Posts Tagged ‘Expiration Date’

Protect Your Food With Food Storage.

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Many of us would store food for survival purposes only when there is a risk of some attack or natural disaster. But emergencies tend to happen unexpectedly and our everyday life can change in a minute and our routine can be interrupted. There are many things we take for granted in our everyday life like our work, plenty of food in grocery stores, electricity, gas, etc. But unfortunately these things could disappear for whatever reason.

We are so used to having things like air conditioning in our houses, that we cannot imagine it to be gone. Can you picture your life without a fridge or a stove? Most of us can?t but it could become our new reality and we have to be ready for it. But these things are not even the most important things. Things like water, food and protection are more important and we cannot survive without them in the first place. So, if you want to avoid the helplessness in case of emergency, it is necessary to store your own water and food.

Water is one of the most important things to store. You can live without food longer than without drinking water. You have to make sure you store enough water for everybody in your family. That would be about 3 gallons per day per person, including cooking and hygiene water. It is really better to store more than you need and then not use it. Make sure to use food grade containers for storing water. You can get new barrels in different gallon sizes. Or you can also store water in used barrels as well as buy commercially packaged water, just keep in mind to check the expiration date regularly.

As for the food storage, there are several approaches to this. You can grow and store your own food or purchase food that is ready to be stored. Storing your own food is more difficult because you have to grow it, then preserve it and keep rotating it. Home canned food usually has shorter shelf life. There is food you can buy that saves your time and efforts as well as has much longer shelf life. You can buy freeze dried foods. They are ready to be stored and can be good for up to 25 years. This way you take care of everything and can avoid a lot of stress. This is the easier option to bring peace of mind to your family.

You might not think this to be important to you, but no matter where you live, things happen. And if you follow these simple steps, you and your family will be protected whether it is economic crisis, power outage, hurricane or flood.

Are you aware that food storage can save you from lots of troubles during all sorts of emergency situations. Read more about food storage on this food storage blog.

Keep Your Food Stored Properly.

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Everybody should take seriously the proper storage of food, whether it is in the cabinet or refrigerator. It is equally important to your health as well as budget because your food will last longer. If you store your food wrong, harmful bacteria can grow in it, which will lead to spoilage. Use these helpful tips on storing your food properly and keep it fresh longer.

Vegetables should be stored in the food crisper of your refrigerator. All of your vegetables can be kept in there except for onions, garlic, potatoes and tomatoes. Tomatoes can be kept on the counter. But after cutting them, they should be placed in the plastic bags and in the fridge. Potatoes, garlic and onions should be stored in the dark place, maybe even in paper bag, but not the fridge. In order to keep your vegetables? nutrients and moisture, they should be placed in plastic bags before putting them in the fridge.

Contrary to the popular belief, apples should be stored in the refrigerator and not on the table in the bowl as we are used to it. Refrigerator is also the best place for all kinds of berries. As for bananas, they are better being kept outside the fridge to prevent them turning black. Regular room temperature is also better for melons and watermelons, but only until they become ripe. Then place them in the fridge. It also concerns grapes. With citrus fruits you can actually choose whether to store them in the fridge or not, because it doesn?t really matter for them.

Many people like to freeze leftovers. And it is a very good practice, but you have to know how to do it right. You have to make sure you put any leftovers to airtight bags or containers. This will maintain their freshness better and will keep it from freezer burn. You shouldn?t also refreeze any food that was defrosted. Use them, cook them or throw them out.

You should also know how to store dairy properly. Milk should definitely be stored in the fridge, but make sure you keep an eye on the expiration date. Try to buy milk in your grocery store with a date that is not going to expire any time soon. The latest expiration date milk is usually stored in the back of the dairy shelves in your store.

All meats, poultry and fish need to be kept in the refrigerator before cooking. Store them in the grocery store packaging and keep it away from other foods in the fridge to prevent contaminating other foods with bacteria that can be present in raw meat. Make sure you eat your fish within two days of buying it.

Other foods like cereal, breads, oils, pasta and canned food should be kept in the dry, cool and dark pantry. If you follow these simple recommendations, you will be able to maintain your food fresh for much longer.

Are you aware that food storage can save you from lots of problems during all sorts of emergency issues. Find out more about food storage on this food storage site.