Prudent Food Storage

The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. - Proverbs 21:20

Section 6 Resources
A. Books


This FAQ does not tell me what I need to know!


Please put your question to the rec.food.preserving, rec.food.cooking, misc.survivalism, or misc.rural Usenet newsgroups. You could even resort to that tried and true method - a book.


The following is a list of books that have been found useful by many, but is by no means exhaustive on the subject. If you have books you would like to suggest, please feel free to e-mail me with the particulars. 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

A Year's Supply; Barry G. & Lynette B. Crockett; 1988; ISBN# 0- 915131-88-9; Available form the author at P.O. Box 1601, Orem, Utah 84057 and some book or preparedness related stores. Publisher's Press.


Book of Tofu, The; William Shurtleff & Akiko Aoyagi; 1975; ISBN#0-345-35181-9; Ballantine Books.


Cookin' With Powdered Milk and Cookin' With Powdered Eggs; Peggy Layton; Both 1994; No ISBN; Available from the author and some preparedness related suppliers. P.O. Box 44, Manti, Utah, 84682.


Cookin' With Home Storage; Vicki Tate; 1993; ISBN# none; Published by the author; Address: 302 East 200 North, Manti, Utah, 84642; Tel # (801) 835-8283


Country Beans; Rita Bingham; 1996; ISBN 1-882314-10-7; Published by Natural Meals In Minutes 30500 SE Jackson Rd, Gresham, OR 97080.


Home Food Systems; Edited by Roger B. Yepsen, Jr.; 1981; ISBN# 0-87857-325-9; Rodale Press.


How To Develop A Low-Cost Family Food-Storage System; Anita Evangelista; 1995; ISBN 1-55950-130-8; Loompanics Unlimited.


How To Dry Foods; Deanna DeLong; 1992; ISBN 1-55788-050-6; HP Books


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 The Best Of Basics - Family Preparedness Handbook; James T. Stevens; 1996; ISBN #1-882723-25-2; Gold Leaf Press or from the author: 15123 Little Wren Lane, San Antonio, TX 78255


Permaculture Book Of Ferment & Human Nutrition, The; Bill Mollison; 1993; ISBN 0-908228-06-6; Tagari Publications


Prudent Pantry, The; A.T. Hagan; 1999; No ISBN #; Available from the author at athagan@atlantic.net; Borderline Press.


Putting Food By; Greene, Hertzberg and Vaughn; 1982 (14th edition); ISBN# 0-525-93342-5; Penguin Group.


Recommended Dietary Allowances (The RDA Book); National Research Council; 1989 (10th edition); ISBN 0-309-046335 (paper); National Academy Press


Root Cellaring; Mike and Nancy Bubel; (1994); ISBN 0-88266-703-3.


Tofu & Soyfoods Cookery; Peter Golbitz; 1998; ISBN 1-57067-050-1; Book Publishing Company; P.O. Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483


Whole Grains; Sara Pitzer; 1981; ISBN #0-88266-251-1; Garden Way Books



Updated: 9/18/96; 4/16/97; 7/21/97; 10/20/97; 9/15/98; 11/02/99; 12/01/03


Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003. Alan T. Hagan. All rights reserved.


Excluding contributions attributed to specific individuals or organizations all material in this work is copyrighted to Alan T. Hagan with all rights reserved. This work may be copied and distributed for free as long as the entire text, mine and the contributor's names and this copyright notice remain intact, unless my prior express permission has been obtained. This FAQ may not be distributed for financial gain, included in commercial collections or compilations, or included as a part of the content of any web site without prior, express permission from the author.


DISCLAIMER: Safe and effective food storage requires attention to detail, proper equipment and ingredients. The author makes no warranties and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this text, or damages resulting from the use or misuse of information contained herein. This FAQ is not intended for, nor should it be used in, any commercial food applications.


Placement of or access to this work on this or any other site does not necessarily mean the author espouses or adopts any political, philosophical or metaphysical concepts that may also be expressed wherever this work appears.



Table of Contents


Acknowledgements & Foreword


Section 1 - Shelf Lives


  1. Time, Temperature, Moisture, Oxygen and Light

Section 2 - Foods


  1. Common Storage Foods

A. Grains & legumes


  1. Grains & Grain Products
  2. Legumes
  3. Availability of Grains and Legumes
  4. Storing Grains and Legumes

B. Dairy Products


  1. Dry Milks
  2. Canned Fluid Milks and Creams
  3. Butter
  4. Cheese

C. Eggs


  1. Dry Eggs

D. Sugar, Honey and Other Sweeteners


  1. Granulated Sugars
  2. Honey
  3. Cane Syrups
  4. Corn Syrup
  5. Maple Syrup

E. Fats and Oils


  1. Buying & Storing Oils and Fats
  2. Extending Shelf Life By Adding Anti-Oxidants

F. Cooking Adjuncts


  1. Baking Powder
  2. Baking Soda
  3. Herbs & Spices
  4. Salt
  5. Vinegar
  6. Yeast

G. Infant Formula


  1. Alternatives to Breastfeeding
  2. Selecting and Feeding An Infant Formula
  3. Storing Infant Formulas and Baby Foods

H. MREs - Meals, Ready to Eat


  1. U.S. Military MREs
  2. U.S. Civilian MREs
  3. British/Canadian MREs
  4. Other Self-Heating Ready To Eat Type Products

I. Ration Bars


  1. Ration Bars

Section 3 - Specific Equipment Questions


A. Storage Containers


  1. What is Food Grade Packaging?
  2. Plastic Packaging
  3. Metal Cans
  4. Glass Jars
  5. Mylar Bags
  6. Reusing or Recycling Packaging

B. CO2 and Nitrogen


  1. Dry Ice
  2. Compressed Nitrogen

C. Vacuum Sealing


  1. Vacuum Sealing Considerations

D. Freeze Treating


  1. Freeze Treating

E. Oxygen Absorbers


  1. What Is an Oxygen Absorber?
  2. How Are Oxygen Absorbers Used?

F. Moisture in Packaging and Food Storage


  1. Why Moisture is Important
  2. What Is A Desiccant?
  3. Types of Desiccants
  4. How Do I Use Desiccants?
  5. Where Do I Find Desiccants?

G. Diatomaceous Earth


  1. What is Diatomaceous Earth?
  2. Where Do I Find DE and What Type Should I Buy?
  3. How Do I Use DE in Food Storage?

Section 4 - Spoilage


A. Insect Infestations


  1. Pests of Stored Grains, Legumes and Dry Foodstuffs
  2. Control of Insect Infestations

B. Molds in Foods


  1. Minimizing Molds
  2. Molds in Canned Goods
  3. Molds in Grains and Legumes

C. Bacterial Spoilage


  1. Botulism

D. Enzymatic Action in Food Spoilage


  1. Enzymatic Action

Section 5 - Shelf Lives


A. Food Product Dates


  1. "Best Used By", "Use By" and Other Food Product Dates

B. Closed Dating


  1. Closed Dating Codes Used by Some Food Manufacturers

C. Shelf Lives


  1. Shelf Lives of Some Common Storage Foods

Section 6 - Resources


A. Books


  1. Books

B. Pamphlets


  1. Pamphlets

C. Electronic-online


  1. Information sources
  2. Software sources

D. Organizations


  1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - LDS Family Cannery Guidelines

E. Food and Equipment Suppliers


  1. Mail Ordering Storage Foods What You Should Know
  2. Addresses of Suppliers

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