage. HAPPY HOVEL FOODS P.O. Box 781 Yelm, WA 98597 (800) 637-7772 (360) 458-4445 http://www.wwmagic.com/haphov/ e-mail: haphov@seanet.com Pre-packaged food plans, bulk grains, N2 packed dehydrated foods, MRE's. HOME CANNING SUPPLY & SPECIALTIES P. O. Box 1158 (2117 Main Street) Ramona, CA 92065 (619) 788-0520 (phone) (619) 789-4745 (fax) (800) 354-4070 (orders only) Home canning and food preservation supplies such as bulk pectin. They offer regular pectin, low-methoxyl pecting without preservatives, and low-meth pectin with preservatives. HOMESTEAD FOODS Post Ofice Box 96 Victor, Montana 59875 (800) 838-3132 Alpineaire Gourmet Reserves. Cans or back-pack pouches. LAKERIDGE FOOD STORAGE (801) 221-8207 fax (800) 336-7127 http://www.shopsite.com/lfs/ E-mail: lfsfood@ix.netcom.com MRE's, long term storage foods LEHMAN'S HARDWARE P.O. Box 41 Kidron, OH 44636 http://lehmans.com Not a great deal of food, but a *lot* of food related equipment, grain mills, butchering, cheesemaking, dehydrators, pitters, peelers, etc. Most of it non-electric. Many books. Free shipping on many orders. LIFE SPROUTS Post Office Box 150 Paradise, Utah 84328-0150 (800) 241-1516 Manufactures the Sprout Master Sprouter and carries organic sprouting seeds. Also markets, recipe books, food storage. LIFE SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL, Inc. 200 Rittenhouse Circle Building 4 West Bristol, PA 19007 (215) 785-2870 Canned drinking water (10 oz aluminum cans) LIVE OAK FARMS (888) 359-5596 (405) 794-7365 The site did not list a postal address http://www.universalweb.com/food/index.htm E-mail: ron@universalweb.com N2 packed dehydrated foods, pre-packaged food plans, bulk foods and MRE's. MAGIC MILL 3686 South 2455 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 (801) 943-8860 Grain mills, dehydrators, bread machines, sprouting seeds, storage foods, etc. MAJOR SURPLUS 435 W. Alondra Boulevard Gardena, California 90248 (800) 441-8855 MRE's and some food/water storage containers. MAPLE LEAF INDUSTRIES, INC 480 South 50 East Ephriam, Utah 84627 (801) 283-4400 voice (801) 283-4200 fax (800) 671-5323 orders only http://www.mapleleafinc.com/ e-mail: food@mapleleafinc.com Long term storage foods and supplies NATURAL FOOD SYSTEMS Post Office Box 1028 Pagosa Sprgs, Colorado 81147 (800) 874-2733 Salad-A-Day, sprout growing systems with over 30 varieties of seeds and beans. Distributors of certified & Grown Chemical Free seeds & beans. NITRO-PAK PREPAREDNESS CENTER 147 No. Main Street Heber City, Utah 84302 (800) 866-4876 Dehydrated, freeze-dried, no-cook & storage foods. Year supply units, water storage containers and filters, military ready-to-eat meals (MRE's), wheat and grain mills. Call or write for catalog - $3. OREGON FREEZE DRY, INC (Mountain House) P.O. Box 1048 Albany, OR 97321 (800) 547-0244 (541) 967-6527 fax (541) 926-6001 international http://www.ofd.com/mh/index.html E-mail: mtnhouse@ofd.com Manufacturer of Mountain House freeze dried foods in pouches and larger cans. Does not sell direct, but through distributors. OUT N BACK P.O. BOX 1279 Provo, Utah 84603 (801) 533-7415 MRE's, long term storage food, grain mills, storage containers PATRIOT'S CANTEEN Atlanta, Ga (888) 226-8336 (770) 592-1698 voice (770) 516-1200 fax http://www.mojoski.com/canteen/ E-mail: Canteen@mojoski.com Bulk foods, N2 packed dehydrated foods, N2 packed grains, MRE's PENZEYS, LTD. SPICE HOUSE P.O.Box 1448 Waukesha, WI 53187 (414) 574-0277 Herb and spice supply house PERMA PAK 3999 South Main #S-3 Salt Lake City, Utah 84107 (800) 594-8974 Ext 120 Dehydrated and freeze dried food processor, supplies PIONEER OUTFITTERS P.O. Box 11333 Chickasaw, Alabama 36611 (334) 452-9267 Freeze dried foods, Mainstay Emergency Food Rations PONDEROSA SPORTS & MERCANTILE, INC. Post Office Box 1016 Eagle, Idaho 83616 (208) 939-1513 voice (208) 939-5413 fax Preparedness food, equipment and supplies. MRE's, freeze dried foods, Heatermeals, BFM (Balanced Food Mix), 26 page catalog, send $1. PREPARED ENTERPRISES Post Office Box 19572 Oklahoma City, OK 73144 (405) 682-8836 (800) 579-4118 Sam Andy & Alpine Aire Foods. PREPAREDNESS PLUS P.O. Box 1985 Orem, Utah 84059-1985 (801) 226-4188 Long term storage food, freeze dried, grain mills, PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES 3999 South Main, Suite S-2 Salt Lake