Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Although there are many foods that will last for decades when stored properly (wheat, beans, pasta, etc.), there are some foods that last forever without canning, freezing or dehydrating. If you’re new to food storage, these staples are a great way to start.
They’re the longest lasting foods in the world and are often referred to as “forever foods.” Technically, most of them are ingredients, but you can use them to make some great meals if you know how.
Next time you’re at the store, be sure to grab some of these foods/ingredients even if you don’t think you need them. Just seal them in an airtight bag, bottle, or container, keep them in a cool, dry location, and forget about them. When the time comes, they’ll be ready.
Now on to the list, in alphabetical order:
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1. Apple Cider Vinegar
This kitchen staple has many health benefits and will last indefinitely as long as you keep it sealed.
2. Bouillon Cubes
As long as you keep these dry, bouillon cubes should remain stable indefinitely. With these, you can make some delicious soup with just a few other ingredients, so get plenty of them.
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3. Corn Starch
As long as it’s kept dry, corn starch can last indefinitely, so stock up. It’s not only great for cooking, but can also be used for other things like removing oil from the face and hair, soothing sunburns, and diaper rashes.
4. Corn Syrup
The most common substitute for sugar in America. You can use it for brownies, cookies or candy.
5. Ghee
This kind of butter is boiled until all the moisture is gone, which is why it never goes bad. As long as you seal it and keep it in a cool, dry location (as with every item in this list) it can last hundreds of years. Here’s some more information.
6. Hard Liquor
Distilled liquor never goes bad, even after it’s been opened. And it’s not just a temporary escape, it’s also important for disinfecting wounds, easing physical pain, and many other things.
7. Hardtack
This is a mixture of flour and water forms a hard cracker that keeps for decades. Soldiers carried it with them in the civil war. It’s very hard and doesn’t taste great, but it will keep you going in an emergency. Here’s how to make it.
8. Honey
Archaeologists discovered ancient honey in the Egyptian pyramids and it was still edible! It crystallizes over time, but all you have to do is warm it up and stir it to get it back to the right consistency. Even if you don’t like honey, it’s still worth getting.
9. Maple Syrup
Like corn syrup and honey, this stuff lasts a long time because of the high sugar content. And what good are pancakes without maple syrup?
10. Salt
This stuff lasts forever, whether it’s sea salt or ordinary table salt. It’s also very useful. Just make sure it’s not seasoned salt, which is only good for a year.
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11. Soy Sauce
As long as it’s never opened, soy sauce also lasts indefinitely. This is mainly due to the high sodium content.
12. Sugar
Brown, white and powdered sugar all lasts forever. The problem with sugar is it hardens over time, but you can break up the chunks by warming it up and stirring it, just like with honey.
13. Vanilla Extract
Like a fine wine, pure vanilla extract actually improves with time because it’s a form of liqueur. It’s more expensive than imitation vanilla but well worth it.
14. White Rice
Every type of rice except for brown rice will keep forever if you store it properly. Brown rice, on the other hand, has a lot of oil so it goes bad after several months.
15. White Vinegar
In addition to cooking, distilled white vinegar can be used for cleaning, polishing, deodorizing, and other things.
Of course, no one really needs food to last forever. Rather, it’s good enough if your food lasts several decades, which makes the list a little longer. Check out these 27 foods that last for decades.
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I am also a prepper in training with a disability, and I also have a lot to learn.
I am the only one doing this in my family. Whenever I say somethin about preppin to my prents and my brothers and sisters and other relatives, they will just laugh at me.
My responce is “Oh well I did warn you”
It’s like Noah before the flood.
Another item not on the list that should be is Vaseline. Vaseline comes in handy for multiple uses.
I think they didn’t added Vaseline because they list only food items
you can make your own dry foods, in a dehydrator. vacuum seal, date it and then freeze it. Novel Idea! cheaper too. drying your food last longer and still keeps your flavor.
If it is dehydrated and vacuum sealed there is no need to freeze it.
Where do you get your ghee? I’ve been to many Indian markets, and all the ghee I’ve ever tried left a slightly rancid taste in my mouth and I tossed it.
