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food storage – Page 3 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Tag: food storage

  • Storing Potatoes for Winter

    Storing Potatoes for Winter

    Potatoes are one of the best crops you can grow! Nutritious, substantial sources of food, they also keep well over the winter, if you know how to store them right. Whether you’ve been growing them and would like to do a big harvest to keep them all over the winter, or you’re buying them in bulk from the farmer’s market before it closes from the winter, it’s important to use the best storage practices so they don’t rot or sprout through the winter months. Potatoes are wonderful for hearty winter dishes so it’s imperative to store them well!

    Here are a few tips for keeping potatoes preserved over the winter:

    Keep it cold

    Wherever you choose to keep your potatoes, make sure you have a cold environment. This is what old-fashioned cellars were commonly used for. The ideal location will have a relative humidity of 95% so that the potatoes don’t dry out, and stay around 45 to 50 degrees Farenheight. This can be your basement, unheated garage, enclosed back or front porch or of course, a cellar.

    Keep them separate

    One very important tip is to keep your potatoes away from fruits or onions, which put off gasses that will cause the potatoes to rot and spoil much faster. You want to keep the potatoes anywhere they won’t be trapped with the gas from these fruits, so in their own containers with plenty of room in between the gassy produce.

    Cure the potatoes

    Before you pack them up for storage completely, it can help to spread them out in a well-ventilated tray, in a single layer, to let some air circulate and to dry the skins a bit. Leave them here for several weeks before packing in their long-term storage.

    Pack them up

    You can use boxes, baskets or even plastic laundry hampers, to pack up the potatoes. The most important thing is to have air circulation throughout the container the potatoes are in, so if you are using a box make sure there are some holes or slats in the side. You can use shredded paper, newspaper or even very dry hay or straw to pack the potatoes. Make sure they’re just not all piled up on top of each other, and spread them out in between the dry medium you’ve chosen.

    Check them frequently

    Obviously, you should be using the potatoes throughout the winter, or maybe you’re not, but either way, you want to check the potatoes frequently to make sure they’re not rotting. Poke through each of your containers from time to time and eliminate any rotting potatoes and the surrounding medium. If you are frequently taking from your potato stash this should be easy, just check the rest of them each time you take some to use.

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  • Canning Tips for Those Just Starting Out

    Canning Tips for Those Just Starting Out

    You are a homesteader, then it typically means you have a garden. This means you are growing vegetables and fruit more than likely. You cannot eat all the food right away in most cases, so you want to can it to preserve it. There are some excellent benefits to canning in addition to having all that extra food in the house.

    One of the primary benefits is that you do not have to worry about any added chemicals to the food. In addition, it tends to taste quite a bit better than commercial canned food. It is also quite a bit easier than most people think, and it can be fun.

    First of all, you need to make sure you have all the right equipment. You need to have a number of canning jars and lids, as well as a canner. Those just beginning will likely want to start with a water bath canner. You can find kits available, and they will usually include tongs for lifting the jars as well as a ladle.

    Make sure you sterilize the jars, the lids, and the rings. You can do this by washing them in warm soapy water, rinsing them, and then boil them. A good tip is to remove the jars when you’re ready to can, but leave the lids and rings in the water until you are ready to close up the cans – this ensures they remain sterile.

    In addition, be sure to slice up your fruits or vegetables to the right size for the jars, and only fill up to the fill line on the jars. Follow the instructions for your canner, and then let the jars cool once you have finished canning. Label them and then store them in dark place.

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  • 5 Tips for Storing Food in Harsh Conditions

    5 Tips for Storing Food in Harsh Conditions

     

    Storing dry foods can be tricky. Ideally, you want to store your food at about 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, with low humidity (less than 15%). Of course, that just isn’t possible for a lot of people, especially those who live in exceedingly warm or cold climates, floodplains, etc. So how can you improve your food’s longevity, even if you’re storing it in harsh conditions? Follow these tips.

    • Be selective with expiration dates – Canned goods can usually last years past their expiration dates, but it’s a good idea to choose the ones with the longest dates to be sure that your food doesn’t go bad while you’re not paying attention.
    • In humid conditions, store food higher – Your gut instinct might be to store food in the basement, but if you live in a floodplain, that can be problematic. Store food in the attic or one of the upper floors of your house to avoid flood damage and minimize humidity.
    • Invest in a vacuum sealer – if you’re bagging up dry goods, you can extend their shelf life in any conditions by sucking the oxygen out of them. A vacuum sealer is an inexpensive investment for longer lasting food.
    • Date your food inventory – Your canned goods will likely have expiration dates on them, as well some of your dry goods. If you’re doing your own canning or bagging, though, make sure to put the dates on all containers. Then always use the oldest dated foods first before moving on to newer containers.
    • Grab some Five-Gallon Buckets – If you’re worried about pests getting into your food supplies and/or you want to keep them fresher longer, invest in some five-gallon buckets with tight-fitting lids.

    With these tips, you should have no trouble extending the shelf life of all of your canned and dry foods, even in harsh conditions.

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  • 5 Survival Foods That Virtually Last Forever

    5 Survival Foods That Virtually Last Forever

    When stocking up a survival stash, it’s important to maximize your space with items that will last the longest. Below is a list of items that will virtually last forever…

    1.Dried Beans

    Dried beans are probably one of the most common items to stock up on and for good reason. When kept away from moisture and light, they can last for decades. Vacuum sealing is a great option for storing beans, as they keep best in an absence of oxygen.

    2. Vinegar

    Due to its high acidity, vinegar will last essentially forever. Vinegar is a great item to stock up on for any long-term survival situation because it can be used as a disinfectant and all-purpose food preservative for other food items that might not last so long on their own.

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    3. Salt

    Like vinegar, salt is also a food preservative with many practical applications that will keep indefinitely. Not to mention, it’s always going to be your first choice for making bland survival food tastier. All you need is to protect it from moisture, of course (because we all know plenty of salt doesn’t pour when it rains!)

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    4. Honey

    Honey lasts so long, it has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Unless it gets exposed to moisture, it will pretty much last forever. Just keep it stored in an airtight container. And amazingly, while it may crystallize or change color, it will remain edible for possibly hundreds of years.

    5. Rice

    Rice is quite possibly the ultimate survival food. Like honey, rice has also been found in Egyptian tombs. Most varieties (other than brown rice, which is more perishable due to its high-fat content) will last indefinitely, especially when stored in a cool, dry place.

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