City, Utah 84107 (801) 268-3913, ext. 125 Perma Pak full line of dehydrated foods. PRODUCT SOURCE INTERNATIONAL 255 East 400 South, Ste 150 Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 (801) 531-8996 voice (801) 328-1243 fax http://www.downtown-web.com/psi/ e-mail: psiusa@aros.net long term storage foods and supplies PROFESSIONAL MARKETING GROUP 912 Rainier Avenue S. Seattle, Washington 98144 (800) 227-3769 (206) 322-7303 Pyramid cooking system & barbecue, Pressaireizer professional model food dehydrator, Foodsaver vacuum packing system. PROVISIONS 2000, INC 2271 W 12th Lane Yuma, AZ 85364 http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/prov2000/main.htm E-mail: prov2000@sprynet.com Alpineaire gourmet reserves RAINY DAY FOODS 2315 Collard Valley Rd Post Office Box 1901 Cedar Town, Georgia 30125 (770) 748-3297 (888) 412 3434 orders http://www.cyberatl.net/~rdsupply/ E-mail: rdsupply@cyberatl.net Sam Andy, low moisture food, Mountain House, oxygen absorbers. READY RESERVE FOODS Post Office Box 697 Beaumont, California 92223 (800) 453-2202 Over 100 different dry food products for long term storage. SAFE TREK 90 Safe Trek Place Bozeman, MT 59715 (406) 586-4840 (800) 424-7870 http://www.safetrek.com/ E-mail: SafeTrek@avicom.net Pre-packaged food plans, grain mills. SAM ANDY FOODS 800 West Airport Frwy., Ste. #1100 Irving, Texas 75062 (214) 445-4144 (800) 331-0358 Manufacturer of low-moisture, long storage life foods. equipment, supplies and information for survival and emergency preparedness. Publishes a periodic newsletter - call to request a free copy. Dealer opportunities available. SAUSAGE MAKER, THE 26 Military Road, Buffalo, NY 14207-2875 (716) 876-5521 voice (716) 875-0302 fax Mail order sausage and meat smoking supplies, training videos, equipment, etc SECURE FUTURE 640 Bailey Rd, #128 Pittsburgh, CA 94565 http://www.securefuture.com E-mail: questions@securefuture.com N2 packed dehydrated foods (Ready Reserve), Pre-packaged food plans, grain mills. SIMPLER LIFE EMERGENCY PROVISIONS 1320 Johnson Dr. Industry, California 91745 (800) 266-PREP (7737) FAX (818) 961-5648 Kits, long term storage foods, equipment. Discounts for quantities, group purchases, incentives awards and fund raisers. Call or fax for free catalog. SOUTH SUMMIT CORPORATION P.O. Box 851293 Richardson, TX 75085 (972) 495-5270 voice (972) 495-9579 fax http://www.southsummit.com E-mail: southsummit@topher.net Long term storage foods STAR FOOD PROCESSING, INC. 3444 East Commerce Street San Antonio, Texas 78220 (800) 882-MEAL Fully cooked heat & eat serving trays. Each tray contains 106 ounces of fully cooked, ready to eat products. Thirty minutes time required to prepare a meal from pantry to the table. This product is shelf stable and requires no refrigeration or freezing for storage. Normal shelf life is two years. STOREHOUSE PRODUCTS Post Office Box 690021 San Antonio Texas 78269 (210) 690-7632 A Texas distributor providing a complete line of dehydrated foods, grain mills, water purification systems. Call or write for a free catalogue. SURVIVAL CENTER, THE 19223 Cook Road Box 234 McKenna, Washington 98558 (360) 458-6778 voice (360) 458-6868 fax (800) 321-2900 orders only http://www.zyz.com/survivalcenter/ e-mail: sales@survivalcenter.com A *lot* of books, not all of them useful. Pre-packaged food plans. Mountains House freeze dried foods in pouches and cans. MRE's. Grain mills. For catalog send $2.00. WALTON FEEDS,INC 135 North 10th P.O. Box 307 Montpelier, ID 83254 (800) 269-8563 http://www.lib.ab.ca/walton/ Major manufacturer and supplier of storage foods. N2 packed dehydrated foods, grains/legumes bulk and N2 packed, oxygen absorbers. Very informative web site. WESTERN RESERVE FOOD AND SUPPLY CO P.O. Box 19175 Cleveland, OH 44119 (216) 383-1777 (888) 366-3482 http://www.nmarket.com/wreserve/index.html E-mail: wrfood@cyberspace.net Dehydrated and freeze dried foods, MRE's, Alpineaire United States Plastics(800-537-9724) FDA approved plastic food storage containers Consolidated Plastics(800-362-1000) FDA approved plastic food storage containers ===================================================================== Please direct comments, questions, contributions and criticisms to: athagan@sprintmail.com Postal mail address: A.T. Hagan P.O. Box 140008 Gainesville, Fl 32614-0008