Try a Pakistani market.
I make ghee at home. Put a pound of butter in a deep pot. Heat it until it comes to a boil. Keep the heat on and it will go down and boil again. After it boils the 2nd time, remove from heat let cool and strain thru cheesecloth into a container. Much cheaper than buying in a store. It tastes great too.
Make sure it`s real butter not margarine. I have known young people that did not know the difference.
I thought if you boil butter, it would burn.
Natural Grocers has gee and its yummy
I found both Ghee and Coconut Oil at WalMart, Costco, and at the Commissary.
Thrive Market, which is online, has it and in garlic flavor too!
I am a prepper in training. I focus on seeds and whole grains that can be sprouted, short term stored in vacuum sealed Food Saver bags. Long term vacuum sealed in quart size mason jars. Alert for cheap prices and special sales, then stock up. So far I have barley, five kinds of beans, ,and two kinds of rice. A lot of canned veggies with pull ring tops. (no can opener needed.)
pull ring tops do not last as long as standard cans, the tops are weak. o with a can opener.
Everybody should have a P38 can opener in their pack, glove box or on their key chain. you can get them at Wal Mart or army surplus stores and most any place that sells back packing / camping supplies.
My p38 was given to me by Uncle Sam with my CR’s 53 years ago and it has served me well
I am also a prepper in training with a disability, and I also have a lot to learn.
I am the only one doing this in my family. Whenever I say somethin about preppin to my prents and my brothers and sisters and other relatives, they will just laugh at me.
My responce is “Oh well I did warn you”
It’s like Noah before the flood.
For 33 years we have had a 1/4 acre Edible Jungle + small dam level with the lower swamp water table = very little work to do.. Healthy greens come from many sources: hibiscus, sweet potato, mulberry leaf, peanut lea, clover, tops of many vegies like carrots, & onions etc.With black string loop trap bird. We are close to the island sea so shellfish like oysters & mussels readily available + fish of course. Geese best for eggs & 2 goats or sheep for milk. Dog can happily become vegetarian at any age so us one to help pull your bike up hills like my 1950s Dachshund. Sugar cane for sweetness by spitting into 4. Pigeon etc peas. Bananas like warm weather swamps & ours ripen in midwinter.
Remember the “old” Boy Scout motto ?
Love this kinda stuff, makes ya think.
Thanks for the posting. Some of these make me laugh.
B²
No Pemmican? No Iron Rations (nuts and seeds)?
Several nuts and seeds, and particularly Pemmicam doesn’t last forever
25 years
Nuts and seeds have a high fat content and don’t store well. You can extend their life by storing them in the freezer.
If you are going to put salt on that list you must also put WATER! Both are naturally occurring and necessary for life.
Water is naturally occurring but does not last forever. Even the best sealed containers will give way to bacteria eventually rendering it hazardous. It would need purification of some sort.
My only caution is to not use corn starch for diaper rash. It encourages yeast growth.
Sorch dry corn starch in a pan is the answer. Used it for chafe.
The fungi aren’t coming from the corn starch, but the anal meatus… can’t really scorch that
keep the skin clean and dry and you won’t have rashes. we also applied a very light coating of Vaseline on our babies’ nether regions and never had diaper rash.
Great post. You have some good picks on this list. Honey, salt and ghee are my favorites. I would add coconut oil as a fat source. Coconut oil will last forever without going rancid like many oils. It’s also one of the healthiest and most versatile oils.
And personally I would not store or consume corn syrup.
Thanks!
Thanks! I love coconut oil but I had no idea it could last so long. In the future I’ll probably come back and add more items to this list.
Yes you really have to watch out for that carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen! while you’re at it you’d better do something to protect yourself from dihydrogen monoxide, Which kills more people globally than any other substance…give me a break.
11 “foods” that last forever?
I see 3 FOODS and 8 ingredients.
He specifically stated at the beginning of this post that, “Technically, most of them are ingredients, but you can use them to make some great meals if you know how.” Please read the post thoroughly before you make a comment.
