b'Long-Term Food StorageNeeds To Be A Part of Your PlanThe Best Laid Plans Quality FoodFood storage is something people have done outIt may be tempting to spend a lot of money on freeze-of necessity throughout historyuntil recently. Indried prepared meals (also known as MREs, Meals previous times, storing food months ahead had toReady to Eat). But, from experience, youll get more be done just to get through the winter. Not anymore.nutrition and better food (without nasty additives) for With a grocery store just down the street, most peopleless expense, if you buy whole foods to store and eat. havent needed to buy more than a couple of daysEven the best MREs tend to contain major allergens worth of food at a time.and flavor-enhancing additives that your body wont thrive on. Stick with real food.Everyone could learn about food storage and benefit from the knowledge we gained from our experienceHow to Cook Whats Storedthrough the stock-up frenzy that happened in 1998-99Coronavirus Fears Happened It might be an exaggeration, but knowing how to before the big Y2K non-event. But, then things changed. COVID-19 fears hadcook rice in a microwave isnt quite the same as arrived and along with them a panic wed never seenknowing how to cook rice without electricity. Being before. Friday, March 13, 2020, was the turning point.prepared is more than just having bulk food in It seemed everyone everywhere wanted to buy food,storage. Its about learning and practicing, too. There buy it now, and stock up. Just as the grocery storeare many books and online videos to help. Consider shelves in peoples communities went bare. No oneputting basic cooking recipes in your food-storage needed to be reminded that stocking up would be astash so you wont have to go hunting for them during good ideaeveryone seemed to be analyzing theiran emergency. And dont rely on the internet you own situation and making the best decisions theymay not have access to it during an emergency.knew to make. That of course meant getting enough food to last a while. So, its important to create a long-term stash that 1) will last for the length of time you choose to prepare for, What to Store and 2) contains as much food as you would like to be On a basic level its important to store 1) foods able to eat before adding fresher stock. For example, youre not allergic to, 2) foods youre familiar withif you want to always have food on hand at any time and know how to cook, and 3) foods that are packedto last 12 months, yet you want to eat from it for one in containers that are easy to access when month before restocking it, you would need 13 months you need them. worth of food total to start.Foods Youll Eat Dont just store it and forget it. The first consideration whenLearn to cook it. Eat from it. Use it. creating a food storage plan, isRestock it. Keep it fresh."Would I eat this?" Ideally, youll be storing foods you like to eatStorage Suppliesand youll start eating themFor short-term storage, glass jars are right away. Just knowing youan excellent, easy-access option for have yummy foods in storagestoring food. And they look nice in waiting to be cooked and eatenthe pantry too! For long-term storage gives a feeling of comfort.placing a heat-sealed Mylar bag with Youll know that when youan oxygen absorber into a bucket with need your stored food it willa regular lid is the best way to store be something youll like notfood for an extended time.something youll loathe. In an emergency, youll likely haveToo much work then simplify it all other things to think aboutand purchase a pre-planned food besides wishing you had stored bucket from many different suppliers.a more-favorite food. Just find the one you like best.That means eating it prior to needing it. However, NOTHING beats freshly prepared saved meals. 60 March 2023'