Why You Need to Keep an Inventory

In the last few days, I have posted quite a bit on the basics of food storage. Today I would like to cover inventorying. Most of us when we started out did not realize how valuable an inventory could be. I know I started mine after the fact and it created a lot of extra work. A good inventory solves the following problems.

How long can I live off my storage?
A good inventory tells you where things are stored.
It helps you know when to rotate your food.
What am I short off?
We keep a running inventory of all of our preps. The inventory is kept in a notebook that is stored in a secure location. The inventory not only tells us how much we have stored, but where they are kept. As food and medical items are added to our inventory, we dated the items both in the book and on the storage container so that we can tell when they need to be rotated.

Now I know of some who keep it on their computer in Excel or other formats. There are also some commercial programs that are designed for inventorying your foods. Because of possible problems with the computer we have decided to go the old fashion way and keep the inventory off the computer. In any serious emergency chances are you will lose power anyway, making your inventory inaccessible. It is a lot easier to hide a written list or carry it with us.

Someone near us had a fire and by using their inventory was able to get their preps completely replaced by his insurance. Now I know some would say that filing an insurance claim violates operational secrecy. I agree, but I would have trouble rebuilding mine without the insurance money. Better to have preps even with a bit of risk, than have none.

Light, Another Enemy of Food Storage

Light is the least understood enemy of food storage. Exposure to light can cause foods to spoil faster. Both natural and artificial light can cause photodegradation, according to the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Clemson University. Exposure to sunlight, fluorescent light or incandescent light can cause photodegradation.

The light sensitivity of a food depends on many factors including the:

• Light source strength and type of light that it emits;
• Distance of the light source from the food;
• Length of exposure;
• Optical properties of the packaging materials;
• Whether the food is solid or liquid.

Light normally penetrates only the outer layer in a solid food, typically causing discoloration on its surface. Light can penetrate liquids more deeply and affect more constituents because of mixing and agitation.

When foods and spices like chili powder, which are normally brightly colored, have faded, their flavor and nutrient content have decreased. Deterioration from light exposure effects light sensitive constituents, like those listed below.

• Vitamins – Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Folic Acid, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Pyridoxine, Riboflavin
• Pigments – Anthocyanins, Carotenoids, Chlorophylls, Myoglobin, Hemoglobin
• Amino Acids – Tryptophan, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Histidin
• Fats – Unsaturated fatty acids, Phospholipids
• Whether the food is solid or liquid.

According to the University of Minnesota, the riboflavin content in enriched macaroni has been known to drop by 33 percent after exposure to light for one week. Oils and fats seem to be practically sensitive to the effects of light.

Wet pack foods in metal cans do not need to be protected from light. Food in glass jars will need protection. Special care should be taken with home canned food in mason jars. They should be store in dark rooms, containers or cardboard boxes. The boxes the jars come in work well.

Dry foods packed in plastic buckets should be kept out of bright lights, unless the contents are packed in Mylar bags. Personally, we try to keep all our foods in dark cool dry and insect free areas.

Oxygen Another Enemy of Food Storage

Today I will write about how oxygen affects the shelf life of food. Oxygen supports the growth of microorganisms and causes changes in color. Aerobic bacteria and fungi are able to grow in a oxygen rich environment. It also lets insects thrive and feed on your food. Removing the oxygen prevents these changes from happening and kills the insects. This will greatly increase the shelf life of your food.

Currently there are three common methods to protect your long-term dry pack from the affects of oxygen, vacuum sealing, oxygen absorbers and fumigation with dry ice.

Vacuum sealing- home vacuum sealing is normally done with a Food Saver or similar device. We use a Food Saver to seal mason jars all the time. It definitely extends the life of the food products. Here are some links to prior posts Food Saver Jar Sealer, More on the Food Saver, See my Wife’s FoodSaver Demo.

Fumigating with dry ice – This method works well. I have seen it used but not much in recent years. I will write a blog on it later in the week. It is more time consuming than oxygen absorbers and I can see no advantage in using it.

Buckets with Mylar bags ready for sealing
Oxygen absorbers – this is my favorite method and is currently the most widely used method of removing oxygen in the dry food storage industry. Here is a link to a recent post on them, Answers to Questions About Oxygen Absorbers

Whatever method you use, make sure that your containers are non-permeable. Glass and metal are fine, but plastic breathes. If you are using food grade plastic buckets and oxygen absorbers, the buckets need to be lined with a non-permeable barrier such as a Mylar bag. Here is a link to the method I use, Sealing Food in 5 Gallon Buckets.

The more care you take now the longer your dry pack foods will last.

Moisture, an Enemy of Food Storage

The second enemy of food storage, I want to discuss is moisture. This includes problems with high humidity as well as the more obvious ones. The best, but most expensive solution is to store your food in a climate-controlled room. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have this option for all of our storage.

Whatever area you store your food in; make sure that it stays dry (don’t laugh I have seen people store food in a leaky shed, thinking that the containers would protect the food). Don’t set your food directly on concrete; allow an air space between the food and the concrete.

Use moisture proof containers, plastic, metal or glass with good seals. This serves two purposes, it also keeps the bugs out. If you use metal containers near the ocean or in areas with high humidity, you may have to paint them. Use a cheap paint or lacquer.

If your clothes dryer is located in the storage room, be sure it is properly ventilated to prevent moisture from collecting. If you have a high humidity problem consider a humidifier.

I have heard of putting food safe desiccants inside dry food containers. This is not a method I agree with. Oxygen absorbers require a small amount of moisture to work; desiccants may stop them from functioning. None of the food storage companies use them in long-term dry storage foods. The whole secret is to make sure that your products are dry before they are sealed in the moisture proof containers.

