FOOD/EMERGENCY STORAGE ITEMS TO GATHER: NOVEMBER

Here are some ideas of items to stock up on this month. You may find some of these on sale. Choose items that you think your family would use and add them to your monthly food storage plan.

Shelf Foods
Water
Canned pumpkin
Sweet potatoes/Yams
Stuffing
Spices - cinnamon, etc.
Cake mix
Marshmallows
Pie filling
Broth - beef & chicken
Gravy
Cooking spray
Brownie mix
Brown sugar
Freezer Foods
Bread
Whipped topping
Turkey
Pies
Non-Food Items
Foil
Plastic wrap
Medical & First Aid
Antacid
Hand sanitizer
Cotton balls
Q-tips
Car Emergency Kit
Water bottles
Food bars, etc.
Flare
Matches
Jumper cables
Blanket
Flashlight and batteries
Toilet paper roll
Work gloves
Umbrella
Plastic trash bags
Equipment
ABC fire extinguisher
Smoke detector
Fire escape ladder
Emergency Prep
Latches on cupboards
Brace shelves/cabinets

Food Storage Salad Bar - Yummy, Yummy!

One of the easiest ways to encourage your family to eat canned food storage is to create a food storage salad bar. There are so many possibilities with some great nutritional value and no one ever thinks they are eating food storage. It's fun to go to the food storage pantry to select salad toppings and a favorite dressing!

Food Storage Salad Bar, Yummy, Yummy!
Serves 6

1. 12 cups of fresh healthy spinach, or mixed salad greens, in bite-sized pieces.

2. Next, go wild! Open up about 5 or 6 canned foods from the list below, and dump them into some plastic containers with lids. Chill.
3. Then when it's time to eat, put the containers and greens on the table and let each family member choose what they want to top their salad with. Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator for the next day.
4. Top with your favorite dressings. Another food storage item!

Food Storage Salad topping ideas:
Corn, canned (drained)
Green beans, canned (drained)
Olives whole or sliced (drained)
Beets, canned (drained)
Pineapple chunks or tidbits, canned (drained)
Mandarin oranges, canned (drained)
Black beans (rinsed and drained)
Kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
Garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
White beans (rinsed and drained)
Canned tuna (rinsed and drained)
Canned chicken (rinsed and drained)
Canned salmon (rinsed and drained)
Water chestnuts (drained)
Pickles
Toasted almonds
Walnuts
Cranberries
Raisins
Sunflower seeds
Croutons

Don't be afraid to add fresh tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers. And if you're really adventurous, sprout some wheat!

See How to Sprout Wheat Berries

Shelf Life of Canned Food Storage Foods

"Hi. I am from Nebraska and have been working on some meat storage. I know I had it at one time, but am having trouble finding a list showing how long it is safe to store home-canned meat products (or any food actually). Would you happen to know where I might be able to find this information? Thanks"

To answer your question, I did a general internet search and went through two of my favorite food storage books: "Your Guide to Emergency Home Storage" by Alan K. Briscoe, and "Emergency Food In A Nutshell" by Leslie D. Probert and Lisa L. Harkness. I value these books because I can see the amount of research that went into them.

There are many lists "out there." If you are ever curious about any one food item, do an internet search with the food's name and type in "shelf life" after it. As a general rule, I personally try to use all small canned good items within 2 years. So, I mark the can or case with the date of purchase. Obviously I've had some last longer, but the flavor and consistency may change. So my general answer is 2 years. You never know how long an item has been on a shelf in a store before you bought it, and if the place you have store it consistantly stays lower than 70 - 75 degrees.

Here is a good list with the shelf life of many canned goods and food storage foods at DealstoMeals.com.
One Year Supply Guide

StillTasty.com

Just Updated Paper Clutter Control: Organizing Your Office

If you would like to see how I reorganized my office, go to this former post that I recently updated. Rearranging the three desks in our small office has made it enjoyable for me to work here again. Check out my clutter control ideas as well.