Shelf Life of Canned Foods
When I speak about food storage I am often asked what someone should do to accumulate a three month supply of food when they don’t eat canned fruits and vegetables. I point out that a three month supply can easily be rotated in the years of shelf life they are safe for. Fruits can be used in cereal, smoothies, ice creams and so many ways. Vegetables can be used in stews, soups and casseroles. It’s also important to find out the facts about canned foods.
Canned foods account for 12 percent of grocery sales in the United States. More than 1,500 different foods are preserved through canning. Many are not available fresh and canning is the only way we, as consumers, can enjoy them. Consumers can purchase at least 130 different canned vegetables, and dozens of fruits and canned meats.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, has concluded that canned foods provide the same nutritional value as fresh grocery produce and their frozen counterparts when prepared for the table. “Levels of 13 minerals, eight vitamins, and fiber in the foods were similar,” says Dennis Dignan, Ph.D., chief of FDA’s food processing section. In fact, in some cases the canned product contained high levels of some vitamins that in fresh produce are destroyed by light or exposure to air.
If a can shows signs of spoilage, rust, leakage or swelling, it should be thrown away without opening. With the advances in the processing of foods this should be a rare occurrence if cans are stored in a cool, dry, area.
No more excuses. Store those canned fruits and veggies.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ebam/bam-21a.html
http://www.essortment.com/all/cannedfoodsaf_rkxj.htm
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c3f2079e-7528-4ad1-a28b-c2c1d885a897)
One of my favorite comfort meals is to prepare mashed potatoes–usually from dried potato flakes with a pinch of onion powder added to the water–and chicken noodle soup. I heat up a can of hearty chicken noodle soup(this soup will have the wider noodles) along with a can of chunk chicken, or leftover chicken or turkey. Sometimes if there are leftover green beans or carrots from another meal, I will add them to the soup. When the soup is hot, I put a 1/2 cup mound of mashed potatoes in a clean soup bowl for each person eating dinner and then ladle at least a one or one and a half cup portion of soup over the potatoes. This meal is filling and comforting. It is also good for when the family is in a hurry, or when they have had a long day and want dinner in a hurry.
Thank you for addressing this. I get this question a lot, too. I appreciate your well researched post. I know some people like the freeze-dried fruits and veggies but I’m a fan of the canned because I don’t have to send away for a #10 can of them, I can easily stock them as they go on sale. It’s nice to see someone else likes the canned goods, too!
Probably 3/4 of my pantry is canned goods. I have little ones and we just don’t have the time to prepare things from scratch enough to rotate freeze dried and dehydrated foods. We have some, for long term storage and emergencies. But our “general store” is mostly canned goods and it works well for us. They are easy to use, quick, and in case of a real emergency are packed in liquids, so won’t use precious water!
I have seen hundreds of food storages. I have helped organize & consult on what to have
included in your food storage. I share the ideas that I have accumulated over the years.
Along with your wheat, beans & rice, your canned foods etc. Some even have MRE’s & freeze
dried items. Whatever it is you have in your food storage, I just want to give you a few
ideas & suggestions. I am also open for suggestions, after 17 years, I still come across
great ideas.
First, make sure you have a good variety of spices. You can eat the same beans or rice a
lot easier when one day they taste like taco spices & the next day curry etc. A variety of
spices will make anything easier to eat long term. I personally have many bottles of
tobasco. I can eat bugs with tobasco, crickets, worms etc. I am serious.
In many emergencies clean water is a big problem. You will go through hundreds of gallons
of water in just a few short weeks. Make sure you have a good water filter with your food
storage. You use a lot of water to cook with & drink. A water filter that you hand pump will
turn rain water, canal water or saved water from cooking etc. into good drinking water again.
Keep hand sterilizer with your food storage & hydrogen peroxide. In an emergency people get
sick & die from simple infections. In an emergency, you lose your appetite & forget to drink
water, under stress. Your immune system suffers tremendously & small infections grow large.
Under stress TAKE YOUR VITAMINS & DRINK WATER! You will have more energy to deal with the
emergency & have a healthy immune system. Keep your hands clean when dealing with food &
use the hydrogen peroxide even on small cuts as a precaution. It can save your life.