If you are in a flood prone area store your foods as high as possible, the same as if you have a basement with water problems. Check your food periodically and look for rust or damage to the containers. Don’t forget to rotate your wet pack food on a regular schedule.

Enemies of Food Storage

The first rule of food storage can be summed up in the acronym HALT. It stands for the four enemies of good food storage. These are Humidity, Air (oxygen), Light, and Temperature. This is the basis of all food storage

To get the maximum storage life of your food you need to protect it from these four enemies. This will also preserve the maximum amount of nutrition.

Store your food at constant temperature of between 40 – 70 degrees.
Protect your foods from exposure to moisture and high humidity.
Protect your foods from exposure to oxygen.
Store your foods in a dark area or opaque containers.
Today we will discuss temperature. Since storage temperature is one of the most important factors, perhaps a general rule might be appropriate. The lower the temperature the longer the shelf-life. Persons storing foods in a garage at an average temperature of 90°F should expect a shelf-life less than half of what could be obtained at room temperature (60-70°F) which in turn is less than half the storage life in cold storage (40°F)

Now for some of us this is easier said than done. A good dry basement is always a good choice; anything below ground maintains a relatively even temperature. But if you don’t have a basement, what is your next choice? Avoid uninsulated garages and storage sheds, if at all possible. On this subject, a wise man once said that if we have to use our food storage, we would wish we had stored our furniture in the garage and our food in the house. If you have to store food in the garage, store it low, near the floor, but leave a little air space between it and the concrete. Plant some fast growing trees to shade your garage. If possible, move your sheds into the shade.

These sheds need to be insulated and depending on where you live, placed in the shade or air conditioned. Avoid attic areas; if you store your food in the house in temperature-controlled areas you are in good shape. If your home gets hot, store your food low in closets and under beds etc. Remember heat rises.

If you have to use some less desirable storage areas, use them for foods that are less likely to be damaged by heat. Foods subject to heat damage would include most wet packed canned foods. Food stored in hot areas should be rotated on a more frequent time schedule.

Over the next three days we will discuss the three other major enemies of food storage. Humidity or moisture, oxygen and light.

Inexpensive Storage Space

Do you need extra storage or a second storage location? One easy and relatively inexpensive solution is to purchase a shipping container or conex. They come in lengths of 10, 20 and 40 ft. Most are approximately 8 ft high and 8 ft wide. I have had one for years and have never had a problem with rodents or bugs damaging anything I have stored in it. Mine has never leaked and was exposed to the elements for years, it is now covered.

Basically, they are a large metal box that has been used to carry cargo on container ships. Some have wood floors and may be lined with wood. When you purchase a box there are a few things you need to look for. Rust is a big one; some outlets will just paint over the rust and try to hide it. A second thing to look for is damage to the doors, do they swing freely and are the rubber seals in good condition.

I have seen them used for everything from houses to mini storages. Since they are a box you can place them side by side and connect them or stack then to make an upstairs. You are only limited by your imagination.

The biggest disadvantage I have found is that because they are a metal box they get hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Now where I live cold is not the problem, but heat is. I have seen several solutions to this problem. One answer was to line the container with 2 inch styrofoam insulation. A second was to cover the container so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight. A third is to cut a hole and install a window air conditioner. I have seen a combination of these ideas used. For cold weather, I would leave it exposed to the sun and insulate it if I stored anything in there that would be damaged by the cold.

A cabin made from shipping containers I like to keep them out of the dirt so mine is setting on railroad ties. It is been there close to twenty years and the ties are still good.

I know that some of these containers have been buried. Personally, I do not recommend it. The main reason is that they are not engineered for that type of weight load. They are build on a strong frame work that is designed to carry the weight of another container, but the areas of roof and walls between the frame work are not designed to carry weight.

If you are interested in purchasing a container, try a locate trucking company that does long distance hauling, also check for companies the sell them for storage. You should be able to find one for between 1 to 2 thousand dollars, maybe cheaper if you live near a port. The twenty-foot containers can be loaded and moved easily on a flat bed wrecker.

Powdered Milk and its Uses

Here are some things that you can do with your powdered milk. You don’t have to use them all the time, but you should know how to make them and how they taste.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/3 cup instant dry milk (¾ cup non instant)
½ cup hot tap water
¾ cup sugar
4 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
Pour water into blender, add milk and sugar. Blend, Add butter and blend thoroughly. Let mixture thicken a little, and then use in recipes calling for canned sweetened condensed milk. Chill if not going to use right away. Makes 1 ¼ cups, equal to one can.

Evaporated Milk

1 1/3 cups water
1 cup instant dry milk (1/2 cup +1 Tbsp non-instant)
Mix water and powdered milk well. This is equivalent to one can of evaporated skim milk.

Whipped Topping

½ cup cold water
½ cup powdered milk
2-4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla
Place water in a bowl to chill in the freezer (or you could use a bowl previously chilled in the freezer). When it has ice crystals around the edges, it is ready. Add powdered milk to the bowl of ice water. Use electric beaters to whip the milk until stiff peaks form; it will take about 5 minutes. Gradually ass desired amount of sugar. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat only till it is mixed in. Serve right away for best results. (Do not over beat)

Storage Information

Store powdered in airtight containers in a cool, dark place. It’s stored properly it can last much longer up to 20 years (in #10 cans or mylar bags with an oxygen absorber). Since nonfat milk powder has little fat it does not go rancid, but it will lose nutritional value and develop a stronger flavor over time. Milk that is too old, works as a great fertilizer for your garden. (This I have not tried)