Wouldn’t that be expecting us to use logic and be able to read?
and some reading comprehension thrown in really helps also, but if someone skims over the content then posts in error, that’s on them
I also am starting a storage room of food and water as times are getting harder and prices are going wild and our world seems to be uncertain.
For some of the grain foods like rice and flour, you really need to store them properly and in a dry place. White rice, for example, attracts many pests that eat them. The most common ones are insects, but of course rats could be a problem too. TBH it will be a challenge to keep your supplies completely pest free, especially if you have more than 3 months worth of supplies.
To store your rice and beans put them in a plastic bag and then put them in a large zinc trash can then use a bridge spike in the center of the contents. This causes a galvanic action that keeps the pests out.
What’sa bridge spike please?
What I do to protect my dry goods from pests is save up those big popcorn tins they sell at Christmas. They’re water and pest proof when sealed. Work smarter, not harder!
You should look on YouTube on how to dry can the rice and beans and flour and oatmeal Etc try counting these items can last 15 to 30 years with no bugs no rats can get into the jars
U guys r a bunch of geese.
Do u really think that the worlds gonna go into chaos
It’s entirely possible. Much of this site is about preparing for natural disasters which happen every year. But if you understood the unsustainability of the U.S. economy and entitlement system, you’d be stocking up. too.
Well said. The U.S Dollar collapse is unavoidable. The question is not whether it could possibly happen, but when. I wish I knew the answer.
Ah…yes, at last the Voice of the Sheeple is heard.
Well, Mike Hunt, if nothing happens we are no worse off for being prepared.
If something does happen, you on-the-other-hand are in big trouble.
😉
And by rotating the food supply you would eat the foods close to expiration soooo…you are basically buying groceries and keeping them for awhile, then eating them. If you had a debilitating injury, loss of job/income then the food supplies would really help. Some people have absolutely no one to help them and it could be weeks/months before they could get help from the government, if they qualify. This stocking up is wonderful
and you are a fool, I stocked up on food and when I lost my job I was able to feed the family with the very little money we had left. its not just for a disaster, its for when you might need it. but just go on with your life beliving that nothing will ever happen to you, and just wait for the government to take care of you……ignorant sheep
The zombie nigapocalypse broke out in Ferguson,& Baltimore.
It’s like having a gun – it is better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.
Well let’s see. Tsunami. Earthquakes, pandemics, power grid failure, tornadoes, massive storm fronts, floods, naw these things have not happened in human history so why worry about them now?
I wonder what Mike Hunt would say now May 4th 2020 about the world as it is today. Do you still think the guys r a bunch of geese????? I say the guys are way ahead in their food storage since they started in May of 2012. And yes the world is going into chaos right now.
When the pandemic hit and everything got shut down I never had to go to the store for anything not even toilet paper. Suddenly nobody was making fun of so called preppers. So here we are in 2021 and things aren`t looking much better but I`m restocked and ready for the next round. The problem is that America has just had it too good for too long. Sometimes people just need a wake up call. Keep doing the right thing and help someone if you can.
Mike, you can fool yourself, but I’ve been through many disasters (Typhoons, Earthquakes, Wildfires, and even a Volcano) and being stocked up in advance was a real benefit, so if you don’t prepare in advance then don’t expect anyone else to come to your rescue and provide for you because you failed to prepare ahead of time even though you are aware that you should, as proven by your reading and posting about articles on this website.
What I think is that PUTIN may lose it and send an EMP pulse here and knock out ALL the electricity in retaliation for helping Ukraine!!! Unless someone knockoff PUTIN!!
Awesome blog post on survival food! I’m going to reference your site and do some more research on it too. It has inspired me to find the best processed food goodies that will last “forever”.
Nice post! Thank you for keeping us informed. I have been wondering about the shelf life of honey and vinegar. With oil prices going through the roof food and everything else is getting much more expensive. We are putting away as much food as possible. Just last week we spent our entire tax refund on food storage. If your looking for long term food storage at reasonable prices check http://www.ShelfRelianceSanAntonio.com. We got the giant package for 4 people for a year. The food tastes great! Don’t wait another day!