Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Almost every prepper makes several food storage mistakes at the beginning. It's hard not to. Even experienced preppers still make mistakes every now and then. That's why I thought a post on food storage mistakes would be a good reminder for everyone.
Here's what I came up with. Note: These are not in order of importance.
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1. Planning to store food, but never doing it.
Planning itself often feels like an accomplishment, but if you never get past the planning stage you're just wasting time.
2. Buying food and forgetting about it.
Just because you bought a bunch of food and shoved it in the back of the closet doesn't mean you're prepared.
3. Buying huge quantities of foods you haven't even tried.
What if all those boxes of freeze-dried chicken alfredo are disgusting? Don't you think you should find out before you're forced to eat them every day? Most food storage companies will send you samples if you request them.
4. Buying bulk foods only because they're a good deal.
It's not a good deal if it's food you don't like. Don't get sucked into buying food just because it's on sale.
5. Storing food you don't usually eat.
After a disaster, you and your family will be much happier if you're able to keep eating the way you normally do. As they say, store what you eat and eat what you store.
6. Not having enough variety.
Don't buy too much of one thing unless you want to hear family members whine, “Beans again?” Food fatigue is very real, but if you have different meals every night it can help with morale.
7. Buying too many foods that require refrigeration.
I'm all for filling up the freezer, but if the power is out for more than a few days you'll need other options.
8. Storing foods that are difficult to cook.
This mistake is debatable because some people are great at cooking from scratch even without power, but most people should choose foods that won't take long to prepare. You want to use as few resources as possible.
9. Forgetting about spices and condiments.
It's easy to forget about these, but make sure you don't. Some meals are incredibly boring without them.
10. Not labeling your food with expiration dates.
If you don't know how old your food is, you'll have to either throw it away or risk eating something that will make you sick. Here are some shelf life tips.
11. Not using durable, food-safe containers.
Don't just leave your food in cardboard boxes. Put it in something that will keep pests out. Try sealing food in Mylar bags. It's easy
12. Storing foods in places with moisture and varying temperatures.
Find a place in your home that has stable temperature and humidity levels. Here are some suggestions.
13. Not rotating your food.
You need to have a good rotation system in place unless you want all the stuff in the back to go bad. Here are 10 tips for rotating your food.
14. Not having an inventory list.
This will help you know what to purchase next and avoid purchasing food you already have.
15. Not having the equipment to prepare the food.
First on the list is a can opener. You might also need a hand-operated blender, a grinder (if you have wheat), a camp stove, and other non-electric appliances.
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